America's Undiscovered National Parks and Monuments

The most famous national parks in the U.S. draw millions of visitors a year, especially in the peak summer travel months. Yet hundreds of lesser-known federal parks and monuments preserve remarkable places that are equally worthwhile destinations. Some are well-known regionally but still make superb destinations for travelers from farther afield; others are quite remote and virtually unvisited.

Here are 16 of America’s best lesser-known parks and monuments, perfect for exploring the country’s natural heritage. All but three offer campsites for visitors; for more information on all, visit http://www.nps.gov.

Great Basin National Park, Nev.: America’s Great Basin is an immense area from which no streams leave its 190,000 square miles, exemplifying a wild and colorful landscape. The region’s namesake national park in eastern Nevada occupies the high ground of one of dozens of north-south mountain ranges that cleave the state, and its surprises include sapphire alpine lakes, midsummer snowbanks, 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines and a marvelous cavern. The park tops out at 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, and its nighttime sky has been measured as one of the darkest — and thus starriest — in the country. This is wild America at its best.

Slide show text by Eric Lucas; photo editing by Connie Ricca.