We’ve all been there—you’re huddled onto the crowded summit of a popular peak, at the base of that iconic waterfall, or crammed into a tiny pullout along that scenic road through a well-known national park, and everyone is snapping the same photo. You followed the masses and found yourself a beautiful vista. Well done. Nowwouldn’t you like a little solitude to go with the view? It’s time to get off the beaten path. Here’s where to go.
Austin, Texas
Where the Crowds Are: Congress Avenue Bat Bridge
Over a million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the in downtown Austin, andall summer long, the creatures flock from the bridge around sunset in search of food. It’s quite a sight. But you won’t be alone—hundreds of people gather there, in kayaks on Lady Bird Lake or on the grassy hill alongside the bridge.
Go Here Instead: Old Tunnel State Park
Eighty miles west of Austin is, home to three million of the same bat species found under the famous bridge. You can watch from two different observation areas while state-park staff give presentations on summer evenings. Get there early to be one of 70 people to score a spot in the lower, close-up viewing area (entry costs $5).
If you’re set on seeing the bats in Austin, do it from the lake: hosts kayak bat tours. Or stay at the (from $199), across the lake, and watch the bats leaving the bridge from the hotel’s rooftop pool deck.
Seattle, Washington
Where the Crowds Are: Gum Wall at Pike Place Market
You have to know where it is, tucked into a hidden alley downtown underneath Pike Place Market, but once you’re there, you and hordes of other spectators will get alook at one of the weirdest public art installations ever—a 50-foot-long wall spackled with other.
Go Here Instead: Olympic Sculpture Park
If outdoor art is what you’re after, skip staring at spit-covered bubble gum and head to the waterfront. With nine acres, it’s downtown’s largest green space, and it’sfilled with massive works of art. The Seattle Art Museum leads hourlong tours, or you can explore on your own. Plus, the park isfree, open from sunrise to sunset, and easy to find. There’s alsoa waterfront path that cutsthrough the grounds, a great optionfor running or biking.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Where the Crowds Are: Going-to-the-Sun Road
There may be no more scenic routein America than the 50-mile. It crosses the Continental Divide through the park, with of glaciers, waterfalls, mountain goats, and snowcapped peaks. But midsummeryou’ll be on the clogged roadway with a lineup of tour buses, RVs, and motorcycles.
Go Here Instead: Camas Road
For a panoramic drive through Glacier National Park without the crowds, veer toward from West Glacier. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it curves around Huckleberry Mountain (stop for a hike to Huckleberry Lookout), then leaves the park on the dirt North Fork Road toward the off-the-grid community of Polebridge, 13 miles away, followingthe banks of the North Fork of the Flathead River. The is worth a visitfor huckleberry bear claws.
Maui, Hawaii
Where the Crowds Are: Sunrise at Haleakala National Park
So many want to watch the sunrise from the top of the volcano in Haleakala National Parkthat the park service started requiring to drive up at dawn. It’s a beautiful way to start your day—if you don’t mind a bunch of other cars and Instagrammers alongside you.
Go Here Instead: Wilderness Cabins at Haleakala Crater
The National Park Service maintains threerustic backcountry cabins on the Haleakala Crater, accessibly only via trail. You’ll start at 10,023 feet above sea level, atop the volcano, and hike down into the crater, to 7,000 feet, covering roughly four miles to reach the closest of the three cabins or nine miles to the farthest one. You’ll need a (from $75 a night), but that’ll guarantee you a bunk in a cabin with minimal crowds.
San Francisco, California
Where the Crowds Are: The Golden Gate Bridge
On a visit to San Francisco, it’s pretty much mandatory that you walk across the, an iconic 1.7-mile span that connects the city withMarin County, to the north. But you won’t have the place to yourself. In fact, tenmillion people visit the bridge every year
Go Here Instead: Marshall’s Beach
Located within Golden Gate National Park, sandy Marshall’s Beach is adjacent to the bridge on the San Francisco side, so you can still snap a photo of itshrouded in morning fog—without the mobs of people. To reach the beach, hike a half-mile along the, where you can spot dolphinsas you descend to the ocean.
