7 bucket list national park sites in the Midwest

America’s national park sites are hallowed treasures of our magnificently diverse homeland. While the Midwestern spaces may not be as famous as Western parklands like Yellowstone and Grand Canyon, they nonetheless inspire awe.

These 7 sites—including sacred Native American lands, an architectural marvel, and a former president’s home—protect beautiful landscapes and intriguing history. Hit the road this summer to discover the natural, cultural, and geological gems in our backyard.

Begin your journey by walking through this graceful and elegant landmark that commemorates the courageous pioneers who charged headlong into the American West. The brainchild of Finnish-born American architect Eero Saarinen, the arch appears reasonably simple, but its construction was a real engineering feat.

As you walk the 630 feet from the base of one leg to the other, the arch soars 630 feet above you. Wander tree-lined paths in the lovely 91-acre park around the arch before heading underground to a free world-class museum with 6 galleries that recount the history of St. Louis. The award-winning documentary Monument to the Dream, which details the construction of this architectural wonder, is worth the $7 admission.

The most exhilarating way to experience the site is to ride a tram up the arch in a small capsule. Take in panoramic views of the city and the Mississippi River at the top. Timed adult tickets start at $15.

The Old Courthouse, a short walk from the arch, preserves the site of the first 2 trials of Dred Scott, a slave who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom. The courthouse is closed for a renovation that’s expected to be completed in 2025.

Outdoor enthusiasts are accustomed to seeing horizontal striations in rock faces, but far to the north in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, nature paints in long vertical stripes of red, orange, blue, green, brown, and black. The magic happens as mineral-laden groundwater seeps through cracks and stains the cliffs as it flows to Lake Superior. Embark on a boat tour with Pictured Rocks Cruises to enjoy the spectacle. Adult excursions start at $44.

Away from the shore, you’ll find enormous sand dunes, wetlands teeming with wildlife, deeply quiet forests, and surprising waterfalls. With 100 miles of trails available, you’re certain to find some that are right for your time and ability.

If you’re up for a 3-mile round-trip hike, trek to the Au Sable Light Station, where lightkeepers and their families once lived in isolation. Climb the circular staircase and step onto the observation deck to learn why this rugged shoreline is called the Graveyard Coast. Indeed, the coastline’s shipwrecks are nearly as well known as the rocks that give the park its name. Park admission, $15 (good for 7 days); tours are $5.

On Iowa’s eastern edge, this monument protects more than 200 ancient earthen mounds built by Native Americans. Some are conical and believed to be burial mounds. Others are animal-shaped mounds—or effigies—made to resemble birds, bears, bison, and more. The site’s long rectangular mounds were likely built for ceremonial purposes.

This peaceful place has 14 miles of hiking trails that showcase the sacred and mysterious mounds built between 800 and 2,500 years ago. You’ll likely feel reverential wandering the quiet park, like being in a grand cathedral. Free admission.

In a formidable, otherworldly, and mystifying landscape unlike any other in America, nature has sculpted sharp ridgetops, steep gullies, and bizarre rock towers called hoodoos. It’s apropos that when the park was first proposed in 1922, the suggested name was Wonderland National Park.

For a good area overview, take your time driving the 40-mile Badlands Loop Road. You’ll want to stop at the spectacular overlooks and pull-offs—more than a dozen in all. At White River Valley Overlook, for instance, you’ll be hard-pressed not to drain your camera battery capturing views. At these sites, you’ll have an excellent chance of seeing wildlife like bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and elk.

Stop at the Ben Reifel Visitors Center to learn more about the park’s geology and history, including details about the Lakota Indians who have lived in the region for centuries. The center is named after the first Lakota elected to Congress in 1960.

Badlands contains rich fossil beds—remains have been found here of saber-toothed cats and ancestors of modern rhinos. Watch paleontologists at work in the visitors center’s Fossil Preparation Lab, and hike the Fossil Exhibit Trail about 5 miles west of the visitors center to see extinct creature exhibits.

Free ranger-led activities include geology walks and night-sky programs with telescopes. Also savor the park’s legendary sunrises and sunsets. Park admission is $30 per vehicle (good for 7 days).

Before becoming our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln lived in this home from 1844 to 1861. You can tour the house and the surrounding neighborhood and get to know Lincoln and his family beyond what’s written in history books.

In the formal parlor, Lincoln received guests, including the head of the Republican National Committee who asked him to be the party’s presidential candidate. And in the sitting room, you can see where he and Mary Todd read poetry and literature while their children played around them.

Admission is free, but timed tickets must be obtained from the nearby visitors center. Arrive early; tickets often run out on busy summer days. Parking, $2 per hour.

With beaches that extend along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, this northwest Indiana site became a national lakeshore in 1966 after decades of work to protect the dunes.

Recognizing that the more than 15,000-acre park on the southern tip of Lake Michigan also includes swamps, prairies, bogs, rivers, and forests, Congress authorized it as the 61st national park in 2019. Thanks to this environmental diversity, there is habitat here for an astonishing assortment of trees, wildflowers, grasses, birds, mammals, and aquatic animals.

The options for how to spend your time are just as diverse: Choose from horseback riding, biking, climbing a sand dune, bird-watching, fishing, or boating.

For a quiet beach experience, head to Kemil Beach or Dunbar Beach, which are next to each other. At the end of the day, watch as the vast blackness of the lake swallows up ambient light and the dark sky provides a dazzling show. Park rangers can provide tips for the best viewing areas. Vehicle admission is $25 (good for up to 7 days); $25 per family or $15 per individual for walking, biking, or boating in.

Adjust your perception when visiting this Flint Hills landscape. You won’t see mountains or waterfalls in this subtle experience, but you may feel your heart expand when you walk onto the open prairie.

Imagine the vast sea of prairie grass that once covered 30% of America. Today, the less than 4% that remains—some of which you’ll find here—is a precious legacy. If you’re lucky, you might spot the preserve’s small bison herd in the distance, a reminder of the days when at least 30 million of these majestic creatures roamed the nation’s prairies.

Once viewed as barren wasteland, these prairie ecosystems are actually among the most diverse on earth. In the visitors center, learn about the 150 species of birds, 500 types of plants, and 31 mammals that thrive here. Take a self-guided backcountry hike on trails that range from 3.8 miles to 13 miles. You’ll gain even more appreciation for the landscape on free guided tours; the rangers’ enthusiasm for the prairie is contagious.

Be sure to tour the 1881 Spring Hill Ranch House and the massive limestone barn, and peek through the windows of a 1-room schoolhouse to see a relic of a bygone era of education. Give yourself a chunk of time just to be here. Our busy, noisy lives don’t often offer such opportunities. Free admission.

After your visit, drive the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway, which links Cassoday and Council Grove on Highway 177. By the end of this leisurely 47-mile ride with broad vistas of gently rolling hills, you may find you have fallen in love. Author and lifelong Flint Hills resident Jim Hoy once summed up what it’s like to experience the uncommon region: “The Flint Hills don’t take your breath away; they give you a chance to catch it.”

Freelance writer Gayle Harper of Springfield, Missouri, is the author of Roadtrip With a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River.