Advice on which parks to visit

Hell everyone! I recently learned that the national park service offers free admission to all 4th graders and my daughter wants to see more parks besides the smokies and Shenandoah which we’ve visited several times previously (we are based in Ohio). Therefore we are going to center our next vacation around seeing more national parks. Our plan is to vacation for 1-2 weeks. What area of the country would you suggest to visit to see a a mixture of the best/as many parks as we can on this trip? While I realize it’s better to spend a longer amount of time in some of the bigger parks, I was thinking 1-2 days at each park given that we may not be out west or south again for a while. Thanks!

in NationalParkby TattedPapaNoelle

220

98%

13d

grahamroper

13d

If you only have 1-2 weeks, there’s 2 best options IMO: PNW or Utah.

PNW: fly into Seattle. Olympic NP, Rainier NP, North Cascades NP, Crater Lake NP is driveable and the central cascades have plenty of nature that could be a NP if Oregon were so inclined.

Utah: fly into SLC or Vegas. Zion NP, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Canyonlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Grand Canyon NP is close, and northern AZ has a ton to offer otherwise.

Starrynite120

13d

Wholeheartedly agree with PNW or Utah. To pick between I’d just decide whether I want to go to a wet or dry environment. They’re both fantastic, can’t go wrong! Personally, Olympic is my favorite national park I’ve been to. Such a variety in ecosystems (in 3 days you can hit a beach with cool rock structures and some sea life, a temperate rainforest, and the mountains).

radil

13d

I would decide based solely on the time of year and basically nothing else. I would not go to any of the southern Utah parks between June and September. May and October could be nice but could also be quite hot.

Starrynite120

12d

Yeah that’s a good point. Generally I’m a fan of going to parks in shoulder season, but I think Mt Rainier may be an exception due to to wildflowers.

resynchronization

13d

Challenge is lodging/camping on short notice. Whether you're driving or flying/renting a car makes a difference too.

For me, best bang for the buck and most likely to be very interesting for a 4th grader are spending a week at Yellowstone and Grand Teton. There's lots of wildlife, a huge variety of scenery from mountains to waterfalls to lakes to geysers and mud pots, activities from floating down the Snake in Grand Teton or taking the aerial tram at Jackson WY or a trail ride in Yellowstone or a rodeo at Cody. You could drive but expect to take 2 to 3 days to get there and 2 to 3 days to get back - that would take up most of a week but you could stop at Badlands, Custer SP, Wind Cave NP, Jewel Cave NM, Mt Rushmore NM, Devils Tower NM, and more.

Fly to Denver, then do a loop of CO National Parks (Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of Gunnison, Mesa Verde, & Great Sand Dunes). If have two weeks, go RMNP to Dinosaur National Monument to Colorado National Monument to Black Canyon of Gunnison to Hovenweep to Mesa Verde to Great Sand Dunes to Florissant Fossil Beds - don't recommend if only two weeks but you could even venture over to Moab after Colorado NM to catch Arches NP, Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP.

If you want something a little closer driving from Ohio, consider Indiana Dunes NP, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Pictured Rocks, other UP of MI places like Tahquamenon Falls and Porcupine Mts and pasties and Mackinac Island, or go as far as WI for waterfalls, Madeline Island and the Apostle Islands. Could try to include Isle Royale NP, but that takes some logistics planning and might take too much of your two weeks or could try Voyageurs NP but that also takes some planning and time to get out on the water.

Note that the 4th grader pass gets you entrance to national monuments and national lakeshores in addition to the national parks but obviously not state parks.

TattedPapaNoelle

13d

This is helpful… thanks!

CurzeWasRight

13d

Very solid advice!

Girl-UnSure

13d

My advice: dont see as many parks as you can in this time. See as much of the parks you want to see during this time. Two weeks, consider 2-4 parks at most. 2-3 nights in each park, 1/2 to a full day travel btwn parks.

I took a younger family member on a month long trip and we saw Indiana Dunes, Voyageurs, Badlands, Wind Cave, Rocky Mtn, Teddy Roosevelt, Yellowstone and the Beartooth pass, and Grand Tetons. She was 13 at the time and she said her favorite parks of the bunch were Grand Tetons, Badlands and Wind Cave. WICA because she had never been in a cave before, Badlands because of the mix of landscape, wildlife and their off trail rules. Which are basically you can explore everything and everywhere. And tetons because of the abundance of wildlife. She enjoyed YELL but said she hated how long it took us to get eveywhere. We spent 2-3 nights in each park, except INDU(1 night) and WICA, just did the tour and explored for the day.

I say pick a region. WY for YELL & GRTE, maybe devils tower. Spend time in Jackson. The Dakotas for THRO/WICA & BADL. See Jewel Cave, Minuteman Missile, Mt Rushmore, Black hills, Custer, etc etc. PNW for CRLA, OLYM, MORA. Or do NORCAL and see REDW, CRLA, LAVO, Whiskytown.

