The Southwest parks’ best season

Grand Canyon

Most visitors come to the Grand Canyon during the summer months when it's blazing hot inside the canyon, often too hot for some people to safely participate in activities like hiking. It's much saner to visit in the spring or fall if you're planning an active trip.

Rafting the Colorado River though the Canyon is one of the activities many aspire to, but its cost (around $1,400 for a five-day half-canyon trip or $3,000 for a 13-day full-canyon trip) may discourage you. However, rafting outfitter Colorado River Discovery runs half-day trips just outside the main canyon, from the Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry for $64 per adult. The setting is still spectacular and the affordable price and minimal time commitment make it appealing for families and other budget-conscious travelers.

(Photo: Index Open)

Joshua Tree

One of the inspirations for U2's best-selling album of the same name, weird and whimsical Joshua trees are the centerpiece of this Mojave Desert park. These hardy desert trees, actually a member of the lily family, draw visitors who come to marvel at their strange appearance and ability to live for hundreds of years under the harshest of conditions.

However, it's the parks massive boulders and cliffs that draw rock climbers and bouldering enthusiasts in droves. Joshua Tree has more than 400 climbable rock formations with around 8,000 routes mapped so far. Climbing requires the use of specialized (and expensive) gear, so beginners should take lessons before investing in the equipment. Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School, the only locally based climbing company, runs seminars for all levels, including a one-day beginner class. Classes run every Saturday and cost $110 per person, which covers all equipment.

(Photo: Index Open)

Arches

Home to Delicate Arch, the sandstone icon emblemized on Utah license plates, Arches National Park sees around three quarters of a million visitors per year. However, most visitors simply drive around the park's scenic roads, stop for a few photo ops, and then leave without ever getting more than a few hundred feet away from asphalt. Those who take the time to do a little more exploring will be greatly rewarded.

Desert Highlights, a Moab-based canyoning company, runs affordable half-day trips to Arches' Tierdrop Canyon that are adventurous but suitable for kids. Rates start at $85 per person with the possibility of a 10 percent discount if three or more people book.

(Photo: Index Open)

Zion

Many people think the Grand Canyon is the most easily accessible national park from Las Vegas, but this isn't true. While the park boundaries are only 100 miles from town, it's a full 300-mile, five-hour drive to the South Rim Visitor Center. Zion National Park, on the other hand, is an easy three-hour drive northeast of Vegas.

No mere substitute to the Grand Canyon, Zion's heavenly beauty has inspired generations, from the early Mormon settlers who named it Zion, after the City of David in the Bible, to the now 2.5 million visitors who flock here every year, making it one of the most popular parks in the country. Spring flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas start at a mere $83 round-trip, plus taxes.

(Photo: Index Open)

Petrified Forest

Part of Arizona's Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park is an archeologist's dream come true. Not only does it have one of the largest concentrations of petrified trees in the world, it also has one of the best records of dinosaur fossils from the Late Triassic period and lots of rock art made at least 600 years ago by the ancestors of the Pueblo people.

You can see and learn about these treasures on free tours offered by the National Park Service. Currently, the park is running three different themed walking tours daily. Lectures on the park's natural and cultural assets and cultural demonstrations are also scheduled.

(Photo: Index Open)

White Sands

Ever try sledding when it's 60 degrees out? How about 100? Sand sledding down the pearly-white gypsum dunes of New Mexico's White Sands National Monument is a popular activity and absolutely free. Just bring your own saucer, cafeteria tray, or any slippery piece of plastic. Admission to the national monument is only $3. The park is also offering moonlight bike tours this April and September for only $5.

(Photo: New Mexico Tourism Department)

Bryce

Many national-park aficionados consider tiny Bryce Canyon, only 56 square miles, their favorite U.S. National Park. Its otherworldly hoodoos—tall totem-pole like rock spires—lead the imagination to all sorts of wondrous conclusions. It might look like the playground for hell's minions if it weren't for the park's high elevation, which makes it cooler and wetter than other Utah parks, allowing Ponderosa pine and other evergreens to thrive.

One good way to experience the rock formations is to take a horse or mule ride down to the canyon floor. Canyon Trail Rides runs affordable two-hour trips in the park for $40; half-day trips cost $65.

(Photo: Index Open)

Saguaro

Divided into two portions by the city of Tucson, Saguaro National Park offers a taste of the Wild West just outside a major metropolitan area. The western portion is a mere 12-mile drive from town while the eastern section is 13 miles away. In just a few minutes, you can be in the park, hiking on its 128-mile trail network, where you can get close-up views of the park's namesake cacti, which can grow up to 50 feet tall and weigh more than eight tons.

Tucson's airport is served by a dozen different airlines, including low-cost carriers JetBlue, Southwest, Frontier, and Alaska. Spring flights from Los Angeles start at $98 round-trip, plus taxes.

(Photo: Index Open)

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef National Park may see a lot fewer visitors than its more popular neighbors, Zion and Bryce, but that's more a factor of the park being spread out and relatively isolated. However, that's part of its appeal. If you hike into the park and spend a night or two camping in the backcountry, you can have whole stretches of wilderness to yourself. It's easy to camp in Capitol Reef because there's no reservation system. You just show up and get a permit. Backcountry camping is free while camping in designated sites costs $10 per night.

(Photo: Index Open)

Canyonlands

Spring may be a cool, wet, muddy season in many parts of the U.S., but it's the perfect time to visit the desert parks of the U.S. Southwest. Early in the year, many parks famed for their hellish summer heat are downright temperate, even a bit chilly in the evenings. In the winter, frost and snow are common. Overall, spring is a much more pleasant (and safer) time for both sightseeing and active trips. Plus, some parks such as the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce receive fewer visitors in the spring than summer, making it easier to get around and make bookings.

Here are nine national parks and one national monument worth touring this spring, starting with Canyonlands.

Named after an ancient kingdom in the biblical Holy Land, Moab, Utah, is something of a "Promised Land" for mountain bikers, and the 100-mile-long White Rim Trail in nearby Canyonlands National Park is the track that red-rock worshipers seek. The National Park Service only permits a handful of tour operators to run trips on the route, and the locally based Magpie Adventures offers the most affordable. Rates for a four-day White Rim trip are $735 per person.

(Photo: Index Open)