Planning a family vacation to a national park sounds dreamy — wide-open spaces, fresh air, fewer screens, and memories that last a lifetime. But when you’re wrangling kids of different ages with different appetites for hiking, a little strategic planning goes a long way. That’s where this guide comes in.
Whether you’re chasing waterfalls with toddlers, teaching your tweens to read a trail map, or trying to convince your teenager that yes, this is more fun than staying home — there’s a national park with your family’s name on it. Let’s break down the best national parks for families, what makes each one special, and everything you need to know to pull it off without losing your mind (or your kids).
Why National Parks Are the Ultimate Family Travel Destination
National parks offer something genuinely different from your average family vacation. They’re vast, they’re beautiful, and they scale to whatever your kids can handle on any given day. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass ($80 per year) gets your whole carload into every national park for free — an almost criminal deal when you’re feeding four mouths.
The Junior Ranger Program is another secret weapon. Available at virtually every park, kids earn a badge by completing an activity booklet — suddenly, spotting wildlife and learning about geology becomes a mission. It’s basically gamified nature, and it works on kids who swore they didn’t care about trees. You’re welcome.
The Best National Parks for Families: Our Complete List
1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Best for: Families who want jaw-dropping scenery without needing serious hiking chops | No. of visitors: 4.9 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Bright Angel Trail, Rim Trail, Desert View Watchtower
There is nothing that prepares you for your child’s face when they see the Grand Canyon for the first time. Even the most screen-addicted kids go quiet for a solid 30 seconds. The South Rim is most family-friendly, with paved paths and stroller-accessible viewpoints. The free shuttle system lets you hop between viewpoints without fighting for parking.
Family tip: Go early, bring far more water than you think you need, and agree on a turnaround point before you start descending — then actually stick to it, even when the kids insist they’re fine.
Best season: Spring and fall
2. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho
Best for: Families obsessed with wildlife, geysers, and general geological weirdness | No. of visitors: 4.7 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Lamar Valley
Yellowstone is basically another planet, and kids absolutely lose it over it. Geysers, rainbow-colored hot springs, bison traffic jams — it delivers on every front. Lamar Valley earns the nickname “America’s Serengeti” for good reason: wolves, bears, bison, and elk are often visible on the same morning. Plan at least three days — this park is bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
Family tip: Wildlife viewing is best at dawn and dusk. Load everyone into the car in pajamas with snacks — the kids will complain until they see their first grizzly bear, at which point they’ll forgive you completely.
Best season: Summer; June is magical when baby animals are being born across the park
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina
Best for: First-time national park families, nature beginners, and waterfall lovers | No. of visitors: 12.1 million | Fee: FREE | Don’t miss: Laurel Falls, Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove wildlife loop
America’s most visited national park costs nothing to enter — and the payoff is massive. Paved waterfall trails, reliable wildlife in Cades Cove, and the charming chaos of nearby Gatlinburg make this a perennial family favorite. The park has nearly 900 miles of hiking trails and incredible biodiversity — black bears, deer, and over 10,000 plant and animal species call it home.
Family tip: Visit during the week and hit the trails before 10 AM in summer. If you’re coming in peak season, you’ll be amazed how quickly the quiet kicks in once you get half a mile from the trailhead.
Best season: Spring for wildflowers, fall for spectacular foliage
4. Acadia National Park, Maine
Best for: Families who love coastal scenery, cycling, and tide pooling | No. of visitors: 3.9 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Carriage roads, Thunder Hole, Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond House
Acadia combines ocean, mountains, forests, and the charming town of Bar Harbor into one gorgeous package. The 45 miles of carriage roads closed to motor vehicles are perfect for family cycling — rent bikes in Bar Harbor and let the kids lead the way. Thunder Hole never gets old (time your visit about an hour before high tide for maximum drama). Stop at the Jordan Pond House for their famous popovers. Even your pickiest eater will get on board.
