Family Vacations

Your answer for quality family time

One of my proudest moments as a parent was when my then 4^th grader looked at the scenery around Big Sky, Montana and said, “You didn’t tell me it was going to be this beautiful. I don’t even need screens here.”

A national park trip is a great way to get kids active and playing in nature. But it can be tough to plan a family vacation when kids have different interests. With so many types of activities available at varying parks, I can tailor a trip that everyone is excited about. And you deserve to relax too. You have enough to do raising a family, you don’t need to spend hours and hours researching the perfect trip.

Nature, please!

Rolling mountains of Big Sky, Montana near Yellowstone National park — *My son and I in Big Sky, Montana*

View of Half Dome from Sentinel Point Hike in Yosemite National Park. — *Friends and family trip to Yosemite*

Did you know?

All 4th-grade students are eligible for a free National Park Pass with the Every Kid Outdoors program.
Why 4^th grade? Research shows it is the right age to expose kids to the outdoors so they can connect with nature.

Kayaking on the Cascades Lake Scenic Byway near Bend Oregon — *Kayaking in the Cascades Lake near Bend, Oregon.*

Overlooking the Rocky Mountains at the YMCA of the Rockies - Estes Park Family Resort and Cabins — *The YMCA outside Rocky Mountain National Park. An amazing family vacation destination.*

“Phenomenal trip”
“Michelle understood our family’s “capacity” for hiking and only suggested hikes that wouldn’t wear us out. She also found amazing experiences off the beaten path, like kayaking with sea otters and seals. And I loved that she found hotels with kitchenettes that made traveling with kids easier and less expensive.”
Suzanne A.
Crater Lake, Yosemite

Frequently Asked Questions

Any age works, but how you plan it depends on their age and how active they are. Babies and toddlers (0-3) enjoy being outdoors and are young enough to be carried in a hiking backpack, or you can just focus on easy trails and scenic drives. This is really about knowing your kids and what their appetite is for walking, but it’s a great way to push them a bit. Plan for non-hiking activities and integrate swimming, tossing rocks in a lake, and wildlife sightings into your day. Tweens and teens can handle challenging hikes, water sports, and adventure activities, though some may need convincing about the “no WiFi” experience. I personally love that many parks have spotty cell phone service so we can all get off screens and enjoy the scenery without the phone distraction. Multi-generational trips work well when you plan activities for different age groups and accept that not everyone does everything together.

Junior Ranger is a free National Park Service program designed to engage kids ages 5-12 (though anyone can participate). Pick up activity booklets at visitor centers when you arrive. They’re tailored to each park and age group. Kids complete activities like identifying trees or animals, sketching something they saw, attending a ranger talk, picking up trash, or answering questions about park geology and wildlife. After completing the booklet, kids return to the visitor center where a park ranger reviews it, asks a few questions, and administers the Junior Ranger oath. Kids then receive a badge or patch to keep. It’s one of the best free activities available and can really help with keeping kids engaged.

The Every Kid Outdoors program provides every U.S. 4th grader with a free pass admitting their entire family to all national parks, monuments, forests, and federal recreation areas for a full year (valid September through August of the 4th-grade school year). Visit everykidoutdoors.gov, where the 4th grader creates an account and generates either a printable paper pass or a digital pass on their phone. Present this pass at any park entrance and everyone in your vehicle gets in free. It can replace the America the Beautiful Pass for your family and save you at least $80. Research shows this is a perfect age to expose kids to nature and create lifelong connections to the outdoors.

Almost all parks have family-friendly activities, but here are a few of my favorite recommendations for families. The Great Smoky Mountains offer easy waterfall hikes, abundant wildlife, and proximity to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge with kid-friendly attractions. Yellowstone captivates kids with erupting geysers, colorful hot springs, and bison herds visible from the car. Yosemite provides swimming in the Merced River, short hikes to waterfalls, and dramatic granite cliffs that spark imagination. Rocky Mountain has Estes Park nearby with fun shops and mini golf, plus easy alpine scenery via Trail Ridge Road. And my all-time favorite, very reasonably-priced, family-friendly resort. Acadia’s smaller scale feels less overwhelming with coastal scenery, tide pools, and the village of Bar Harbor. Zion’s has towering red cliffs, fun accommodation options like glamping, and wading in water at the Narrows.

It depends on your kids, but for the most part, yes, with appropriate expectations and planning. Choose trails under 2 miles with minimal elevation gain, including paved or boardwalk paths like Lower Yosemite Falls. Bring a sturdy stroller for paved trails or a child carrier backpack for unpaved ones. Make sure you are comfortable doing distances with your child in the carrier!

Let kids be kids and plan for the hike to take 3X longer than expected with frequent stops for snacks, rocks, sticks, and random sitting. Bring way more snacks and water than you think necessary. Pick trails with water features (streams, lakes, waterfalls) or wildlife possibilities to maintain interest. Be willing to turn around if kids are done. A successful 0.5-mile hike beats a miserable forced 2-mile walk with endless whining and complaining.

It varies tremendously based on where you go (do you need flights or are you driving?), whether it’s peak season (off-season is always less), how popular the park is, what type of accommodation you like, etc. In peak season at a popular park, like Yellowstone or Yosemite, expect $300 /night for a basic motel outside, but close to the park. You spend much less camping or staying further outside the park or going off-peak. You can also spend $600+ per night if you want upscale. I work with cost-conscious families all the time, and there are ways to make national park trips work with most budgets. There are amazing parks throughout the country, so picking one within driving distance is a great way to save on flights and rental cars. Overall, I’d say you can definitely do a national park vacation for far less than Disney or a beach resort if you plan in advance and don’t require fancy accommodations.