Whether you're a veteran of years of national park travels, or a newbie setting out with an empty national parks passport, there always seems to be new destinations to explore. With this year's crowds of Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Acadia and Grand Teton in mind, here's a handful of park system units sure to please without the jostling.

There are, across the United States, gems hidden, and some not so hidden, that reflect the richness of America's landscape that remains more than two centuries past the birth of the country. Here in the 21st century, where sprawl is pressing more and more across many states, these places preserved as a collection of national monuments capture the imagination of a time many no doubt thought was long past and protect wild America.

Can you compress it more?” Her face scrunches with effort. I exhort her, “Push! Really push it!” “Oomph! It barely fits, but I got it.”

It's one thing to have your throat go dry and your fingers clench the steering wheel when you're driving Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park, but even my Honda Shadow seemed a bit reluctant to go higher and higher on the road towards the park's Alpine Visitor Center.