Family tip: Drive or hike up Cadillac Mountain for sunrise — between October and March, it’s one of the first places in the US to see the sun rise. There’s something genuinely magical about watching the world wake up from 1,530 feet while your kids are still half-asleep in their jackets.
Best season: Summer for cycling and tide pooling; winter for dramatic sunrises
5. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Best for: Families with older kids and teens who love alpine scenery and wildlife encounters | No. of visitors: 4.1 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Bear Lake loop, Emerald Lake, Trail Ridge Road, elk at dusk
Bear Lake is the perfect entry point to the Rocky Mountain National Park — an easy 0.6-mile loop with stunning alpine scenery that connects to progressively more ambitious hikes. September’s elk rut is unforgettable: hundreds of bull elk bugling in the meadows at dusk, often visible right from the car. Timed entry reservations are required during peak season.
Family tip: Give your family a full day to acclimate before tackling serious trails if you’re coming from sea level. The park sits between 7,500 and 14,000 feet — altitude sneaks up fast, and a headachy, sluggish kid is a miserable hiking companion.
Best season: June through October; September is peak for the elk rut
6. Olympic National Park, Washington
Best for: Adventurous families who love rainforests, wild beaches, and maximum landscape variety | No. of visitors: 3.7 million | Fee: $30/vehicle | Don’t miss: Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Mosses, Hurricane Ridge, Sol Duc Hot Springs, Rialto Beach
You can walk through a temperate rainforest in the morning and be on a wild Pacific beach by afternoon — Olympic’s diversity is genuinely unmatched. The Hall of Mosses (0.8-mile loop) is otherworldly and manageable for young kids, while Sol Duc Hot Springs offers natural soaking pools that make tired legs feel immediately forgiven.
Family tip: Olympic is often overlooked by families in favor of more famous Pacific Northwest destinations, which means it’s refreshingly less crowded. The tradeoff is real rainfall — pack rain gear regardless of season, but don’t let the weather forecast put you off.
Best season: Summer; pack rain gear year-round
7. Zion National Park, Utah
Best for: Adventurous families with kids who love canyon scenery, water adventures, and epic trails | No. of visitors: 4.9 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Pa’rus Trail, Emerald Pools, Canyon Overlook Trail, The Narrows
Towering red sandstone cliffs and the Virgin River make Zion one of the most dramatic family parks in the country. The flat, paved Pa’rus Trail works for all ages including strollers, while the Narrows — hiking upstream through a slot canyon where the walls rise hundreds of feet on either side — is unforgettable for kids old enough to wade through moving water.
Family tip: Angels Landing requires a permit and an honest conversation about your older kids’ comfort with heights and chain-assisted climbing. The hike to Scout Lookout (where the chains begin) is the family-friendly version with equally spectacular views — don’t skip it just because you’re skipping the summit.
Best season: October through May; summer gets extremely hot and crowded
8. Yosemite National Park, California
Best for: Families who want world-famous scenery, waterfalls, and giant trees — all in one park | No. of visitors: 4.2 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Valley Floor Loop, Yosemite Falls, Mist Trail, Mariposa Grove
Half Dome, El Capitan, thundering waterfalls, and giant sequoias — Yosemite delivers on every level. The Valley Floor Loop is the perfect family starting point, and the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall (3 miles round trip) is one of the most spectacular family hikes in the system. Timed entry is required spring through fall.
Family tip: Visit during the week and plan 3–5 nights. Yosemite rewards families who slow down — one day is a teaser, three days is a vacation, five days is a transformation. Book lodging the moment reservations open, and bring bikes or plan to use the free valley shuttle.
