National Parks You Can Visit (And Donate To) Year Round

GC contributing stylist Chelsea Dowling describes the Marin Headlands as feeling “like Ireland and Hawaii had a baby.” With rugged hikes and black sand beaches, sea cliffs, and valleys of wildflowers galore, the NorCal staple has a little bit of everything for the curious adventurer. The park is also home to Hawk Hill– not only the site for many migrating raptors, but one of the most magnificent look-out spots in the Bay Area.

The Great Smoky Mountains, located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border, are one of GC Illustrator Jessy Scarpone’s favorite spots in the states. With its incredible biological diversity and gradual trails well-suited for new hikers, the park is the most visited national park in America. Just don’t let name fool you– it rains quite a bit!

Located at the northern tip of San Francisco, the Presidio– a former military base for three nations– boasts many varied attractions, among them a 300-acre forest, a trampoline park, and restaurants headed by Chef Traci Des Jardins. For GC contributing writer Nora Rose Mueller, there’s no better place to spend a morning getting lost in Bay Area’s famous summer fog.

GC CEO Daisy Helman has many fond memories of hiking each spring with her family in Yosemite National Park, whose 1,200 square miles were the first lands protected by the U.S. government for public enjoyment– thereby pioneering the United States’ national park system. Ansel Adams solidified Yosemite’s place in the American cultural landscape with his breathtaking black and white photographs, which remain as iconic and captivating today as they were when they were first published.

Home to the tallest trees on Earth, Redwood National Park in California has a truly otherworldly atmosphere. GC Editor-in-Chief Molly Beauchemin frequently road-tripped through the park during her college days, enjoying the landscapes that continue to preserve a number of endangered species. In 1980, Redwood was recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site.