12 Winter Holiday Adventures in the National Parks

By Courtney Johnson

The holidays are a perfect time to explore a national park, national recreation area or national monument. Beyond winter hiking, snowshoeing and skiing, many offer unique ways to celebrate the season. Here are a few:

Cut Down a Natural Christmas Tree

Many of the national forests across the United States allow visitors to cut down their own natural Christmas tree for a small permit fee. The program has two purposes—to provide families with holiday trees, while also conserving and managing the forest land. Permit sale prices and cutting dates vary by forest. The U.S. Forest Service recommends visiting the “Know Before You Go,” for more guidelines. There are 154 National Forest service areas covering more than 193 million acres in the United States. Head to, https://www.fs.fed.us/ select your region on the right and then the forest name below. Once the page specific to the forest loads, look on the left hand side under passes and permits to find Christmas Tree cutting info specific to that area. (Click here to see Courtney’s 2018 article on this tradition for Parks & Points.)

Light a Luminaria At mesa verde national park

A tradition at Christmas, luminarias are a Spanish tradition started by Spanish explorers who saw Chinese paper lanterns in their travels. To celebrate the reopening of the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park in 2015, rangers lit luminarias. Join rangers on Thur Dec 12th from 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. to enjoy the glow of the pathways said to perhaps mimic the firelight of the Pueblo people that once inhabited the area.

View the Night Sky on the Winter Solstice

At International Dark Sky recognized national parks, night sky viewing is at its best, including Joshua Tree and Big Bend. Take advantage of the longest night of the year (least amount of sunlight) and the official beginning of winter on Sunday December 22nd. Look to the skies to see Canis Major and Canis Minor, Orion, Gemini and Taurus. The Ursids Meteor Shower will be peaking at this time producing upwards of 5-10 meteors per hour. Click here for a full list of International Dark Sky Parks.

Raft with Santa at lake mead nra

Join Black Canyon River Adventures for a Christmas Eve float down the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Santa will change from sleigh to raft while his reindeer (aka, the river guides) lead you on a 4.5 hour tour of the Colorado River. Before Santa says goodbye to travel around the world, enjoy hot cocoa, gifts and cookies with him.

Sing a Carol or Two at mammoth cave national park

The world’s longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park, is known for amazing acoustics. The first ever cave sing to celebrate the season was held in 1883, when locals set up a tree, sang carols, and told stories. In 1980, the park resurrected the tradition, with visitors from all over joining a free celebration. Bring your best singing voice and jolly spirit to the park on Sunday Dec 1st, for an afternoon of jubilee.

Visit the Ghost Trees and Experience Geyser Rain at Yellowstone

Created by the steam that freezes on the trees surrounding the geysers at Yellowstone, ghost trees bring enchantment to the already stunning landscape. Other magical things to experience include viewing the snowshoe hares bounding through the fresh powder and snowy beards on the bison. Look out for Anna, Elsa and Olaf as geyser rain, created by boiling water shooting into the cold air creating ice pellets, falls down creating a scene you may see in Frozen.

Ride A Polar Express Train

Visit with Santa, get a unique view of the prettiest national park scenery, and relive the magic of winter with cocoa and carols along a Polar Express Train. Listen for bells as you chug along the tracks at Grand Canyon National Railway, Mt Rainier National Park and Cuyahoga NP to newly feel the enchantment of the holiday season.

Step into Christmas Past and Holiday Homecoming at Great smoky mountains National Park

Celebrate historical Christmas traditions at Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Festival of Christmas Past. View demonstrations on basket weaving and woodworking, make crafts to bring home, listen to carolers sing “old time mountain music” and classic tunes, or stroll and hear historic holiday tales at the Sugarlands Visitor Center between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on December 14th, and at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on a date TBD. The NPS website is currently being updated; call 865-436-1291 for the most current info on these events!

Observe Kwanzaa at african burial ground national monument in nyc

Celebrate African Heritage and the 'first fruits' (or 'first fruits of the harvest') celebration.at the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City with an event (tentatively set for) December 26th. The schedule of events is in the works; we will update this post as dates are finalized, or visit https://www.nps.gov/afbg/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.

Celebrate Hanukkah

Touro Synagogue National Historic Site in Rhode Island is the oldest synagogue in the United States, and hosts an open house, a Hanukkah celebration and Hanukkah service. December dates and times are still being finalized. You can also tour Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (the summer house of Theodore Roosevelt, in Long Island) to see two menorahs that the president displayed in the library.

Visit the Capitol

Enjoy a walk on the Pathway of Peace with Christmas trees that represent each U.S. state and territory. Be mesmerized at the size and beauty of the Capitol Christmas Tree cut down from Carson National Forest in New Mexico, visit a Christmas market or see a holiday show. The U.S. Capitol is truly a magical place this time of year! The National Christmas Tree is a living tree on the Ellipse at the White House and the lighting ceremony has been a D.C. tradition since Calvin Coolidge.

The Christmas Bird Count

In conjunction with the Audubon Society, citizens can participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count, a program that is more than 100 years old. Participate in community science by counting the birds you see or hear to help build an early winter bird census. Visit the link for a bit more info, but Bryce Canyon NP, Rocky Mountain NP and Death Valley NP, are a few parks where you can join in on the count between Dec 14th 2019 and January 5th 2020. *Note that some parks have specific dates for the count, so check with the park you will visit as well. 

Courtney Johnson is a freelance sports and parenting writer based in Erie, Colorado. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband AJ and six-year-old daughter Emma. Follow her adventures at http://adventureswithmylittleray.com/