Visiting our National Parks

As a child, I don’t think I could have been luckier than to have grown up in New England. Most of my vacations revolved around outdoor adventures in Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont. If we weren’t able to get away for a weekend, I would just beg my parents to pitch the tent in the backyard and that was my outdoor experience for the night. While New England is amazing (and I have a bit of a bias) the rest of the country has so much to offer as well. Just traveling a few states away can offer completely different scenery.

If you want to take your family on an outdoors adventure for your upcoming vacation, be sure to check out one of the country’s many National Parks. National Parks offer an incredible range of family options. The National Park Service even lists ideas on their website of activities to do with families at the different parks. Almost every state has a park and all have something incredibly different to offer!

Some of my favorite parks include:

Acadia National Park – Maine

Acadia National Park is a large expanse of beautiful land on Maine’s coast. The rocky coastline mixed with the tall trees make the Acadian landscape beautiful and interesting. The different terrains of Acadia allow for multiple options for activities. Either hike or bike through the wooded trails on easy to strenuous trails or play in the sand at one of the two sandy beaches.

Other fun family activities include a Ranger-Narrated Boat Cruise that lasts for two to four and a half hours depending on which option you choose. During the tour search for seals, porpoises, and water fowl, and even get to touch sea life brought on board! Acadia also offers children’s programs and a nature center for additional hours of fun.

Fun fact: Cadillac Mountain in Acadia is the tallest mountain on the east coast and is the first spot in the US to see sunrise during certain times of the year!

Yosemite National Park – California

Yosemite may be my favorite park even though it’s impossible to see all that it has to offer in just a few days. Yosemite has some of the most recognizable rock faces from Half Dome to El Capitan. To get your bearings of the park and for a great chance to see some wild life, start your Yosemite trip with one of the park’s many tours.

When I went to Yosemite I went on the Valley Floor Tour that was a two-hour open-air tram tour of Yosemite Valley. We saw famous sightseeing spots in the park and to our ranger’s surprise, we even saw a mother bear and her cubs. Tours of Glacier Point, Tuolumne Meadows, the Big Trees, and a Grand Tour of all of these tours combined are also available.

Other fun family activities include multiple water activities, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and watching the rock climbers ascend El Capitan (unless you’re brave enough to give it a go yourself!) Also, don’t forget to visit the Sequoias – try and find the one that was cut out for a car to drive through!

Fun Fact: 81 miles of the Merced River runs through Yosemite National Park.

Visit nps.gov to find a National Park that fits your family’s travel needs!

Kelly O’Hara is an intern at Mom Central.

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