I’m thinking of taking my three boys to one of the big parks next spring. They will be 14, 11 and 8 at the time. We are East Coast people and have never been to The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc. I’m looking for opinions, taking into account these criteria:
[ul]
[li]We will be flying initially, so proximity to an airport will be helpful[/li][li]We will probably only have 7 - 10 days for the trip, including travel time[/li][li]We aren’t campers, so access to some form of cabin/motel/lodge would be good[/li][li]Potential to see wildlife[/li][li]Strenouos hiking probably not a good idea; moderate or less is ok[/li][/ul]
There is always Carlsbad Caverns. The “caverns” themselves are pretty damn cool…take all day…walk down from the natural entrance…tour the big room…then walk back UP to the natural entrance…adds much to the experience rather than taking the elevator.
Then stay the evening for the bat flight program. Seeing a gazillion bats going to work is something worth seeing too.
But wait, there is more…
Carlsbad also has “wild” cave tours…where they give you a helmet and light and they take you “off trail”. Some of these are off trail in the sense you aren’t walking on pavement anymore…and some are off trail in the sense you are crawling on hands and knees kinda stuff.
Then they ALSO have “wild” caving trips where they take you into the bowels of Carlsbad…or some other nearby wild cave…and you do some actual caving…
I’ve been to all three of the ones you mentioned, I loved Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, and was underwhelmed by Yosemite. If you want to hit a lot of parks in 7-10 days, and unique scenery is more important than wildlife, I’d recommend norther Arizona/southern Utah. You can fly in and out of Las Vegas, hit the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches, some hiking will be required to really get a lot out of it, but I don’t recall it being too strenuous. The only problem re: your criteria is that I don’t recall much visible wildlife in those parks.
If wildlife is important to you, then definitely go for Yellowstone, where you’ll see more bison than you thought existed, plus other wildlife as well, and the scenery there is stunning too. The only downside to Yellowstone is that no other national parks (well, except Grand Teton, but that’s generally thought of as partner to Yellowstone) very close by. If you’re up for a very long drive, you can go across Wyoming into the Black Hills of South Dakota and hit Badlands and Mount Rushmore, or north into Montana to see Glacier. There’s plenty to do on that route - the Cody Nite Rodeo, about an hour east of Yellowstone, is fun, and there are many atractions in the Black Hills, including the Black Hills Reptile Gardens and Deadwood.
This being 21st-century America, you’ll have no problem finding a motel anywhere.
A few years ago, I went to Utah and saw the “Mighty 5.” (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonland, and Arches National Parks) I was there for a little under a week. I didn’t camp (though I actually probably would camp or campervan if I went back) and instead stayed in the hotels nearby. There are short and long hikes, if you want them, but there are also plenty of things you can see by car.
It was beautiful & amazing. I highly recommend going there.
It sounds like you’re planning on hitting just one of three parks, correct? I’ve been to all three but it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Grand Canyon so my memories of that are least fresh.
Of the three, I’d choose either Yosemite or Yellowstone. There’s lots to do in the Yosemite Valley, with shorter hikes as well as a lot things to see from the car. That’s good for a few days if you plan to hike to the waterfalls. But there’s so much to see outside the Valley; Tuolumne Meadows, Hetch Hetchy, Tioga Pass, Glacier Point, Mariposa Grove. It’s not ideal for wildlife sightings, but there’s a lot of stuff there.
Yellowstone is ideal for wildlife sightings. There are regular traffic jams as bison and elk cross the road in front of cars. The geysers and hot pots are fascinating for kids, and many to see although they might get repetitive after a while. There are many small hikes, but unless you’re willing to go much further distances it’s hard to get far away from roads like you can in other parks. One big advantage of Yellowstone is Jackson Hole is a short distance away, and Grand Tetons is right there. That’s another park with an aerial tram, lakes, mountain biking, canoeing, rafting, plus a fun and funky town to explore.
Not sure about lodging in either place, we’ve always camped.
Most of those parks are still full of snow in spring, depending how late in spring you mean. Yosemite Valley is accessible year round, but the high country is often not accessible until June or even July, if it’s been a wet winter. (Like we ever have those any more …) You’ll need to take that into account. May is very busy in Yosemite, when the waterfalls are fullest. Lodging inside the park may already be be booked up for next May.
