Explore US National Parks With These Free Virtual Tours

Who is missing the view of majestic landscapes or simply just being able to step out of home already? You can now explore the great outdoors of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and even Yellowstone National Park in these virtual tours.

We suggest you view them on your big screen and fill the entire house with the sights and sounds of nature. You can even wear that pair of hiking shoes and walk or stretch along to these magnificent views.

When the US National Park Service celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016, they partnered with Google Arts & Culture to showcase five National Parks through an immersive 360° experience. The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks is an interactive documentary of some of the most remote and breathtaking places in the Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon in Utah, and Dry Tortugas in Florida.

At each park, a local Park Ranger guides you through places most people never get to go, such as flying above active volcanoes in Hawaii, kayaking through the snowy fjords in Alaska, and swimming through the coral reefs of the Dry Tortugas in Florida.

Yellowstone National Park may be on the bucket list of many, but hidden in the wilderness of Wyoming, only a minority actually travel all the way to experience the wonder of it all. But with the wonders of technology, you can now catch the eruption of Old Faithful Geyser on their live-stream webcam. It happens once every 60 to 90 minutes, so keep your eyes open for that! 

Besides Yellowstone, you can also take in the majesty of the Yosemite Falls, spy on a Bald Eagle’s Nest or swim among fishes in the Channel Islands, and even catch Brown Bears feasting on salmon.

Google Earth has compiled a total of 113 virtual tours that you can take of various National Parks, National Monuments and more. Get up close to four US Presidents at Mount Rushmore, explore the caverns of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and even catch the San Francisco Bay Area as you tour Alcatraz Island.

Want more? You can also learn more about the history of some of these places by hearing from the Park Rangers themselves. Find Your Park has done up a series of videos that they will bring you through Crater Lake National Park, Channel Islands National Park, and also the restoration efforts in Point Reyes National Seashore.

But we say there’s nothing that can beat being there in person, so let this be a walkthrough to shortlist your next adventure!

With the wonders of technology, the opportunity to explore the world while we stay home is endless. Here are more ways to tide you through while the world remains #yourstoexplore later!