As the author of several books on outdoor cooking and camp cooking—including one that’s solely focused on national park food—you could say that my love for the national parks runs incredibly deep. To date, I’ve visited nearly 30 national parks and dozens of national parkways, monuments, seashores, and other National Park Service units all over the country.
I’ve hiked, biked, backpacked, camped, climbed, canoed, kayaked, rafted, creek-walked, Onewheeled—and yes, eaten plenty—on my adventures through the national parks, so you can trust my judgment when it comes to finding a unique and non-cheesy gift for the national park lover in your life.
This isn’t another list of scratch-off maps, calendars, posters, or an America the Beautiful pass—and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of those options, but how about something that’s not usually found in a gift shop?
These are my go-to national park gifts. Some that I own, some that I’ve gifted, and all that I have my eye on. They make great gifts not only for the holidays, but year-round for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other special occasions as well.
For more gift ideas, check out my updated guides for 23 Awesome Adventure Gifts for the Outdoor Lover, 35 Genius Gifts for Gardeners They’ll Really Dig—Handpicked by a Gardener, and 25 Perfect Stocking Stuffers for Gardeners Under $25.
Disclosure: If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive commissions on some of the products I recommend.
The National Parks Cookbook: The Best Recipes From (and Inspired By) America’s National Parks
Let’s start with my top recommendation that I think belongs in every national park lover’s kitchen—and maybe I’m a bit biased here (hehe) but this cookbook would even feel at home on a coffeetable.
I wrote The National Parks Cookbook over an entire summer of traveling the parks with my family, but recipes (over 70 of them!) aren’t the only things you’ll find in this book. Immerse yourself in national park history, spectacular landscape photography, and tidbits about the flora and fauna found in some of your favorite parks.
Topographic Whiskey Glasses
While we’re talking kitchen here, how about a set of these sophisticated glasses for whiskey, cocktails, or even just to make a sparkling water feel fancier? The glass tumblers feature topographic impressions of national park landscapes like the Grand Canyon, Rockies, and Rainier, and are sure to spark conversation when they’re served.
Swiss Army Knife
Every outdoorsperson needs a dependable Swiss army knife. This one has all the tools you’d expect, including a small blade, scissors, key ring, tweezers, toothpick, nail file, and flathead screwdriver. My kids recently really got into whittling sticks in camp, and I think they’d love having their own knife instead of always using mine or my husband’s.
Watercolor Painting Kit
I love this concept: an adult coloring book featuring national park landscapes, but you watercolor them! The painting kit includes a book of 24 dreamy scenes, a brush, a starter set of watercolor paints, and a color-mixing chart. It’s a lovely gift for new or experienced artists alike, and maybe even for kids who want something more sophisticated than a “regular” coloring book.
Engraved Insulated Water Bottle
There are plenty of water bottles with national park designs on them, but I especially like this brand for how elegant its designs are. Each stainless steel bottle is engraved with iconic features of popular parks, including Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Redwood, and Arches.
The bottle is double vacuum-sealed to keep cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours, and it comes with a handy straw lid and a durable strap so you can tote it on a hike.
Goodr Polarized Sunglasses
I own a couple pairs of Goodr sunglasses and really like how colorful, comfortable, and lightweight they are. In my opinion, they fall in that perfect range of being better quality than cheap generic sunglasses that you’re afraid will fall apart, but not so fancy that you’d avoid using them in the water or on an adventure.
They have an entire line of sunglass designs in partnership with the National Park Foundation featuring all your favorite parks, including Arches (I love the lavender frame), Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Zion, Glacier, Acadia, Everglades, Great Smoky Mountains, Mount Rainier, Denali, Hawaii Volcanoes, and even Cuyahoga Valley!
Pom Pom Beanies
If you love to be outside, you can never have too many beanies, right? And these unisex beanies are warm, soft, and stretchy with vintage-inspired designs of various national parks. The muted colors also make them pretty versatile.
Limited Edition Fatwood Crate
This cherrywood crate includes 13 pounds of fatwood fire starters would sit handsomely next to any fireplace, wood stove, chiminea, or fire pit. Fatwood sticks are 100 percent natural fire starters made from pine tree resin. They start fast and burn hot, even when they’re wet, and are an easy way to get a fire going at home or at the campsite.
National Park Scented Candles
Candles may not be the most original gift, but no one can deny how useful they are. These camping-inspired tins feature charmingly retro labels and hand-poured soy wax that evokes the familiar smells of your favorite national parks.
Think sea salt and driftwood for Acadia; red sandstone, copaiba balsam, and sandalwood for Arches; huckleberry, bergamot, balsam fir, and vanilla for Glacier; and evergreen, cypress, eucalyptus, and smoke for Olympic.
