9 spectacular state parks to visit this winter
From ice fishing to toboggan racing to skiing in a ghost town, winter adventures hit differently in these less-crowded alternatives to national parks.
Winter strips landscapes down to their essentials—quiet, contour, light—and in that stillness, America’s State Parks reveal a different kind of drama. Unlike spring, summer, and autumn, when crowds clamor along boardwalks and struggle to see wildlife and fall foliage amid so many people, cold-weather months usually attract fewer visitors.
However, as wonderful as it is to explore a park in silence, the appeal of winter adventure goes well beyond who else you will (and won’t) see there. Winter transforms state parks into completely different places that offer distinct experiences like racing a toboggan, skiing through a ghost town, soaking in mineral-rich waters, or simply walking beneath redwoods as rain turns to mist.
Come for the sun or snow, stay for the stillness; these are some spectacular state parks to visit this winter.
(Eight underrated state parks that deliver the awe without the crowds.)
1. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California
Seaside Monterey County is a nature lover’s dream, with half a dozen state parks sprinkled along a short stretch of California coastline. Fort Ord Dunes State Park and Garrapata State Park are known for their beaches, boardwalks, and being dog-friendly. Nearby, Julia Pfeiffer Burns and Pfeiffer Big Sur offer more remote and dramatic landscapes. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park combines steep coastal cliffs, redwood forests, and a gushing waterfall, but in-the-know campers love it most for its handful of clifftop campsites overlooking the Pacific. Behind Julia Pfeiffer Burns’ rolling hills are the hidden swimming holes of neighboring Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Though some may find them too chilly for a winter dip, cool-weather months are perfect for trekking, and you can also hike up to the ridge, through fern-lined paths and through forested canyons.
2. Saratoga Spa State Park, New York
Set across more than 2,300 acres in the heart of Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Spa State Park offers winter travelers a hard-to-find blend of outdoor adventure and indoor restorative calm. Twelve miles of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails wind through snow-laden woods and open lawns, while two seasonal outdoor ice rinks allow for a playful pause between outings. Indoors, the historic Roosevelt Baths & Spa beckon with mineral baths, hydrotherapy, massage, yoga, and meditation. The on-site Saratoga Performing Arts Center (located within the park) hosts seasonal programming, including live music, author readings, tasting-menu events, and winter dessert potlucks.
3. Pokagon State Park, Indiana
Northern Indiana surprises in winter, nowhere more joyfully than Pokagon State Park, just a 45-minute drive from Fort Wayne. The park’s refrigerated toboggan run—one of the few of its kind in the country—sends riders racing down a quarter-mile chute at exhilarating speeds up to 35-40 miles an hour. Beyond the toboggan thrill, snow-softened trails wind through rolling hills above frozen Lake James, offering snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, fishing, sledding, and fireside warm-ups in a historic lodge.
(How Florida’s first failed national park kickstarted its thriving state parks.)
4. Lake Wissota State Park, Wisconsin
Winter at northwestern Wisconsin’s Lake Wissota State Park is refreshingly inclusive. Groomed trails welcome skiers, snowshoers, snowmobilers, and fat bikers of all abilities. At the same time, accessible fishing piers allow visitors who might otherwise be sidelined by snow and ice to go ice fishing. Cold-weather campers will appreciate that primitive campsites remain open year-round. Hikers, snowshoers, and skiers can look forward to unique events such as the park’s candlelit evening outdoor activities. Birders should note the park’s eBird hotspot status, which allows them to spot 200 species, including elusive Northern Saw-whet Owls and crossbills.
5. Bannack State Park, Montana
Winter turns Bannack State Park into a snowy, cinematic throwback to our country’s wild west past. Once a booming gold-mining town and the site of Montana’s first significant gold discovery in 1862, Bannack is now a quiet collection of wooden buildings preserved in near-perfect stillness. Abandoned hotels and saloons appear frozen in time year-round, and come winter, they are quite literally frozen, yet still open for exploration. Eight miles of trails weave through the ghost town and surrounding sagebrush hills, accommodating cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and walkers with sturdy footwear (when the snow is light). Free loaner ice skates are also available at the warming hut for gliding on the frozen dredge pond-turned-skating rink.
6. Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
High above the Colorado River, Dead Horse Point State Park becomes a study in contrast when snow dusts its rust-colored mesas. Sandwiched between Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, Dead Horse Point captures the region's dramatic desert landscapes without the crowds its neighbors attract. Winter visitors can stay overnight in heated yurts perched near the rim and take advantage of free programming like full-moon hikes, star parties, and telescop-guided geotours. Given the park’s status as an International Dark Sky Park, it’s also one of the best places in the country for dark sky tourism.
(Dark sky retreats are on the rise—here's where to take one.)
7. Catalina State Park, Arizona
Southern Arizona is famous for its soaring saguaros and divine desert landscapes, and Tucson offers easy access to much of it. Saguaro National Park may be the most renowned park here, but nearby, Catalina State Park provides very similar scenery and smaller crowds. The 5,500 acres of mountainous desert terrain is also a far more pet-friendly park, so it’s a great option for anyone traveling with man’s best friend. Summer temperatures here can be dangerously high, so winter is prime time for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The park also offers a wide variety of free winter programming, from their Music in the Mountains Concert Series, astronomy-focused Star Parties, guided hikes and bird walks, and weekly nature programs and geology walks.
8. Muskegon State Park, Michigan
On the eastern edge of Lake Michigan, snow-covered dunes and forested trails offer cross-country skiing and fat-tire biking at Michigan’s Muskegon State Park. Its winter sports complex channels Olympic ambition with its rare public luge track—one of only a handful in North America—where visitors can feel the ice rush beneath them, guided by trained staff. Not only does the luge have adaptive features that allow it to be used by people with limited lower-body mobility and by visitors who are visually or hearing-impaired, but the park’s Universal Accessibility sports program also offers adaptive ice sleds, cross-country sit skis, and all-terrain hiking wheelchairs designed to work on snow.
9. Bradbury Mountain State Park, Maine
Just north of Portland, Maine’s compact Bradbury Mountain State Park punches well above its weight once snow settles over its hardwood forest. Snowshoe and cross-country ski trails lace the lower slopes. The short summit hike—often achievable even in winter conditions—delivers sweeping views of Casco Bay, the White Mountains, and frozen farmland stitched together by stone walls. On clear days, the air feels almost alpine, crisp, and luminous, with the kind of visibility that summer foliage rarely allows. Families, first-time winter hikers, and seasoned locals gather here to greet the season head-on. Hearty visitors may also take advantage of winter camping.
(You haven’t been to Maine until you’ve visited these small towns.)
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