Sunset at Crater Lake National Park

Sunset at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. All photography is ours.

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United States with Kids

If you’re planning a family trip in the United States and want one piece of advice, here it is: pick a national park and build the trip around it. That’s how our wanderlust really started. When our fourth-grader got her Every Kid Outdoors pass, we drove to the closest parks first, and we never really stopped. Now we’re forty-six national parks in to this wild adventure, plus a lot of theme parks, ski towns, and city weekends too. Here’s where we bring it all together.

We live in Oklahoma, so most of these trips start with a car and a cooler. The Southwest and the Rockies are a long day’s drive. Florida, the Smokies, and the big cities are a short flight, using points when we can swing it. Below you’ll find every state we’ve written about, the trips we’d send a family on first, and the practical stuff we’ve learned along the way. Thanks for reading, and be sure to tell us your favorite family spots in the US.

Destination guide · Updated October 2026 · We live here

Best months

Spring and fall breaks, summer for the mountains

National parks

64 parks, we’ve been to 46

How long

A long weekend for one park, 10 days for the Mighty 5

Getting around

A rental car almost everywhere, the subway in the big cities

Book ahead

Glacier and Yosemite lodging · Disney park days · Yellowstone snowcoaches

Essential United States All guides Routes When to go Where to stay Good to know Map

We’ve done the United States in just about every shape a family trip can take. The one we come back to is the national park road trip. Our first big one was Utah’s Mighty 5 over a ten day spring break, 4,000 miles through six states, with Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches along the way (with Great Basin and Grand Canyon for good measure). Since then we’ve spent a week in Glacier, traveled by snowcoach into Yellowstone in winter, watched volcanoes erupt in Hawaii, and gazed at impossibly starry skies in Big Bend.

The parks are only part of the adventure though. We’ve done Orlando’s theme parks in one very full week, skied Winter Park, Purgatory, Sun Valley, and Park City, and spent long weekends in Chicago, Philadelphia on the Fourth of July, St. Louis, San Antonio, Dubuque, and so many more. Every state below has its own page with what we did, where we stayed, and what we’d do first. Pick a region and start there.

Arches National Park on the Mighty 5 trip
Arches National Park on the Mighty 5 trip
Hawaii
Hawaii

Your United States guide

Enjoy exploring the United States with kids!

Keep scrolling for the essentials and where to stay.

Mount Rushmore National Monument - South Dakota
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood
Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Independence Day from our house
Independence Day from our house

Essential United States

Why we love the United States

We think you’ll love it too.

It’s home, of course, but where else can you get to a national park within a day’s drive, a theme park when the kids need one, and a ski town for spring break, all without a passport. We love it because every trip is different. One year it’s steam pouring off the geysers in a nearly empty Yellowstone, the next it’s the seaplane out to Dry Tortugas, or Cadence sledding the white dunes in New Mexico. Ask each of us for a favorite park and you get three answers: Redwood for Cadence, Glacier for Andrew, and Olympic for Carrie and Carrick. Scroll down for the trips we’d start with, then the regions and every state page we’ve written.

Arches National Park

Utah’s Mighty 5 Guide

You can see five national parks in one spring break road trip. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches are all on the route, with Scenic Byway 12 tying several of them together. It’s the trip that showed our kids what the West looks like.

Oklahoma City Zoo

A weekend in Oklahoma City Guide

Oklahoma City is our home state’s capital, and it’s an easy weekend from home. Shoot the rapids at Riversport, ride the Wheeler Ferris Wheel, and take the water taxi through Bricktown. Then add the zoo, Science Museum Oklahoma, and pie at Pie Junkie.

Hawaii Balcony

72 hours in Hawaii Guide

You can see Maui, the Big Island, and Oahu in three days. Watch sunrise at the summit of Haleakalā, then see the lava lake glowing at Volcanoes National Park that same night. Then it’s Pearl Harbor, Dole Whip, and the North Shore. It’s proof you can do Hawaii on a school schedule.

