07Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas, USA
Big Bend Ranch costs $5 a day and closes completely for scheduled hunts on five 2026 dates; Big Bend National Park charges $30 per vehicle and stays open.
active · exploration
08Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, USA
Theodore Roosevelt fits half a day in one unit: the South Unit's 36-mile loop needs two hours, and entry is $30 per vehicle, same as Badlands.
chill · active
09Schoodic Peninsula, Maine, USA
Choose Schoodic for a coast-focused day: a 6-mile one-way loop open year-round, an hour from Hulls Cove, against the 27-mile Park Loop Road.
chill · active
10Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin, USA
Apostle Islands has no entrance fee: walk 4.8 miles to the Bowl above the sea caves for $5 parking, or take the 55-mile Grand Tour at $53 an adult.
chill · active
11Isle au Haut, Maine, USA
Isle au Haut fits when you can give it the 10:00 a.m. mailboat and the 4:30 p.m. Duck Harbor return: about five hours ashore, $48 round trip.
exploration
12Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado, USA
Black Canyon costs $30 per vehicle for 7 days and its South Rim Road runs late April to mid-November; East Portal Road is closed after flood damage.
chill · active