Best season: Midweek in spring for peak waterfalls, or fall for smaller crowds
9. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Best for: East Coast families looking for an accessible, beginner-friendly mountain escape | No. of visitors: 1.7 million | Fee: $30/vehicle | Don’t miss: Skyline Drive, Dark Hollow Falls, Bearfence Mountain, Whiteoak Canyon Trail
For East Coast families, Shenandoah is a national park home run just 75 miles from Washington D.C. Skyline Drive runs 105 miles along the Blue Ridge ridge with 75 overlooks — perfect for road-tripping with young kids. Dark Hollow Falls (1.4 miles round trip) delivers a gorgeous 70-foot cascade, and white-tailed deer are so plentiful here they’re practically furniture.
Family tip: The Big Meadows Lodge and campground sit right in the middle of the park and make an excellent base. The lodge’s dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the meadow — a basic meal suddenly feels like fine dining when there’s a black bear wandering past the window.
Best season: Fall for foliage; spring for wildflowers
10. Arches National Park, Utah
Best for: Families with kids who love exploring, scrambling, and otherworldly landscapes | No. of visitors: 1.4 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Double Arch, Delicate Arch hike, Park Avenue Trail, Balanced Rock
Over 2,000 natural stone arches, Mars-like red rock scenery, and endless boulders for kids to clamber over — Arches is one of the best national parks for kids who love to explore. Double Arch is a half-mile walk to two massive arches you can stand inside, while the Delicate Arch hike (3 miles round trip) is a genuine family achievement with a payoff that matches the effort.
Family tip: Go early — both the heat and the crowds build fast. Timed entry reservations are required March through October, so check Recreation.gov before you plan your visit. The nearby town of Moab is one of the most family-friendly park gateway towns in the country.
Best season: March through May, September through October
11. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Best for: Families who love alien landscapes, easy rim walks, and some of the best stargazing in the country | No. of visitors: 2.4 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Navajo Loop Trail, Queen’s Garden Trail, Sunrise/Sunset Points, evening stargazing programs
Thousands of orange and red hoodoos filling massive natural amphitheaters — it looks like Dr. Seuss designed the landscape, and kids immediately love it. The Navajo Loop Trail (1.3 miles) winds through the dramatic “Wall Street” slot, manageable for kids 5 and up. At 8,000+ feet, Bryce stays cooler than surrounding Utah desert and has some of the darkest skies in the country.
Family tip: Bryce is most often paired with Zion for a Utah road trip — just 90 minutes apart with dramatically different scenery, they make one of the great family national park itineraries in the country. Book the astronomy ranger program in summer; your kids will talk about it for months.
Best season: April through October; magical in winter with snow-dusted hoodoos
12. Everglades National Park, Florida
Best for: Families fascinated by wildlife — especially families whose kids are obsessed with reptiles and birds | No. of visitors: 1.7 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Anhinga Trail, Shark Valley, airboat tours, kayaking
The Anhinga Trail might be the single best wildlife-to-effort ratio in the entire national park system: alligators three feet from the boardwalk, anhingas drying their wings overhead, turtles, herons, and more in a 0.8-mile loop. This is the only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles coexist — a fact kids find extremely compelling.
Family tip: Visit November through April for the best wildlife viewing and tolerable temperatures. Summer in the Everglades is hot, humid, and full of mosquitoes on a scale that has to be experienced to be believed. The park is beautiful year-round, but summer conditions are genuinely challenging with young kids.
Best season: November through April
13. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California
Best for: Families who want to feel genuinely small — in the best possible way | No. of visitors: 1.3 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: General Sherman Tree, Congress Trail, Grant Grove, Panoramic Point
Standing next to the largest living tree on Earth — General Sherman, estimated at 2,700 years old — produces a specific kind of awe in children that nothing else quite matches. The two adjacent parks are best explored together over at least two days. It’s a compact experience; you don’t have to hike far to be completely surrounded by giants, making it ideal for families with younger kids or shorter attention spans.
Family tip: If you only have one day, make General Sherman and the Congress Trail your priority in Sequoia, then head to Grant Grove in Kings Canyon to meet General Grant Tree and the enormous surrounding grove. Plan at least two days if you can — you’ll regret leaving early.