I would just throw out one from left field. You might want to look into Banff National Park in Canada. There is an airport, lodging and a very favorable exchange rate. There are several other national parks within a few hours driving distance as well.
Start with this decision: desert majesty or mountains.
Desert will lead you to the “Mighty 5”, or a sub-set, mentioned above, which is amazing. It is also, hot, being the summer.
Mountains will lead you to a trip that might include the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. I would vote for that one myself. The heat is here to stay I think. The mountains are changing every year and will not be the same by the time your children are grown, although still amazing.
We just did the Grand Canyon last month. Jaw droppingly awesome. No picture can capture the majesty of that place. You can fly into Vegas or Flagstaff, AZ. There are lots of ways to get to the Grand Canyon, but we did it this way Grand Canyon Railway. Lots of quirky Americana Route 66 stuff to see in and near Williams, AZ where we caught the train…
This is all great information. Thanks! Keep it coming. I feel like I want my kids to see the Grand Canyon, and the proximity to the Utah parks is a bonus. But I do like the idea of them seeing the great Bison and elk populations too.
One that hasn’t been mentioned that offers a unique view is Glacier up in North Western Montana. It’s a chance to see the last glaciers in the US while they last and it’s only a 6 hour drive from Yellowstone.
I recommend Yellowstone. We are going again this summer. We usually rent a cabin at a KOA. Plenty to see. Plenty of short and moderate hikes. Definitely plenty of wildlife potential. When in spring? I’m not sure how the roads and everything are early in the year.
What do you consider a strenuous hike? Distance, elevation, exposure to hazards? My kids are pre teens and we try to keep in under 8 flat miles or 5 with elevation. We are working on conditioning for next summer so we can do a bit further.
Now that I mention it, the more conditioning you do now, even if it’s 3-5 mile walks on the weekend, the more you’ll enjoy your trip.
I don’t have a set time in mind. We are flexible on dates. We could push it into summer, but I was originally thinking the GC, so I was worried about the heat. I’m not sure what to compare the hiking to around here. We go to the Smoky Mountains on occasion.
In a week you can do Arches, Canyonland, Bryce (the best), Capitol Reef and Zion … then over to the Grand Canyon. I highly recommend the mule ride down the Grand Canyon, but I’m not sure about the age minimum. Otherwise, there’s a package that flies you right over the canyon (fantastic views), up the Colorado to the Glen Canyon Dam, Antelope Canyon, and rafting down the river … all in one day.
If wildlife is the priority, then I also go with Yellowstone. We are well familiar with Yosemite, but there was much more wildlife easily viewed in Yellowstone (we saw bison, elk, beaver, deer, coyote, black bear, and one grizzly - the bears we saw from the car). Yosemite is a great hiker’s destination, so if hiking is not the priority, then Yellowstone is a better choice. Also, if you plan ahead, then you can book accommodations right in the park (we camped there). I think the closest large airport is Salt Lake City, or maybe Boise, then rent a car.
Glad we did the classic family road trip to Yellowstone while the kids were relatively young - now they’re teenagers and I doubt we’d get them to willingly do that trip now. Go explore and enjoy the time together while you can!
Good comment from everybody. Having been to several of those places int he past few years, I’ll add my comments.
Grand Tetons/Yellowstone can easily take 5-7 days, I’d suggest flying into Salt Lake City and driving the 4 hours to Jackson Hole (few flights to Jackson and they are probably expensive). Towns just outside the parks have many hotels, but they fill fast and can be pricey (check google maps and hotels.com). Doing more than that may pressure that 1 week schedule.
Grand Canyon is best reached from Las Vegas (and while the kids aren’t old enough to do much, it might be worth a day there anyway (Red Rocks park is neat). You can do Hoover Dam while on the way to Flagstaff, and also catch the Giant Meteor Crater and the Lowell Observatory. LIke others said, it’s a lot of driving to get from one place to another out west, but if you base out of Las Vegas, Death Valley can be a 1-day trip if you start early enough.