8 National Parks Your Family Needs to Visit Before the Kids Grow Up!

“Hey guys, want to go to the Grand Canyon this weekend?”

“No thanks.”

“That’s too far.”

“I’m so glad I have to work.”

“I’m not doing that.”

Excuses, excuses fly from the mouths of our four teenagers who seem done with family adventuring and memory-making.

That’s why you do a 7-month family sabbatical around the USA and hit as many National Parks as you can before your kids become teenagers! We had our foursome exactly where we wanted them in 2014 when we wore out our National Park pass traveling 44 states by RV.

Here are 8 of our National Park Service Family Favorites

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina and Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is gorgeous in the fall. We loved our time here!

2. Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah

We loved hiking all through Bryce Canyon and enjoying the beautifully unique scenery!

Are you familiar with Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks? We only hit two of them and hope to knock out the other three soon!

3. Zion National Park – Utah

Zion National Park and the Narrows hike was a family favorite.

4. Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming

Yellowstone is just one of those popular National Parks that you just have to go to one day. It’s really amazing to witness Old Faithful spout up right in front of you!

5. Glacier National Park – Montana

Glacier National Park is out of this world! Despite the rainy weather and cooler temperatures, this park was absolutely stunning.

Get your kids involved in the Junior Ranger program, where they can earn badges or patches by filling out workbooks at each National Park for free.

Our kids have quite the collection of earned badges and have many fun memories attached to each one.

6. Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns was one of a few caves we hit along our tour of the US. Try to go when the “Bat Flight” program happens every evening from Memorial Day through October at 7 p.m.