Nat'l Park Recs

2,949 Views | 20 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by Skitch05
The Grinder (99)
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AG
I'm wanting to plan a trip this coming summer to a national park. It will be my wife, my two kids (8 and 6) and myself. We are all pretty active. I've been hiking/biking/kayaking/camping with the kids for over 4 years, so I think they can handle most any part of a national park minus real rock climbing.

I am curious what people's recs are for: what parks to go to, what to do while there, and where to stay.


I'm considering just about any of them, but the ones I have in mind are: Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, and Acadia (and interested in the new Katahdin woods and waters national monument in Maine).

I'd love to hear what y'all think, especially if you took younger kids.

TIA
wangus12
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Are you wanting to camp in the park or stay at a hotel/resort near it and make day trips in?
Hoyt Ag
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My favorite parks are RMNP, Glacier and Grand Canyon.
Sweet Kitten Feet
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S
I love Zion, but not during the summer. WAY too crowded. Lots of the popular parks will be extremely busy during the summer so if you're camping in the park you'll need to make reservations early.
BSD
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I did Yosemite with my boy when he was 5. He loved it. We stayed at Curry Village for a "camp-out like feel" without actually camping. It made it easier for me since there were food/shower/bath facilities within 100 yards. They also had a pool, which my son loves. And there were deer that were very friendly and kids love that. We did Mariposa Grove one morning (closed til next summer) and saw some giant sequoias which he still talks about to this day. On the way back we hit Glacier Point for a great view of Half Dome. Another two days were spent hiking around the valley floor and enjoying the scenery. We were there in August so we missed the waterfalls so I booked a June trip for next year, along with Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, which are 2-3 hours south of Yosemite. In addition to the waterfalls, I'm hoping to get some rafting in on the Merced.

Next year is also Joshua Tree NP, Hawaii Volcanoes NP, and Rocky Mountain NP...should be a good year!
Scotts Tot
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Hard to have a discussion about NP's without bringing up Yellowstone/Tetons. Between the two, you have some of the best scenery in the lower 48 (Tetons), an array of some of the most spectacular geothermal features on the planet (Yellowstone), and the best opportunity for wildlife spotting that you'll find pretty much anywhere (both parks, but especially Yellowstone). As a 29 year-old, I get a kick out of driving through the park and seeing the bison/elk/deer/pronghorn/bighorn sheep/bears/moose etc., but as a 6 or 8 year-old that would have been pretty much the coolest thing ever.
The Grinder (99)
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thanks for the replies. I do not think we would camp. I don't know if there are actually places to stay in the parks or not, but if there are lodges or something, I'd prefer something like that.

I'm leaning towards Yosemite (something like BSD did (thanks)) or Rocky Mountain.

schmendeler
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Haven't been to a lot of them, but Yellowstone was phenomenal.
hds
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Yellowstone and Yosemite (Sequoia National Park is close) are great with kids that age! If you think you want to stay in the park you should book a room now! I bet it will be difficult to find any room in Yellowstone for summer 2017. Reservations opened May 1, 2016 for next summer BUT keep checking because people do cancel! Oh and have your kids do the Junior Ranger program too!
chris1515
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There are some tent cabins at Colter Bay in Grand Tetons that would make for an interesting place to stay for the kids. Not completely roughing it in a tent, but interesting. And the location is great.
AggieDave02
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Hard to choose! Definitely look at Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, and Smoky Mountain.
mpl35
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My ranking from the ones I have been to:

Yosemite
Zion
Glacier
Yellowstone/Teton
Sequoia/Kings Canyon
Rocky Mt
Big Bend
Mount Ranier
Crater Lake
Great Sand Dunes
Mesa Verde
Grand Canyon
Redwood
Bryce Canyon
Arches
Great Smokey Mts
Guadalupe Mts
Carlsbad
Badlands
Wind Cave
Great Basin
Black Canyon
Shenandoah

The ones in bold are worth taking time to do some serious exploring/hiking. When do you plan to go? As mentioned book now. You can cancel. Early summer isn't good for mountains unless you like snow. Middle to late summer is too hot in the desert/SW ones.