Best season: May through October
14. Glacier National Park, Montana
Best for: Families who want raw, jaw-dropping mountain scenery and serious wildlife sightings | No. of visitors: 3.2 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Avalanche Lake trail, Many Glacier area, Logan Pass
Going-to-the-Sun Road is one of the most spectacular drives in North America, crossing the Continental Divide through alpine scenery that makes everyone in the car go silent at the same time. The hike to Avalanche Lake via the Trail of the Cedars is a family classic — easy boardwalk through ancient cedars opening to a jaw-dropping glacial lake. The Many Glacier area on the east side offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Glacier National Park.
Family tip: Vehicle reservations are required for certain areas in peak season, and Going-to-the-Sun Road typically doesn’t fully open until July due to snowpack. Check the NPS website before you finalize your dates — this is one park where a little advance research pays off.
Best season: July through September
15. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Best for: Families who love dramatic mountain backdrops, lake adventures, and wildlife from the car | No. of visitors: 3.6 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Jenny Lake, String Lake, Jackson Lake, Snake River float trips
Grand Teton punches well above its weight for a smaller park. The Teton Range rising abruptly from the valley floor creates one of the most photogenic backdrops in America, and the lakes at the base — Jenny Lake, String Lake, and Jackson Lake — are perfect for swimming, paddleboarding, and easy lakeside walks with kids of any age. Moose sightings here are practically routine.
Family tip: Pair Grand Teton with Yellowstone for the ultimate family road trip — they share a border and complement each other perfectly. The town of Jackson, just 10 minutes from the park, is a genuinely fun family base with great restaurants and a walkable downtown.
Best season: June through September
16. Joshua Tree National Park, California
Best for: Families with kids who love boulder scrambling, alien landscapes, and world-class stargazing | No. of visitors: 2.9 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Skull Rock Trail, Cholla Cactus Garden, Hidden Valley Nature Trail, night sky viewing
Joshua Tree is essentially a giant boulder playground with alien trees, and kids immediately understand this assignment. The Skull Rock Trail offers endless scrambling opportunities, the Cholla Cactus Garden is stunning in the right light, and the stargazing here — one of Southern California’s best dark sky zones — is extraordinary around a new moon.
Family tip: Combine Joshua Tree with a base in nearby Palm Springs for a very family-friendly desert trip. The contrast between a resort pool afternoon and a morning in the otherworldly park landscape is honestly a perfect combination.
Best season: October through April; summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F
17. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
Best for: Families looking for Utah scenery without the Utah crowds | No. of visitors: 1.4 million | Fee: $20/vehicle | Don’t miss: Hickman Bridge Trail, Fruita orchards, ancient petroglyphs, scenic drive
The quietest and most underrated of Utah’s Mighty 5, Capitol Reef rewards families who make the detour. Ancient Fremont petroglyphs, pioneer homesteads, and colorful sandstone canyons make it interesting for multiple age groups. The Hickman Bridge Trail (1.8 miles round trip) leads to a stunning natural stone bridge with minimal elevation gain.
Family tip: Visit during harvest season (late summer through fall) and let the kids pick fresh fruit from the historic Fruita orchards — a genuinely unique national park experience you won’t find anywhere else. The Gifford Farmhouse also sells homemade pies. You’ll want to plan accordingly.
Best season: March through October; fall brings gorgeous desert colors
18. Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Best for: Families who want epic canyon views and rock scrambling without the Arches crowds | No. of visitors: 0.8 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Mesa Arch sunrise, Slickrock Trail in the Needles District, White Rim overlooks
Located right across the highway from Arches outside Moab, Canyonlands is a natural pairing. The easy Mesa Arch Trail (0.5 miles round trip) leads to a stunning arch framing the canyon below — sunrise here is spectacular and worth the early alarm. The Needles District is less visited and has incredible sandstone formations for scrambling.
