Find the perfect gift for the national park lover in your life. This national parks gift guide contains over 70 of the best gifts for people who love the national parks and enjoy being outdoors.
73 Great Gifts For Friends And Family Who Love The National Parks
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This is a long list. If you would rather see all the gifts and their prices than read all about them, go here to my Gift Guide For National Parks Lovers on my Amazon Influencers page.
Gifts For Minimalists
1. America The Beautiful National Parks Pass
Most NP lovers probably already have the America The Beautiful Pass, but perhaps you can grab an NP-themed blank card and write a note in it saying you want to be the one that renews it for them this year or every year.
2. Gift Cards
Think about all the typical places they stop along the way to the parks, and then grab a gift card to one of those places.
3. A Donation In Their Name To The National Parks Foundation
Under the “Ways To Support” tab on their homepage, you will find a category marked “tribute.” There you can make a donation in your loved one’s name. They will send an e-card to the recipient, letting them know you honored them by supporting the parks in their name.
4. A National Parks Conservation Association Membership
This gift isn’t completely clutter-free, as it does come with a gift and a quarterly magazine. However, the majority of the membership fee goes toward various park projects.
Coffee Table Books
5. National Geographic Atlas Of The National Parks
It contains write-ups, pictures, and maps of 61 of the 63 parks (it is missing New River Gorge and White Sands).
6. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea
Based on the PBS documentary series of the same name, this hardcover coffee table book is beautiful. It has incredible photos and written history about creating America’s parks.
7. The Art Of The National Parks By 59 Parks
The art inside this book is a contemporary take on the WPA posters of the 1930s. Yes, there are now 63 parks, but I think most NP lovers will let that fact slide when they see the beautiful illustrations matched with facts about each park.
National Park Guides
8. National Geographic Complete National Parks Of The United States
This guide’s third edition contains a complete list of over 400 parks, monuments, battlefields, historic sites, scenic trails, recreation areas, and seashores owned by the National Park Service.
With all that information, this book will spend more time out on adventures than it does on the bookshelf.
9. Moon USA National Parks: The Complete Guide To All 63 National Parks
Covers all 63 parks. Shares the best outdoor adventure in each park. It offers multiple park road trip routes with ideas for stops between parks and nearby attractions and state parks.
10. GuideAlong Audio Tours
Offers audio tours for over 20 National Parks. Under FAQ, you will find instructions on how to gift a tour.
11. Where Should We Camp Next? National Parks
This book is helpful for anyone planning a camping trip to the parks. When we took our kids to see multiple national parks on an RV road trip, the hardest part of the planning was finding places to camp.
Calendars and Planners
12. National Parks Poster Art Of The WPA Monthly Planner
And if you prefer a weekly planner over a monthly planner, they have that, too! Plus, an oversized wall calendar.
13. National Park Foundation Weekly/Monthly Planner
If you purchase this one, all the proceeds help out the parks. So it is like giving two gifts.
14. National Parks Daily Desktop Calendar
A calendar that lets NP lovers enjoy a different picture of the parks every day for a year.
15. Large Wall Calendar With Postcard Art Of The National Park
If the person you intend the gift for loves illustrations over photographs, this is the calendar for them.
16. National Parks Foundation Wall Calendar
Another beautiful calendar that supports the National Parks each time one is sold.
Puzzles
17. Ravensburger Yosemite Valley 1000-Piece Jigsaw puzzle
Ravensburger is my favorite puzzle brand. The quality of their pieces is incredible. The landscape scene of Yosemite printed on this puzzle is of such high quality I feel like I could jump into the puzzle and be there!
18. Little Park Ranger 500 Piece Family Puzzle from Mudpuppy
Twelve parks are illustrated on the puzzle. At 500 pieces, this puzzle is great for a family puzzle night.
19. Cavallini Papers & Co. National Parks Vintage National Parks Puzzle
Poster-loving NP goers will love this challenging yet beautiful puzzle.
Gift Ideas For Kids
20. Melissa & Doug National Parks U.S.A Map Floor Puzzle
I have never met a Melissa & Doug product I didn’t like. This company is known for its high-quality, engaging educational toys, and its National Parks puzzle is no exception.
21. National Parks A to Z: Adventure from Acadia to Zion!
NP-loving parents will enjoy sharing their love of the parks with their kids while reading this book.
22. Letterfolk Kids National Parks Passport Journal
Letterfolk intended this journal to be for kids, but this almost 50-year-old is putting one on her Christmas List! It is filled with simple memory prompts (most require little to no writing), a space for a park stamp, and room for a sketch, too!
23. The National Parks Coloring Book
This coloring book is best for older children. It features 24 of the most popular parks.
24. National Park Onesie
Available in white or navy with the National Park emblem on it.
Gift Ideas For Outdoor Adventurers
25. Nomadix Towel
Known for drying fast, taking up little room, and staying sand-free, Nomadix towels are great for NP adventures, and they come in park-themed prints, including:
- Everglades
- Grand Canyon
- Joshua Tree
- Kings Canyon
- Olympic
- Rocky Mountain
- Sequoia
- Shenandoah
- Yellowstone
- Yosemite
26. Backpacker The National Parks Coast To Coast:100 Best Hikes
When Backpacker and FalconGuides get together to write a hiking guide, you know it will be good! Includes hiking choices from 44 of the 63 parks.
