Today, I’m sharing travel tips on family friendly National Parks in the United States. The National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019. And, there will be plenty of special events at each park throughout the summer. While every park is a worthy destination, you’ll find that some work better for families than others.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
No other national park offers families as many ways to enjoy their time together as Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Captivating waterfalls, wooded hiking trails, fishing, camping, kayaking, and beautiful wildlife make this free-admission national park a nature-lover’s dream. The nearby towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are home to a vast array of attractions including America’s #1 Aquarium. Additionally, the Dollywood theme park, several mountain coasters and chair lifts, water parks, go-karts, ziplines, funky museums and several theaters. They host a variety of family-themed music, comedy, and magic shows year-round.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon have plenty of lodging. However, for an authentic Smoky Mountain experience, many people choose a rental cabin. Pigeon Forge cabins offer the rustic charm of a mountain lodge combined with the convenience of modern living. Most cabins come with large decks. Furthermore, many are equipped with hot tubs and barbeque grills. Inside are game rooms, fireplaces, fully-equipped kitchens, multiple televisions, and Wi-Fi. Some larger cabins even have built-in home theaters, and all cabins come with views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains. The views range from tranquil and park-like, to stunning and magnificent.
The Grand Canyon
At Grand Canyon National Park, you can explore an 800-year-old ancestral Pueblo site on the Tusayan Ruins Tour. Or, learn about some of the park’s diverse wildlife on the “Critter Chat” tour. Both are ranger-led, and both are free. When the kids or your feet have had enough, you can still enjoy canyon vistas from the comfort of your car. The 26-mile Desert View Drive (otherwise known as the East Rim Drive) from Grand Canyon Village to Desert View offers breathtaking views. There are plenty of photo ops along the way. Grand Canyon Village has several restaurants, a supermarket, plenty of places to picnic, and, of course, incredible views.
Stay inside the park at one of the seven lodgings (six on the south rim, one on the North Rim) for the ultimate Grand Canyon experience. Some rooms may even have a view of the canyon, depending on where you stay. If the park lodgings are booked, stay in nearby Williams, AZ. From there, you can take the rustic Grand Canyon Railway to the park. Storytellers and musicians provide entertainment and bring the Old West to life on the two-and-a-half hour ride.
Arches National Park
Add Arches National Park to your list of national parks. It is the world’s densest concentration of natural stone arches. In addition, there are spectacular red-rock formations, incredible scenic drives, and easy hikes with big payoffs. They make Arches National Park one of the most visited parks in America. The park has broad appeal because visitors don’t need to hike to enjoy the park. Formations like Delicate Arch, Balanced Rock, Landscape Arch, and Parade of Elephants can easily be seen from various roadside stops.
This southeastern corner of Utah is unique in offering two national parks close together, just outside the hub town of Moab. If you have time, spend a day at nearby Canyonlands National Park, as well as Arches. A wilderness made up of countless canyons and spectacular buttes carved by the Colorado River, this park is well worth the visit. Larger and wilder than Arches, it also can’t be easily accessed by car – so if you tire of roadside attractions and people, you know where to go.
Zion National Park
In the southwestern part of Utah, Zion National Park features massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red. Also, a unique array of plants, animals, and rich history brings visitors from all over the world. Zion has many family-friendly hikes, The Pa’rus Trail and the Riverside Walk. For example, both offer a sampling of Zion’s gorgeous scenery and are even wheelchair accessible. The Emerald Pools Trail and the Weeping Rock Trail have spring-fed pools, waterfalls, and views of the canyon. Both trails are easy enough to navigate with small children.
Zion’s main road – the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive – is closed to vehicle traffic from April to October. But, the National Park Service runs shuttle buses to many stops throughout the park. The shuttle starts in the nearby town of Springdale and runs all day. Springdale has plenty of family restaurants, reasonably priced accommodations, and a mix of shopping.
Yellowstone National Park
Striking cliffs, granite domes, colorful wildflowers, lush forests, 200-foot tall sequoias, and of course, Old Faithful make Yellowstone National Park a family favorite. For the kids, the Park Service runs several Ranger Programs like the Junior Ranger Wildlife Olympics. The entire family will enjoy the tours of Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Canyon Village. For the ultimate in star gazing, check out Cosmic Update, or Planet-Building in the Universe, two of the parks Astronomy programs offered in partnership with the Museum of the Rockies.
For a different perspective, take a boat tour of Yellowstone Lake on the Ranger-led Lake Sceni-Cruise. Yellowstone also has over 900 miles of hiking trails, dramatic scenery, and hundreds of animal species. Because Yellowstone is nearly 3,500-sq.-miles and covers parts of three states, you might want to consider camping inside the park at one of the twelve campgrounds. If the family balks at spending the night in the wilderness, Yellowstone also has a variety of lodgings. There are nine in total, including the Old Faithful Inn and the rustic Roosevelt Lodge.
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