Moms Who Love National Parks: Best Gifts
- Updated: 11/20/2024
- Janice
If you are wondering what to get mom for the holidays, her birthday, or Mother’s Day, then you are in luck. This gift list is perfect for any parent who loves to step into hiking boots, heft on a backpack, and head out into America’s best playgrounds—our national parks.
As a mom with a passion for our national parks, I can attest that these picks are sure to please, inspire, and charm any mom or mother figure who loves the outdoors as much as I do. Check out the items I recommend in the sections below.
Table Of Contents
Want to shop directly from my curated travel gift, hiking, and destination-based reading lists? Visit my Amazon and Bookshop.org stores.
Home Items, T-shirts & Puzzles
For moms who drink coffee or tea, adore the smell of candles, and welcome wall art, you will find something in this group of park-themed items she will both use and love.
National Park Map Mugs
Perfectly sized and well-designed, these mugs with map interiors from McGovern and Company make for ideal gifts. Buy park-specific mugs for the places she has visited. I own several of them. Purchase these mugs for parks like Glacier, Yellowstone, Acadia, Arches and more via this shop.
Or shop for more park merchandise like pint glasses, water bottles, t-shirts, blankets and more on McGovern’s Amazon shop.
If mom prefers something more interactive, opt for this color-it-yourself mug from Certified B Corp, Uncommon Goods. She can mark her parks, set the color in the oven, then enjoy her coffee while marveling at where she has been, dreaming of where she would like to go next.
National Park Coasters
For something to set her new mugs on, consider these cork park-themed coasters as the perfect pairing. Or opt for the Etsy coasters with more color and go with these stoneware cork-backed ones designed by a Minneapolis-based artist. Search for more national park-inspired gifts on Etsy, here.
National Park Candles
Help mom recollect the fresh scent of her favorite outdoor adventures with these park-inspired candles. There are several purveyors of park-themed candles, but my hands-down favorites are the ones from Good & Well Supply Co. Shop from a collection of scents inspired by 40+ parks. And while on their site, check out their national park incense collection.
National Park Posters
Give the gift of affordable park-inspired artwork. Consider purchasing one—or several—WPA-style posters to beautify open wall space. Pick your park from this seller on Etsy, or go with this other seller who bundles park posters in groups of three, all available in various sizes. Or browse the extensive and gorgeous collection of national park prints on the Anderson Design Group website.
National Park Push-Pin Map
Framed and ready for recollecting, this push-pin travel map printed on archival paper will allow mom to track which parks she has been to and take stock of which ones she has yet to visit.
National Park Patches
If mom has ever seen a backpack decorated with national park patches and thought, “I should do that!”—then get her these iron-on park patches to help take this project from idea to reality.
National Park T-Shirts
The first tee I shared on this list from my favorite local indie store, Lively Athletics, sold out in days. So, I found this national park tee and several others like it on Etsy. To make it an outfit—pair the top with some fun and affordable jewelry perfect for outdoorsy moms and from Lively Athletics. Or shop the Parks Project website for more t-shirts and park apparel.
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National Park Puzzles
For moms who like to puzzle, there are plenty of options. I am partial to the vintage poster puzzle shown above. Find others that feature patches, pretty pictures, maps, and more.
Annual Passes
National Parks Annual Pass
Get mom her annual National Parks entrance pass if she has not bought one. It is a gift any park lover would love. Buy her pass on the National Parks website.
National Parks Lifetime Senior Pass
Or if she is older than 62, buy a lifetime senior pass. It costs the same as the annual (non-senior) pass. Learn more about pass options here.
Books & Film
For the times when mom cannot explore the great outdoors, inspire her with books and movies shared in the list below. And get her dreaming about her next destination.
Books About National Parks
Check my curated list of 30+, park-related books that includes guides, historiographies, biographies, short stories, and more, on my Amazon and Bookshop.org shops. All are related to our most majestic and rugged American spaces.
And if you like to keep things simple, find a list of my top four favorite titles guaranteed to make your book-loving gift recipient genuinely grateful.
National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks, written by Jon Waterman, a former park ranger. Part coffee-table book, part dream device—this book shares stunning photography and the stories of how over 60 parks came to be. It is a book any park lover will treasure.
This National Park Adventure Guide Book by WPA-style poster experts Anderson Design Group includes visiting information, fun facts, space for notes, and their top-notch artwork for all parks. It is the ultimate planner. See an interior view of the planner below.
Backpacker The National Parks Coast to Coast: 100 Best Hikes, published by Backpacker Magazine and written by Ted Alvarez. If mom is a hiker, she will get excited about all the trails she will want to tackle after paging through this book. Alternatively, if mom does not hike due to preference or mobility, try National Parks Roads: A Legacy in the American Landscape, written by Timothy Davis.
The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, by documentary filmmakers, Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. I recommend this book as a companion piece to pair with the documentary film below, as both share the history and the splendor of these cherished American spaces.
A Film About National Parks
Ken Burns: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Purchase this spectacular 12-hour documentary masterpiece as a DVD set or via Amazon Prime video for the ability to watch through the app or download. It will be the gift that keeps on inspiring.
Audio Tours
If a mom you know is planning an upcoming trip to a national park—consider buying her one of 60+ 5-star self-guided audio tours from Guide Along that are GPS-compatible and work offline. She will hear stories, fascinating facts, and tips for visiting. Just be sure to select the “send tours as a gift” option at checkout.
We recently bought and listened to the tour of Glacier National Park. It was top-notch—equal parts educational and entertaining. Our family loved listening to it while cruising along the iconic and breathtaking Going to the Sun Road while visiting Glacier.
Cameras & Accessories
Because it is one-size-fits-all and splurge-worthy, tech—especially the kind that helps record memories and capture spectacular national park vistas—makes for great gifts. See the list of products that I recommend below.
Consider helping mom update her smartphone by getting her a renewed iPhone15 If she does not already have it, she will love its superior camera, especially for the wide-angle and nighttime shots ideal for capturing vast national park vistas.
Or help mom level up to the next camera class with a Panasonic G95 Mirrorless, recommended by my friend and photographer, Todd Bannor, as an excellent option for beginners.
If mom likes action shots, consider getting her a GoPro. I have the older and less expensive Hero 7. You can buy all the way up to a Hero 13. Or, if she already owns one, buy her a GoPro accessory pack that will help her make the most of her high-tech tool.
Free & Thoughtful
For gift givers short on funds, here is a gift idea that lets her still know you are thinking of her, and you care. Help her sign up for a Spotify account (get the free version if she is not already a subscriber), so she can add the Parks Project playlists to her music library. On it, discover music inspired by several National Parks, such as Joshua Tree, Glacier, Acadia, and more.
More Gift Ideas for Travelers
Are you looking for more gift ideas for travelers? Check out these travel gift guides for inspiration. You can also shop directly from my curated gift lists on my Amazon and Bookshop.org stores.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. After attending the University of Michigan undergraduate business school and following a career in retail strategy and event management, she returned to focus on her first love—travel. Read her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, a world traveler to 50+ countries, a travel writer/blogger, and a book lover. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me. Get my latest updates, how-tos, and trip ideas in my monthly Discovery Newsletter.
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