Fort Jefferson

Florida beyond Orlando Guide

Start with Universal, Disney, and Busch Gardens, broken up with beach days. Then head to the Everglades, Biscayne, and the seaplane out to Dry Tortugas, which took our breath away. You get theme parks and national parks in the same week.

And the regions we’ve crossed the country for

The Southwest

This is our winter and spring break country. You’ll find saguaro from Tucson and the Grand Canyon without the summer crowds in Arizona, sledding at White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, every NPS site in Nevada, and the Mighty 5 in Utah.

The Rockies

The Rockies mean Rocky Mountain National Park in winter and summer, rafting in Durango, and the dunes at Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. Then there’s Glacier in Montana, Yellowstone and Devils Tower in Wyoming, and Sun Valley skiing in Idaho.

Home turf, the South and the Plains

Oklahoma is home, so we know it best. From here it’s a short drive to Hot Springs in Arkansas, San Antonio and Big Bend in Texas, the Gateway Arch and Branson in Missouri, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and the Smokies, Dollywood, and Graceland in Tennessee.

The Southeast and the coast

This corner of the country has theme parks and national parks in Florida, the King park in Atlanta for Georgia, Charleston and Congaree in South Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina and Virginia, and New River Gorge in West Virginia.

The Northeast and the capital

Our trips here include Philadelphia on the Fourth of July in Pennsylvania, a short stopover on the National Mall in Washington DC, and Carrie and Cadence’s girls trip through Vermont. Maine, Massachusetts, and New York are on our list to write up.

The Midwest

A Chicago weekend by train in Illinois, Cuyahoga Valley, Cedar Point, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, and the Labor Day weekend in Dubuque that surprised us in Iowa.

Hawaii and the islands

Start with three islands in 72 hours in Hawaii, with both national parks, Pearl Harbor, and the North Shore. In the Caribbean, visit Virgin Islands National Park on St. John from a base on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

Every National Park Service site, by state Guide

All 64 national parks on one map, plus every monument, historic site, seashore, and trail the National Park Service looks after, listed state by state with the ones we’ve visited marked.

Browse

Find your next adventure in the United States

Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll match it up with some great trip ideas.

Category Region
Browse every destination we cover

Routes

Four United States trips we’d send a family on

These are four trips we’ve done ourselves, each a different kind of week. There’s a desert road trip, a few days in Key West with a seaplane to Dry Tortugas, a loop through the volcanoes and redwoods of Northern California and Oregon, and the Fourth of July in Boston before a drive up the Maine coast to Acadia. See all the stops on a map.

Start

Zion National Park

Fly into Las Vegas or drive in like we did. Plan two days for the shuttle, the canyon, and a trail or two. Our Utah page has the whole trip.

Then head to

Bryce Canyon and Scenic Byway 12

See the hoodoos from the rim in the morning, then take one of the best drives in the country to Capitol Reef.

Finish

Moab for Canyonlands and Arches

Moab gives you two parks from one base. We covered 4,000 miles and six states over ten days, and it’s a trip we’ll never forget.

Start

Old Town Key West

Ride the Conch Train Tour first to get your bearings. Then tour the Hemingway Home, stand at the Southernmost Point, and find the best key lime pie you can. The Butterfly and Nature Conservatory and the Shipwreck Treasure Museum are easy wins with kids, and the Ghosts and Gravestones Tour is there if yours like a good scare. Our Key West guide has all of it.

Then get on the water

The reef and a sunset cruise

Snorkel North America’s only living coral reef with Fury Water Adventures. Our kids were jumping off the side of the boat by the second stop. Two lifeguards are on board, and one gets in the water with you. End the day on a Sebago sunset catamaran. Kids are welcome, and the views are stunning.