Near you, what about NERI in WV? CUVA and such in OH? Ohio has some really neat sites. Perrys Victory NPS and the island is a lot of fun. Rent a golf cart, see the area. Near Sandusky iirc. As well as CUVA. Ive spent many days and nights there, camping just outside the park. Bike on the towpath, kayak on the cuyahoga. I saw a river otter when i went.

TattedPapaNoelle

13d

Great ideas… thanks for taking the time to write this all out and help!

El_mochilero

13d

What time of year are you thinking?

August in Colorado or PNW is amazing. August in Moab is brutal.

TattedPapaNoelle

13d

Probably July

__Quercus__

13d

What does your daughter like?

Big trees, tall waterfalls, and volcanic lakes? Then Sequoia, Yosemite, Redwoods, Crater Lake, and if time Lassen/Burney Falls*.

Primeval Jungle and Volcanoes: Crater Lake Olympic, Mt St. Helens, Mt Rainier, Multnomah Falls/Mt. Hood

Wild coasts, Whales, and Cool Temps: choose among Olympic, Lewis and Clark NHS* Cape Foulweather, Newport Aquarium, Florence Sea Lion Caves, Redwoods, Fort Ross, Golden Gate NRA*

Big Sky, Big Geysers, Big Mountains, Big Wildlife: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, and if Big Wildlife includes T Rex, the Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.

Desert, Canyons, and Wile E. Coyote inspiration: Utah big 5, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Goblin Valley, Dead Horse Point*.

Pueblos, Ruins and 14ers: choose among Canyon de Chelly, Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon World Heritage Site, Bisti Badlands, Tent Rocks, Bandolier NM, Taos Pueblo*, Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain.

Dehydration and Heatstroke: Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Pinnacles, and any park named after a cactus.

*Not a national park, but anything Federal and many state parks are free to fourth graders.

Really great to be showing your daughter the beauty of this country, but ultimately, can't do everything in the west, even if you had all summer. Hence the categories. If you can decide on a category then sites can be fine tuned.

eugenesbluegenes

13d

Big trees, tall waterfalls, and volcanic lakes? Then Sequoia, Yosemite, Redwoods, Crater Lake, and if time Lassen/Burney Falls*.

I'd actually say Crater Lake if time. It's more out of the way and there's a lot more to see at Lassen than there is at Crater Lake.

__Quercus__

13d

Good point. Crater Lake is an amazing view, and perhaps a couple mile round trip hike from rim to lake. One day is enough. Lassen area has Bumpass Hell, Cinder Cone, Subway Cave, the SETI area, Burney Falls, and the Mountain itself.

eugenesbluegenes

13d

And if even more time, take 138 from Crater Lake along the Umpqua River to Oregon dunes before heading down the coast to Redwood.

Can squeeze Lava Beds NM in there as well, medicine lake road is pretty fun.

Barkerfan86

13d

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. We were there for 3 days and it wasn’t enough

jusmax88

13d

I think Utah and PNW are best as mentioned, but after those would be the parks between San Francisco and LA. You’ve got Pinnacles, Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley. Wouldn’t recommend doing all in one trip but you’ve got good options.

San Francisco to Portland also gets you Yosemite + Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods, Crater Lake.

In order of recommendation:

1) Utah, 2) PNW, 3) San Francisco to LA, 4) San Francisco to Portland, and just to make a top 5) El Paso to White Sands to Carlsbad Caverns to Guadalupe to Big Bend back to El Paso.

eugenesbluegenes

13d

San Francisco to Portland also gets you Yosemite + Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods, Crater Lake.

Not a national park, but this can take you right by Tahoe as well. I think going all the way to Portland is too much on this timeframe unless you want to miss either the mountains or the coast, but SF to Yosemite and over Tioga Pass, 89 past Tahoe, Lassen, Lava Beds, Crater Lake, then follow the Umpqua River to Oregon dunes then back down the coast through Redwood to SF would be pretty awesome two weeks.

TattedPapaNoelle

13d

Awesome… all great options. Thanks you!

Kramer-Melanosky

13d

5) Should be Colorado Parks

ramillerf1

13d

It really depends on the time of year. My daughter and I visited 8 National Parks through the Southwest, but that was in January. Utah’s might 5 can be combined with the Colorado National Parks and Monument Valley. It can be hot in the summer but quite doable.

Sideshow60

13d

Tetons, can also do yellowstone

PudgyGroundhog

13d

When? My answer would depend on time of year.

TattedPapaNoelle

13d

Probably July. Definitely during summer break

TheIceDevil1975

13d

Would definitely check out parks located in Colorado and Utah.

