The 6 Best National Parks for Retirees

Published Date: June 26, 2024 By Shalee

Retirement often brings the luxury of time and the desire to explore new horizons. Many of our Four Wheel Camper family buy a truck camper for their upcoming retirement! For those who cherish the great outdoors, seeing our incredible National Parks in retirement is often one of the top bucket list items. However, the ideal park for retirees is one that combines ease of access, an abundance of campgrounds & lodges, and stunning scenery.

In this guide, we break down some of the best national parks for retirees, highlighting those with excellent full-facility campgrounds, easy hikes, and breathtaking roadside vistas.

1. Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is a haven for retirees. With its well-developed infrastructure and abundant amenities, it is designed for ease and comfort. The park boasts several full-facility campgrounds for your pop up camper, such as Fishing Bridge RV Park, which offers hookups for electricity, water, and sewer—essential for an extended, comfortable stay.

The park is one of the largest in North America at a whopping 3,471 square miles. Within that, numerous small ‘villages’ within the park offer lodges, souvenir shops, campgrounds, gas stations, restaurants, and visitor centers.

Most of Yellowstone’s biggest attractions require only light walks, and many of them are even wheelchair accessible! Many visitors refer to Yellowstone as a ‘pull-off’ National Park, because most of the iconic attractions – wildlife, geysers, viewpoints, and canyons, can be viewed from the car or with a short walk.

Best spots to see in Yellowstone for retirees:

Grand Prismatic Overlook (.6 miles round trip)
Old Faithful (200-foot walk)
Artist’s Point (400-foot walk)
West Thumb Geyser Basin (.5 miles)
Lamar Valley (Car)
Storm Point (2 miles)

2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

You can’t go wrong with a visit to Smoky Mountains National Park! This park, straddling North Carolina and Tennessee, is renowned for its biodiversity and misty mountain landscapes. Elkmont Campground is a popular option, offering full facilities amidst lush forest scenery. A perfect place to park your slide-in camper or pop-up truck topper!

The park is laced with easy hikes, including the Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail and Laurel Falls Trail, which showcase the area’s stunning waterfalls and rich flora. For those preferring to stay closer to their vehicle, Newfound Gap Road offers numerous scenic pull-offs and overlooks, such as Clingmans Dome and Oconaluftee Valley, providing sweeping views and photo opportunities. For the most epic retirement road trip on your calendar, start your trip in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina, and end your trip meandering through the Great Smoky Mountains. The best time to visit is in the late summer or fall!

Best Places in Great Smoky Mountains for Retirees:

Clingman’s Dome Observation Tower (1.3 miles)
Laurel Falls (2.4 miles)
Deep Creek Waterfall (2.3 miles)

3. Zion National Park

Zion National Park in Utah is a paradise for retirees looking for striking desert landscapes coupled with accessible adventure. Watchman Campground, with its full amenities and proximity to the park’s shuttle system, makes it easy to navigate the area. But be sure to book it for your truck camper early! The campground often fills up months ahead of the busy season. We recommend avoiding Zion National Park in sin

You don’t have to do the famed and daring Angel’s Landing hike to get the awe-inspiring views of Zion. There are plenty of stunning places to go that don’t require tons of elevation gain or long mileage! The Riverside Walk is a gentle trail along the Virgin River, leading to the Narrows, while the Pa’rus Trail offers a flat, paved path with beautiful canyon views. Our favorite is the Canyon Overlook Trail, which is a one-mile round-trip and offers a bit of an adventure in a short, scenic trail to one of the views of the park.

Best Places in Zion for Retirees:

Canyon Overlook Trail (1 mile)
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive (Car)
Riverside Walk (2.2 miles)
Lower Emerald Pool (1.2 miles)

4. Acadia National Park

The northeast is the absolute perfect place to park your truck camper, enjoy the slow life of retirement, and enjoy adventure and scenery in every direction. When it comes to parking your pop up truck camper, Blackwoods Campground offers full facilities and is conveniently located near many of the park’s attractions. The park’s landscape is a mosaic of rocky shores, evergreen forests, and sparkling lakes.

Acadia’s easy hikes, such as the Jordan Pond Path and the Ocean Path, provide scenic beauty without demanding effort. Cadillac Mountain Road offers a drive to the summit, where you can experience one of the first sunrises in the United States and enjoy panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding islands. The combination of coastal charm and accessibility makes Acadia one of the best national parks for retirees.

Best Places in Acadia for Retirees:

Cadillac Mountain (Car)
Thunder Hole to Sand Beach (1.7 miles)
Wonderland Trail (1.3 miles)
The Bubbles (1.6 miles – moderate)
Ocean Path Trail (4.5 miles)

5. Grand Teton National Park

There are two sides to Grand Teton National Park. There is the extreme, mountain climber & expert skier side, and then there is the much more relaxing (and retirement-friendly!) valley side. That’s part of what makes it such a unique and must-visit destination!

The park has everything: stunning dramatic mountain views, wildlife, open vistas, crystal-clear lakes, and so much more. Park your truck camper in our favorite Four Wheel Camper recommended campground at Colter Bay Village, which offers a full-service campground with modern amenities and stunning views of Jackson Lake.

You can spend the day doing many different activities, from hiking around Leigh Lake to wildlife spotting or paddleboarding on String Lake to watching the sunset set over the Grand Teton.

Best Places in Grand Teton for Retirees:

Jenny Lake Road (car)
Signal Mountain Road (car)
String Lake Trail (3.7 miles)
Schwabacher’s Landing (.5 miles)
Leigh Lake Trail (2.9 miles)

6. Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park in Montana is a stunning option for retirees who seek rugged mountain beauty coupled with serene accessibility. Many Glacier Campground offers full facilities and easy access to the park’s highlights, but like many spots above, if you plan to camp in the national park, book early!

Known as the “Crown of the Continent,” Glacier features majestic peaks, clear lakes, and an array of wildlife, many of which can be seen from the car or via short trails, making it one of the most visited national parks in the country during peak summer months. When you’re retired and have all the time in the world, we recommend a visit in September!

Easy hikes such as the Trail of the Cedars and Swiftcurrent Nature Trail allow retirees to experience the park’s diverse ecosystems without strenuous effort. The Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the most scenic drives in the country, offering numerous pullouts with breathtaking views of glaciers, valleys, and waterfalls. Glacier’s combination of accessible facilities, gentle trails, and spectacular scenery makes it one of the best national parks for retirees.

Best Places in Glacier for Retirees:

Going-to-the-Sun Road (car)
Grinnell Lake (6.9 miles)
Saint Mary Lake (car)
Sun Point Nature Trail (1.9 miles)
Hidden Lake Overlook (2.7 miles, moderate)