The National Parks Service protects over 84 million acres of land across the United States, with a wide variety of wild landscapes and historic sites. From the mountains of Alaska in the Artic Circle, to the ocean in Florida, National Parks are a special place in America, and are home to boundless adventure. The National Parks are easy to love, and for that person in your life who can’t get enough of them, we’ve assembled the best gifts for National Park lovers.
Related Post: 50+ Best Gifts for Hikers
One of our main sources for products is America’s National Parks, a company that provides souvenirs and products for National Park enthusiasts. A portion of each purchase is donated to either the National Park Service or a non-profit associated with the parks, so you can be sure you’re supporting a good cause. Another great source is REI, who works closely with the Parks Project to give back!
Fun fact: The National Park Service was created by Woodrow Wilson in 1916, with the enactment of the “Organic Act” on August 25th.
- Best National Parks Passports
- Best Books for National Park Lovers
- Best National Parks Gifts for Kids / Junior Rangers
- Best National Parks Gifts for Crafters
- Best National Parks Games and Puzzles
- Best National Parks Gifts for Outdoor Adventurers
- Miscellaneous Best Gifts for National Parks Lovers
- Best T-Shirts for National Park Lovers
National Parks Pass
While it may not be the coolest shirt or the best new game, going traditional by gifting a National Parks Pass is the most simple and sometimes most appreciated gift you could give. The America the Beautiful Pass is good for a year from the purchase month, and provides free admission to over 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country, including all the national parks. Plus, 10% of the proceeds are donated to the National Parks Foundation. This is a great option for a seasoned park adventurer or even someone who’s interested in putting more of their parks on their to-do list this year.
Best National Parks Passports
Collector’s Edition Passport
At each National Park, there’s a stamp at the visitor’s center so you can stamp your way through the entire National Park System. In this deluxe version of the classic passport, you’ll find space for more than 400 national park sites that are color-coded by region (with extra space in each region too!). This spiral-bound booklet is the perfect addition to any national park lover’s travel gear.
Collector’s Leather Passport Cover
For a beautiful upgrade to any national park passport, this collector’s leather cover is a great option. It’s sourced, tanned, cut and stitched in the U.S.A. with top grain leather and is perfect for protecting a passport for years to come.
Explorer Edition Passport
For a more rugged passport cover, this explorer edition with zipper closure and sturdy, weatherproof portfolio may be the best option. The inner binder is already outfitted with standard passport pages that are bigger and re-arrangeable.
Junior Ranger Edition Passport
This junior-level passport is ideal for the younger national parks enthusiasts. It’s packed full of vibrant illustrations, has free stickers included, and has tons of interactive content. Let them stamp their way through the parks and earn specially-designed Junior Ranger cancellations.
Best Books for National Park Lovers
National Geographic Complete National Parks
This 544 page reference book is perfect for the national park trip planner, as it can take you to the best hikes, views, monuments, seashores, and campgrounds in all the parks. It also includes the best time to visit and top-rated activities for all the top destinations.
Campfire Stories from America’s National Parks
If you’re looking for a safe and easy way to warm up your tent using a candle, look no further than the UCO Candle Lanterns! This lantern is known for its ability to output large amounts of heat while keeping you and your gear safe. Plus, with a flame retardant metal housing and glass chimney, you don’t have to worry about any stray sparks flying out and igniting something else in your campsite. So go ahead and pick up one of the UCO Candle Lantern, it’s the best way to heat your tent with candles!
Atlas of the National Parks
This Atlas of the National Parks is a perfect coffee table book or reference book for the national park lover. There’s newly rendered maps of all 61 national parks, as well as photos, stories, and graphics that showcase the parks. There’s also 31 featured parks that have in-depth representations.
Subpar Parks Book
Based on the wildly famous Instagram account, this book pairs beautiful National Park illustrations with the one-star reviews left by disappointed and clueless tourists. This funny take on the parks is the something different and out-of-the-box with equal parts humor and love.
Best National Parks Gifts for Kids / Junior Rangers
Junior Ranger Explorer T-Shirt
Perhaps one of the cutest shirts we’ve ever seen, this Junior Ranger Explorer T-shirt is the perfect addition to any kid’s closet. Complete the look with a real vest or even a backpack so your Junior Ranger can be as official as they come.
Good Night Mountains Board Book
A classic twist on Good Night Moon, this national parks version takes you on a cross country trip through the seasons. Visit the Appalachian trail, the Ozarks, the Smokey Mountains, and more in this board book with beautiful illustrations and easy to read text.
National Parks Coloring Book
This national parks coloring books features 32 landscapes found in the most popular national parks. Accompanying fun facts help you learn while you color, and you can use your own observations to color these famous sights.
Activity Book
For an engaging way to learn about the national parks, there’s an activity book that guides you through the park animals to complete mazes, puzzles, word s, and more. There’s even a spotters guide for each park so you can see if you can spot the wildlife there.
Kid’s Activity Books
This kid’s activity book is a great second option for an interactive book full of games, puzzles, mazes, activities, and trivia. Plus, it includes space for cancellation stamps, so they can collect them at each park.
Mini Blocks
Lego lovers rejoice! There’s lots of options for mini blocks, which are small kits that let you build a small figurine, whether that be an animal, building, or famous person. Our favorites include the bison, elk, George Washington, Arches National Park, and Yosemite Half Dome. Some are more difficult than others, so make you you take difficult into consideration before purchasing.
Junior Ranger Guess That Park Trivia Game
Test your most committed Junior Ranger by quizzing them on their knowledge of the national parks after they’ve taken their oath. For ages 8+ and 2+ players, this is a great gift for the smarty-pants Junior Ranger.
Little Park Ranger Puzzle
A collage of 6 of the most popular national parks, this puzzle is 500 pieces and perfect for Junior Rangers. The finished size is 20×20, and is great fun for the whole family.
Buddy Bison Stuff Plush
Perhaps the most iconic animal of the national parks, Bison roam the parries of Yellowstone, which is the only place in the U.S. where they’ve continuously lived since prehistoric times. This Buddy Bison stuffed toy comes with a carabiner to attach to backpacks so he can roam the parks along with you!
Adopt a Turtle Stuff Plush
For an alternative to the bison plush, this sea turtle plush is perfect for the water lover. It’s called ‘adopt a turtle’ because a portion of the proceeds go towards nonprofits that directly work with sea turtles and work on protecting them
Best National Parks Gifts for Crafters
Deluxe Scrapbook Page Kit
The first of its kind, this scrapbook page kit was specifically designed for national parks visitors. Each book contains enough background pages to create over 14 scrapbook pages and includes matching accessories like frames, stickers, page toppers, and factoids.
Best National Parks Games and Puzzles
While some games are just twists on classics like Scrabble and Monopoly, there’s also some great options that are original designs great for people of all ages! There’s also several cool puzzle options with varying degree of difficulty.
Trekking the National Parks Board Game
This game is perhaps the most highly rated and sought after original national parks game, and it was created but a family of national park trekkers. While it’s no substitute for visiting all the national parks in person, you can now venture through them all on a game board. Learn about the national parks along the way while earning points and collecting cards, and having fun with the whole family!
Scrabble National Parks Edition
For the wordie in your life, this national parks edition Scrabble could be the perfect addition to their game cabinet. Customize the game with National Parks bonus cards to score even more points, and you can play regular Scrabble words or your favorite National Park words.
Jenga: National Parks Edition
Jenga: National Parks Edition includes the original 54 Jenga blocks with a twist – each one featuring a fun fact about the national parks. Learn more about America’s national treasures while playing this traditional game.
National Parks Yahtzee
America’s #1 dice game got an upgrade with this National Parks Yahtzee. Instead of rolling numbers, you’re going for dice that feature Civil Libert Parks and National Monuments, a Ranger hat, and Civil War Battlefields and Historic Sites. Roll 5 monuments for Yahtzee in this easy to carry travel edition!
