16 Most Spectacular National Parks To Visit This Spring

Visitors of the Shenandoah National Park get to explore more than 200,000 acres of beautiful mountains, stunning waterfalls and rich wildlife. Hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail in perfect 60-degree weather sounds like a dream, but it can easily become true. Take a road trip along the Skyline Drive, the only public road through the park, for unmatched beauty and easy access to backcountry adventures. It rides the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles.

You obviously don't want to go to the hottest place on the planet in the summer, when temperatures can easily reach 120 degrees. The spring is the best time to visit Death Valley Park because it's comfortably warm. You can enjoy the beautiful borders and out-of-this-world sand dunes and peaks without having to worry about heat stroke. Go to Dante's View for sunrises and Zabriskie Point for sunsets. Visit in the spring to see some amazing wildflowers bloom.

The Canaveral National Seashore offers the longest stretch of untouched beach on the East Coast. As expected, people flock there in the summer. Avoid the crowds and visit now. You will be amazed at the wildlife you'll find hiding there. Camping, fishing in the lagoon and swimming in the ocean are among the favorite activities of visitors looking for serenity and peacefulness.

Visit the park for the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage on April 19-23 for professionally guided programs which explore the region's rich wildflowers, wildlife, ecology, culture, and natural history through walks, motorcades, photographic tours, art classes, and indoor seminars. The park, its 800 miles of trails, stunning landscape and 2,100 miles of streams are among the most visited in the country. Campers have so many choices, including a horse camp option.

The Yosemite National Park is probably one of the most famous one in the country. Many visitors go car-camping and RVing. The park has 13 campgrounds, most of which require reservations way in advance. Consider hiking through the park to enjoy stunning views and falls. You'll even feel the mist as some of the ice is probably still melting. Trek to Colombia Rock for a magnificent view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome and Sentinel Rock.

The Glacier National park is as beautiful to visit in the spring as in the winter – two completely different but equally amazing pictures. Hikers love the park because of the over 700 miles of treks going through forests, pastures, rough mountains, and pristine lakes. All in all, you have more than a million acres to explore and connect with nature.

Zion National Park is regal all year-round but the weather is not. Avoid sweltering hot temperatures in the summer and enjoy your hike without having to worry about heat exhaustion. Spring is the time to see the waterfalls of Zion in their prime and the gorgeous contrast between red rocks and the abundance of green foliage.

This is the park for amazing adventures. The main attractions include the world's longest and most intricate collection of caves and more than 28,000 acres of mixed-grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest and its accompanying wildlife. Join in on one of the park's "Adventures in Nature," which provides a comprehensive overview of all the park has to offer.

The best things about Big Bend National Park in the spring are the migratory birds, wildflowers and canyon views. Conservation fans can have a blast – more than 440 species of birds flock to the park in the springtime; the famous Texas bluebonnet wildflower can only be seen this time of year; hiking trails take you through rivers, mountains, and deserts in one trip.

Yellowstone contains approximately one-half of the world's hydrothermal features, according to the National Parks Service. There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, including over 300 geysers. Yellowstone has the largest concentration of bison in the country – about 4,500 of them. The best time to see them is in April and May during the month-long bison-calving season. You're also likely to encounter grizzly bears, wolves and elk.

The tallest trees on the planet may be a short drive away from where you live, right in the Redwood National Park. The Tall Trees Grove is the visitors' favorite hike – about 4 miles in each direction. But the trees are not the only attraction. Huge grasslands, oak forests, wild rivers and dozens of miles of beaches keep the park diverse and entertaining.

March through April is the busy season at the Arches but it's worth the trip. Contrasting colors are just one reason why people are drawn to the park's beauty. Another is the more than 2,000 natural stone formations unlike anywhere else in the world. Visitors love the 3-mile round-trip trek to Delicate Arch and the Fiery Furnace Walks, which are a real gem.

If you're not ready for the ice to melt yet, visit the Kenai Fjords National Park. The icebergs and glaciers there are majestic year-round. Spring is the time to visit if you want to witness gray whales coming back to Alaska. Now is also the time to see how black bears live in their natural environment.

This is where you'll find the tallest dunes in North America, some as high as 750 feet! And if you think that's impressive, imagine hiking them. Spring is the time to go because the sand doesn't get too hot during the day and sandboarding is an option. Camping is allowed anywhere in the 30-square-mile dunefield outside of the day use area. Paddle in Medano Creek, a visitor favorite, around the dunes.

You won't find similar mixtures of color and erosional formations anywhere else. The canyon is 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and about a mile deep, according to the NPS. The temperatures become too overwhelming in May, so now's the time to see the national park in all of its might and beauty. Hiking, biking, overnight backpacking, and trips along the canyon rim are all available. Climb to the top of the stone Watchtower, which is 70 feet tall, for a panoramic view covering more than 100 miles.

There are so many options that the more than 200,000 visitors a year have a hard time picking what to do. Boating, camping, biking, fishing, hiking, horseback riding are just a few suggestions. You can explore more than 10,000 years of history in 120,000 acres of diverse land. Fishing the Bighorn Lake, which extends about 60 miles through Wyoming and Montana — 55 miles of which are held within spectacular Bighorn Canyon — is on the bucket list of every fishing enthusiast.