The winter season heralds a potpourri of emotions for those who live in areas with four seasons. In North America, winter signals both hassle and wonder. On the one hand, daily commutes to and from work become nightmarish drives, especially when sleet and frozen rain falls from the sky. Perilous conditions on the roads require extra vigilance, not to mention a deft touch at the wheel. Subzero temperatures are also a strain on budgets, from the monthly energy bill to gas, from car maintenance to warm clothes and even renovations to secure and seal the family home. No wonder why Florida, the Caribbean and Mexico receive millions of weary snowbirds come December.

There are those however, who celebrate winter’s arrival. For a good portion of the U.S. population – not to mention the Great White North, Canada – winter is a time to engage in a variety of favorite recreations. From the slopes of ski and snowboard resorts to ice rinks, some people know how to shirk the temptation to hibernate and declare bah! humbug, in favor of a more active approach. In the face of winter’s inevitable wallop, this very zen and agreeable demeanor will keep anyone in good stead should they decide to do what many opt for come arctic time: visit a National Park.

These terrific National Parks comprise the very best the U.S. has to offer in terms of natural splendor any time of year. In winter however, they put on a very different face. With less people to distract from the rare inherent beauty, there are a surfeit of wonderful adventures in store for those intrepid enough to brave the chill and look beyond the snow. Of course, the usual precautions apply if you do choose to explore a National Park in the winter: keep plenty of blankets, warm gear, water and emergency food on hand, not to mention tire chains on your car.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon, California

From November until April, the sequoia groves – which contain the tallest trees in the world – of these exceptional National Parks carry a snowy carpet, visible from the few campgrounds open in the cold season. Park rangers are available for those who plan extensive stays and want to learn how to wilderness camp in the High Sierra, crosscountry ski and snowshoe.

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Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine

The National Park that shares as much, if not more, with the province of New Brunswick in Canada than with the rest of the state of Maine, is a tribute to the peerless culture that exists in the vast Saint John Valley and indeed the Maritimes. Acadia National Park is at the halfway mark between the North Pole and the equator and as a result, has a long winter season. All the more reason to pay the park a visit, with so much wildlife to explore, from muskrats to bobcats, moose to beavers. With the pristine little town of Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island – home to Cadillac Mountain and historic architecture – in tow, Acadia National Park is a gem.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

The clay-rich soil of the badlands of North Dakota and other states in the U.S. and parts of Canada comprises one of the most unusual swaths of landscape on the continent. With much of it still devoid of exploration, the badlands are truly bad-ass. Theodore Roosevelt was such a fan that he bought land here after the death of his wife and mother on the same day in 1884 and ran a cattle business before his election as President of the United States of America years later. That wild, frontier spirit still runs rampant at the National Park that bears his name and is especially suitable for winter campers, when the stars and northern lights come out to dance.

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Washington

The state of Washington has some of the most wild and dramatic scenery in America. Another National Park with the name Roosevelt provides visitors with excellent winter fun, in the form of Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake and the vast and might Columbia River. While the criteria and rules are strict, the park is one of the few in the country to sanction and allow visitors to hunt. If you like to fish, the recreation area is first-class for walleye, among other species. Free park services, from tours to wildlife expeditions, visits to Fort Spokane and a chance to commune with the area’s native past, are just some of the highlights in store at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

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