If you are seeking adventure travel, hiking trails with picturesque views, and wildlife in their natural habitat, there’s no better place than U.S. national parks. While you can visit the national parks year round, some are just better to experience in the summer. Not sure which one to visit? After numerous road trips to many of our beautiful national parks, I have hand picked our family’s 7 favorite national parks to visit this summer with kids.
What is the Most Kid-Friendly National Park?
I personally think that all national parks are kid friendly. Each one is unique and offers something special. Keep reading to see which national park stands out to you and your family. I hope I can inspire you to hit the trails and explore someplace new!
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Must Dos At All National Parks With Kids
At every national park, I would recommend checking out the visitor’s centers where you will find educational information specifically about the park and joining the junior ranger programs. The junior ranger program is great for kids to actively learn about the each park and get a badge!
Now to the national parks to visit this summer with kids!
1. Glacier National Park
Starting off the list is one of our favorites from Montana. Glacier National Park is a huge national park with so many different vistas to see and lakes to explore. With the large mountains at the center of it, you will need to plan which side of the park to visit. Don’t worry, you can’t go wrong! It’s all spectacular.
We lived in Montana until 2022 and the state as a whole is so beautiful. Well at least the west side of the state! 🙂 Glacier is no exception. When we visited, we were based in the Many Glacier area and took advantage of the quiet there.
There was an easy loop hike around Swiftcurrent Lake that is great for the little ones. One of our favorite activities we did was a boat tour out to Lake Josephine where we hiked to Grinnell Lake. This is a fairly easy trail when you start at the end of Lake Josephine. It was raining but we still had a fantastic time!
Glacier National Park is excellent for kids of all ages. Get out on the water in a kayak or hike the trails! There’s also countless opportunities to see some wildlife. Keep alert and look for moose and bears.
Extra fun: If your family likes mini golf – don’t miss Golfing to the Sun Mini Golf. It is a fun course!
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2. Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is not usually on the top of U.S. national park lists, but we loved this park and think it’s ideal for kids. Located in South Dakota, the Badlands look like you landed on the moon. The geologic formations literally pop up out of nowhere.
To really experience the Badlands, drive the Badlands Loop Road and stop off at all the overlooks. Check out the easy “The Door Trail” and the moderate “Notch Trail” for more stunning views!
The Badlands was the first place we saw bison herds roaming the prairies. It was a magical sight.
If you like camping, check out the free campground, Sage Creek Campground. This campground doesn’t have much, but it is free and rarely fills to capacity. It is first come, first serve and has pit toilets. Enjoy the prairie dogs that live in the middle of the campground and gaze at the night sky in the evenings.
The Badlands is a fantastic park to visit, especially with little kids. The trails are short and easy, but the best part is that you can roam wherever you want! You are free to climb and explore all over the area and don’t have to stick to a trail. No need to keep those wandering toddlers in line. Let them be free!
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3. Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde is a unique national park in the U.S. This archaeological site protects the rich cultural heritage of 27 Pueblos and Tribes and gives visitors a glimpse into how these tribes lived. Taking guided tours to see the cliff dwellings, stargazing, and hiking are top activities to do when visiting.
What I liked most about visiting Mesa Verde was learning about the Puebloan people that lived in these lands and how they built their homes on the side of cliffs. It is truly impressive to see.
To visit the cliff dwellings, which are the highlight of Mesa Verde, you have to book your tickets in advance. I would recommend booking the first tour of the day for the Cliff Palace for the best photos! Tickets are only available 14 days in advance and open at 8:00 am MST. They fill up quickly, so set a reminder!
The Balcony house is also a fantastic tour and is full of adventure, with a 32 ft ladder and tunnels to explore. Children will love it, but please note that they must be able to climb the ladder themselves. If you bring an infant, you must be able to climb the ladder with the baby in a carrier.
4. Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park will knock your socks off with its gorgeous peaks, numerous hiking trails and lakes to explore. Search out moose, bears, elk and pronghorns while you drive the scenic roads and play in the numerous lakes that are scattered around the mountain peaks. Somewhat overshadowed by its neighbor, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton shouldn’t be missed. Plus it’s less crowded than Yellowstone, which is a win in my book!
When we visited, we didn’t have nearly enough time to explore all that Grand Teton National Park has to offer. We did check out Jenny Lake during our visit. This popular lake gets busy, but it is so worth it. You can hike around the lake or take a shuttle across for easier access to the hikes of Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
We also drove down the Moose-Wilson Road to try to spot some wildlife and stopped about every two seconds to take pictures of the mountain peaks. It’s just so beautiful.
If your kids like hiking, mountains and glacial lakes, Grand Teton National Park will be their favorite playground and yours too!
5. Zion National Park
Zion National Park’s dramatic cliffs and red sandstone make a gorgeous backdrop to any picture. I can still remember driving into the park for the first time and my jaw dropping. It is incredibly picturesque. Zion is most famous for its hiking and slot canyons.
When we visited, the water in the narrows was a bit high and so it was difficult to hike. When the river has normal water levels it is doable and fun. The kids will love sloshing through the water while you take in the striking slot canyon walls. Be sure to check the national park’s webpage for updated water levels and other alerts.
Normally I wouldn’t advise going to Utah in the summer, but Zion is an exception. While it is still incredibly hot, there are plenty of places to play in the water of the Virgin River and cool off. This park is also set up nicely with its shuttle system. In addition, you can bring your bike or rent an e-bike and explore the park that way!
While you won’t be hiking the famous Angels Landing hike with kids, there are plenty of other easier hikes to enjoy like the Zion Canyon Overlook Trail, The Narrows or Pa’rus Trail.
6. Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is an excellent park to visit with the family. The scenic drives, hiking and wildlife viewing are superb. The nearby town of Estes Park is also very family oriented with mini golf to adventure parks, horseback riding, shopping and more.
We lived in Estes Park after we graduated college for about 4 years and even got married in Rocky Mountain National Park. We loved living there and having Rocky Mountain National Park as our backyard. Even though we explored much of the park before we had kids, we have returned and showed our kids what it has to offer.
Your kids will love hiking the various trails within Rocky Mountain, finding all the herds of elk and driving up the scenic Trail Ridge road which is only open during the summer. Some of our favorite kid-friendly hikes would be to Emerald Lake or hike up to Ouzel Lake and pass multiple waterfalls along the way.
7. Yellowstone National Park
We’ll wrap up this list with Yellowstone National Park. There is no other park like it in the U.S. Its diverse landscape, unique geyser features, and high concentration of wildlife makes it one of the best national parks in my opinion. It’s also massive! Everyone talks about how popular and crowded it can be. While this is true to an extent, there are also many places within the park where you can get away from the crowd and still experience its magic.
We have visited Yellowstone National Park many times. Before traveling full-time and ultimately moving to the Netherlands, we lived in Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman is only an hour and a half drive away from Yellowstone, making it easy to visit. Yellowstone is interesting to explore any time of the year, but you get the most access in the summer when all of the roads are open.
Yellowstone is great for kids. There are plenty of flat trails making it easy for the young ones to explore. You are guaranteed to see some wildlife while you are there and what child doesn’t like to see animals in the wild. Plus, there are geysers! The kids will be so amazed to see water erupting out of the ground or mud bubbling near the trail!
Click here for a complete travel guide to Yellowstone National Park.
The travel guide to Yellowstone National Park includes top attractions in the park, family-friendly specific activities, top hikes, unique activities, Yellowstone National Park tips and places to stay.
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