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An Amazing 2 Days in Lassen Volcanic National Park

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Lassen Volcanic National Park Sign

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! 

Lassen Peak
Lassen Peak

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. 

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Stunning 3 Days in Redwood National Park

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Redwood National Park

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.

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3 Unique Days in the Crater Lake Area

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Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake is the deepest and one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States.  It is also both easy to visit and hard to experience.  It is easy to visit because as long as the road is plowed you can get to see the lake itself often.  It is hard to experience because the shore is approximately 900 feet below the rim drive and only one path leads down to the lake itself.  Making matters worse is that the trail, as well as the boat rides that leave from it, are not open to visit for as long as you would expect and the boat tour was still closed in late June when we visited.  

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Fun 2 Days in Saguaro National Park

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Saguaro National Park. www.adventuringbeyond.com #nationalparkswithkids #saguaro #getoutside #nps #travelwithkids #MyNationalParks #familytravel

Sunshine, check. Cactus, check. Desert, check. Mountains, check. City, check.  Er wait, City?  Yes, Saguaro National Park is both in Tucson but in fact the two sections of the park are divided by the whole of the city.  I know this may sound like a detractor, but in both the Rincon Mountain and Tucson Mountain districts you will find that it is quiet, isolated, and feels wild enough to qualify as a National Park. 

Once you are done with your hike you can grab a great lunch or dinner or choose to return to your luxury resort and soak in the pool.  Or, you can camp, boondock, rent a home, or sleep in a cheap motel.  Obviously, one of the best parts of Saguaro is that it is so approachable and easy to visit.  

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The Best Things to do in Voyageurs National Park with Kids

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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.  

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20 Best Travel-Friendly Stocking Stuffers

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Our picks for the top 20 road-trip worthy stocking stuffers for anyone on your Christmas list. Great for the travel and national park lover in your life. #stockingstuffers #roadtrip #travelwithkids #christmaslist

I am always looking for fun stocking stuffers for my kids for Christmas and finding their stocking stuffers is more fun for me than finding their main gifts. Because of my love for stocking stuffers, we decided to compile a list of travel-friendly stocking stuffers that are perfect for anyone on your list who loves to travel and road trip like we do. Hope you find this helpful!

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The Mighty 5 Utah National Parks in 7 Days

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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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Kings Canyon National Park with Kids

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Our tips for visiting Kings Canyon National Park with kids.

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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5 Best Family Hikes in Sequoia National Park

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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.

Best family hikes in Sequoia National Park

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).

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Bryce Canyon National Park with Kids

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Following our stay in Moab and visits to Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks we headed to Bryce Canyon. Here’s our 1-day guide to visiting Bryce Canyon National Park with kids.

When I was a kid, one of the most memorable places we visited was Bryce Canyon.  I remember hiking through the hoodoos and taking picture after picture with a film camera (most of which didn’t turn out that good).  So, on our Mighty 5 National Park adventure I knew that a full day at Bryce was going to be a highlight.

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