When friends from other countries ask me for recommendations on what to visit while in the US, I always recommend a trip to a National Park. Whether living in or visiting the US, National Parks with kids are an obvious choice for extraordinary scenery, unique landscapes, and natural adventures. In 2010, 281,303,769 recreational visitors from around the world spent time in National Parks! Here are some tips for those visiting National Parks with kids: how you can enjoy everything the National Park Service has to offer, and make the trip memorable, educational, and fun for everyone.
National Parks with Kids:
Find a park. The National Park Service includes “national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House.” See the complete list of National Park Service sites and affiliated areas to find one near you- or near your next travel destination.
Know the park.
Before you go, check out the National Park Service web site. Search for a park by location, activity, or name. Then, check out the park’s page where you can find specific information about the location:
- “Plan Your Visit“ contains multimedia presentations to help you orient to the park, guides, book recommendations, and other tips and suggestions to the specific park. In addition, there are links to
Directions, Operating Hours & Seasons Fees & Reservations Things To Do, Things To Know Before You Come, and Brochures. - “For Kids” This section talks about the junior ranger program specific to the park, and frequently has other pdf’s for kids such as animals in the park, or nature worksheets. Some parks have storytimes, craft days, and other programs just for kids. Investigate before you go to maximize your fun!
Play some games. Before you leave on your trip, have your kids do some on-line activities to learn more about the National Parks. There are tons of (over 50!!) interactive games and activities on the “WebRangers” site whose topics include animals, people, history, nature, puzzles, science and parks.
Become a Junior Ranger. The Junior Ranger Program is offered at many of the National Parks (see the list here). Interested kids, ages 7-13, should inquire at the nearest visitor’s center. They will complete a series of activities during their park visit, share their answers with a park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger badge or patch and Junior Ranger certificate. The ages are a little flexible, and my kids have been younger than 7 when we completed the program.
Keep a record of your visits. Get a “Passport to Your National Parks,” and stamp it at visitor center’s “cancellation station.” The stamps mark the location and the date you’ve visited. If you don’t have a passport, make your own and remember to bring it along so that you can collect your stamps.
When planning your next road trip, check out the nearest National Park! Use a map to locate your route to the park, and then pick up a map at the visitor’s center so the kids can follow along within the park. Get the kids involved in the many programs the NPS offers, and search out opportunities that interest your children such as nature, dinosaurs, wildlife, caves, or different sporting activities. National Parks are exciting for kids (and adults!) of all ages!
One last goodie for parents (if you’re an NPR junkie like I am!): check out NPR Road Trips: National Park Adventures CD! I got this for Christmas, and loved listening to it as we drove out to Big Bend National Park (Texas). Entertainment for the driver that keeps you awake and interested!
What are your favorite National Parks with kids in mind?
What were your favorite activities to do there?
Did you go there when you were a kid, as an adult, or even with your own kids?
Have your kids completed their Jr Ranger badge yet?
If you have any suggestions or recommendations of National Parks with kids, tell us about it in the comments!
Gina says
We just got a “Passport to Your National Park” for my little guy (and us!) to begin collecting stamps. Thanks for all of the tips…we love heading out and exploring!
kidworldcitizen says
THat’s great Gina! After seeing all of the pictures that my friends sent in (many more than what I could include) it has completely inspired me to plan more vacations around our beautiful National Parks- truly breath-taking nature.
Jacquie@KCEdventures says
On our way to Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park next week – we can’t wait! Kids have done Jr. Ranger programs before but this is our first visit to the Rockies – looking forward to some animal watching and hiking.
kidworldcitizen says
I am so jealous!:) I bet you will have an amazing time, breath-taking scenery, family bonding- what a perfect vacation!!!!
NoorJananHomeschool says
My post on Yellowstone: http://noorjanan.blogspot.com/2012/06/yellowstone.html
kidworldcitizen says
Thank you so much for sharing- Your pictures are absolutely beautiful!!! I will share the post on facebook with our readers:).
Kay says
Me and my family are the biggest fans of the Junior Ranger Program. My husband is always trying to steal Josh’s booklet so that he can get a badge as well. Last weekend we visited Niagara Falls and the beautiful butterfly conservatory. It was amazing the only fault was they doesn’t seem to support the ranger program since we couldn’t find any place to get badges…I tried checking online but I couldn’t find anything. Do you know if they support the ranger program? Thank you!
Kay
kidworldcitizen says
I just looked it up and it seems like Niagara does not have a Jr Ranger program! Here is a list of the parks that do: http://www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.cfm
Too bad- that would have been a cool badge!
I had not heard about the butterfly conservatory on-site there! We must have missed it when we were there!!!
Kay says
That’s exactly what I thought – it would be the most wonderful badge (if they had one). We will surely check if a park supports the program in advance, we just thought Niagara Falls is so popular they MUST be in the scheme. Thank you for the website though 🙂