So many of us are conditioned to visit national parks only in the summer months but that’s when they are most crowded. In fact, there are a number of national parks that are actually better in winter.

One of my favorites is Mount Rainier National Park, which also offers year-round lodging.

I’m also partial to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where even winter temperatures can be as high as 50 degrees. It offers great off-season hiking.

And I always prefer a winter visit to Death Valley National Park for obvious reasons. It has average temperatures of 67 degrees in January, not the oppressive three-digit temperatures of summer.