If you are seeking adventure travel, hiking trails with picturesque views, and wildlife in their natural habitat, there’s no better place than a U.S. national park. 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 beautiful national parks, I have hand picked our family’s 7 favorite national parks to visit with kids in the summertime.
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What Is The Most Kid-Friendly National Park?
I personally think that all national parks are kid friendly. What kid doesn’t like exploring the great outdoors, seeing wildlife in its natural habitat and learning hands on? Each one is unique and offers something special.
For me, some national parks are better to visit at certain times of the year than others though. Most of this is due to weather.
Keep reading to see my recommendations for which national parks to visit with kids in the summer. Hopefully one or two stand out to you and your family and will inspire a vacation exploring some place new!
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Must-Dos At All National Parks With Kids
At every national park, I would recommend checking out the visitor center 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 earn a badge! Something to work towards that will keep them engaged.
Now on to where to go. Discover the best national parks to visit with kids in the summer!
1. Glacier National Park
Starting off the list of the best national parks to visit with kids 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 towering 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 Glacier National Park, we based ourselves in the Many Glacier area. This area of the National Park is a little more secluded as it is further away from the nearby town of Whitefish. We took full advantage of the quiet there.
If you go to the Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, there are a few great things to do with kids in the summer.
There is an easy loop hike around Swiftcurrent Lake that is great for the little ones. We hiked around it a few times. It was great for a walk and adjacent to our hotel.
One of our favorite activities was a boat tour out to Lake Josephine where we hiked to Grinnell Lake. You take a boat across both Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. From there, it is a fairly easy trail. It was raining when we went, 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 spectacular wildlife.
Keep alert and look for moose and bears.
Extra fun: If your family likes mini golf like ours, don’t miss Golfing to the Sun Mini Golf. It is a fun course!
2. Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park is not usually on the list of top of U.S. national parks to visit with kids, 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 impressive 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, which 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 twinkling stars in the night sky in the evenings.
The Badlands is a fantastic national park to visit with kids. The trails are short, easy and mostly flat.
The best part about the Badlands that is unique from other national parks 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.
There is 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 on 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; otherwise, the earlier tour groups will be in your 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.
Older 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.
Mesa Verde is one of the top educational national parks to visit with kids. They will love exploring all of the nooks and crannies during the tours and will be amazed at how the Puebloan people lived.
4. Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park will knock your socks off with its gorgeous peaks, numerous hiking trails and glacial 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. If your family loves to hit the trails and craves seeing dramatic mountains, you will like it even better than Yellowstone. Plus it’s less crowded too, which is always 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 can get very busy, but it is so worth it. You can hike around the lake or take a boat 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.
Grand Teton National Park will quickly become one of your favorite national parks to visit with kids if your family likes being outside exploring the mountains.
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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 one of the best national parks to visit with kids due to its famous hikes, slot canyons and breathtaking beauty.
The first time we visited, the water in The Narrows was a bit high and so it was difficult to hike through. 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, like flash floods that can be dangerous.
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 national 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 strenuous, 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 national park to visit with kids. 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, Alberta Falls or go all the way up to Mills Lake. Another option is to hike up to Ouzel Lake while passing multiple waterfalls along the way.
Want a little more of an adventurous hike? Challenge yourself by hiking to Chasm Lake. This hike is not for young kids as it is more challenging. The longer hike is worth it when you arrive at the lake which sits at the base of the stunning Longs Peak.
Rocky Mountain National Park, unfortunately, does get very busy in the summer. Be sure to check out the timed entry system that is in place, so you can enter the park when you want. Also take advantage of the shuttle system when going up to the Bear Lake area.
7. Yellowstone National Park
We’ll wrap up this list with Yellowstone National Park. There is no other national 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 to visit with kids 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 so many times we lost count. 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 a great national park to visit with 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. 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 above 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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