27. Evergreen Waterproof Dry Box
It’s big enough to keep a phone, a small battery pack, ear pods, and a few miscellaneous items dry while paddling. Features a classic Yosemite Valley scene on the cover.
28. Rumpl’s NP Collection
Jack and I both have a Rumpl blanket and love them! They are warm and pack away into a small bag. They have the following parks in their NP collection:
- Arches
- Bryce Canyon
- Cuyahoga Valley
- Denali
- Glacier
- Grand Canyon
- Great Smoky
- Joshua Tree
- Redwood
- Rocky Mountains
- Saguaro
- Yellowstone
- Zion
29. Swiftwick Socks
Swiftwick has a whole line of National Park socks, including:
- Acadia
- Arches
- Bryce Canyon
- Death Valley
- Glacier
- Grand Canyon
- Grand Teton
- Great Smoky
- Olympic
- Rainer
- Rocky Mountains
- Yellowstone
- Yosemite
- Zion
- Denali
- Joshua Tree
And for those whose love of National Parks spreads into Canada, they have Banff and Jasper.
30. Buff
I recently started wearing a Buff on hikes and love their versatility. You can use them as hats, headbands, neck warmers, masks, and more. Their NP Collection includes:
- Glacier
- Grand Canyon
- Rocky Mountain
- Yellowstone
- Yosemite
Classic National Park Souvenirs
31. Stickers
This pack of 100 National Park-themed stickers could be given as one gift or broken into several. Great for decorating laptops, water bottles, tumblers and more. The pack includes several U.S. national parks, a few in Canada and beyond.
32. Lapel Pins
Vagabond Heart offers highly-rated lapel pins for the parks. There are 15 parks in their lapel pin line.
33. Keychains
These vintage hotel room keychains are pretty sweet!
34. Magnets
Vagabond Heart offers bright and colorful magnets for 7 of the parks on Amazon.
35. Badges
Did your friend forget to pick up a badge at the gift store? Buy him or her that missing badge from Vagabond Heart; they have one for all 63 parks.
T-Shirts & Apparel
36. National Park Logo Hat
A new ball cap is never a bad gift.
37. Protect Our National Parks T-shirt
Printed in Ann Arbor, USA.
38. Leave Only Footprints T-shirt
Available in men’s big and tall and women’s plus.
For The National Park Enthusiast With A Sense Of Humor
39. Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks And Their Least Impressed Visitors
Written by Amber Share, this book combines beautiful illustrations with humorous one-star reviews of the parks.
40. Don’t Pet Fluffy Cows T-shirt
If you have ever spent time in the Yellowstone visitor center, you know what this t-shirt refers to.
Board Games And Card Games
41. The NP Parks Edition of Monopoly
The board has Arches in the center. The game pieces are park-themed. The properties are National Parks. The drawing cards are battlefields and historic sites. The houses are cabins.
42. Trekking The National Parks: Board Game
This strategy game is for up to 10 players ages 10 and up. It takes 30-60 minutes to play an entire game. It features all 63 parks and is the winner of five different awards.
43. Parks Strategy Board Game
It can be played solo or with up to five players. Suitable for ages 10 and up. Players become hikers trekking through NP trails in various seasons.
44. Trivial Pursuit NP Travel Game
600 trivia questions and fun facts in a travel-friendly sized package.
Travel Items
45. NP Lunch Box
Great for lunches at picnic tables in the parks.
46. Rumpl Everywhere Towel
These towels dry quickly, meaning no more nasty mildew odors. And since they pack up small, they are easy to fit into a carry-on.
47. Packing Cubes
A 7-piece set of packing cubes featuring prints of National Parks that can help an NP traveler squeeze two weeks’ worth of clothing into a small carry-on with ease.
Home Items
48. Pendleton Coffee Mug
Thick-walled 18 oz mug with three different NP designs to choose from.
49. Xplorer Maps Tea Towel
Yes, people still collect tea towels and collectors who love the parks will love one or more of this National Parks Map line.
50. Old World Christmas Ornaments
Hand-blown glass ornaments featuring NP signs.
51. National Park Candles
Allow the gift recipient to fill their home with the scent of their favorite national park.
Musky Trails offers scents for:
You can view the entire Paddywax Candle NP line here. It offers scents for:
- Acadia
- Glacier
- Grand Canyon
- Smoky Mountains
- Olympic
- Yellowstone
- Yosemite
52. The National Park Cookbook
A one-of-a-kind recipe book full of re-creations of recipes from various park dining establishments, as well as beautiful pictures of the parks and snippets of national park history.
Arts & Crafts
53. Paint By Numbers Set
After Christmas comes the heart of winter, the perfect time to stay inside and work on this set of 6 paint by numbers featuring scenes from the national parks.
54. Art Of Our Parks Coloring Book
Pair this beautifully illustrated coloring book with a new pack of pencil crayons for a well-appreciated gift.