OldRaj

13d

Fly to Vegas, rent a car. Plenty of national parks: Zion, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon. And Vegas is incredibly kid-friendly. Mandalay Bay is the spot.

sgigot

13d

Vegas is a great place to base a trip out of depending on the time of year. I've made autumn and winter trips out of LV 6 or 7 times.. Summers can be punishingly hot for some of the nearby parks. Winters could be nice, could be chilly, could be snowed in depending on elevation.

If you're going to stay at the Mandalay, check the convention schedule closely. Prices vary wildly night-to-night.

My more recent trips to LV have shown the Mandalay to be very expensive especially considering it's only a place for a hot meal, a shower, and a bed before a flight the next morning. My last two stays were at Sam's Town out on the east side of town and the South Point (a few miles from LAS to the south)...you don't get that Strip action but they were a third of the Mandalay.

barksatthemoon

13d

Yellowstone and Grand Teton, hands down. You won't be sorry.

4electricnomad

13d

Great suggestions in this thread already. You didn’t specify months so I’m assuming you can be flexible and pick desirable dates (shoulder seasons are fine).

I’d keep this fairly simple:

Week 1: Fly to Jackson Hole, rent a car, spend a few days in Grand Tetons, and spend the rest of the time in Yellowstone. I can’t say enough great things about Yellowstone and it will probably always be my #1 recommendation.

Week 2: Fly to Las Vegas, rent a car, circumnavigate the Grand Canyon. You can go clockwise or counterclockwise, your choice. But spend a few days each at Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion. (Page AZ is also outstanding, as are several other National Parks in the area - but you’ll be strapped for time, and I’d recommend focusing on quality time at actual sites rather than spending most of your time in transit from place to place. If you want to save Yellowstone you could spend both weeks in this region and still have to cut some great places from your itinerary.)

Magna_Terra

13d

That is great news for young kids to enjoy the National Parks, and sounds like an excellent idea. Given a 2 week timeframe, I would suggest Utah is by far the best option to see a multitude of parks within a short amount of time, while still allowing for ample time to see them fairly extensively.

I think everyone has posted some fantastic ideas, and agree that this all depends on several factors, including drive time, where you will camp, types of activities, and if entry passes are required (beyond the standard national park entrance fees). I would suggest the following.

Fly to Las Vegas
Drive to Zion National Park. Camping can be done either in the National Park for a fee, at a campground in a National Forest/BLM land for a fee, or done for free in a National Forest/BLM land - this is known as dispersed camping, and is done relatively easily but requires a bit lore resourcefulness. Zion is quite developed so there are options for cabins and hotels nearby should that be more appealing. Due to its popularity, Zion requires some additional planning for the main entrance near Springdale, however the northern side of the park in Kolob Canyon is less populated (relatively speaking) and still very stunning. You can easily spend 3 days here with a two week trip.
Bryce Canyon National Park. A 1.5ish hour drive from Zion, this park is a great next stop. Likewise with all public lands in the USA, camping can be done either in the National Park for a fee, at a campground in a National Forest/BLM land for a fee, or done for free in a National Forest/BLM land - the dispersed camping option. Smaller than Zion, a good 2 days can be spent here to explore some of the best parts of the park.
Captiol Reef National Park. A bit over two hours from Bryce Canyon, this can be the next stop. Same camping options as above, this park is slightly larger than Bryce Canyon and can be enjoyed in 2 or 3 days.
Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. 2.5 hours from Captiol Reef, these two parks themselves are within 30 minutes of each other which is why we are paring them together. Along with the others, these parks are a gem. Same camping options as above, a good 4 days can be spent between the both of them.

With those parks, you’d easily see some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. Granted, I think all parks and environments are superb - the mountains, the PNW, etc. There is no wrong choice. But given you may not be out west again, this is something that you cannot find in many other places of the country. Your drive back to Vegas will be about 6.5 to 7 hours from Arches, however this can be broken up and provide an opportunity to explore the other unbelievable parts of our public lands - national forests, monuments, BLM and state parks. Our National Parks only make up 4% of our 640+ million acres of public land, so there is no doubt y’all can include some other spectacular stops along the way in addition to the 5 National Parks you’d see.

These trips take planning, reservations and some patience, but are worth every single ounce of effort. Feel free to DM me for assistance with details and planning, I would be more than happy to assist.

Enjoy! These trips can be life changing!

lunamorgantv

13d

I want to see Yosemite so bad, Yellowstone was amaing but glacier has been my favorite so far out of maybe 8ish?

itsLexiSummer

12d

I went to Mt Rainier last July and it was absolutely stunning. We went to the paradise entrance and did the skyline loop trail. Sososo beautiful, especially if you catch the wildflower bloom. I’m pretty sure they have some sort of permit in effect now so I would double check that before you go. Olympic was also stunning, especially lake crescent. We rented a kayak on the lake and it was super clear blue water. 10/10