If you are really considering Yosemite, then you could see Sequoia and King's Canyon if you are there long enough. The main grove of sequoias in Yosemite (Mariposa grove) was under construction and will remain so until sometime next summer. I have stayed at a lodge in Sequoia and it was nice. I stayed outside Yosemite near El Portal and it was convenient and in West Yosemite via VRBO and it was less so. Some options are $$$ so you will have to balance convenience versus cost.
notheranymore
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I wish we had done junior ranger from the get-go.
The Grinder (99)
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Mpl35,
Thanks for the info everyone.

Mpl35, I'm leaning toward Yosemite. Sounds like you know that trip pretty well. i hate to impose, but if you wouldn't mind, would you shoot me an email so I could get a few Tips.

Thanks
mpl35
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Emailed. Love talking vacations/hiking/national parks.
Natasha Romanoff
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I've only been to two:

Rocky Mountain
Grand Tetons

Didn't make it to Yellowstone due to fires (just got back from there actually, and we could have made it but just wasn't 100% and didn't want to get stranded). Rocky Mountain is my favorite, but I didn't get to do much hiking in the Tetons. I imagine, though, that Yellowstone/Tetons would be better with kids. There is a lot more, it seems, that's easier to access than in RMNP. And the wildlife is pretty cool for anyone but especially kiddos.

I love RMNP. It's probably my favorite place in the world due to the sheer vastness and number of the mountains you can see. But to really grasp that, it takes some hiking in my opinion. That said, it's still amazing, there are still great hikes that aren't super strenuous, and the lookouts along Trail Ridge Road are just breathtaking.

I love the National Parks. I wish my parents had taken me to some when I was young. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the bigger ones. Also, if you can swing it, the early fall (weekend after Labor Day) seems to be a GREAT time to go to the parks. Far fewer people than when I've been in August and the weather was amazing.
erin2003
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For kids that age, I would pick Rocky Mountain. There are plenty of places to stay in Estes Park, which is about 1.5 hours from Denver. Lots of good hikes of varying difficulty both inside and near the park. Trail Ridge Road is fun if it's open - 6+ foot snow drifts on the side of the road into July!
Other nearby options:
Mt. Evans- in a national forest south of RMNP. This is the most accessible 14er - drive most of they way & hike just the last 250 feet or so. Did this with my 6, 4, and 2 year olds this summer.
Glenwood Springs - spring fed pools built into Glenwood Canyon about 1.5 hours from Estes Park
Denver itself is a great town (admittedly biased since I grew up there)

In any case, you can't go wrong with any national park.
easttexasaggie04
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I just got back from a 4 day Yosemite hike. You'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful place. Beware it is crowded in the valley, but all you have to do is hike out and there is hardly anyone.



Buck O Five
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Mariposa Grove in Yosemite is closed until sometime next year. Definitely check their website before pulling the trigger there.

My wife and I stayed in Glacier NP last year. There are lodges in the park if you book far enough in advance. While we did some strenuous trails, there are easy trails for the kids with wildlife and great views right off Glacier Park Lodge. Fun white water rafting in nearby Kalispell, and an awesome brewery too.
nosoupforyou
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We took our kids, ages 9,7,6 to Jackson Hole, WY. In July.

Then drove up to Yellowstone for a day, but decided against going there a second day.. the Tetons in Jackson were amazing- and not too crowded
JSKolache
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Estes Park is excellent for staying near RMNP - maybe check airbnb for a house/condo. Look into renting a jeep/side by side, pack some lunches, and drive trails for a day.
Skitch05
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My family used to live in the Bay Area and would frequently take weekend trips to Yosemite. It is definitely one of my favorites and my daughter loved it, she was 5 at the time.

We usually stayed at a KOA outside the park, but we did stay inside once at the Wawona Hotel. It was built in the late 1800s and it was pretty neat to stay there, despite it being fairly primitive. It is probably already booked solid for next summer though along with everything else inside the park, but people do cancel so keep checking.
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