Spring Break National Park Hikes

It’s not an easy time for national parks right now, so when you visit you’re going to have to pack some understanding and patience. But the marvels you’ll experience on these three hiking adventures are likely to leave you with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the glory of the great outdoors.

Week: 04.02.2025
Regions: Northern & Southern CA

Truly Grand Day Hike

Hike the South Kaibab Trail to Skeleton Point in the Grand Canyon

Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon
Woman at Skeleton Point Grand Canyon
Woman hiking South Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon
One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.
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2025 POST Wildflower Walks

POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide

Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.
POST's 2025 Wildflower Guide

Big Tree Bonanza

Giant Redwood hikes at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park hike
Hiker looking at the tallest trees on the planet at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County
Hiker at Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County
Hiker on the James Irvine Trail among the tall trees at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County
Roosevelt elk, canyons draped in ferns and dripping with small waterfalls, oh … and the tallest trees on the entire planet! Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has all the fixings for world-class hiking.
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Purely Wild

Hike Channel Islands Santa Cruz Island to Potato Harbor and Cavern Point

Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park
Campground sign and Cavern Point sign at Santa Cruz Islands, Channel Islands National Park
Two hikers at Santa Cruz Island Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  2. Afternoon on the Island

    What is it about tiny islands in the middle of lakes? There’s something that just draws you in. It’s even more fun when getting there is half the adventure because you have to reach it by canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or a ranger-guided boat tour!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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Trending Stories SoCal

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  1. Locals' Feature: Jim Litchfield, Owner of Reno Fly Shop

    If there's a river, you're likely to find Jim Litchfield there. As the owner of Reno Fly Shop, Nevada's premier fly fishing outfitter and shop, Jim's passion for rivers knows no bounds: he's fished in places near and far, including Alaska, Bolivia and Christmas Island. But home is beautiful Reno, where he has been running Reno Fly Shop and leading tailored river float and fly fishing adventures (including beginner-friendly options) for over a decade.

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  2. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  3. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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