Navigating U.S. National Parks Is Easier Than Ever With This New Google Maps Feature

It’s now simpler to wander through the United States’ national parks without truly getting lost.

In a collaboration aimed at enhancing safety and convenience, Google has teamed up with the National Park Service to improve visits to the nation’s 63 national parks.

Starting today, several updates have rolled out on Google Maps (for both iOS and Android) to assist park visitors in navigating these protected areas. These updates include detailed trail maps, developed with input from park rangers and officials who received extensive feedback about Google Map accuracy in the parks.

One of the new features will showcase complete trail paths (as opposed to just marking the trail’s center with a red pin) and provide walking, biking, and driving directions from a user’s location to the trailhead. The platform will also extract useful insights from Google reviews, which will be displayed in a sidebar, such as:

• The type of trail (is it paved, dirt, a loop, or out-and-back?)
• Difficulty level
• Recommendations (is it wheelchair accessible? Are dogs permitted?)
• Optimal times to visit to avoid crowds

Google will also provide detailed, interactive maps of national parks that can be downloaded for offline access. This is especially useful given that even though national parks are highly frequented (312 million visitors in 2022), cell phone reception isn't always reliable.

In addition to various trails, key attractions (like Old Faithful in Yellowstone and Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite), campgrounds, and visitor centers will be represented as photo icons. Users can click these icons for more information, read reviews, and even add these spots to their itinerary to share experiences for future visitors.

These features will be rolled out across all U.S. national parks by the end of April, coinciding with National Park Week (April 22–30). On April 22, entrance fees (ranging from $5 to $35, depending on the park) will be waived for the first day of National Park Week, marking one of five fee-free days offered by the NPS in 2023.

Google intends to expand these features to national parks around the globe in the upcoming months.