family hikes

An Amazing 2 Days in Lassen Volcanic National Park

January 17, 2025 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

We had the most amazing 2 days in Lassen Volcanic National Park! This park, which is sadly overlooked in a state with Yosemite, Death Valley, Redwood, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and other beautiful spots, should be a destination on your road trip because it is so unique!

Unique meaning a mini-Yellowstone, Haleakala, or Mount Rainier. This park is home to both the world’s largest plug dome volcano (Lassen Peak) but also is home to all 4 types of volcanoes (plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano), which is rare in such close proximity. It is also home to a geothermal area named Bumpass Hell that feels like Yellowstone. You also have some higher elevation areas that felt like a high elevation mountain.

…

Stunning 3 Days in Redwood National Park

March 23, 2024 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

We came for 3 Days in Redwood National Park for the trees, but stayed for the unexpected and special beauty of the ferns, the beaches, and the tidepools! Here is how we had a stunning 3 days in Redwood National Park!

This park, much like Olympic National Park, has a lot more to it than people typically would think. We came from the north on our way from Crater Lake National Park and a quick stop at the Oregon Caves National Monument. The beauty of the drive through the mountains and along the Smith River on Highway 199 was special before we came upon the exit for the Howland Hill Road near Hiouchi, CA in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park.

…

The Best Things to do in Voyageurs National Park with Kids

May 1, 2022 By Kim Nelson Leave a Comment

Our tips for the best things to do with kids in Voyageurs National Park — Morning at our 2nd Houseboat Site

Our summer trip to Voyageurs National Park was perfect – it included beautiful sunsets, stunning lakes, great hikes, and some fun history. We spent a total of 4 nights in the park, with 3 of those being on the water on our houseboat.

As mentioned in our other post here on Voyageurs National Park, we went out on Crane Lake and as a result some of these things to see are on that side of the park, but we visited Kabetogema Lake Visitor Center and Rainy Lake Visitor Center as well so we got to two of the three Visitor Centers and did activities at each of them. We have organized this post by the nearest visitor center so you can choose where you go and what to see in that area.

…

Complete Guide to 1 Day in New River Gorge National Park

August 2, 2021 By Ross Nelson 1 Comment

Our newest National Park, christened in January 2021, is New River Gorge National Park and Preserve! I have to say first that I am often leery of new National Parks because they can be a stretch to consider them worthy of that status when compared to their peers (I’m looking at you, Indiana Dunes). Rest assured that after exploring New River Gorge this summer this is worthy of being called a National Park!

Our visit spanned a few days including 2 full days in the park, so we will share this as a choose your own adventure plan where you could spend a single day doing either itinerary or combine them for a great 2 day visit! I will dispel one other thought right off the bat here as well — you do NOT need to be a whitewater rafter to enjoy the park. We did not choose to do that and still had a fantastic visit that left us wanting to return to the area.

…

Top 9 Things to Do in Yellowstone National Park

July 29, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

Yellowstone has always felt overwhelming to us. So overwhelming, that it was the 27th National Park we chose to visit and it was only the whole COVID epidemic and associated closures that made us decide to go there when we did. It is a really big park, with a lot to see and do. We don’t (ok I don’t!) like to settle into a single big park for a week at a time, but rather like to spend 3 or 4 days in a park and then move along somewhere else and compile a list of places we would catch if/when we return.

We’ve decided to provide a visiting Yellowstone during COVID post as well as this top sites post, and an itinerary post with suggested places to stay and how we did what we did in just 3 days!

So, without further ado, here are our top 9 things to do in Yellowstone National Park!

…

How to Make the Best Out of Visiting Yellowstone during COVID

July 26, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

If you are anything like our family, you may be going stir-crazy at home by now and are itching to get out and explore again. While to some it may seem irresponsible to go out and explore during the COVID outbreak, we believe in living life to the fullest even during uncertain times and that if we were cautious and conscientious we would be fine. Visiting Yellowstone during COVID was just what we needed!

…

The Best 1 Day in the Mojave Preserve

May 31, 2020 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

The Mojave Preserve is a vastly under-appreciated gem of the National Park System in California. We visited on a trip that had us fly into Las Vegas before hitting the Mojave, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, and Death Valley National Parks. We had the best 1 day in the Mojave Preserve by doing some great hikes and appreciating the beauty of the park!

Tucked between I-15 and I-40 and touching the border with Nevada, this huge park (1.6 million acres and the third largest site in the contiguous US) encompasses abandoned mines, lava tubes, sand dunes, train depots, arguably more Joshua Trees than Joshua Tree National Park, mountains, and so much more that we were unable to do it all in a day! What we were able to do was enjoy some beauty and have a good visit as a family. And sweat… So, how do you have your best 1 day in the Mojave Preserve?

…

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.

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.

…

Kings Canyon National Park with Kids

July 17, 2018 By Kim Nelson Leave a Comment

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!

…

5 Best Family Hikes in Sequoia National Park

July 10, 2018 By Kim Nelson Leave a Comment

The best family hikes in Sequoia National Park. Note: this post contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission if you purchase through a link at no additional cost to you.

We recently got back from our summer National Parks trip to California. We did this trip a bit differently than we normally would in that we flew to Las Vegas and rented a car rather than driving from our home in Minnesota. This presented a whole new set of packing challenges, but that is best saved for another post. On this trip we went to Mojave National Preserve, Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierras, and Death Valley National Park (along with a pleasant, though unplanned, stop at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge).

…

family hikes

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Footer