Hi Stephanie,

I’m glad you found this story, too. Yellowstone opens its roads and various facilities on a staggered schedule from April through June and some really nice trails will be snow-free enough to hike, but others won’t. May is one of Zion’s peak times of year for hiking.

Both parks have many good lodging options; I don’t have any specific recommendations, though. But make reservations asap, both are extremely popular, of course.

Good luck with your anniversary plans. Sounds like a great way to celebrate.

You’re welcome, Jeff, and these hikes are all easy to love. Enjoy.

Thanks for that suggestion, Ben.

Hi Lisa,

That is a challenging time of year in the Northwest, with rain often falling at lower elevations and snow at higher elevations. Depending on the weather, I would consider the lower-elevation valleys and coastal hikes in Washington and Oregon, like the Olympic coast and Hoh rainforest in Olympic National Park, lower hikes at Mount Rainier National Park, and in the Columbia Gorge.

Good luck, thanks for the question.

Excellent suggestions, David, and also some hikes that have been on my must-do list, including Carlsbad.

You picked some great hikes I’ve done and ideas for others I’ll have to try! I’d add Bear Lake to Moraine Park in RMNP, Devils Garden loop at Arches, and Fern Canyon at Redwood, as three of my other favorites (so far) hiking in National Parks. And a different style hike but also very worthwhile is the Natural Entrance to Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns.

this is awesome! Thanks so much! Quick follow-up ….. my summer is pretty flexible, so what do you think these trails would be like at the end of June/early July? I want to miss the crowds as much as possible, but don’t want to go when trails are still snowed in. I could go mid-july but I know its more crowded. thoughts?

Thanks so much again for your help!

Hi Betsy, thanks for the comment and a good question. You might start with my story describing eight great big dayhikes in Grand Teton, which you could mix in with some hikes in Yellowstone.

If you’d like my help planning a trip in one or more parks, check out my Custom Trip Planning page.

Good luck!

Do you have a suggestion for a national park that would allow for 10-18 mile day hikes for 7 days? I’ve been searching all over, and I’ve been to Glacier and Yosemite!

Thanks for any suggestions you have!

Hi Ann, thanks for the comment, I’m glad you found my blog. Please make sure to sign up for my free email newsletter (the blue Sign Me Up Now box right above these comments), and I think you’ll find a paid subscription (the blue Subscribe button at the bottom of the story–scroll up to it) very useful for giving you access to all stories at The Big Outside.

Keep in touch and have a great trip to the parks!

Excellent suggestion, Donna, and the perfect way to hike the Panorama Trail. Thanks for sharing that.