Where to start researching National Park trips?

[jgenie]

I would really like to start planning National Park trips with my kids. I’m looking for a recommendation for a great book we can read to decide which parks to visit, what to do at each park and where to stay. Anyone have a favorite? Any other valuable resources for planning I should know about? TIA

[sariana]

The national park system has good websites for their parks. They have links for What To Do (often broken down by "If you have a couple of hours... If you have a few days..."), Where To Stay, etc. They also post their special events calendars and often include downloadable maps (for hiking and other activities). I always start with the park's own website when planning trips. Visiting national parks is our favorite type of vacation.

[KrisM]

I use the National Park website, too. And I like this site for photos of all the parks http://www.thegreatestroadtrip.com/national-parks. Then Trip Advisor has a lot of info when you start narrowing it down.

[almostmom]

We started doing April National Park trips with our kids about 6 years ago. DH and I have worked for NPS (he still does), and we have been to many, but wanted to take the kids before they were too busy over school vacations or gone! Here is what we have done:

Texas trip: Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns, Balmorea - this was our first one. It was affordable, easy, gorgeous. We like to do lots of driving on these trips, staying a different place most nights. Loved kayaking down the Rio Grande, going in a hot spring, horseback riding, hiking in Big Bend, the caves - all of it was great. Highly recommend staying in Big Bend for a few nights.

Utah/CO trip: Arches (could have done Canyonlands, but didn't) - stayed in a condo we rented for a few days, Mesa Verde (could have done Sand Dunes but didn't), visited a friend's ranch in Southern CO. Moab is a long drive from Denver, but it's a beautiful one. Lots to do. April was a great time to visit - summer would be too hot!

WA trip: Olympic (drove around the outside, stayed in a few different random places and hiked), Orcas Island (air bnb) - whale watch, chilled, then visited with a friend in Seattle.

CA trip: Yosemite for 3 days (stayed right in the Valley, which is possible in April, and wonderful to be right there), then to Santa Cruz for chilling and surfing, then to San Fran (we lived there and worked at Golden Gate for many years, so didn't do the Bay Area parks, but visited friends instead. Going to Point Reyes, Muir Woods, Golden Gate - would highly recommend! Very kid friendly.)

Yellowstone and Tetons - went last summer. Stayed in the park at a different park lodging most nights. The absolute best was staying at Old Faithful, setting our alarms for 2 in the morning, and walking out to the platform with warm blankets and hats and watching a meteor shower and also experiencing Old Faithful with no one else around! In the Tetons we stayed at a place in Jackson Hole, which is super fun. Tetons are better for older kids - spectacular. It was one of my cherished childhood trips. Unfortunately my DD doesn't like hiking, so by the time we got there at the end of our trip she was cranky with hiking. But still, amazing.

Arcadia - we live in the Northeast, so this is somewhere we've gone multiple times. We love going in early October. The colors are incredible, crowds are light, hiking is fabulous - not too long but the views are incredible. Lots of lodging options around.

We haven't gone as a family, but doing more of the Utah parks would be great. Also, southern CA parks like Sequoia and Kings Canyon, or Joshua Tree - all are wonderful, but we haven't done them with kids.

[Globetrotter]

Make sure you get the kids national park passports at the first visit. Every time they go to a new one, they can stamp it. It’s A fun way to keep track! They can also become junior rangers, which gives them a fun way to interact with the park and learn at the same time.
I always start with the official NPS website. Most times, we go to the visitor center first and talk to someone there to get ideas. For instance, you can tell them you have three days and you don’t want to hike more than 5 miles at a time and They can help you come up with an itinerary. They will have a list of hikes with difficulty level and other information, plus timings for Ranger led hikes and talks.
I also use AllTrails to figure out If we should go on a particular hike, But usually there is limited Wi-Fi so you might have to do that in your visitor center or lodge.

Yellowstone is surprisingly accessible. We went there when dd was under one and didn’t have to hike much to see things. For Popular parks, if you can go in the off-peak or shoulder season, that will save you from headaches of overcrowding.

Glacier bay in Alaska is extraordinary, and there are boat rides that take you out to see things. Alaska, in general, is amazing.

Yosemite, but avoid peak season weekends because it’s a nightmare!

My all time favorite is the southern Utah parks! They each have their unique flavor and all are worth a visit. My favorite is Arches!

[bisous]

We started doing April National Park trips with our kids about 6 years ago. DH and I have worked for NPS (he still does), and we have been to many, but wanted to take the kids before they were too busy over school vacations or gone! Here is what we have done:

Texas trip: Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns, Balmorea - this was our first one. It was affordable, easy, gorgeous. We like to do lots of driving on these trips, staying a different place most nights. Loved kayaking down the Rio Grande, going in a hot spring, horseback riding, hiking in Big Bend, the caves - all of it was great. Highly recommend staying in Big Bend for a few nights.

