Not a hiker? That’s not a problem at these 8 national parks.

It’s easy to assume that a trip to one of America’s 63 national parks would include hiking. After all, the U.S. park system features more than 21,000 miles of trails, including many among the most spectacular in the world. But following a footpath is just one of many ways to explore “America’s best idea.” From soaring over the desert in a hot-air balloon to surveying the tiny universes inside coastal tidepools, here are eight stellar park experiences, no boots required.

Stargazing in Bryce Canyon, Utah

The view at this fantastical desert park is out of this world—2.2 million light years out, to be exact. That’s how far you can see into the cosmos on a clear night at this International Dark Sky Park, reaching the Andromeda Galaxy and encompassing thousands of visible stars in between. 

(Here’s how to experience Utah like a local.)

Bryce Canyon’s 8,000-foot elevation, clean air, and distance from light-spilling civilization combine to put on the superlative celestial show. Rangers lead popular telescope stargazing sessions and full-moon hikes, and every June, the park hosts an astronomy festival complete with kids’ activities and constellation tours. 

Tidepooling in Olympic, Washington State

Big wildlife, like black bears and Roosevelt elk, tend to get all the glory at this sprawling park where mountains and coasts meet the rainforest. But the little creatures inhabiting ephemeral pools along the Pacific shoreline steal the show. 

Everything from neon-bright anemones to hermit crabs, spiky urchins, and hand-sized sea stars make their homes in the shallow rock pools left behind by twice-daily tidal cycles. Time your visit for low tide (grab a tide chart from any visitor center), slide into grippy, waterproof shoes for navigating the slippery intertidal stones, and head out to explore. Ruby Beach and Kalaloch Beach 4 are two easy-access tidepool hotspots.

Geocaching in Petrified Forest, Arizona

Sure, you could stick to the standard tour of this Painted Desert park: Stop at a few overlooks with badlands views, stroll to petroglyph panels, check out some fossils. But you’d be missing out. 

Branch out by firing up a geocaching app and set out to find the park’s six physical caches—you’ll get an insider’s tour of rarely seen highlights in the process. “One gives you a view of the Painted Desert that you wouldn’t see unless that cache was there,” says Bill Parker, the resource stewardship and science program manager who set up the system. “They’re ways to see places that we might not normally go.” Petrified Forest also hosts virtual Earthcaches, which teach treasure hunters real-world lessons about geology and Earth sciences.

Fly-fishing in Yellowstone, Wyoming

The hardest part about fishing in America’s first national park is choosing where to cast your line. Dozens of outfitters offer everything from introductory clinics to morning walk-and-wades to horseback ride-to-fish combos. 

Going solo? Look for large rainbow and brook trout in the Madison River, native cutthroats in Yellowstone River, and browns in the thermally heated Firehole River. Gibbon, Gallatin, Gardner, and Lamar Rivers, along with numerous tributary streams, also offer fishing opportunities.

(Climate change comes for a favorite summer pastime: fishing.)

Highlining in Joshua Tree, California

This wonderland of rocks and desert plant life is prime territory for highlining—essentially, wilderness tightrope walking. Highliners rig inch-wide slacklines (lengths of webbing) between the park’s boulders or rock towers, then challenge themselves to walk across the gap, sometimes hundreds of feet in the air (most of them use harnesses and tethers for safety). Successful skywalking requires experience and skill, but if that’s not your thing, you can always watch the masters at work at popular routes in the Hall of Horrors and Hemingway areas.

Hot-air balloon in Arches, Utah

Picture yourself rising slowly and silently over this desert park’s iconic formations, such as the Landscape Arch and the Marching Men. Floating in a hot-air balloon gives you a vantage point you can’t get any other way, says Jimmy Peterson, pilot and owner of Redrock Ballooning. “When you’re hiking, you can only see so far,” he says. “But when you get above Moab, you can see where Arches starts and ends. You get the whole, grand perspective.” 

Peterson often takes clients directly over the park’s signature features, but riders sometimes get an aerial tour over nearby Canyonlands National Park, depending on the winds.

(Discover the sound that could preserve Utah’s arches.)

Horseback riding in Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee/North Carolina

There’s a lot to see in this expansive park straddling the high country along the Tennessee-North Carolina state line, from lofty ridgeline vistas to the mountaintop balds brilliant with rhododendrons and azaleas. The best way to take this all in is via horseback (550 of the Smokies’ 848 miles of trails are open to riders). 

Three stables inside the park run various trips for all experience levels. Head to the one in wildlife-rich Cades Cove to spy black bears, wild turkeys, and white-tailed deer, or saddle up at Smokemont to ride to a waterfall. Both also offer wagon or carriage rides if you prefer traveling behind a horse rather than on top of one.

Soaking in Hot Springs, Arkansas

People have been soaking in the natural mineral springs of the Zig-Zag Mountains for centuries. This national park, founded in 1921, centers around two historic bathhouses. Buckstaff Bathhouse, in continuous operation since 1912, offers private whirlpool soaks and massages—just like wellness seekers in the 1920s and 1930s might’ve received.

(Feeling frazzled? These soothing hot springs let you unwind.)

Quapaw Bathhouse’s Roman-style hot pools and a full-service spa, complete with body polish treatments and facials, are decidedly more modern. Either way, you’ll discover why people have sworn by the springs’ health-boosting properties for generations.