Best US National Parks in Spring, From Woman Who’s Visited All of Them

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is one of the quintessential national parks and a bucket-list destination for travelers worldwide.

With its dramatic, deep-canyon landscapes as far as the eye can see, it’s also generally among the most-visited national parks in the system. Over 4.9 million visitors spent time in the park in 2024, many of which traveled during the peak summer months.

I love visiting in the spring when the weather is generally warming up (highs typically range from 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit between March and May), but there are still fewer crowds.

Spring is a great time to visit all of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks, but I always recommend starting with Capitol Reef.

With majestic rock formations, beautiful scenic drives, and epic hiking trails, this lesser-visited Utah park never disappoints.

Spring is a great time to see the Fruita Orchards — a historic Mormon settlement where visitors can wander through century-old orchards and pick seasonal fruit — flowering, before harvest begins in the summer months.

Yosemite National Park is worth a visit in all seasons, but I especially like spending time there in the spring.

Although some higher-elevation roads are still closed and there’s snowpack on certain trails, the valley is open year-round, and spring is the best time to see Yosemite’s famous waterfalls.

May and June are when most snowmelt occurs, leading to rushing waterfalls throughout the park — many of which are easily viewed from the valley.

The weather in spring is generally mild in the valley, with average highs ranging from 57 to 71 degrees from March to May.

Death Valley National Park is known for its extreme summer temperatures, so I recommend visiting during other seasons.

However, spring is an especially beautiful time to be in the park, with the chance of a “superbloom” of wildflowers each year.

This year, the park is already experiencing the best bloom since 2016, with wildflowers set to continue blooming at higher elevations throughout the spring.

It’s important to note that Death Valley does experience higher visitation during the spring months due to somewhat milder temperatures (average highs are between 82 and 100 degrees from March to May). But because the park is so large at 3.4 million acres, I don’t think the crowds feel as daunting as they do at smaller parks.

As the largest subtropical wilderness reserve in the country, Everglades National Park in Florida is a bucket-list destination for many travelers. But personally, I always recommend visiting in the spring months.

Spring in the Everglades is part of the dry season, which stretches from November to May, and brings milder weather and fewer mosquitoes.

Plus, the wildlife is more active, which is a huge perk, considering the park is home to over 40 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 36 threatened or endangered species.

Olympic National Park in Washington is one of my all-time favorite parks. Full of incredible, diverse landscapes from lakes and rainforests to Pacific coastline, this park truly has it all.

Although some higher-elevation areas will still be snow-covered in the spring, I generally recommend visiting during this time for fewer crowds, cooler weather, flowing waterfalls, and exceptionally green foliage and rainforest.

I recommend hiking through the Hoh Rainforest — which is said to be the quietest place in the US — to enjoy its quiet, lush greenery.