Age for Yosemite, Zion, Joshua Tree, etc.

[Anonymous]

Have you hiked with her before? Some kids like hiking, some don't. I have both types. Maybe take them to Great Falls and see how they like it?

We just did a series of national parks this summer. My youngest is 6. We did not do any major hikes -- I think the longest was maybe 4 miles round-trip. We planned a picnic for the middle to break it up and to have a "goal" which helps with a kid. Each National Park has a Junior Ranger badge you can earn -- a hike is usually part of the requirements, and there is usually some aspect of a scavenger hunt (e.g., find three kinds of leaves...).

Most kids, I think, would not be interested in long hikes at that age. Short hikes, especially if you make them a nature scavenger hunt, work better. And I'd look for national parks that have other things to do -- e.g., horse wagon drives, rafting, boating, etc. I know you can rent bikes at Yosemite, but I don't know if they have tandems or kid bikes. One thing to be aware of is that the NPS seems to have a general rule for its concessions -- that horseback riding is only for age 8 and up. My youngest was very disappointed in that.

We had a great time in Tetons, by the way, and my little one really enjoyed white water rafting, bison viewing, motor boating on Jackson Lake, and playing on the beach at Jackson Lake. Yellowstone was also fun, but it's a big park so there's a lot of driving. We brought a few audio books and also downloaded the car tour app. Also, because of the thermal features, many areas in Yellowstone literally stink (like rotten eggs). Some of my kids found that upsetting. Yellowstone also has a big science aspect, due to the volcanic activity and thermal features, which some kids love. If you go during the summer, the rangers do science programs especially for kids.

I personally find that kids need variety, so I think that most kids wouldn't be happy with a trip where you are hiking 5 days in a row. The best bet is a park where there are a variety of activities and you can sort of mix it up.

My other piece of advice is not to feel guilty about letting them go on the ipad for a couple of hours in the afternoon -- that was a tough adjustment for me (it's so beautiful here! get off the screen!), but I think it is really no big deal if they spend the morning hiking around one of the most beautiful places in the world, if they want to wind down in the afternoon by playing some dumb game on the ipad (which also gives you a chance to take a long shower, do some laundry, read a book, etc.).

[Anonymous]

I think Zion would be tough with a kid that age. When we went the vast majority of hike were very steep uphill climbs and in the 8-10 mil range. One of the best hikes is Angel's landing but I would not take a child on that hike as there are a lot of very steep switch backs and portions are very dangerous (straight drops off a cliff where you need to hold onto chains as you hike).

I think places like Arches, Bryce and Canyonlands are better for hike because they are shorter and easier hikes. Some like the hike to Delicate Arch are still challenging enough to push a 5 yr old, but not terrible.