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Best Family Tour in Mammoth Cave National Park

May 30, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

Our pick for the best family tour in Mammoth Cave

Caves are an odd thing but people have been fascinated by these holes in the ground for a very long time. I suppose early on it was for shelter, but more recently the fascination has been the mystery of where they may go, how big they may be, and what is down that next passage.

Mammoth Cave has all of those hallmarks and the superlatives to go with a name like Mammoth. Thankfully Mammoth Cave lives up to its name as it is part of the longest cave system in the world since it is connected to the broader Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System of central Kentucky. Imagine 400 miles of known and surveyed passageways – more than two times the size of the next largest cave!

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Filed Under: Mammoth Cave National Park Tagged With: Bottomless Pit, Historic Tour, Mammoth Cave National Park, Mammoth Dome, national park with kids, Rotunda, travel with kids

4 Best Dog-Friendly Hikes in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

May 30, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

4 best dog-friendly hikes in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

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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Filed Under: Cuyahoga Valley National Park Tagged With: Blue Hen Falls, Brandywine Falls, Canal Exploration Center, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Dog-friendly National Parks, Everett Covered Bridge, First Ladies National Historic Site, hiking with dogs, hiking with kids, James A Garfield, Ledges Overlook, Loop Trail, national park with kids

4 Fun Hours in Indiana Dunes National Park

May 29, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

4 fun hours in Indiana Dunes National Park

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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Filed Under: Indiana Dunes National Park Tagged With: Century of Progress Homes, Indiana Dunes National Park, junior ranger, West Beach

The Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 Days

May 29, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 Days

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.

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Filed Under: Utah National Parks Tagged With: Arches, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands, Horseshoe Bend, mighty 5, Mighty 5 itinerary, mighty five, Pipe Spring National Monument, road trip with kids, utah itinerary, Utah National Parks, Vermillion Cliffs, zion national park

Top 9 Things to do with Kids in Great Smoky Mountains

May 26, 2020 By Ross Nelson 2 Comments

Our family’s picks for the top 9 things to do with kids in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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!

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Filed Under: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tagged With: alum cave, blue ridge parkway, cades cove, clingmans dome, dollywood, great smoky mountain national park, grotto falls, laurel falls, national park with kids, National Parks, newfound gap, oconaluftee visitor center, roaring fork, spruce flats falls

Complete Guide to 1 Day in Everglades National Park

May 22, 2020 By Ross Nelson 2 Comments

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.

Complete Guide to 1 Day in Everglades National Park

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…

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Filed Under: Everglades National Park, Florida National Parks, National Parks Tagged With: Anhinga Trail, Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Flamingo Visitor Center, hiking with kids, mahogany hammock, Miccosukee Indian Reservation, national park with kids, National Parks, Nike Missile Base, Pa-hay-okee overlook, Pinelands, shark valley

7 Summer Hikes in Death Valley National Park

May 17, 2020 By Kim Nelson Leave a Comment

Our family’s picks for summer hikes in Death Valley

7 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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Filed Under: Death Valley National Park Tagged With: Badwater Basin, Death Valley Buttes, death valley hikes, death valley national park, death valley with kids, Father Crowley Vista, hiking with kids, Keane Wonder Mill and Mine, national park with kids, Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, Zabriskie Point

8 Quick Stops in Death Valley National Park

May 16, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

8 Quick Stops in Death Valley National Park

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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Filed Under: Death Valley National Park Tagged With: a day in death valley, Artists Drive, Dantes View, death valley national park, Devils Golf Course, Harmony Borax Works, Las Vegas, Panamint Springs, Stovepipe Wells

Top 2 Best Family Hikes in Yosemite

January 12, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

Top Family Hikes in Yosemite

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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Filed Under: National Parks, Yosemite National Park Tagged With: best family hikes in yosemite, family day hikes, Half Dome, Happy Isles Shuttle Stop, Hetch Hetchy, hiking with kids, john muir trail, mist trail, national park with kids, Nevada Fall, top 2 family hikes in yosemite, Vernal Fall, Wapama Falls, Yosemite National Park

Best things to do in Yosemite with Kids

April 15, 2019 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

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.

things to do in Yosemite

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.

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Filed Under: Yosemite National Park, National Parks Tagged With: Ansel Adams, Bridalveil Fall, El Capitan, family hikes, Glacier Point, Half Dome, hiking with kids, Olmsted Point, Sentinel Rock, Tunnel View, Tuolumne Meadows, Washburn Point, Yosemite Fall, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Valley

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About Us

Hi everyone! In 2015 our family set a goal to visit as many National Park sites as we could in the Contiguous US before the kids graduate from high school. This blog is our way of sharing what we do and helping others learn from our plans (with some fun extras thrown in as well)! Join our family as we passionately pursue adventuring beyond through travel, food, and more. Read More…

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