7 National Parks That Offer Postcard-Worthy Winter Wonderlands

Small spaces, extended family time—these are not always the best combination. The traditional Christmas can bring stress and, in some cases, hand to hand warfare. Not that I'm advocating escaping the family over the holidays, but everybody needs a simple change of scenery sometimes, and family time can be more enjoyable in wide open spaces. If holiday travel is on the horizon for you this year, why not hit the road to a national park? They can provide the best in winter wonderlands, and, as destinations go, they can be just about as cheap as they come.

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, there are 392 national park units, covering more than 83 million acres. These "units" include not only preserved natural lands, but also historic sites and buildings. With national parks in over half the states in this country, chances are there's one near you, where you can learn a bit more about your backyard (so to speak) without adding much baggage to your holiday carbon footprint.

And air travel can increase your impact in a dramatic fashion. In fact, Matt wrote that a one-way trip from NYC to San Francisco emits about 2,500 lbs of CO2: About five times the emissions of taking the bus or eight times sharing a Prius. While I wouldn't advise driving cross country over the holidays, picking a park closer to home makes sense. The average American's carbon footprint is already 20 tons per year and according to experts, an average of 3 tons is needed to begin to reverse global climate change. Taking a flight is certainly a step in the wrong direction.

Check Wikipedia's list of National Parks by state to find the closest park, and get inspired by these seven wild, wintry adventures.

Seasonal Splendor in the National Parks

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Polar Express photo above-right

Hop aboard the Polar Express. That's right, evoke memories of childhood (when you still got tons of presents) by hopping aboard this Grand Canyon Railway holiday special. The train runs from Williams, Ariz. to the South Rim of the park through January 9 and it includes hot chocolate and cookies. All the while Santa Claus tells the story of The Night Before Christmas. This is a great way for your kids to see the glory of the Grand Canyon along with the magic of Christmas. By showing your kids the wonder of the national parks you're instilling the next generation with the values to protect our national lands.

2. Yosemite National Park, California

iStockphoto.com/S. Greg Panosian

This 1,200 square mile park is bustling with people for much of the year but during the winter crowds are light and the crisp, clean winter air is the perfect escape from the rush of the holiday season. Yosemite is a regular fiesta of fun winter activities like cross country skiing, downhill skiing, ice skating at the Curry Village ice rink as well as snow boarding and tubing. This time of year the park's famous waterfalls are fueled by all the melting snow.

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, North Carolina

iStockphoto.com/Stacey Putman

The vast expanse of mystical mountains and endless hiking trails is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. While the park is most famous for the endless maze of hiking trails (especially the grand daddy of them all, the Appalachian Trail), there is also ample cross country skiing at the higher elevations. Temperatures are mild (lows average 22 degrees) compared to the parks farther north. If you're from North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, or any where close by, why travel across the country to get to a national park when there's 500,000 acres of paradise in your neck of the woods?

4. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

iStockphoto.com/Jeff Goulden

While this might seem a bit ambitious, somewhat like scaling Everest in a blizzard, the southern parts of the mountain are great for snowshoeing in the winter. While the northern portions of the mountains are most certainly closed for much of the winter, I doubt you'd want to venture that high anyway. Cross country skiing is also available to the most adventurous athlete and the sheer dramatic beauty of this destination makes it worth the trip. This is another great place to introduce the kids to the natural beauty of the parks because Mount Rainier features sledding for the kids. During the Christmas break (when the kids are out of school) the park is open every day for sledding and before that, it's open on the weekends. Snowmobiling is allowed in some of the parks including some in Mount Rainier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain National Park but that doesn't mean you need to partake. According to the California Air Resources Board, "today's typical 2-stroke snowmobile engine produces as much harmful pollution in seven hours as a passenger car driven for 100,000 miles." Instead of polluting such pristine lands enjoy them by way of hiking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, skiing, or snow boarding.

5. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Willard Clay/Getty Images

For those that enjoy the road less traveled, winter is likely the best time of year to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Much of the wildlife is still completely active, but the park is much less populated. This makes for a peaceful and often fruitful animal viewing experience. Take a ranger led snowshoe tour to check out the coyote, elk, deer, and snowshoe hares. In the Hidden Valley area of the park, you can enjoy back country skiing and snow boarding.

6. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

iStockphoto.com/Stefan Ekernas

Yellowstone was the first national park to be founded and it's the epitome of a winter wonderland. You just couldn't get much more of a white Christmas than this. It all starts at Old Faithful Snow Lodge and it's a secluded getaway in the simplest terms. It has to be, all the roads around it are closed and the only way there is by snow coach or snowmobile. Old Faithful produces a particularly stunning all natural Christmas tree. Ghost trees, as they are called, form when Old Faithful's steam freezes on nearby pine needles making for Mother Nature's most spectacular decorations.

7. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Charles Benes/Getty Images

Grand Teton National Park is blanketed with snow in the winter time and as a result much of the park is closed. But the snowshoe ranger led tours out of the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center make the park worth a visit. The tours start after December 19 and run through March. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing can also be done without a guide and popular trails include Jenny Lake Trail and Taggart Lake Trail.

More on the National Parks:
Quiz: Are You a National Parks Wiz?
10 Best National Parks for Hiking
10 National Parks Boasting Exotic Wildlife