Tour A National Park From The Comfort Of Your Couch

March 25, 2020
A little scale and perspective along the trail in Bryce Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson

A little scale and perspective along the trail in Bryce Canyon National Park / Rebecca Latson

Here I am, sitting in front of my laptop, hoping Crater Lake National Park and its lodging will be open May 23-29, as I have room reservations in the park for that window.

Fingers crossed, but I’m not holding my breath. I figure I’m in the same boat as most of the rest of you who have/had plans for a national park visit. What can one do in the meantime if one wants to visit a national park but can’t? Google it!

I typed “national park virtual tour” into Google’s search engine and pulled up a bunch of articles and sites with links to various national park virtual tours lasting anywhere from 1 minute to 11+ minutes. Below is a sampling of what you can find out there in the National Park System if you have the time and patience.

Be aware that not all these tours have audio nor video. Some are slideshows of 3D maps and photos. Others are far more detailed and interactive. Google Arts and Culture teamed up with the National Park Service to produce a cool series of five virtual park tours. Those five tours provide video and narratives along with a little bit of interaction in which you click to hear sounds or investigate other aspects of the park before moving on to the next portion of the tour.

Kenai Fjords National Park

https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/kenai-fjords/exit-glacier-tour

Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park

https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/hawaii-volcanoes/nahuku-lava-tube-tour

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/carlsbad-caverns/natural-entrance-tour

Bryce Canyon National Park

https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/bryce-canyon/sunset-point-tour

Dry Tortugas National Park

https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/dry-tortugas/near-little-africa-tour

Yellowstone National Park provides a map from which you can click on several different portions of the park to be taken to pages with details specific to that area, including 3D models, maps, photos, and accessibility information.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm

This long link below below takes you into Google Earth, where you can choose from 31 national parks for a sort of 3D map / street view / photo tour of each.

https://earth.google.com/web/@2.45133915,-98.61144059,-5192.98031784a,27413757.13498593d,35y,-0h,0t,0r/data=Ci0SKxIgMzVhNjc1YmQ0NjVjMTFlOTg0Yjg1NTMyNWRjMDk2MzQiB3ZveV90b2M

The NPS media video page links to a large number of NPS virtual tours:

https://www.nps.gov/media/multimedia-search.htm#sort=score+desc&q=virtual+tour&fq%5B%5D=Type%3A%22Video%22

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks:

Redwood Mountain Virtual Tour Parts 1 & 2

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=00112E70-B51A-6F1E-3F6B75D4F73490BB

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=FA2EE484-EB9E-4237-4FBA40054154B39D

General Grant Tree Trail Virtual Tour

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=F880EC5B-A2E1-421D-BEA5822B650F0084

Mesa Verde National Park Balcony House tour

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=17367558-1DD8-B71B-0B739F758EB9BB06

Glacier National Park Logan Pass Virtual Map

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=48C81F0A-1DD8-B71B-0BB97FE1273ED77D

Statue of Liberty National Monument 

https://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/stli/eTour.htm

A virtual tour of landscape change in Denali National Park and Preserve

https://www.nps.gov/features/dena/003/landchange/virtual_tour.html

Devils Tower National Monument

https://www.nps.gov/deto/learn/photosmultimedia/virtual-tour.htm

Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River Access Points

https://www.nps.gov/upde/learn/river-access-points.htm

I found all these links within just 10 minutes of web surfing. Imagine how many more are out there for you to enjoy, all from the comfort of your couch.

Stories about:

Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Denali National Park and Preserve
Statue of Liberty National Monument
Bryce Canyon National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Glacier National Park
Devils Tower National Monument
Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River

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