>>2726777They don’t. I’m literally the only one here who’s ever done it. I’m not joking.
Logistics differ by location. You’ll probably need two accommodations to bookend your trip. After your flight, you’ll have to buy fuel for your stove then travel to the National Park. Popular spots have shuttles, many have buses, and some have trains. As far as I know, there are no trailheads at any airports.
So you either land, buy fuel (and bear spray), then head to a hotel or get to a campground in the NP, or you land, stay at a hotel, then buy fuel and shuttle in the next morning. The latter is safer because flights can be delayed but shuttles and busses don’t run 24/7.
The same goes for heading home. You’ll want a shower somewhere and probably some junk food. Hotels are more comfy, have laundry service, and rides are more flexible. If you can only afford one, the second night in a hotel is the better option.
TSA has a pretty extensive list of things you can’t bring onto a plane. Trekking poles, tent stakes, pocket knives, axes, saws, and shovels (even tiny aluminum trowels) have to be checked. AliExpress sells cheap trekking pol storage bags that are perfect for this. Fuel and bear spray can’t be brought on a plane, so unless you’re using a twig stove you’ll have to buy them when you arrive. Firearms have their own rules, so look into that if you plan on carrying. Each airline has different size requirements for carryons, but unless you have a monstrous 70L pack you’ll be fine.
I’ve never checking everything. If it’s a regular travel trip for business or vacation or whatever and they lose your stuff it’s not that big of a deal. But if you’re going hiking and they lose everything you might as well turn around and go home.
Also, you could just roll the dice that the dumbfuck TSA tards done even know the rules. There are lots of anecdotes about people just bringing everything into the plane. I wouldn’t risk that either.