Journals And Passport Stamp Keepers
55. Plan & Record Your NP Visit With This Journal
This 8.5 by 11 inch journal is one part trip planner, one part bucket list, and one part journal with a 2-page spread for all 63 parks.
56. Record Details Of Your Trip & Get Your Stamp
Each park in this journal is given a two-page spread with plenty of room for the park stamp, as well as guided prompts such as wildlife seen, weather, favorite attractions, and more.
57. Blank Field Notes Notebooks With NP Parks On Cover
Field Notes offers six different 3-pack sets of blank memo note pads in their NP line.
Wall Art
58. Set Of 16 Vintage Style NP Park Posters
Whether you give all 16 prints to one person or break up the set into several gifts, these prints will be a fantastic and inexpensive gift.
59. Canvas Photography
Available in various sizes and prints.
Greeting Cards And Postcards
60. Blank Cards And Thank You Cards
This set of 12 NP-illustrated cards can be given as a gift or used as cards for gifts to those who love America’s parks. Or frame them and gift them as wall art.
61. Beautifully Illustrated Postcards
Fifty-two vintage-style postcards that come in a beautiful keepsake box.
For Those Keeping A Running List Of Parks Visited
I like to use a check-off style list to keep track of the national parks as we visit them, but some people prefer pushpins and others scratch-offs, so I included one for each type of bucket list-keeping park lover.
62. Checklist Style Wall Map
63. Pushpin Style Poster
63. Scratch off Style Poster
64. Large Personalized Map
For History Buffs
65. Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt And The Land Of America
Cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, founder of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and premier protector of America’s public lands.
66. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt And The Crusade For America
The story of Theodore Roosevelt’s crusade on behalf of America’s national parks.
For Story Lovers
67. Any Of John Muir’s Books
John Muir wrote several books full of essays about national parks, but his most famous one seems to be Our National Parks.
68. Hey Ranger!: True Tales Of Humor & Misadventure From America’s National Parks
I listened to the audio version of this book and gutted myself laughing about what the park ranger witnessed over the years.
69. Lassoing The Sun: A Year In America’s National Parks
Taken from the book description, it is “a book about family, the parks, and the legacies we inherit and the ones we leave behind.”
70. Dear Bob And Sue: One Couple’s Journey Through The National Parks
There are three books in this series, and I have read them all! Book one covers the couple’s journey to all 59 of the National Parks (they have added several more parks since the book was written).
In the second book they visit various western public lands, state parks, and national monuments. In the final book of the series, they explore some lesser-known parks.
The authors have one more book, Dories-Ho, which tells about their trip in wooden dories down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I have read this one too and wish they would write more books as each book has been engaging and funny!
71. Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-To-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
“Through his (the author’s) unique lens, America the Beautiful becomes America the Captivating, the Hilarious, and the Inspiring.” (from the book description)
72. Campfire Stories: Tales From America’s National Parks
Stories throughout the history of the parks.
73. Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, And Dying In The National Parks
A behind-the-scenes look at the life of a park ranger.
I put all these gift ideas and even a few more in an epic National Park Lovers gift list on my Amazon Influencer page.
Two Bonus Gift Ideas
If You Have Access To Their Pictures
There are many different websites you can use to turn personal photos into keepsakes, including my favorite, Shutterfly.
With Shutterfly you can print photos on ornaments, magnets, notepads, wall canvases, photo books, blankets, pillows, calendars, and even wallpaper! Those are just a few ideas; there are hundreds of ways to take park pictures and create gifts through the Shutterfly website.
Plus, Shutterfly always has various discount codes that will bring down the cost of these personalized gifts. I find these codes through two browser tools I use on my laptop.
The first browser tool I use is the Rakuten Browser tool. If you don’t have a Rakuten account, here is my referral link. If you use it and make a qualifying purchase of $40 or more in the first 90 days of opening your account, you will get $40 cash back (the offer can change at any time)
Another product I use to find discount codes for Shutterfly is the Capital One Shopping Browser tool.
Between these two browser tools, you rarely have to pay retail price for anything on Shutterfly or thousands of other retailers. Make sure to check the tools for discount codes and cash back offers whenever and wherever you are about to shop online.
The Best National Park Gift Of All Time
Memories of time spent with loved ones are more valuable than any gift on this list.
Grab your loved one and take a national park trip together. If there isn’t one in your area and you can’t afford the time or resources to take a long road trip, take them to a state park.
We took our kids on a five-and-a-half-month road trip back in 2017 in which we visited many of the national parks. There is rarely a month that goes by where someone in our family of five doesn’t bring up memories of that trip. Some memories are from our time in the parks and some are from the journey to the parks. We cherish all of them more than any possession we own.
I hope these ideas help you with your Christmas shopping.
More gift guides for people who love the outdoors:
55 Great Gift Ideas For People Who Love Road Trips
29 Gift Ideas For The Dad Who Can’t Get Enough Of The Outdoors
29 Gift Ideas For Outdoorsy Moms (ideas for all budgets)
25 Gift Ideas For Hikers (ideas for budgets small and large)
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