Hi all -

I want to take the family out weeks for a week next Easter. My plan is to visit one of our majestic National Parks. But - the question is - which one?

Considerations -

A) There are two relatively small kids (will be 9 and 7 at the time). That means that we are looking for a park with a pretty big wow factor. It also means that we probably can't go anywhere that involves a lot of strenuous hiking (although we certainly do like some hiking).

B) We don't want to deal with snow or cold weather. This may rule out places like Yellowstone.

What about the Grand Canyon? Does that make sense? Other suggestions would be appreciated.

I want to take the family out weks for a week next Easter.

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I want to take the family out west for a week next Easter.

Grand Canyon does have that wow factor fore sure. It is at quite a high elevation though and we can't control the weather. I've been there in February and April when it was very mild and we hiked the rim trail with just light jackets or no jackets. Then there was the time in April when it snowed as we were driving in. The snow did dry up very quickly and didn't make for trouble driving at all. The hiking along the rim trail is not strenuous at all, more like walking along a path with a fantastic view.

Where are you coming from? You might combine it with other sites in the area. If from Phoenix, perhaps stop at Montezuma's Castle for a little ancient Native American history. If Vegas, Hoover Dam or go the other way to Death Valley.

Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park on The Big Island certainly has a wow factor.

Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park

Very tempting - but a little far for us - we will be coming from Washington DC.

I was toying with the idea of Yosemite

Fodors ran this story a few weeks ago which includes many Parks in the West:
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3357.html

A couple of other suggestions:

- Olympic Nat'l Park is nice with its various ecosystems (beaches, rain forest, mountains) ... although it might not have as big of a wow factor as other spots.

- Sequoia Nat'l Park. If you go to Yosemite, you could split your time between the 2 parks.

I think Yosemite is a good choice - definitely has the WOW factor and you can see a lot without walking terribly far. Weather can be iffy in the spring, but generally not too bad. The later Easter is in the year, the better change of good weather. And, being not summer, you wont have the crowds.

Sequoia is at a higher elevation so check the weather averages for that time of year - I am only familiar with the park in the summertime.

I've not been to Olympic (it is on the list!), but it seems like a good choice too. Lots of interesting things for little kids.

I would say either Yosemite or Grand Canyon (2 nights) plus Zion (3 nights). If you do the latter, spend a night in Page on the drive between the two parks, and take the half-day smoothwater float trip on the Colorado River:

http://www.coriverdiscovery.com/

Zion is a beautiful park, and the temperatures in April are friendly---70's during the day, cooler at night. There are a number of easy hikes you can do with the kids. As for "wow" factor, it's there. You stay at the bottom of the canyon, looking up at the red rock walls. (It's a bit like Yosemite Valley, only smaller, with red cliffs and no big waterfalls.) Lots of wildlife---turkeys, deer---for the kids to see.

Thanks for all the feedback. I am actually leaning towards Zion - mainly due to the weather factor. Call me a wimp - but after a long winter I am sure we will want to head somewhere that is reasonably warm.

If you can squeeze in a little trip up to Bryce and/or Cedar Breaks, you will find some more and slightly different WOW and can do it with small excursions to viewpoints from the car if you don't want to hike in the cold. These are less than two hours from Zion and the drive to them has spectacular scenery.

Zion would be my choice also -- cheap flight to Vegas then a two-three hr drive to Springdale Utah. Easy hikes for children plus the required WOW factor. Springdale is a lovely small town.