Don’t tell Detroit, but some of our most beautiful national parks are entirely accessible without a car. You can soak up the immensity of Grand Canyon and Glacier National Parks without ever pressing on the gas pedal. You can find gram-worthy parks that can be reached and explored through a mix of train travel and shuttle bus services. Because why should a vacation feel like a commute?

For Dave Parfitt of Conesus, New York, it was a no-brainer to explore Alaska’s Denali National Park without a car when he visited with his family of four in 2019. “The Alaska Railroad made it so easy to get there,” he said. “We appreciated not having to navigate the windy, slippery roads in a rental car.” On a guided sightseeing tour, he said, they saw bears and moose they likely would have missed if the driving was left to him.  

Whether you want to reduce your carbon footprint, spare yourself the hassle of a car rental, or simply steer clear of vertiginous cliff-side park roads, here are six national parks that make it easy.

Glacier National Park

Amtrak's Empire Builder near West Glacier, Montana. | Photo courtesy of Justin Franz/Amtrak

All aboard for an epic rail adventure to Montana’s Glacier National Park. Take a seat on Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which chugs daily between Chicago and Seattle. There are two rail stops in the park: West Glacier (year-round) and East Glacier (summer seasonal).

West Glacier boasts awe-inspiring views of Lake McDonald, Avalanche Lake, and Hidden Lake. Glacier Guides Lodge is a 10-minute stroll from the West Glacier station. From the lodge (which rents bicycles and bike locks), it’s a 2.5-mile walk or pedal to the Apgar Visitor Center, the western endpoint of the free park shuttle on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

East Glacier is closest to Many Glacier, St. Mary Lake, and Grinnell Glacier. From the East Glacier station, it’s a five-minute walk to Glacier Park Lodge, which runs a twice-daily shuttle to St. Mary Village ($50 each way). Catch the free park shuttle at the eastern endpoint, St. Mary Visitor Center.

From Chicago, you can snag a round-trip coach train ticket for less than $400. Note, park reservations are required in summer months for vehicle access to Going-to-the-Sun Road, North Fork, and Many Glacier. However, if you enter on foot or on a bike, no reservation is required. 

Denali National Park

Alaska Railroad's Denali Star Train with Denali in the background. | Photo courtesy of Stewart Sterling/Alaska Railroad

For a breathtaking rail journey to Denali National Park, catch the Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star Train, which clickety-clacks 356 miles from Anchorage to Fairbanks. From the Denali train station, it’s a five-minute walk to the Denali Visitor Center.

Denali Park Road is the only road in the park, spanning 92 miles from east to west, starting at the visitor center. However, the Pretty Rocks landslide in 2021 closed all traffic after mile marker 43. Only transit and tour buses can drive Denali Park Road after mile marker 15.

For transport around the park, there are free shuttles, non-narrated transit buses, and narrated tour buses. The free Savage River Shuttle completes a small loop in two hours, stopping at popular trailheads, like Mountain Vista and Savage River, before turning around at mile marker 15.  

For a fee, non-narrated transit buses go from the Denali Bus Depot to East Fork Transit at mile marker 43. For more structured exploration, the park also offers two narrated bus tours, including the Tundra Wilderness Tour and the Denali Natural History Tour. Both last 4.5 to 5.5 hours and feature interpretive stops and narration from a naturalist with an eye for wildlife and native flora.

Round-trip adventure class tickets for the Denali Star cost $386 per adult (age 12+) and $194 for children ages two to 11. Children under two ride free.

Arches National Park & Canyonlands National Park

Rocky Mountaineer train in Moab. | Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountaineer

For Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park, board the Rocky Mountaineer in Denver for a visually stunning journey across red sandstone vistas to Moab, Utah. A good bet is the four day/three night trip that allows a full day to soak in Moab (from $2,122 per person).

Neither park has an in-park shuttle, but you can book an excursion, like the Moab National Parks Tour. Guides with Moab Express Scenic Driving Tours allow you to witness geological wonders at both parks, like Park Avenue at Arches and Grand View Point at Canyonlands.

If you want more time at each park, or if you want to add on Dead Horse Point State Park, book a custom tour with Moab Express Scenic Driving Tours. It’s also possible to reserve a four-to-five-hour tour that features just one of the wildly scenic national parks in Moab.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon Railway. | Photo credit of Xanterra Travel Collection

For Grand Canyon National Park, get your tickets punched on the Grand Canyon Railway, which chugs once daily to the South Rim from Williams, Arizona. The train departs from the historic Williams depot on a railway once used to transport ore from the Anita mines.

From Williams, plan on two hours on the train as you are whisked across ponderosa pine forests and scrubby wide-open prairies. Once at the Grand Canyon Depot, you’ll have three hours to explore before the train returns to Williams.

Stop in Verkamp’s Visitor Center for exhibits that shed light on what it was like to live and work on the edge of the canyon. Hungry? Since the train arrives at lunch time, the Maswik Food Court and Pizza Pub at Maswik Lodge is a popular stop for a quick meal.

Enjoy an easy post-lunch hike on the mostly paved Rim Trail, which skirts the South Rim for 13 miles. Stop to revel in the vistas from Trailview Overlook and Maricopa Point. Round-trip train tickets start at $69.98 per adult (age 16+).

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

The train station in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is serviced by Amtrak’s Capitol Limited route, which rolls some 780 miles between Washington, DC, and Chicago. From Washington, DC, the ride is 75 minutes and can cost less than $50 for a round-trip coach fare.

The station is located in Lower Town, less than a five-minute walk from shops, casual restaurants, and ice cream shops. There are also historical sites and museums, like the Black Voices Museum and Marmion Row.

Feeling adventurous? Cross the pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River to hike the Appalachian Trail to Maryland Heights for views from high above Lower Town. Some visitors also bring a bike on the train to pedal along the 184-mile C&O Canal Towpath.

A free park shuttle links Lower Town and the Visitor Center at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. A scenic 1.6-mile hiking trail also leads from Lower Town to the visitor center to step back in time at historic Civil War sites, like Murphy-Chambers Farm and John Brown’s Fort.