Family tip: Stay in Moab and tackle Arches and Canyonlands across two or three days — they’re 30 minutes apart and complement each other beautifully. Canyonlands tends to be less crowded than Arches, which makes it feel like a local secret even in peak season.
Best season: March through May, September through October
19. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii (Big Island)
Best for: Families who want one of the most genuinely unique experiences in the entire national park system | No. of visitors: 1.4 million | Fee: $25/vehicle | Don’t miss: Kilauea Iki Trail, Thurston Lava Tube, Crater Rim Trail, caldera glow at night
What kid doesn’t want to see lava? Hawaii Volcanoes delivers. Hike down into an active volcanic crater, walk through a lit lava tube, and — if Kilauea is active during your visit — watch the caldera glow after dark. The combination loop linking Halemaʻumaʻu, Kilauea Iki, and the Thurston Lava Tube covers rainforest, lava lake, and underground cave all in one epic family day.
Family tip: If Kilauea is active during your visit, go back after dark for the caldera glow — it’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime family moments. Check the NPS website for current eruption activity before and during your trip.
Best season: Year-round; check current eruption status before visiting
20. White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Best for: Families who love sensory experiences, photography, and the satisfaction of hiking somewhere that looks completely unreal | No. of visitors: 0.7 million | Fee: $25/vehicle | Don’t miss: Alkali Flat Trail, barefoot hiking, sunset drive, dune sledding
The world’s largest gypsum dune field is pure magic for kids — impossibly white dunes stretching to the horizon, soft as powdered sugar underfoot. Ditch the shoes and hike barefoot through the dunes for a sensory experience your family will talk about for years. The landscape at sunset turns golden and pink in ways that don’t look real in photos.
Family tip: Dune sledding discs are available to rent or buy at the visitor center — they’re worth it, though the sledding itself is more of a slow slide than a speed rush. The real highlight is simply wandering off the trail into the dunes barefoot. Save the Alkali Flat Trail (4.6 miles round trip) for families with older, more experienced hikers.
Best season: October through April; pair with nearby Carlsbad Caverns for a New Mexico road trip
21. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Best for: Families who want underground adventure and formations so dramatic they look fake | No. of visitors: 0.4 million | Fee: $15/person | Don’t miss: Natural cave entrance descent, Big Room self-guided tour, ranger-led cave tours
Your jaw will drop. So will your kids’. Walking down the long, winding ramp into the enormous mouth of Carlsbad Cavern is pure adventure theater — kids can run ahead while parents trail behind with their mouths open. The underground formations, massive rooms, and sheer scale are genuinely breathtaking in a way that photos can’t capture.
Family tip: It’s more of a day trip than a multi-day basecamp (a few hours covers the highlights comfortably), but as national park experiences go, the wow factor is nearly unmatched. Combine with White Sands — just two hours away — for a stellar New Mexico road trip.
Best season: Year-round; the underground temperature stays a constant 56°F regardless of season
22. Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii
Best for: Families combining a Maui beach vacation with genuine volcano hiking and whale watching | No. of visitors: 0.7 million | Fee: $30/vehicle | Don’t miss: Pipiwai Trail, Summit Observatory viewpoint, sunrise (reservation required)
Haleakala is a place of genuine otherworldly beauty — a dormant volcano whose summit feels like another planet, and whose lower slopes along the Road to Hana are lush, tropical, and gorgeous. The Pipiwai Trail (4 miles round trip) winds through bamboo forests to a 400-foot waterfall — one of the most memorable family hikes in Hawaii.
Family tip: Sunrise from the summit is a legendary experience but requires advance timed entry reservations — plan this well ahead. If you’re visiting December through March, you may spot humpback whales breaching offshore while you’re at elevation. That’s a hard experience to top.