Finish

Dry Tortugas National Park

Take the seaplane if you can. It’s 40 minutes each way instead of two hours on the ferry, so you get more time in the park, and you fly low over shipwrecks and reefs on the way. Climb to the top of Fort Jefferson, then snorkel along the moat wall. Book early. We waited too long on a holiday weekend and the ferry was full. Our Dry Tortugas guide has the details.

Start

Sacramento to Redding, Whiskeytown, and Lassen

Fly into Sacramento, pick up the rental, and grab groceries and a cooler for picnic lunches. Head north to Redding and stop at Whiskeytown for the Crystal Creek Falls hike and a swim in the lake. Then give Lassen Volcanic a full day. Walk the Manzanita Lake loop, hike to Kings Creek Falls and Bumpass Hell, and come back to Manzanita Lake for sunset. Our California page has more.

Then head to

Lava Beds and Tule Lake

Bring flashlights for the lava tube caves at Lava Beds National Monument. Mushpot Cave and Skull Cave are good ones to start with. Then drive over to the Tule Lake unit of WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and Captain Jack’s Stronghold if there’s time, before heading to Medford for the night.

Then head to

Redwood National and State Parks

Base in Crescent City for two nights. Drive Howland Hill Road through Jedediah Smith, walk Stout Grove, and catch sunset at Crescent Beach. The next day, drive the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway past Big Tree, walk Lady Bird Johnson Grove, and hike to Trillium Falls. Save time for tidepooling at Enderts Beach, and check for a ranger-led night sky program at Jedediah Smith.

Finish

Oregon Caves and Crater Lake

Take the 90-minute cave tour at Oregon Caves on the way north. Then give Crater Lake a full day. Drive the 33 miles of Rim Drive and finish with sunset from the fire lookout at Watchman Overlook. We stayed two nights in Medford on IHG free nights, then flew home from Portland.

Start

Salem

Fly into Boston and start just north of the city in Salem. The Salem Witch Museum, the House of the Seven Gables, and Salem Maritime National Historical Park fill an easy first day, and they’re all part of the Essex National Heritage Area. We stayed just outside town in Peabody.

Then head to

Boston on the Fourth of July

Walk the Freedom Trail from Faneuil Hall past the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, the Paul Revere House, and the Old North Church. Cross into Charlestown for the Bunker Hill Monument and the Navy Yard, where kids can climb aboard the USS Constitution. Add the Boston African American National Historic Site, then stay up for the fireworks.

Then drive up the coast

Saugus Iron Works and lobster rolls

Stop at Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site on the way out of town. Then plan the drive to Bar Harbor around lobster rolls. Bite Into Maine in Cape Elizabeth, Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, and the Palace Diner were on our list, with duck fat fries in Portland.

Finish

Acadia National Park

Base in Bar Harbor for two nights and give Acadia two full days. If you want to drive Cadillac Summit Road, book the vehicle reservation ahead in summer. Spend the last night in Bangor and fly home from there.

When to go

Time your trip by the region

We travel around the school calendar, so most of our trips are spring break, summer, fall break, and the week after Christmas. The desert is a spring and winter trip. The mountains are summer, or winter if you’re skiing. Florida works any time the kids are out of school, and we’ve found national parks in winter are a great way to ditch the crowds.

Phoenix · Desert Southwest Denver · Rockies Orlando · Florida Average daily high, °F
BEST WINDOW BEST WINDOW 40° 60° 80° 100° 120° 106° 89° 92° Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.

March – April

It’s spring break. The desert parks are perfect, Florida is warm without the summer heat, and the ski resorts still have snow. Our Mighty 5 trip, White Sands, Saguaro, and most of our ski weeks were spring break trips.

June – August

This is the time for the mountains. Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and the Smokies are at their best, and so are the crowds. Book park lodging and timed entries the day they open.

September – October

This is fall break, and it’s our favorite time for the parks close to home. That means Hot Springs, the Talimena Drive, St. Louis, and the Blue Ridge Parkway in color. Everything is cooler, cheaper, and quieter.

