The beautiful thing about the national parks is that no one can do a visit ‘wrong’. They are welcoming to all as equals, and no matter which you choose to visit, you will be left filled up from the beauty.
They are like huge, wild playgrounds and while simply walking around them is a lot of fun, you can create fabulous itineraries to complete during your visit.
Here are some of the most enjoyable things to do when you’re visiting national parks with kids.
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5 Things To Do With Kids At National Parks
Night Walking
If you have slightly older, more adventurous children, then a night walk can be a huge source of enjoyment.
If you time it carefully or get in touch with your chosen park ahead of time, you can enjoy full moon walks. As well as the bright moon lighting your way, you are likely to come across a few nocturnal creatures too.
Another reason to make use of the night time is that because of the location of many national parks, they don’t hold the orange hue you get in many cities.
So, you’ll be able to lay down and stargaze for hours. Again, many national parks organize stargazing events.
Wildlife Watching
Do some research about the wildlife that can be spotted in the national parks you will be visiting. You can then create a list of tracks, droppings and other clues for the children to find.
While you are hot on the case, you can create plaster casts of tracks so you can keep the memory forever.
Outdoor Skills
There is a lot that the outdoors can teach us, from how to dispose of food items and human waste, to making fires and fishing.
Think about some of the skills that you’d like to have learned at a young age and fit them into your visit.
If you do decide to fish, make sure you know the rules for the national parks, and have the right gear from a company like Tailored Tackle.
Photography
You don’t need to have a top of the range camera to create some stunning photos. And, children’s perspectives can be refreshing and unexpected too.
Some national parks, like Yosemite, offer great photography workshops for kids. If you want to make it even more exciting, then consider using film cameras, so the suspense of what has been captured lasts even longer.
Treasure Hunting
There are real-life treasures to be found, and you can add your own too. Geocaches are items hidden by others for people to find.
Most national parks, especially Petrified Forest National Park, have some guidelines for geocaches so make sure you check them out before hiding any trinkets in the area.
If you aren’t sure what geocaching is, then a quick search online will get you started in no time.
Consider national parks as life’s biggest and most beautiful playgrounds. From walking for hours to tracking wildlife, or simply reading a book next to a huge lake. It is all possible, and the earlier you introduce children to the joys of it, the better.