Best season: December through March combines the park with whale season in Maui waters
23. Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Best for: Families who love history, archaeology, and experiences that make kids say “wait, people actually lived there?” | No. of visitors: 0.4 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Cliff Palace ranger tour, Balcony House, Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum
Mesa Verde is the best history lesson your kids will ever get — and they won’t even realize they’re learning. The best-preserved collection of ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in North America, built between 600 and 1300 AD, will stop even the most distracted kid in their tracks. The Cliff Palace ranger tour descends ladders and squeezes through stone passages kids find immediately thrilling.
Family tip: Book ranger-led tours in advance — they sell out fast in peak season. Also budget extra driving time; the park is larger than it looks on the map and the locations are spread across long loop roads. The museum at Chapin Mesa is genuinely excellent and worth an hour before you hit the trails.
Best season: May through October
24. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Best for: Families with kids who want to play, explore, and have a genuinely unusual outdoor adventure | No. of visitors: 0.4 million | Fee: $25/vehicle | Don’t miss: Sand sledding, Medano Creek wading, High Dune hike, sunset photography
This is a kid’s paradise, plain and simple. The tallest sand dunes in North America set against dramatic mountain scenery, and in late spring a shallow creek running right along the base of the dunes for wading and splashing. Sand sledding the dunes is the headliner activity, and watching kids tumble down those massive faces never gets old.
Family tip: In summer, go early or late in the day to avoid burning bare feet on the hot sand. Late May through early June is the sweet spot when Medano Creek is running from snowmelt — playing in a creek at the base of a massive sand dune is a combination that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else in the US.
Best season: April through June, September through October
25. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Best for: Families who want a dramatic desert experience without a lot of hiking | No. of visitors: 0.9 million | Fee: $25/vehicle | Don’t miss: Cactus Forest Drive, Junior Ranger program, bird spotting in cactus holes, sunrise photography
The giant saguaro cactus — towering 40 feet tall, some over 150 years old — exists nowhere else on Earth but the Sonoran Desert. Saguaro National Park in Tucson has two districts and makes for an excellent half-day or full-day family adventure. The Cactus Forest Drive is a paved 8-mile loop that kids can navigate as co-pilots, spotting the tallest cactus, looking for birds nesting in the holes, and marveling at how alien the whole landscape looks.
Family tip: The Junior Ranger program here is one of the more engaging ones in the system — ask for it at the visitor center. The movie about the park’s ecosystem is also excellent and gives kids the vocabulary to understand what they’re looking at on the drive. Visit at sunset if you can; the saguaro silhouettes against an Arizona sky are genuinely spectacular.
Best season: October through April
26. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
Best for: Families who love marine wildlife, glaciers, and the drama of the open ocean | No. of visitors: 0.4 million | Fee: No entrance fee; boat tours extra | Don’t miss: Exit Glacier hike, glacier boat tour from Seward, sea otters, puffins, and whale watching
Accessible from the charming harbor town of Seward, Kenai Fjords offers glacier views both on foot and by boat. The Exit Glacier is one of the only glaciers in the US you can walk right up to — interpretive signs showing how far it has retreated over decades make for a powerful and memorable conversation with kids. Boat tours into the fjords bring sea otters, seals, puffins, and humpback whales.
Family tip: Seward is a genuinely lovely base — small, manageable, and full of marine charm. Add a stop at the Alaska SeaLife Center in town for an excellent marine mammal and seabird exhibit that gets kids primed for everything they’re about to see on the water.
Best season: June through September
Check out our Alaska itinerary, with trips to Kenai Fjords National Park and Denali National Park
27. Denali National Park, Alaska
Best for: Families with older kids ready for raw wilderness, serious wildlife viewing, and North America’s most dramatic mountain | No. of visitors: 0.4 million | Fee: $15/person | Don’t miss: Shuttle bus wildlife safari, Savage River Loop, aerial flightseeing tours
Private vehicles are only allowed on the first 15 miles of the park road — beyond that, the shuttle bus system takes you deep into the wilderness for unparalleled wildlife viewing: grizzly bears, wolves, moose, Dall sheep, and caribou are all regulars. The shuttle itself becomes a wildlife safari your kids will never forget.
