Hawaii's national parks

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

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Almost across the board, early- to mid-fall is a great time to visit national parks. Fewer visitors mean more room to enjoy the nature, the history, and the sights. And, the slightly cooler weather makes for more comfortable outdoor adventures.

This holds true for the eight national parks in Hawaii. The National Park Service has a handy map and links to its parks, which include Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (lava!) and the USS Arizona Memorial. In addition to the eight, other state and regional parks offer plenty more ways to get off the beach (at least for a few hours) and see the best and most beautiful of the islands.

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