Here I am, sitting in front of my laptop, hoping Crater Lake National Park and its lodging will be open May 23-29, as I have room reservations in the park for that window.

Fingers crossed, but I’m not holding my breath. I figure I’m in the same boat as most of the rest of you who have/had plans for a national park visit. What can one do in the meantime if one wants to visit a national park but can’t? Google it!

I typed “national park virtual tour” into Google’s search engine and pulled up a bunch of articles and sites with links to various national park virtual tours lasting anywhere from 1 minute to 11-plus minutes. Below is a sampling of what you can find out there in the National Park System if you have the time and patience.

Be aware that not all these tours have audio nor video. Some are slideshows of 3-D maps and photos. Others are far more detailed and interactive. Google Arts and Culture teamed up with the National Park Service to produce a cool series of five virtual park tours. Those five tours provide video and narratives along with a little bit of interaction in which you click to hear sounds or investigate other aspects of the park before moving on to the next portion of the tour.

Kenai Fjords National Park: https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/kenai-fjords/exit-glacier-tour

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park: https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/hawaii-volcanoes/nahuku-lava-tube-tour

Carlsbad Caverns National Park: https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/carlsbad-caverns/natural-entrance-tour

Bryce Canyon National Park: https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/bryce-canyon/sunset-point-tour

Dry Tortugas National Park: https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/dry-tortugas/near-little-africa-tour

Yellowstone National Park provides a map from which you can click on several different portions of the park to be taken to pages with details specific to that area, including 3-D models, maps, photos, and accessibility information: www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm

This long link takes you into Google Earth, where you can choose from 31 national parks for a sort of 3-D map/street view/photo tour of each: https://earth.google.com/web/@2.45133915,-98.61144059,-5192.98031784a,27413757.13498593d,35y,-0h,0t,0r/data=Ci0SKxIgMzVhNjc1YmQ0NjVjMTFlOTg0Yjg1NTMyNWRjMDk2MzQiB3ZveV90b2M

The NPS media video page links to a large number of NPS virtual tours: www.nps.gov/media/multimedia-search.htm#sort=score+desc&q=virtual+tour&fq%5B%5D=Type%3A%22Video%22

Redwood Mountain Virtual Tour Parts 1 & 2: www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=00112E70-B51A-6F1E-3F6B75D4F73490BB and www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=FA2EE484-EB9E-4237-4FBA40054154B39D

General Grant Tree Trail Virtual Tour: www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=F880EC5B-A2E1-421D-BEA5822B650F0084

Mesa Verde National Park Balcony House tour: www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=17367558-1DD8-B71B-0B739F758EB9BB06

Glacier National Park Logan Pass Virtual Map: www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=48C81F0A-1DD8-B71B-0BB97FE1273ED77D

Statue of Liberty National Monument: www.nps.gov/featurecontent/stli/eTour.htm

A virtual tour of landscape change in Denali National Park and Preserve: www.nps.gov/features/dena/003/landchange/virtual_tour.html

Devils Tower National Monument: www.nps.gov/deto/learn/photosmultimedia/virtual-tour.htm

Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River Access Points: www.nps.gov/upde/learn/river-access-points.htm

I found all these links within just 10 minutes of web surfing. Imagine how many more are out there for you to enjoy, all from the comfort of your couch.