Family tip: Book shuttle tickets early — they open in December for the following summer and popular dates sell out fast. If budget allows, a flightseeing tour around Denali peak is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that gives kids a sense of the mountain’s staggering scale in a way that ground-level views simply can’t.
Best season: June through August
Read more about exploring Exit Glacier.
28. Death Valley National Park, California/Nevada
Best for: Families who love extremes — the biggest dunes, the lowest point, the most spectacular sunsets, and the most insane stargazing | No. of visitors: 1.4 million | Fee: $35/vehicle | Don’t miss: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, dark sky stargazing
The hottest place on Earth is surprisingly magical in winter, and completely inaccessible for families from May through October when temperatures regularly top 120°F. Visit Death Valley between November and March when the stark desert landscape is endlessly fascinating. The park is a designated Dark Sky zone with some of the best stargazing in the country.
Family tip: Badwater Basin — the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level — is a 15-minute walk across a vast salt flat that kids find genuinely trippy. Combine it with Zabriskie Point at sunrise or sunset for a photography moment your whole family will use as their phone wallpaper.
Best season: November through March
29. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Best for: Families who want Grand Canyon drama with a fraction of the crowds | No. of visitors: 0.3 million | Fee: $20/vehicle | Don’t miss: South Rim Drive overlooks, Painted Wall viewpoint, Warner Point Trail
Locals call it the “mini Grand Canyon” — at 2,700 feet deep with near-vertical walls of dark Precambrian rock, the views are genuinely stomach-dropping. The South Rim Drive has a series of overlooks that are perfect for families who want dramatic scenery without major hiking. Often overlooked on Colorado road trips, which means you’ll frequently have the overlooks to yourself.
Family tip: Combine Black Canyon with Great Sand Dunes on a Colorado road trip — they’re about two hours apart and couldn’t be more different from each other. The contrast between the black canyon walls and the white sand dunes in one road trip is a geography lesson your kids will actually remember.
Best season: May through October; the North Rim closes in winter
30. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Best for: Midwest families looking for a beautiful, accessible, free national park that seriously delivers on waterfalls and fall color | No. of visitors: 2.9 million | Fee: FREE | Don’t miss: Brandywine Falls, Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, Ledges Trail, firefly season
For Midwest families, Cuyahoga Valley is a hidden gem — free to enter, accessible, and absolutely stunning in fall when the colors peak. Brandywine Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Midwest, just a short walk from the parking area. The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is flat, paved, and perfect for family cycling.
Family tip: If you can time a visit for late May or early June, you’ll get the bonus of firefly season — hundreds of fireflies lighting up the forest at dusk in a show that genuinely stops kids mid-sentence. It’s one of those unexpected national park moments that ends up being the highlight of the whole trip.
Best season: October for fall foliage; June for fireflies; spring for wildflowers
Best National Parks by Month: A Quick Planning Guide
One of the smartest things you can do as a family traveler is match your park visit to the right season. Here’s a simple month-by-month framework:
January–February: Death Valley (surprisingly beautiful in winter), Haleakala/Maui (whale season), Saguaro, Everglades
March–April: Zion and Bryce Canyon (spring wildflowers, pre-crowd), Arches and Canyonlands (ideal hiking temps), Grand Canyon South Rim opens fully
May–June: Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Yellowstone and Grand Teton (baby animals everywhere!), Great Smoky Mountains, Kenai Fjords opening up
July–August: Glacier, Acadia, Katmai (peak bear season), Denali, Rocky Mountain, Yosemite
September–October: Rocky Mountain (elk rut!), Capitol Reef (fall desert colors), Cuyahoga Valley (fall foliage), Bryce Canyon (crisp air, fewer crowds)
November–December: Death Valley, Saguaro, White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Everglades
Family National Park Tips That’ll Actually Save Your Sanity
Buy the America the Beautiful Pass. $80 gets your entire carload into every fee-charging national park for a year. If you visit even two major parks, it pays for itself.
