Planning a family trip to a national park can seem like a daunting task. There are 62 official parks in the United States, and the number is growing. There’s just too much choice to go through the list one by one and check off the best options for your kids. To help you narrow it down, here are our picks for family-friendly getaways in some of America’s most treasured national parks. With towering trees, colorful badlands, rocky tide pools and spectacular wildlife viewing, this list has something for even the pickiest city kid.
Death Valley
Visit season: Spring, Autumn, Winter
Best for: Hiking, rock climbing, Wild West history, scenic drives, car camping
When you read about Death Valley, it’s often referred to as the best park. It’s the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America. It’s also the largest national park outside of Alaska at over 1 million acres, a vast desert wonderland for families to explore. However, most of the top attractions, like Badwater Basin, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Devil’s Golf Course, Zabriskie Point and Artist’s Palette, are within a short walk of your car, and many are stroller-friendly.
Furnace Creek is Death Valley’s lodging and dining hub, and is home to several campgrounds and hotels in the park, including The Inn at Death Valley, The Oasis at Death Valley, and The Ranch at Death Valley, which all have pools for off-season visits when the heat is intense. The best time to visit Death Valley is in the winter, which is typically the “off-season” for the other parks, meaning it’s a great option for outdoorsy families looking to escape the snow for a road trip.
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Sequoia
Best time to visit: Summer, Autumn
Best for: Large trees, hiking, backpacking, car camping
Kids will feel like they’ve entered Jurassic Park as they gaze up in awe at the giant sequoia trees of Sequoia National Park. The park is all about majestic mountains and forest bathing, and the park service has done a great job making it as accessible and family-friendly as possible. Head up Generals Highway from Three Rivers and look for deer and black bears on the Big Tree Trail that loops around Round Meadow. Then soak up history at the Giant Forest Museum, learn about the park’s flora and fauna, and visit the General Sherman Tree.
Want to take the family on a backpacking trip? Sequoia National Park has some great treks with water sources and stunning views within 7 miles each way. And for those who want to camp in their car, there are seven campgrounds in the park and several more in nearby Kings Canyon. If you don’t want to take on the rigors of travel, the park’s dog-friendly Wuksachi Lodge also has a full-service restaurant.
Head to the Everglades for fascinating wildlife and beach camping © Stefanie Grewel / Getty Images
Everglades
Visit season: Spring, Autumn, Winter
Best for: Wildlife watching, boat tours, beach camping, car camping
Located in the southernmost part of Florida, the Everglades enjoys warm, tropical temperatures all year round, making it the perfect destination for snowbirds looking to escape the frigid winters of the north. Kids will love the guided airboat safari, where you can spot native birds and cruise up close to the park’s most notorious residents, alligators. After the boat ride, you can still catch a wildlife show, which is included in your ticket.
Everglades National Park has two drive-in campgrounds and several backcountry tent sites, but families looking for great beach access, restaurants and pools might want to rent a car and stay the night in nearby Miami, just an hour’s drive from the park.
Yellowstone
Best time to visit: Summer, Autumn
Best for: geyser viewing, wildlife watching, car camping, hiking
Imagine the look on a child’s face when they see a 2,000-pound bison walking alongside the car for the first time. That’s the charm of Yellowstone National Park. Wildlife is plentiful, accommodations are plentiful, and many of the top attractions are just a short walk away. The multi-use trails around Yellowstone’s famous Geyser Basin and Old Faithful are fully accessible for strollers and those with mobility issues and are a must-see for first-time visitors.
When it comes to lodging, Yellowstone has you covered. There are nine hotel/cabin facilities and 12 campgrounds within the park to suit all your needs. Our favorite is the historic Old Faithful Inn, completed in 1904. It has live music, a full-service restaurant, and easy access to the park’s famous geysers.
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Acadia National Park has a great Junior Ranger program and plenty of family-friendly hiking trails © Jerry Monkman / Getty Images
Acadia
Best time to visit: Summer, Autumn
Best for: Tide pools, scenic drives, fall foliage, hiking, biking, car camping
With the most unique Junior Ranger program in the U.S. park system, Acadia is the perfect place to bring your little ones who love the ocean. Take a ranger-guided boat cruise to search for seals and touch real sea creatures pulled from the ocean floor, then play pioneer games at Carroll Homestead and pick up your official Junior Ranger booklet and badge. Need to burn off some energy? Acadia also has 125 miles of hiking trails and 45 miles of historic wagon roads that are perfect for bikes and strollers.
For lodging, Acadia has three national park campgrounds, but they book up well in advance for summer and fall weekends. For hotels, check out nearby Bar Harbor, where options are plentiful, many with heated pools and spas to soothe weary parents.
Grand Canyon
Best time to visit: Spring, Autumn
Best for: Scenic drives, hiking, backpacking, car camping
The Grand Canyon is one of those bucket-list family road trip destinations that everyone wants to take at least once in their lifetime. The park is home to the accessible 13-mile South Rim Trail, one of the most rugged paved trails in the entire park system. This trail is mostly flat and perfect for strollers and kids of all ages. Start at Bright Angel Lodge and continue on the interpretive Trail of Time, where kids can touch rock samples and learn about the unique geology of the region. Families who don’t want to hike back and forth can hop on a shuttle bus back to the lodge at the end of the trip. Horseback and mule tours are also great ways to explore the canyon’s rich history.
Backpacking to the Colorado River is considered strenuous and not suitable for small children, but Grand Canyon National Park has three drive-in campgrounds, two of which can be reserved in advance. If you’d like to splurge on a full-service hotel within the park, book early and check out the historic Bright Angel Lodge or the panoramic El Tovar Hotel.
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Carlsbad Caverns
Visiting season: All year round
Best for: Caving, bat watching, short hikes
Crawl, walk and shimmy your way through the spectacular underground rock-cut churches of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Cave tours (ages 4 and up) range from 1 to 5 hours, ensuring an adventure for everyone at any focus and ability level.
But if you stay until sunset, you’ll be treated to a truly spectacular sight: Every night during the summer, thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats fly out of the cave entrances of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a breathtaking natural wonder, and ranger commentary educates visitors of all ages about this unique wildlife phenomenon.
Only primitive backcountry camping is available within the park’s boundaries, but nearby Carlsbad, New Mexico, offers plenty of kid-friendly hotel options, many with pools and free breakfast buffets.
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This article was originally published in February 2020 and updated in August 2020.
This article was first published on February 10, 2020 and updated on August 20, 2020.
