2026 Why Choose a National Park to Scatter Ashes
Why Scattering Ashes in National Parks is a Meaningful Choice
What You’ll Discover in This Guide
Why National Parks are ideal for ash scattering
How their landscapes and history make them sacred and timeless
Practical and emotional reasons families choose these parks for farewell ceremonies
How to honor a loved one in a place that feels deeply personal
The Awe That Inspired Thomas Moran
In 1871, the famous National Parks painter Thomas Moran stepped into Yellowstone National Park for the first time, paintbrush in hand, and was struck speechless. He had seen mountains and rivers before, but nothing like this. The geysers hissed, the waterfalls roared, and the canyons glowed with colors he could barely capture. Every stroke of his brush tried—and failed—to capture the raw, almost spiritual power of the land.
That same feeling lingers today in every National Park, from the towering cliffs of Zion to the glacial peaks of Glacier National Park. These parks are places where time stretches, where nature holds memory, and where the beauty of the world can reflect the significance of a life.
A Living, Breathing Memorial
Today, that beauty continues to echo, protecting the memory of your loved one and sheltering their legacy. Every rustle of leaves, every sun-dappled meadow, and every wind-swept peak carries a quiet reminder that life endures in the world around us.
When you scatter ashes in National Parks, your loved one becomes part of something eternal—a river that never ceases to flow, a mountain that stands watch through centuries, a forest that whispers their story in every breeze. These spaces are not just landscapes; they are living memorials, holding memory, offering solace, and granting peace in the company of nature’s quiet majesty.
Ash Scattering with Our Family Team
Sarah-Marie Sherbon is a storyteller at heart and a guide for families honoring the lives of their loved ones. With a passion for preserving memory through nature, she founded Bonaventure to provide dignified, personalized, and environmentally respectful ash scattering services in some of America’s most beautiful and iconic landscapes.
Through Bonaventure, Sarah-Marie helps families navigate the emotional and practical aspects of ash scattering, offering guidance, inspiration, and expertise to create ceremonies that are both personal and timeless. She believes every individual deserves a resting place that mirrors the beauty, significance, and values of their life.
Why National Parks Are More Than Just Beautiful Landscapes
If I were talking to my brother about where to scatter the ashes of a beloved relative, I’d say this: National Parks are more than just scenic destinations. They are living, breathing spaces that hold memory, quiet, and reverence in every rock, river, and ridge.
There’s a reason we call them our nation’s treasures. There’s a reason they can hold your loved one’s memory with the care it deserves. From Yellowstone to Mount Rainier, from Hawaii to Zion, these parks offer a natural, eternal place to honor a loved one and keep their memory alive.
By the end, you’ll understand why scattering ashes in National Parks is more than a choice—it’s an act of love, remembrance, and connection to the enduring beauty of the natural world.
1. They’re Protected and Sacred
These lands were set aside for generations to come. That means when you scatter ashes here, you’re placing your loved one in a place that will endure. A place that will remain untouched, respected, and safe. You’re not just letting go—you’re entrusting them to the care of the land itself.
Unlike many private lands, National Parks are managed carefully to maintain environmental and cultural integrity. Families can rest assured that the ashes are scattered in a safe, environmentally responsible way, in harmony with nature. Learn more about how Bonaventure ensures safe, permitted scattering.
2. Their Beauty Inspires Reflection
Standing on a ridge at Yellowstone, watching steam rise from the geysers in the morning light, you feel small and connected all at once. Or at Glacier National Park, looking across crystal lakes and jagged peaks. National Parks have a way of taking your breath and holding it—just the right place to remember someone who meant everything to you.
Our nation’s National Parks were set aside because they are some of the most beautiful places on planet Earth. Towering peaks, endless meadows, rushing rivers, and quiet forests. Each location carries its own magic. These are places where sunlight dances through leaves, water glows in the evening light, and wind whispers through wildflowers. Families can remember their loved ones in settings as remarkable as the lives they lived.
3. Each Park Has Its Own Personality
Every park tells a story. Zion whispers in canyons. Olympic National Forest hums in the rain-soaked trees. Hawaii sings in volcanic winds and ocean spray. There’s a park to match the spirit of every life, every story, every memory.
We also believe that very person is unique. Every life tells its own story. We believe every individual deserves a final resting place that reflects who they were, the beauty they brought into the world, and the love they leave behind. From the soaring canyons of Zion to the geysers and valleys of Yellowstone, from the tropical landscapes of Hawaii to the jagged peaks of Glacier, we are humbled to help families choose endings worthy of their loved ones.
4. Timelessness That Comforts
Mountains, rivers, forests—they’ve seen centuries pass and will see centuries more. When you scatter ashes here, there’s a kind of peace in knowing your loved one joins that timeless rhythm. The land holds them, even when the world moves on.
5. Quiet Spaces to Be Alone with Memory
Some of the most meaningful moments happen where no one else is around. That hidden meadow at Mount Rainier, the quiet cove along the Whale Trail at Ruby Beach. Those are the places where grief can be felt fully and love can be carried forward.
6. Return to Nature
When the wind stirs the pines, when a river slips past mossy banks, you remember that life is bigger than any single day, any single loss. Scattering ashes in these places is an act of joining a natural story, of letting your loved one’s memory flow into something larger.
Scattering ashes in a National Park allows families to reconnect with the natural world, finding healing in forests, mountains, rivers, and oceans. From the alpine meadows of Mount Rainier to the tranquil waters of Rocky Mountain National Park, nature holds memory and whispers comfort.
7. Seasonal Magic
Every park changes with the seasons, and that can make the moment of scattering feel right for your loved one. Spring brings life and color. Summer brings clarity and sunlight. Fall paints the world golden. Winter blankets everything in quiet. Bonaventure even offers seasonal scattering packages so you can choose a timing that resonates.
Each park offers its own rhythm, from wildflowers in summer to golden leaves in fall, snowy vistas in winter to gentle ocean breezes in spring. Families can choose a season that reflects the personality or spirit of their loved one.
8. They Carry History
Many of these lands were protected for their cultural, ecological, and geological significance. To scatter ashes here is to place a loved one in a living museum of the Earth itself—where every canyon and glacier has a story that reaches beyond our own lifetimes.
9. Accessibility Without Losing Intimacy
National Parks welcome visitors but are also full of tucked-away corners. Families can honor their loved one in a spot that feels private and sacred, even if it’s technically public land. Bonaventure guides make sure everything is handled safely and respectfully.
National Parks create natural spaces for pause and contemplation. Quiet trails, remote lakes, and high mountain ridges offer the kind of stillness that allows families to remember, reflect, and heal. Secret spots in Olympic National Forest or along the Whale Trail at Ruby Beach provide privacy and serenity.
10. An Ending That Feels Right
Above all, National Parks offer an ending that feels intentional, beautiful, and worthy. From Zion to Yellowstone, from Hawaii to Glacier, every park holds spaces that reflect the depth, beauty, and significance of a life well-lived.
There is a deep blessing in knowing that a life can rest in a place that matches its significance. That the setting, the air, and the horizon reflect the care, the love, and the story of the person who has passed. Every family we honor finds peace in knowing their loved one rests in a forever place that mirrors the beauty and significance of a life well-lived.
National Parks aren’t just destinations—they’re trusted guardians. They hold the weight of memory, the flow of rivers, the quiet of forests, and the majesty of mountains. When you scatter ashes here, you aren’t just letting go. You’re giving your loved one a home in the land itself, a place that will always be theirs, and always be beautiful.
