Include national park in travel plan, how?

[Anonymous]

We are not outdoorsy family that do camping, hiking, fishing or water activities. I just read a national park book, and I am thinking to include national parks as much as possible when we travel for kids' benefits. Kids are 5 and 9. We have only done city travel with flight and go city passes. Except grand canyon, are there any important national park that is worth visit once in a lifetime within US? How could we include national park as part of travel itineracy for beginners?

We plan to go to san diego, florida disney, seattle/vancouver and toronto in 2024.

[Anonymous]

Yellowstone, Yosemite, Arcadia. All have doable hikes accessible by car you can do. They dont fit jnto your 2024 plans easily though.
But for Florida, take an everglades tour on a boat.

[Anonymous]

There are many amazing national parks, especially out west. You do not have to camp to see them: there are hotels within the parks or nearby outside, althoigh they book up. If you can afford it, there are guided tours that arrange everything. But many of the western parks are huge and outside cities, so you don't just drop in for a day.

I'm not sure what it means that you don't hike: are you opposed to walking on a trail?

If you are in the DMV, suggest you plan a long weekend in Shenandoah National Park in late spring or early summer: that's an easy way to try this out. Stay in a lodge, go to ranger talks and ranger led hikes, try the easier trails.

[Anonymous]

The sequoias/redwoods

I am not big on spending time in the woods. While my parents idea of a vacation was to go to a forest and sit under a tree, I prefer cities and beaches. Even so, I think everybody should see the redwoods/sequoias at least once in their lifetime.

You cannot fully appreciate the scale from pictures. Moreover, standing there, surrounded by giants, it feels like a sacred space. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and it is certainly impressive, but the redwoods and sequoias left a much bigger impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The sequoias/redwoods

I am not big on spending time in the woods. While my parents idea of a vacation was to go to a forest and sit under a tree, I prefer cities and beaches. Even so, I think everybody should see the redwoods/sequoias at least once in their lifetime.

You cannot fully appreciate the scale from pictures. Moreover, standing there, surrounded by giants, it feels like a sacred space. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and it is certainly impressive, but the redwoods and sequoias left a much bigger impact.

Where are redwoods/sequoias?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yellowstone, Yosemite, Arcadia. All have doable hikes accessible by car you can do. They dont fit jnto your 2024 plans easily though.
But for Florida, take an everglades tour on a boat.

Acadia

Agree with Everglades.

[Anonymous]

“ We are not outdoorsy family that do camping, hiking, fishing or water activities.”

Start with hiking. All you need are good shoes and water bottles. You can hike in the dmv. Go to REI when you want to do longer hikes and need good gear. Good socks are also nice. REI has lots of books.

There are multiple national parks in Washington state.

A place need not be a national park to have worthwhile hiking. There are state parks, county parks, etc all over.

I’ve done many outdoor activities. Hiking is one of my favorites. It doesn’t require a ton of gear or planning and it’s often quiet and slow and peaceful.

[Anonymous]

What jumped out at you in the national parks book?

Is budget a concern?

Are you in the US for a limited amount of time?

[Anonymous]

When are you going to Toronto?
Algonquin Park is a 3 hour drive north and worth a visit. You could stay in a cabin or yurt if you're not camping people and do some hikes, canoeing.

[Anonymous]

See if you can do a day trip to Olympic National Park while in Seattle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When are you going to Toronto?
Algonquin Park is a 3 hour drive north and worth a visit. You could stay in a cabin or yurt if you're not camping people and do some hikes, canoeing.

+1
There are canoe guides nearly every place that has canoeing.

[Anonymous]

Go to the library and read a book.

Go to the park’s website, and read “planning Your Visit.”

Some cannot just be casually added (like Yosemite) because they are hard to access and once you get there you need time to explore. Think of them like their own destination, not some place to swing by on your way to somewhere else.

I suggest you look at Netflix for a show or series that highlights national parks. Watch with your kids and see what excites everyone. There is great diversity, so it is hard to advise.

(Do you like bears? Deserts? Native artifacts? Swamps? Snorkeling? Forests? Glaciers?)

[Anonymous]

Once you get to the park, ranger’s talks are usually fun and free. Your kids can also get stamps on their “passport.” And a junior ranger badge!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sequoias/redwoods

I am not big on spending time in the woods. While my parents idea of a vacation was to go to a forest and sit under a tree, I prefer cities and beaches. Even so, I think everybody should see the redwoods/sequoias at least once in their lifetime.

You cannot fully appreciate the scale from pictures. Moreover, standing there, surrounded by giants, it feels like a sacred space. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and it is certainly impressive, but the redwoods and sequoias left a much bigger impact.

Where are redwoods/sequoias?

Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Park
https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm

Redwood National and State Parks
https://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sequoias/redwoods

I am not big on spending time in the woods. While my parents idea of a vacation was to go to a forest and sit under a tree, I prefer cities and beaches. Even so, I think everybody should see the redwoods/sequoias at least once in their lifetime.

You cannot fully appreciate the scale from pictures. Moreover, standing there, surrounded by giants, it feels like a sacred space. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and it is certainly impressive, but the redwoods and sequoias left a much bigger impact.

Where are redwoods/sequoias?

OP, you're going to have to do some googling with this...