Paddywax National Park Candles
The best national park gifts don’t always have to scream “national parks” on their packaging. These divine-smelling candles are subtle in their association, with modern-looking textured vessels in soft, muted colors and neutrals.
The scents are all inspired by the parks, from cottonwood and oak (Yosemite) to redwood and lily (Redwoods). What I especially like about these candles is the cool wooden wick that gives the flame a crackling, campfire-like flicker.
Rumpl Puffy Blanket
This is my favorite outdoor blanket for everything from picnicking to camping. It’s super lightweight, ultra packable, and incredibly warm for how portable it is. The designs are colorful and beautiful, depicting various scenes from Joshua Tree, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Denali, and Grand Canyon. I keep one in the car for winter tailgating and wearing around the fire!
Rumpl Everywhere Towel
The maker of my favorite outdoor blanket (above) also makes this lightweight adventure towel in a range of national park-inspired designs. This is the type of towel you throw in your gym bag, take to yoga, or just stash in your car for impromptu trips to the beach, lake, or splash pad.
It’s not the thick, cozy towel you might use at home, and that’s the whole point: It takes up less space so it’s easy to tote along, and the material also repels sand, pet hair, and stains.
Pendleton Wool Blanket
Pendleton’s passion for national parks goes way back—to the early 1900s! The maker supports the National Park Foundation and honors America’s national parks with a collection of distinctive wool blankets that are still woven in their Pacific Northwest mills.
The designs are classic Pendleton and fit into many styles of decor. You can choose from various sizes of blankets, including twin, full, queen, and throw blankets.
Packing Cubes
I’m not kidding when I say packing cubes have been a game changer on my trips! I have packing cubes in an array of sizes and shapes and they make it so easy to fit a week’s worth of clothes into a simple carry-on. This national park-themed set has all the features you’d want in the perfect packing cube: ultra light weight, compressibility, and durability.
Grow Your Own National Park Botanicals Kit
These unique growing kits contain everything you need to cultivate a living memento of your favorite national park: a glass vessel, soil, and seeds.
The Olympic kit, for example, allows you to grow a Sitka spruce seedling. If the awe-inspiring Sequoias of Yosemite have you yearning to go back, try your hand at growing a baby redwood seedling. Lush ‘Emerald Falls’ dichondra can be found in Zion’s Hanging Gardens, and now you can grow your very own on a windowsill!
Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors
he first time I saw Subpar Parks in a store, I had a good laugh. The book is based on the artwork of graphic designer (and author) Amber Share, who took all the one-star reviews of national parks from places like Tripadvisor, and turned the best quotes into snarky illustrations. There’s also a little bit of history and fun facts on each park, making it an appealing book for any national park’s most impressed visitor!
National Parks of the USA
I own this beautiful book, National Parks of the USA, and have also given it as gifts to my friends’ kids. It’s ideal for ages 5 to 13, though even as an adult, I found it highly engaging with its lovely illustrations and captivating details on the parks. I only wish the author had included all the parks in this book (she featured 21 of them), but that would’ve made it a giant volume, considering its intended reader.
I also recommend the National Parks of the USA Activity Book and National Monuments of the USA by the same author.
Field Notes Memo Pads
A few years ago I was given a set of these small notebooks in my business networking group, and didn’t think much of them… just another memo pad, right? But I’ve found these little books to be so utterly useful in my daily life that I now have one in my car, bag, kitchen, junk drawer, and many other places where I often need to jot down a quick note.
I absolutely love the national park series and have most of the designs (but still collecting more!). Best of all, this is a made-in-USA product, which I’m fully on board with.
Vintage National Parks Puzzle
Cavallini & Co. makes beautiful puzzles, and this vintage-style 1000-piece puzzle is no exception. The final product is a montage of several retro-style posters depicting the national parks. If they already have this set, I also like these beautifully-illustrated 1,000-piece puzzles depicting various individual parks.
Illustrated Playing Cards With Wooden Collector’s Box
Any outdoor enthusiast likely already has a set of playing cards tucked in their pack or RV, but I especially love this set that comes in an embossed wooden collector’s box. The high-quality cards feature beautiful artwork of the national parks. If you’re looking to gift a “national parks game night” package, I suggest pairing these cards with one of the board games below!
Monopoly: National Parks Special Edition
If you’re a fan of the cutthroat real estate game, you’ll love the National Parks Edition of Monopoly which lets you buy, sell, and trade stunning landscapes like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. The custom tokens include a ranger hat, tent, canoe, bison, camera, and hiking boot; Chance Cards are now Battlefield Parks Cards; and Community Chest Cards are reimagined as Historic Site cards.
Scrabble: National Parks Special Edition
Speaking of classic board games, how about a National Parks Edition of the popular word game Scrabble? Like the original version, you can play regular Scrabble words or you can play your favorite national park words to score the most points. This would make a great gift to play at home or keep in the RV for post-adventure entertainment!
