By Kylee Harris
Family travel is predicted to be the most predominant form of travel in 2025 with 47% of travellers choosing multigenerational or family trips. One of the most popular travel destinations is natural parks. They not only offer an amazing opportunity to be outdoors, but also the chance to view nature including wildlife and outstanding landscapes. Fortunately, America has 63 designated national parks ready to welcome visitors of all ages, including families with kids.
Plan the Adventure
America has 429 national park sites, so it is a good idea to pick your destination and plan the journey. Before deciding on a site, consider your family’s interests and preferences. Would they be interested in wildlife, landscapes, trails, or rock formations? Knowing their interests would make it easy to ensure that everyone enjoys the vacation. Better still, involve them in the planning process. For example, let your kids choose which park to visit and what activities to do. If they like hiking or walking, you can suggest a park with trails suitable to your family’s abilities. Furthermore, part of sharing the beauty of national parks with your kids is learning to appreciate these natural wonders from landscapes to wildlife. The good news is many parks offer junior ranger programs and activities where kids learn about nature, geology, and ecology, among other things.
In addition to ensuring that every member of the family enjoys the break, you also must make sure that travel plans go smoothly. To help navigate the intricacies of family travel, you might want to use the services of travel experts. Travel specialists can arrange all the details including transport and accommodation. If you’re considering visiting several parks, take a look at the America the Beautiful pass. Offered by the National Park Service (NPS), it comprises annual or lifetime passes granting the holder access to national parks, national monuments, and other protected sites.
Moreover, consider the weather during peak tourist season when planning your trip. If doing everything yourself, book accommodation in advance especially during high season. Pack essentials like comfortable clothing, footwear, and provisions. To make it fun and engaging for your children, make the journey a part of the adventure by playing games, reading books about the area, or stopping at interesting attractions. Furthermore, you can also encourage your children to take photos of the scenery and wildlife or make a journal of the trip. In other words, make the trip their very own focusing on their needs and interests. Camping is another exciting activity to experience the great outdoors firsthand. Therefore, research a suitable campsite, obtain permits, and prepare essential gear.
Where to Go
Indeed, there are many national parks where you can bring your family for an unforgettable outdoor adventure. Take the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, which happens to be the ‘most visited national park’ in the US with over 13 million visitors in 2023. The park is easily accessible from many major US cities and is a budget-friendly option since there is no entrance fee. It boasts of stunning mountain landscapes, verdant forests, and diverse ecosystems. Kids can be officially sworn in as junior rangers after completion of 5 activities and 5 experiences with the assistance of a team member, parent, or guardian under the Junior Ranger program.
Similarly, at Maine’s Acadia National Park, young visitors can become junior rangers by completing activities and attending park ranger programs. The park features kid-friendly trails and opportunities for wildlife watching. Yellowstone National Park which covers parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho is another national park ideal for families and kids. It offers remarkable geysers, hot springs, lakes, and canyons as well as spectacular wildlife viewing for bison, elk, and bears. Its self-guided Junior Ranger program is available for kids 4 years and older. To earn a badge, kids attend a ranger-led program, hike on a park trail, or complete a variety of activities in the official Junior Ranger booklet. It’s even possible to become a Virtual Junior Ranger if they cannot visit the park in-person.
Introducing kids to national parks not only creates cherished memories of times spent together as a family, but also strengthens connections with nature. Above all, it inspires children to appreciate and protect these amazing sites.
Kylee Harris is an educator who has taught in elementary schools in Singapore and Hong Kong for 5 years. She lives in Florida and continues to teach life skills to young adults in her community.
