In this age of social distancing, most of us are scrolling blindly through Instagram or watching all of those documentaries that are at the bottom of our watch lists on Netflix. It’s only been, what, 14 days? But somehow, we’re bored. We are itching to visit new places, or revisit ones we’ve been to already, and we found a way to do that…from the couch!
Thanks to Google, here are 14 national parks that you can visit from your home! Just grab your computer and transport yourself to these gorgeous places.
Park Ranger Virtual Guided Tours
Google Arts & Culture allows you to tour 5 national parks with a park ranger! Click through at your own pace, learn about the history of each place, and explore different areas of the park. You may be sitting on your couch, but you’ll feel like you are right there!
Kenai Fjords National Park
On this guided virtual tour, not only can you look down into a crevasse of a glacier, you can also climb down inside of it! Watch a glacier melt over time, kayak a glacier meltwater lagoon and witness a humpback whale soar out of the water.
Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park
Take a trip back in time to explore the volcanoes that make up Hawaii. Explore the lava tube, visit the volcanic cliffs, explore an active volcano from above, and listen to a volcano roar. You can also travel back to 1959 to watch the eruption of Kilauea Iki.
Carslbad Caverns National Park
Travel 700 feet under ground to explore the ancient mysteries of this area millions of years in the making. Fly with thousands of bats, explore the Big Room and Lower Cave, and travel into secret rooms with only a headlamp to lead you.
Bryce Canyon National park
This tour spans day and night. Bryce is home to earth’s largest collection of rock pillars, known as hoodoos, and the night sky is darker than almost any other place in America.
Explore the night sky and see the milky way span from horizon to horizon, and learn more about the many galaxies and stars that make up our sky. Ride horseback through the canyon for gorgeous views of the hoodoos, and learn how they form.
Dry Tortugas National Park
One of the southernmost points in the US, this park consists of a civil-war era fort, but 99% of the park lies under the water’s surface. Swim through a coral reef, dive the Windjammer shipwreck, and explore Fort Jefferson. Listen to the sounds of birds above and fish below.
Flyover Virtual Tours
But it doesn’t stop there! Although not narrated by a national park ranger, you can still tour these parks on your own! Google Earth takes you to the popular destinations in the park, making you feel like you were plopped down right inside of it.
Arches National Park
Virgin Islands National Park
And don’t forget, you don’t have to tour alone! Grab your family or roommate, or hop on Zoom and roam with your friends from afar. And start planning for your next getaway. When all of this is over and it is time to travel again, we can put together your perfect road trip.