Juneau, Alaska
Where the Crowds Are: Mendenhall Glacier
When massive cruise ships roll into Alaska’s capital city, many passengers disembark and board tour buses bound for , the only glacierin the statethat can be reached via road. We’re not talking about just a few people—around one million cruise-ship passengers visit Juneau each summer, and the glacier sees around 500,000 visitors annually. (Most stick to the visitorcenter, so you can take a walk and avoid the crowds.)
Go Here Instead: Mount Roberts
Juneau is surrounded by mountains covered in lush, green trees and that see minimal traffic. Ride the ($35 for a round-trip ticket), which departs from downtown and soars through a rainforest to an elevation of 1,800 feet; from here, if you hike a half-mile, you can haveaview of the Chilkat Mountains to yourself. Or skip the tram entirely and hike the that climbs nearly 4,000 vertical feet up the mountain.
Niagara Falls, New York
Where the Crowds Are: Niagara Falls State Park
The oldest state park in America, is home to such wonders as American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. It’s also a predictably popular sightseeing spot, especially in the summer, when busloads of tourists show up to gawkat the nearly 3,160 tons of water flowing over every second.
Go Here Instead: Taughannock Falls State Park
Located 150 miles east of Niagara Falls, near Ithaca, 750-acre has one standout feature: a that’s nearly 50 feet taller than Niagara Falls. Hike the Gorge Trail along Taughannock Creek, which is less than a mile to the base of the falls, or the North Rim Trail for a bird’s-eye view. If you’re set on seeing Niagara Falls, head to the lesser known viewpoint within the park: , accessible via a pedestrian bridge with great panoramasof American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.
Aspen, Colorado
Where the Crowds Are: Maroon Bells
Called the most peaks in Colorado, the 14,000-foot, tenmiles west of Aspen, are stunning. Due to midsummer crowds, there’s now a public bus you have to ride midday to reach Maroon Lake (or you can bike there). Most people hike the one-mile round-trip Maroon Lake Scenic Trail, which skirtsthe lake at the base of the peaks.
Go Here Instead: Castle Creek Road
For a breathtaking rideto majestic vistas, driveor bike the 13-mile, paved Castle Creek Road, whichpasses the historic Toklat Lodge and. The is well worth a stop for lunch or dinner on your way, and you’ll havestellar views of Star Peak and other pinnacles in the Elk Mountain Range.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Where the Crowds Are: Cadillac Mountain
You can drive to the top of 1,533-foot, the highest point in Acadia National Park. You’ll score a picture-perfectview of the sunrise as well asall of Frenchman Bay and Mount Desert Island from there, along with a bunch of other people. Some 400 cars a day drive to the summit with the same idea in mindand battle for limited parking spots.
Go Here Instead: Sargent Mountain
The second-tallest mountain on Mount Desert Island,1,373-footsees way fewer people and still has amazing views. No roads lead to the summit here, however; you’ll have to hike up either the North or South Ridge Trails or the more difficult Grandgent Trail. Or hire a rock-climbing guide from the, and they’ll lead you to sheer faces within the park without a soul in sight.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Where the Crowds Are: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
This, just 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip andrun by the Bureau of Land Management, features a gorgeous 13-mile drive through sandstone bluffs and is home to numeroushiking trails. But the place gets visited by some a year.
Go Here Instead: Spring Mountain Ranch State Park
You’ll get similar views at, five miles south of the Red Rock Canyon visitorcenter, but with a fraction of the people. Once a working ranch, this 520-acre park has hiking trails, on a grassy meadow, and an old blacksmith shop and cabin that you can tour.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
Where the Crowds Are: Crater Lake National Park
Welcome to the deepest lake in the United States and Oregon’s only national park. Of the many visitors who flock to each summer, most drive around the lake and visit one of two visitorcenters. Another popular option? Riding bikes along the rolling roadway of33-mile Rim Drive, which circumnavigates the crater.
Go Here Instead: Paulina Lake
Located outside of Bend, Oregon, 80 miles north of Crater Lake, high-alpine was also formed by a crater, but it doesn’t have the cachet of its national-park sibling. You’ll get turquoise waters and trails forhikingand mountain biking. Don’t miss the primitive Paulina Lake Hot Springs, tubs alongside the lake’s northeastern shore made of driftwood and filled with geothermal water. Book a cabin (from $126) on the shoreat .