Road-trippers can visit several national parks during spring break. Wildlife returns and temperatures are ideal for long hikes and backpacking.
Hiking is a great way to experience the beauty of the USA’s national parks at your own pace. Do not miss the chance to linger in these majestic parks this spring, whether you’re climbing Moab’s rock formations or descending into the Grand Canyon.
We chose our top national parks and one state park for spring break.
Utah’s Canyonlands and Arches
Avoid crowds at Zion and explore Moab, known for its proximity to Arches and Canyonlands, a popular destination for adventurers. Explore eastern Utah’s rugged terrain, including mountain biking, hiking, and slot canyons.
Canyonlands has one of the largest backcountry camping programs in the National Parks System, but Arches and Canyonlands have well-positioned roadside campgrounds. Get permits for biking, backpacking, or four-wheeling on the White Rim Rd to enjoy stunning views of the desert and Green River. (These permits are popular and must be reserved in advance.)
Not interested in dirt sleep? A mountain town with name-brand hotels, quirky, family-owned ranch houses, and microbreweries serving juicy burgers and fries, Moab has it all.
Florida National Parks: Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas
Explore the Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas National Parks within a short drive from Miami for an unforgettable spring break road trip for nature lovers and beachgoers. Florida is best visited in November–March, when the dry season brings cooler temperatures, less rain, and fewer mosquitoes.
Florida isn’t complete without seeing an alligator, and Everglades National Park is the best place. A guided airboat tour will search for large reptiles and endangered birds, followed by a kid-friendly wildlife show. The park service rents chickees (platforms to pitch tents above the water) for backcountry campers who want to hear the park’s animals at night. Long Pine Key and Flamingo campgrounds allow car camping.
For a memorable Florida Keys getaway, visit Biscayne and Dry Tortugas. Due to Biscayne’s 95% underwater area, snorkeling, scuba diving, and kayaking around its rainbow coral reefs and dense mangrove clusters are popular outdoor activities. A four-hour drive down the scenic Overseas Highway to Key West takes you to Dry Tortugas. After visiting fruit stands and the sea turtle hospital on the way south, take a ferry to the park to explore 19th-century Fort Jefferson. While you’re down there, try Key lime pie.
California’s Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and Pinnacles National Park
Pinnacles National Park, 2.5 hours from San Francisco and 4.5 hours from Los Angeles, is ideal for California nature lovers seeking to avoid dense Yosemite crowds.
Pinnacles, a sleeper park that rarely makes national “best-of” lists, comes alive in spring with some of California’s best hiking trails, rock-climbing routes for all levels, and opportunities to see the endangered California condor. The wildflower-lined High Peaks to Bear Gulch Loop climbs up and into the park’s namesake pinnacle formations before plunging back into Bear Gulch Cave. At the trail’s peak, look for nesting hawks and falcons.
The Pinnacles road trip is incomplete without a two-hour side trip to Big Sur’s redwood forests. Exit the park and visit Monterey, known for its aquarium, before continuing south on Hwy 1 along the rocky coastline to Big Sur.
Big Sur’s bohemian past and woodsy cabins make it the perfect place to escape the city. (No cell phone service for an hour in every direction.) At Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, visit McWay Falls Overlook, then explore the Tan Bark Trail or Limekiln State Park for close-up views of large trees.