Utah/CO trip: Arches (could have done Canyonlands, but didn't) - stayed in a condo we rented for a few days, Mesa Verde (could have done Sand Dunes but didn't), visited a friend's ranch in Southern CO. Moab is a long drive from Denver, but it's a beautiful one. Lots to do. April was a great time to visit - summer would be too hot!

WA trip: Olympic (drove around the outside, stayed in a few different random places and hiked), Orcas Island (air bnb) - whale watch, chilled, then visited with a friend in Seattle.

CA trip: Yosemite for 3 days (stayed right in the Valley, which is possible in April, and wonderful to be right there), then to Santa Cruz for chilling and surfing, then to San Fran (we lived there and worked at Golden Gate for many years, so didn't do the Bay Area parks, but visited friends instead. Going to Point Reyes, Muir Woods, Golden Gate - would highly recommend! Very kid friendly.)

Yellowstone and Tetons - went last summer. Stayed in the park at a different park lodging most nights. The absolute best was staying at Old Faithful, setting our alarms for 2 in the morning, and walking out to the platform with warm blankets and hats and watching a meteor shower and also experiencing Old Faithful with no one else around! In the Tetons we stayed at a place in Jackson Hole, which is super fun. Tetons are better for older kids - spectacular. It was one of my cherished childhood trips. Unfortunately my DD doesn't like hiking, so by the time we got there at the end of our trip she was cranky with hiking. But still, amazing.

Arcadia - we live in the Northeast, so this is somewhere we've gone multiple times. We love going in early October. The colors are incredible, crowds are light, hiking is fabulous - not too long but the views are incredible. Lots of lodging options around.

We haven't gone as a family, but doing more of the Utah parks would be great. Also, southern CA parks like Sequoia and Kings Canyon, or Joshua Tree - all are wonderful, but we haven't done them with kids.

This is such a cool idea. I want to do this with my kids! You have inspired me!

[StantonHyde]

We try to incorporate a National Park or Monument into each of our spring break vacations. (we can't always do summer vacations--DH is an ER MD so "trauma season" is busy!) I always start with the NPS sites and I especially look up the park newsletter because it tells you the schedule for ranger talks, road construction etc. My favorite park of all time is Yellowstone--so historic! and then couple it with the Tetons which are beautiful. If you can go in June, that's better than July or August. (if you can go in September, that's even better) I love the Utah parks but I have never done them in one long week. I really don't think you can do all 5 in one week--you would miss way too much. You couldn't PAY me to do those parks in the summer, though. Waaaayyyyy too hot. For Spring Break, they are perfect!!! Fodors has a guide book for the Utah parks. I like their books--very informative.

If you want trip reports on all of the Utah parks and Yellowstone and Jackson, let me know-I have those.

Parks I would like to visit--Acadia, Redwoods, Denali, Everglades.

[ahisma]

We've done quite a few National Park trips over the years. If you don't have specific parks in mind, I'd suggest starting by identifying the best options for the season when you are traveling. For example, a friend went to the Tetons and Yellowstone after being inspired by our trip. But, we went in July and they went in December...and most of the parks were closed. I had no idea until they were there or would have spoken up. Similarly, we'd love to go to Death Valley, but need to plan a winter trip do that.

[marinkitty]

We just started hitting the National Parks after many years hiatus since having kids - so far this year we've visited Bryce Canyon, Zion, Badlands, Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. I have Joshua Tree, Big Bend, Yellowstone and Grand Teton on the list for the next 12 months. I wish we had a bit more flexibility in the shoulder seasons, but for now we are doing them mainly in summer with a long weekend trip in spring or fall where we can make it work. Definitely have to think about the season - some aren't really an option in the summer and some are really only an option in the summer. Beyond that, we've used guide books, websites and trip reports to come up with what we've wanted to see and where to stay/eat, what to do. It's been really fun to get back into our public lands. I'm hoping to make it a priority over the next few years before the kids are all out of the house. We realized last year that we've exposed our kids to a ton of international travel but neglected seeing our own country. So we are seeking a better balance going forward. They really are special places and we are so lucky they've been set aside for everyone to enjoy!

[gobadgers]

We check out travel books from the library, and the NPS website is wonderful, as others have mentioned. When you get to specifics, I really like the REI free app. Also, one oddball suggestion - a group of paid apps called Gypsy. There is a limited list of locations, but the app uses GPS to see where you are in the park, and gives you info about turns, must-see items and some history too. My kids are more likely to listen to the narrator than to me