Adventuring beyond through travel, food, and more.
Sometimes plans don’t work out. We had planned to go on a summer trip to Colorado and visit a few parks, but life threw us a curveball. Instead, we headed east to Cuyahoga and Indiana Dunes National Parks as the consolation prize. Our pup, Jasper, also came along because we couldn’t find a dog-sitter so last minute. Each of the following are our picks for the 4 best dog-friendly hikes in Cuyahoga Valley!
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If you have a short amount of time available for this park, this is your guide to 4 fun hours in Indiana Dunes National Park! We stopped on our way from the very interesting (still under development) Pullman National Historic Site to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (see our post here!) and had just 4 hours to spend and wanted to use it wisely! We left with mixed feelings about the Park, but if you are coming from Chicago you can catch the train and be here fairly quickly without driving!
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Can you do the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 days? If you do so, will you actually be able to enjoy the time and see enough of the parks to feel like it was worthwhile? Simply put, Yes! One of the hardest aspects of travel planning for me is prioritizing what to see and what can be missed.
I will not lie to you – you will make compromises in seeing these parks in seven days. But, you will see enough to feel like you had a good time and were able to get out and active in the parks.
…Our family’s picks for the top 9 things to do with kids in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Of the national parks east of the Mississippi, Great Smoky Mountains is, well, the greatest! This beautiful park is, especially at sunset, a sea of hills that layer stunningly and distinctively. Mountains? Umm… Not in the western mind, but for the east it is a “yes!”
For families, Great Smoky Mountains should be considered solidly on the list of “top 5” national parks. It is easily accessible and has many kid-friendly programs and hikes. With Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg directly next to the park you can easily blend nature hikes and wildlife with mini golf, laser tag, wax museums, and a legitimate amusement park with a good dose of twang!
…Provided are two options for spending 1 day in Everglades National Park – choose your own adventure. Note: we receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.
Whenever I think of the Everglades the first thought I have is – alligators. Sure enough, on our family trip to Everglades National Park we saw alligators. Lots and lots and lots of alligators! So many alligators, in fact, that when we were at the Oasis Visitor Center (in the adjacent Big Cypress Preserve), the woman next to us was surprised by how dismissive “Tots” was when he told me not to bother walking to the end of the boardwalk because it was just another few alligators. That’s what seeing 100 alligators in a day will do to you…
…Our family’s picks for summer hikes in Death Valley
We use the term “hikes” very loosely in this post, as some of these are very short walks to an overlook or don’t really have a final destination per se, as you can go as far as you want (as in the Sand Dunes, for example). Also, while we rated the difficulty, some of these would not be moderate/difficult in normal temperatures. As with most things in Death Valley, they are made more difficult by the heat and desert conditions so be mindful of the conditions and forecasted temperatures in your planning!
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Our first trip to Death Valley was in mid-June 2018, so it was hot but not as hot as it gets further into the summer. This post contains quick stops in Death Valley National Park that would be appropriate on really hot days, if you’re just driving though, or on a day trip from Las Vegas.
I love Death Valley National Park. It’s on the very short list of my favorite parks because of its’ diversity, minerals (bringing vivid colors of rocks), and the mysteries of the desert for a guy who calls Minnesota home. Many see the desert as a hot, dry, windy, oppressive place that seems to be out to kill you. And they are right! What you can also see is a beautiful, unique, mysterious place that, when engaged safely, will be a stunning spot for your family to visit.
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Yosemite National Park is a great National Park for families as there are many beautiful sites to see that require little to no hiking as well as some amazingly beautiful longer hikes. During our visit to Yosemite we chose to do the popular Mist Trail hike and the less popular, but still beautiful, Wapama Falls hike in the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite (in addition to many overlooks and short hikes). Following is more info about our picks for the top 2 best family hikes in Yosemite National Park.
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Our list of top quick things to do in Yosemite with kids. Note: We receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.
Yosemite is a special place. It is scenic on a scale to match mighty parks like Zion, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Glacier National Parks. It is busy to match the Grand Canyon and again, Zion. Our first reflections on Yosemite were not great – the busyness made it a hassle and that rarely makes for a fun day for our family as we prefer quieter, more peaceful parks. After later reflections, however, we did it well with a blend of short stops and a few longer hikes. There are plenty of quick things to do in Yosemite with kids and this list only covers a portion of them.
…Our tips for visiting Kings Canyon National Park with kids.
We recently came back from our summer trip to some of California’s National Parks. After one day in Sequoia National Park, we decided to visit Kings Canyon the following day. While Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are managed as one park, they are quite different and we found we liked Kings Canyon best. Kings Canyon is so much less well known than Sequoia but it really does stand alone as the best kept secret in the area!Unfortunately for them, most visitors to Kings Canyon only visit the small part of the park that is home to the General Grant tree and the Grant Grove Village shopping area and Visitor Center and then call it a wrap. What a shame!
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