Do you find that your travels tend to center around visiting national parks?
Do you spend time on social media engaging with national park-themed content?
Does (at least) one of your bucket list items involve visiting all the U.S. national parks — or even a few specific ones?
If any of these things resonate with you, you are likely someone who loves giving (and certainly — especially — getting!) national park gifts.
After all, the country’s national park system has been coined “America’s best idea” for good reason. America’s national parks, all 63 of them, are home to some of the most awe-inspiring, jaw-droppingly beautiful natural features and wildlife found anywhere on Earth.
National park gifts both inspire and cure wanderlust, plus they’re wonderful for commemorating trips.
Whether you want to celebrate the time you summited Yosemite’s Half Dome, you’re simply drawn to the iconic, rugged peaks of the Grand Tetons, you’re planning to visit Acadia to witness the first sunrise in the continental U.S., or you want to surprise someone with a road trip through Utah’s “Mighty 5,” national park gifts work beautifully.
Here, we’ve rounded up our favorite national park gifts, because we know the classic souvenir shop standbys simply don’t suffice.
Everything in this gift guide is thoughtful and unique, but practical too — important considerations whether you’re actually gifting something or technically “gifting” yourself.
10 Best National Park Gifts
From items that can go along on your travels and functional ones you’ll use over and over again to things that inspire creativity, these are some of the best national park gifts available.
Fair warning: You may have a hard time giving these away, they’re that good! But hey, you could always buy two.
1. The Wander Club National Park Tokens
For something way outside the traditional national park gift box (pun very much intended), check out U.S. National Park Tokens from The Wander Club.
The attractive, high-quality stainless steel tokens help you remember all the amazing national parks you’ve been to, plus they don’t take up any room in your luggage and you don’t have to worry about them breaking on the trip home.
The Wander Club Travel Tokens make wonderful national park gifts for yourself or your travel partners!
Add the tokens to your favorite token holder and even better, get them engraved with the date of your visit. Every time you see the tokens, you’ll remember highlights from your trip and be inspired to visit more parks.
And because of their portability, this is one travel souvenir you won’t have to store on a shelf — keep your national park tokens close or even wear them!
2. America the Beautiful Annual Pass
Also known as a national parks annual pass, this is the king of national park gifts. The pass grants unlimited year-long access to all national parks, plus national forests, national recreation areas, national seashores, many state parks, federal wildlife areas, and more.
Whether the recipient is new to exploring national parks or only has a few left to visit, this is one of the best national park gifts!
3. National Parks Travel Journal
If you’re looking for a personalized national park gift, consider a travel journal. Most include journaling pages with prompts asking about when your visit was, what the weather was like, wildlife sightings, and highlights.
This adventure journal is one of our favorites because it also includes sections for national park passport stamps.
4. National Parks Scratch-off Map
One of the biggest reasons to give national park gifts (and remember, “giving” to yourself counts too!) is to document your travels. A national parks scratch-off map is the perfect solution, acting as a visual reminder that doubles as wall art.
There are soooo many fantastic options out there, but we love the slightly smaller size of the Pop Chart scratch-off map and the Mappinners’ literal map format.
5. Books About America’s National Parks
You can’t go wrong giving (or getting!) books as national park gifts.
Whether you opt for the won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down Campfire Stories: Tales From America’s National Parks, the coffee table National Geographic book The National Parks: An Illustrated History, or a national parks travel guide, this gift is guaranteed to be well-received.
6. Pendleton National Park Throw Blanket
Want to treat a serious national parks enthusiast to a gift they’ll use constantly and never forget? Look no further than a Pendleton national park throw blanket!
These 100% wool blankets are durable and designed for adventure (camping, anyone?). Each one has elements inspired by that particular park, and a portion of sales goes to the National Park Foundation.
7. Trekking the National Parks Board Game
The clever, award-winning Trekking the National Parks board game is an ideal national park gift for literally everyone. Kids, kids at heart, avid outdoor enthusiasts, people who have yet to visit a single national park — everyone!
Educational, engaging, easy to learn, and a wonderful way to spend quality time together, this is a guaranteed home run.
8. National Parks Water Bottle
It doesn’t get much more practical than a water bottle. This particular one, the PARKS PROJECT Glow in the Dark Water Bottle, happens to be a durable, BPA-free Nalgene wide-mouth, making it one of the best national park gifts.
Oh, it also glows in the dark and that’s just plain fun, not to mention handy — night hike, anyone?
9. Drive Coffee National Parks Collection
Got a java lover to shop for? The National Parks Collection set from Drive Coffee is one of the best national park gifts out there!
This set includes three 12-ounce coffees, each with a distinct flavor profile inspired by a different national park. In addition to being delicious, this national park gift comes in sustainable (and beautiful!) packaging, so you can feel extra-good about it.
10. National Park Socks
There’s no rule that says socks have to be functional or cute — they can be both! These Swiftwick VISION Six Impression National Parks Socks prove it, combining beautiful 360-degree designs with moisture-wicking technology.
While there isn’t a design for every national park, the company does offer many of the most iconic, including Yellowstone, Denali, and Arches.
