Why More Families Are Choosing National Parks for Ash Scattering
“No Day Shall Erase You from the Memory of Time” Virgil, The Aeneid
The ancients understood what it meant to remember with reverence.
From the Parthenon to the Acropolis, their tributes to beauty, love, and the pursuit of the divine still give today’s world pause: The Parthenon is hand-sculpted from over 100,000 tons of marble in hand-wrought, passionate honor to Athena, goddess of War and Wisdom. When someone died, the Greeks etched their memory into stone. Solid, enduring. Something the living could touch while learning how to let go.
But today’s cemeteries are not the Parthenon. They are not sacred tributes. They are often sterile. Forgotten. My own local cemetery is a field of plastic flowers and nameplates fading quickly into the grass.
Almost 96% of families grieve that the funerals for their loved ones did not include one single customization that reflected their loved one’s life. (FuneralOne)
That’s not just unfortunate—it’s heartbreaking. But it’s also changing.
A quiet rebellion is rising.
A shocking 72% of families want a non-traditional funeral for their loved one. Families today are asking for fireworks, balloons filled with rose petals, messages in bottles on glowing sunset shores, as they rebel against the customary sterile sendoff.
BONAVENTURE is part of this movement. We scatter ashes in places where the world still feels holy:
Geysers in the misty morning, bears treading padding through wildflowers, the green waving wonder of the Aurora Borealis, Aspen that look like fire racing down the Rocky Mountains: these are the hallowed places in America. And these are the tributes that are worthy of a place to say a final goodbye.
These are not just scenic places. They are sanctuaries—
Worthy of a final goodbye.
Worthy of return.
I hope families find closure through paying a beautiful tribute to their loved one’s memory, but I also hope to help them find an incredible place to return to celebrate their loved one.
Grand Tetons National Park: We’re family owned and operated, scouting locations for the most breathtaking places in the United States to scatter ashes. This is from the most recent expedition.
Find a Tribute Worthy of the Life You Loved
In 2011 I began working in the national parks—guiding hikes through alpine meadows, leading whitewater rafting trips, even zip lining over the remnants of fading ghost towns.
My time in Yellowstone, on Mount Rainier, and across the quiet shores of Isle Royale left me with a lifelong reverence for the wild—the way morning light filters through a stand of ancient cedars, the hush that lingers over a glacier-fed lake at dawn, the way mountains seem to hold silence like a prayer.
I’ve watched the sun set from the heights of Rainier, where rippling fire-orange clouds stretched out below, a glowing ocean under a sky already turning purple and star-strewn.
I know these places not just from maps, but from memory.
I’ve walked their trails in the quiet hours. I’ve stood in the meadows where bold, regal elk return each season. I’ve found the hidden overlooks and the hush of valleys where grief can breathe and beauty can rise to meet it.
These are the places BONAVENTURE now offers to families to say good bye, to give their loved one a forever that is worthy of them.
If you are seeking a tribute that feels true—not rushed, not sterile, not confined by four walls—I invite you to scatter your loved one’s ashes somewhere sacred.
National Parks Ash Scattering
If you're looking for a beautiful, non-traditional way to scatter your loved one's ashes, here are some of BONAVENTURE’s most beloved destinations:
Glacier National Park – A cathedral of ice and stone where grief finds stillness and the sky feels infinite.
Mount Rainier – Snowmelt-fed meadows and the towering presence of Washington’s greatest peak.
Zion National Park – Towering red rock canyons where silence rings like song.
Puget Sound Bioluminescence – A glowing, oceanic farewell beneath the stars.
Yellowstone – Where geysers rise like breath and bison roam the horizon.
Olympic National Forest – Lush, rain-soaked wilderness with soaring evergreens and mossy silence.
Devil’s Tower – A sacred monolith, steeped in Native legend and quiet power.
Badlands – A landscape of time and erosion, like memory carved into stone.
Rocky Mountain National Park – Where the sky opens wide and grief takes flight.
Hot Air Balloon Scattering – Say goodbye while rising above the world.
Hawai’i – Palm-framed peace and volcanic reverence.
Monarch Migration and Sandhill Crane Migration – Witness life in motion with seasonal returns to sacred places.
America the Beautiful Package – A three-park scattering journey across America’s most iconic landscapes.
Return to Nature: Whispers of the Wild – A tribute in quiet, verdant places.
Heartland Journey – Follow the migration paths of creatures great and small.
Partners Package – Perfect for those scattering the ashes of two souls intertwined.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah-Marie Sherbon is a writer, mother, and a co-founder of BONAVENTURE, a destination ash scattering service devoted to helping families say goodbye in places that still feel sacred.
Her reverence for the wild was shaped over years in the national parks—kayaking through the rugged archipelago of Isle Royale, hiking beneath the emerald ballet of light in Mount Rainier’s rainforest, and breathing in the wildflower-sweetened stillness of Yellowstone’s hidden places. Today, she draws on those experiences to guide families toward tributes rooted in beauty, memory, and return—because some goodbyes deserve a view that takes your breath away.
How to Ship Ashes Safely
Shipping cremated remains may feel daunting—but it doesn’t have to be. BONAVENTURE will walk you through every step.
To get started, order the USPS Cremated Remains Kit. It’s designed for safe, legal transport and includes everything needed for compliant shipping.
For complete guidance on how to combine ashes or ship them for scattering, read our full resource:
A Total Guide to Combining & Scattering Ashes
For National Park Scattering: Permits & Resources
If you're considering a National Park as your scattering site, be sure to follow proper procedures. BONAVENTURE handles permits for our services, but families should be aware of:
