With our economy in shambles, most people's travel habits have changed, many favoring trips closer to home and therefore, less expensive. This means our national parks are far more crowded than they have been in the past.
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In addition, severe budget cuts to national park service personnel is resulting in even longer lines waiting to enter the parks, reduced services and accommodations, and even closures of some areas of our national parks.
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At the same time, accommodations and other services in the areas around our national parks are also skyrocketing.
Map of national parks I have visited
I've visited a number of our national parks so have researched the most economical way to visit our parks, taking into account overall skyrocketing prices for everything.
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Yet it's still possible to see our national parks on a budget that won't break the bank and I'll share what I've learned with you that you too can still afford to visit our park system.
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While pricing is largely dependent on geographical location, there are still 3 major ways you can cut travel costs:
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Accommodations
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Dining
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Transportation
I've laid out itineraries for each of the national parks, based on how many days it would take you to fully explore each of the parks and their "don't miss this" bucket lists.
You can adjust any of these itineraries to suit your own budget and travel needs.