November – February

This is the season for winter parks and ski trips, like Yellowstone by snowcoach, Rocky Mountain with almost nobody around, and Big Bend in December.

Where to stay

Where we stay, from park gateways to points hotels

We stay in one of three kinds of base, depending on the trip. It’s the gateway town outside a park, the resort at the bottom of a ski hill, or a city hotel we booked on points.

A girl looking out from a balcony at red rock cliffs near Zion National Park
Hotel views from Zion National Park

Park trips

The gateway town

Lodging inside the parks books up a year out, so we usually stay in the town at the gate. For us that’s Estes Park for Rocky Mountain, Alpine for Big Bend, Gatlinburg for the Smokies, and the Embassy Suites in Hot Springs.

  • Book the gateway town the day you pick dates
  • In-park lodges for one splurge night if you can get one
  • A kitchenette saves money on park trips
Hyatt Centric Park City - great ski resorts for kids
Hyatt Centric Park City

Ski trips

At the base of the hill

Spring break skiing is a family tradition, and staying close to the lifts is what makes it work with kids. The Vintage Hotel at Winter Park, the Hyatt Centric in Park City, and the Limelight in Ketchum for Sun Valley are the ones we’ve used. Our ski page compares the resorts.

  • Ski-in ski-out or a free shuttle, nothing in between
  • Ask about kids ski free deals before you book
  • Rent where you stay if the hotel offers it
The Old Post Office tower in Washington, DC, with a pink flower arch at the entrance
The Old Post Office, now the Waldorf Astoria hotel

City weekends

Points hotels downtown

City trips are where points do the most work for us. The Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC was a splurge on points, Hotel Kansas City downtown was a great base, and chain hotels near the action cover most of the rest. Walkable beats cheap when you have kids in tow.

  • Transferable points and free night certificates
  • Downtown and walkable, every time
  • Breakfast included saves a meal a day

Good to know

Questions families ask us about the United States

Start with an easy one close to home. Our first trips were parks within a day’s drive, and that’s still our advice. Hot Springs is about the easiest national park you can manage, since you walk in from a downtown sidewalk. Mammoth Cave is within a day’s drive of half the country. Rocky Mountain, Zion, and the Smokies are the big ones that work for any age, with short trails and real payoffs. Pick the one you can reach and go. The rest tends to follow.

Yes, it is. One pass covers the whole car for a year at every national park and most other federal sites, and it pays for itself in two or three visits. If you have a fourth grader, get the Every Kid Outdoors pass first. It’s free, it covers the family, and it’s how our national park habit started. We haven’t stopped since.

Points and miles cover a lot of it. We earn through everyday spending and welcome bonuses, focus on transferable points, book early for peak dates, and never spend extra just to earn. We pay the cards in full every month. The flights to Florida and the city hotels are usually points. The road trips are a car, a cooler, and a national park pass. Our About page explains how we think about it.

It depends on the region, so we match the trip to the break. Spring break is the desert, Florida, or skiing. Summer is the mountains, with the crowds that come with them. Fall break is the parks close to home, and it’s our favorite. Winter is underrated. Yellowstone by snowcoach and Rocky Mountain with almost nobody around were two of our best park visits.

You can do both, often on the same trip. Florida is the obvious one, with Universal and Disney a couple of hours from the Everglades and Biscayne. In Ohio we did Cuyahoga Valley and Cedar Point in one weekend. Our advice is to break up theme park days with something outside, a beach or a park, so nobody melts down. Our theme parks page covers the ones we’ve done.

Farther than most people would guess. The Mighty 5 trip was 4,000 miles over ten days from Oklahoma, through six states. Most of our park trips are a one day drive each way with a few long days in the middle. The kids got used to it early, and a cooler in the back seat does a lot of the work. When the drive runs long we look for a park or a city worth stopping in, which is how a few of these state pages got started.

Map

Essential United States, mapped

Keep exploring

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United States with kids