7 Little-Known National Parks

If you’ve seen enough of Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon, CNN has an idea for you: Why not visit another of the country’s 397 national parks and monuments, like one of these seven you’ve probably never heard of?

• Dry Tortugas: You have to seriously want to make it all the way out to one of these seven islands 70 miles west of Key West, which are only accessible by ferry or seaplane. But don’t expect actual dryness: Tropical storms are a regular occurrence.

• Aniakchak: Feeling adventurous, but up for more of a cold-weather journey? Trek to southwest Alaska, where bears, severe weather, and rough terrain are some of the reasons only a few dozen people make it to this park per year.
• Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial: This Philadelphia spot, dedicated to a hero of the American Revolution, is the smallest of the national park destinations at just .02 acres.
• African Burial Ground: Yes indeed, there is a national park in Lower Manhattan. Preserved in this monument are the remains of hundreds of free and enslaved Africans from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Click for the complete list. (More Florida stories.)