National Parks Monopoly
Trade out those traditional Monopoly tokens for a hiking boot, Ranger hat, camera, tent, bison, and canoe, and go on an adventure through the great outdoors. Buy, sell, and trade over 60 parks and monuments!
National Parks Badges Puzzle
At 1,000 pieces, this puzzle is a collage of the national park badges and is made in the USA. Exercise your mind while putting together images of the national parks’ patches and posters.
Night Sky Puzzle
If you’re really looking to test yourself or the puzzle-lover in your life, give them this 1,000 piece puzzle of the night sky. Because 70% of mammals are nocturnal, the national parks are committed to preserving night sky parks to keep the natural light cycles, so they’ve made this beautiful night sky scene to bring awareness.
Best National Parks Gifts for Outdoor Adventurers
Hiking Medallions
Perhaps one of the most well-rounded product sets when it comes to the national parks, these hiking medallions come in a wide variety of locations, styles, and colors. For each park or monument you’ve hiked in, collect a medallion to add to your hiking stick or other collecting device.
Rumpl National Park Puffy Blanket
Rumpl makes amazing camp blankets that are perfect for camping, travel, or just around the house. They’re made of weather-resistant, 30-denier ripstop fabric with a DWR coating that repels stains, dirt, water, odor, and debris. It’s made of the same types of fibers as sleeping bags and puffy jackets, so it’s bound to keep you warm and cozy.
Nomadix National Parks Maps Towel
Nomadix makes some awesome towels that are super packable and are made from GRS-certified post-consumer recycled plastic. It’s slip resistant and quick drying, so whether you’re doing yoga or drying off after the beach, this towel is great all around. They have a whole National Parks collection with over 20 design options from various national parks across the country such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Olympic, Yosemite, and more!
Miscellaneous Best Gifts for National Parks Lovers
Passport Cancellations Tumbler
Part of visiting the National Parks includes collecting official park cancellations on your visit, and now you can hold them all in the palm of your hand with this Passport Cancellations Tumbler. It’s made of FDA approved and BPA free plastic, is dishwasher and microwave safe, can hold hot and cold beverages, and is made in the USA!
National Parks Posters
The America’s National Parks online store carries a variety of beautifully designed posters, each one a perfect illustration of your favorite national parks. If the national park lover in your life needs some wall art, consider getting them a poster. These are some of our favorites, but there’s lots more: Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches, and Glacier National Parks.
Acadia Candle
Bring the smells of the wild and pristine lands of the national parks home with this all natural soy candle. This Acadia National Park candle smells of sea salt, dunes, and driftwood, and is 100% vegan, eco-friendly, recyclable, and ethically sourced and produced. It’s never tested on animals and is made in small batches in Seattle, WA.
National Parks Pins
Just like the hiking medallions mentioned above ( best for outdoor adventurers), these National Park pins are one of the most well-rounded collections available. With over 100 different locations featuring parks, monuments, historic sites, and more, there’s likely to be a pin for their favorite place.
Best T-Shirts for National Park Lovers
Keep Nature Wild
Keep Nature Wild is an amazing t-shirt company that picks up one pound of trash for every product sold. Their products are designed in Arizona, manufactured by WRAP certified facilities, screen printed in Arizona, then packed, shipped, and checked in their warehouse in Mesa, AZ. They have rotating National Parks graphics on a variety of cool t-shirts, hats, and stickers made for all shapes and sizes.
Parks Project
REI has rotating t-shirts, hats, bandanas, and outdoor gear from their partnership with the Parks Project. They have some really cool designs that change frequently so check back regularly for some great gear. Plus, Parks Project is an amazing nonprofit (nonprofit arm of the National Parks Service) that donates a portion of every sale, hosts volunteer days in local communities, and facilitates park champions and enthusiasts to keep our parks sustainable for generations to come.