Category Ranking
Best National Parks for Rock Climbing in Spring
Top parks for rock climbing during spring, ranked by a composite of activity quality and seasonal conditions.
Updated
Yosemite National Park
Granite cliffs rise 3,000 feet, seasonal waterfalls drop half a mile, and giant sequoias reach into the Sierra sky in this iconic valley.
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Grand Teton National Park
The Tetons rise 7,000 feet without foothills: granite and glaciers visible from every corner of Jackson Hole. Thirteen peaks top 12,000 feet.
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Zion National Park
Red cliffs rise 2,000 feet above the Virgin River, where Angels Landing's chain climb and The Narrows' slot canyon wade draw crowds.
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Arches National Park
Over 2,000 natural stone arches carved from red sandstone, the world's highest concentration, including the iconic Delicate Arch.
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Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park
Gunnison River carved North America's steepest gorge through 1.7-billion-year-old rock, with 2,000-foot walls that trap the sun.
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Pinnacles National Park
Volcanic spires rise above talus caves where you can crawl through darkness on designated routes. Half of Yosemite's crowds.
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Canyonlands National Park
Four districts carved by the Colorado River: from Island in the Sky's overlooks to The Maze's backcountry spanning canyons larger than LA.
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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
The giant sequoias here include General Sherman, the largest tree on Earth by volume, anchoring a forest where trunks exceed 30 feet wide.
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Channel Islands National Park
California's Galápagos lies 12 miles offshore with 145 endemic species. Sea lions, island foxes, and rare seabirds inhabit five islands.
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Joshua Tree National Park
Two desert ecosystems meet where the Mojave's yuccas give way to the Colorado's slopes and granite formations split by ancient forces.
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