Book early — like, embarrassingly early. Peak season reservations at Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Zion sell out months ahead. Many parks now require timed entry permits that open 90 days out. Set calendar reminders and book the day the window opens.
Talk to the rangers. Seriously underutilized. Rangers know which trails have fresh wildlife sightings, which viewpoints are less crowded that day, and which hikes are right for your kids’ abilities. They also love curious kids — it’s genuinely their favorite part of the job.
Snacks are sacred. Trail mix, fruit pouches, granola bars — you cannot overpack. A hungry kid on a trail is a miserable kid on a trail, and a miserable kid on a trail turns into a miserable family at dinner.
Get the Junior Ranger badge at every park. Even teenagers who think they’re too cool for it secretly love earning the badge. The Yellowstone and Grand Canyon versions are particularly excellent, but they’re all worth doing.
Embrace the two-activity day. One bigger hike or attraction in the morning, something low-key in the afternoon. This formula prevents the mid-afternoon meltdown that derails even the best family park days.
Download offline maps. Cell service in national parks ranges from spotty to nonexistent. The AllTrails app and NPS app both allow offline downloads. Do this on hotel WiFi the night before, not in the parking lot when you have no signal.
Quick Reference: Best National Parks for Families
| Park | State | Best Ages | Best Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | AZ | All | Spring/Fall |
| Yellowstone | WY/MT/ID | All | Summer |
| Great Smoky Mountains | TN/NC | All | Spring/Fall |
| Acadia | ME | 5+ | Summer |
| Rocky Mountain | CO | 6+ | Summer/Fall |
| Olympic | WA | 5+ | Summer |
| Zion | UT | 5+ | Oct–May |
| Yosemite | CA | All | Spring/Fall |
| Shenandoah | VA | All | Fall/Spring |
| Arches | UT | 5+ | Spring/Fall |
| Bryce Canyon | UT | All | Apr–Oct |
| Everglades | FL | All | Nov–Apr |
| Sequoia/Kings Canyon | CA | All | Summer |
| Glacier | MT | 5+ | Jul–Sept |
| Grand Teton | WY | All | Summer |
| Joshua Tree | CA | All | Oct–Apr |
| Capitol Reef | UT | All | Spring/Fall |
| Canyonlands | UT | 5+ | Spring/Fall |
| Hawaii Volcanoes | HI | All | Year-round |
| White Sands | NM | All | Oct–Apr |
| Carlsbad Caverns | NM | All | Year-round |
| Haleakala | HI | All | Dec–Mar |
| Mesa Verde | CO | All | Summer |
| Great Sand Dunes | CO | All | Spring/Fall |
| Saguaro | AZ | All | Oct–Apr |
| Kenai Fjords | AK | 5+ | Summer |
| Denali | AK | 5+ | Summer |
| Death Valley | CA/NV | 5+ | Nov–Mar |
| Black Canyon | CO | 6+ | May–Oct |
| Cuyahoga Valley | OH | All | Fall/Summer |
Final Thoughts
There’s no single best national park for families — the right pick depends on your kids’ ages, your activity level, where you’re traveling from, and what kind of scenery makes your heart sing. But here’s what every park on this list has in common: they’ll give your family experiences that screen time simply cannot replicate.
The moment your kid spots a bison for the first time, stands speechless at the edge of the Grand Canyon, earns their Junior Ranger badge with genuine pride, or watches a bear catch a salmon from a riverbank — those are the moments that stick. The ones they talk about years later. The ones that, if you’re lucky, inspire a lifelong love of the outdoors.
The parks are waiting. Go find your family’s favorite.
