jlub

Totally personal preference, so many great NPs with so much to offer. But Yosemite is definitely not all about difficult hikes (although there are many including the back country I would so dearly love to do). For example there is Sentinel dome hike, an easy mile or so with little elevation game. Overlooks most of the Yosemite valley including Yosemite Falls, Nevada and Vernal Falls, Half Dome and (I believe) El Cap. Also, when I was struggling the last few hundred yards, to get up to the top of Nevada Falls, there was a child no more than about 7 yo, offering me encouragement.

Tomsd

Yo is better when the falls are roaring and they will probably be meager flows in August.

spirobulldog

kausel,

Haha, You have to get started soon. Check out the dude on youtube that is trying to do 58 before 18. Meaning trying to get to all 58 before his kids are 18. I think he's up to 46 or so. Of course, they add a NP this year and there are now 59.

Glacier would be great at any age, IMOP. Horseback, hiking, wildlife, swimming(although fairly cold water, I would imagine), boat tours, kayak/canoe rentals. When hiking in Yellowstone/Tetons or Glacier, you want to be carrying bear spray. Even a short hike. We stopped counting grizzlies at Glacier. Saw a bit more wildlife in Yellowstone than Glacier, but both really rock.


Link to our trip to Glacier the last week of July this year.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...k-176100-2.cfm

The first few photos are in Waterton on the Canadian side

spirobulldog

Here is Lassen, Redwoods, Burney Falls, Patricks Point State Park. All covered in 5 days with just myself and nephew(age 10). We hiked 2 huge hikes, but kids can do it. Hiked to Lassen Peak and the from Prairie Creek to Ocean at Redwoods(plus several other smaller hikes). This was his first time to fly and first time to see the ocean, he was pumped.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...0IatW7FqybsWqJ

spirobulldog

http://www.youtube.com/user/58before18?feature=watch

He has some very good videos of about every park

jlub

BTW, one small correction. Yellowstone is not in the Southwest. But you are correct, the fabulous, amazing, (did I say fabulous) NPs in Utah are probably not best visited in August for some folks.

Nelson

Well, you are getting lots of advice here! I'll go back to two of your original thoughts: RMNP and Olympic NP.

My $0.02: you can't go wrong with either. I live an hour from RMNP, go there a lot and am constantly wowed. Yes, it's crowded in August and Estes can be a zoo, but Glacier Gorge is a stunning jewel that's worth a hassle. And Grand Lake is a totally different vibe than Estes.

I've also been in the Pacific Northwest on backpacking trips three times in the last four years, all in August: Rainier, North Cascades, Vancouver Island, Olympic Peninsula. Jaw dropping beauty under mostly blue skies. Except for the traffic nightmare, Seattle is a wonderful city to visit.

I'd focus research on those two areas, make a decision or flip a coin. You'll have a great time in either, provided the weather gods smile upon you.

Good luck and have a great trip.

kasuel

The comment about Yellowstone and the one about the various Southwest parks were meant to be two separate thoughts. I suspected Yellowstone would receive a lot of recommendations, but I want to wait on Yellowstone for a variety of reasons.

Separately, I want to wait on the southwest parks for a different time of year! Sorry for not being clear, but I do know where Yellowstone is

Thanks for the pictures Spirobulldog - you have taken a lot of fantastic trips! I have no illusions about getting all of them done in the next 10 years - it is a nice goal though.

Thanks for all the ideas everyone.

kasuel

Okay - now that you all have made me rethink glacier (and I did some reading last night). My list is :

1. Glacier
2. ONP
3. RMNP /Summit county

I need to check prices and availability and go from there. And maybe see if the family has any opinions.

Thank you everyone for the ideas!

Gardyloo

Regarding Olympic NP, I wanted to again mention that the incredible variety within the park makes for a real plus when considering visits with children. Tired of mountains? Okay, how about a beach with tidepools? Or maybe some elk in a spooky forest? River rafting? Or paddle around a beautiful lake? A dip in some hot springs? Or more mountains? Or maybe a day in a foreign (provincial) capital?

Hurricane ridge area - http://worldheritage.routes.travel/w...nal-park-1.jpg

Hoh Valley - http://thinng.com/system/images/8021...png?1333065511

With Roosevelt elk - http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge.../600/ME447.jpg

Beaches - http://www.nationalparktravel.com/olympic4.JPG

Crescent Lake - http://www.travelphotoadventures.com...Reflection.jpg

And a short ferry boat ride away - http://www.scenicreflections.com/fil...aper_2c8nm.jpg

Nelson

And where else can the kids make friends with a 6-inch long banana slug?!

spirobulldog

The only thing about Glacier, is it is expensive to fly into Kalispel or the other options involve some driving. We flew into Calgary from DFW.

Get your lodging ASAP--they go fast. We enjoyed Many Glacier, but you might want a cabin.

spirobulldog

Can't leave out RMNP

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...0IatW7FqybsWqY

Here is a camping trip with my daughter to RMNP a couple of years ago. The last few pics are of Stanley Hotel, which I would suggest having at least a meal there.

The main hike we did there was The Loch, and then up to Sky Pond. Very pretty hike.

Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road are both nice(can't compete with the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier though).

spirobulldog

Sorry for so many posts. One thing that is a little upsetting about RMNP. A lot of the trees (just in some places-not everywhere) have been killed by the pine beatles.

kasuel

You are right that it is more expensive to fly anywhere near Glacier! Lodging is definitely scarce as well (which I expected).

I did grab 4 nights at a Singer Tavern Cottage at Lake Crescent (in ONP) just because it was there and seemed to have an okay cancellation policy... Seattle seems a bit cheaper to fly into as well.

But I haven't made any definite decisions! Just didn't want to lose out on all options.

Thanks again - and I enjoy all the pictures.

tomfuller

Since you are planning on flying to Seattle, be aware that you can get on the Amtrak Empire Builder in the afternoon and arrive in Whitefish MT near Glacier in the morning (before 9AM).
If you wanted to fly to Spokane, you can board the Empire Builder about 1AM.

spirobulldog

As ambitious with amtrack as you are tomfuller, I think even you might be challenged boarding Amtrack at 1AM in the morning with 8 year old twins.

kasuel

We will probably skip the middle of the night train rides, but it would be an adventure

The Seattle flight would be for Olympic. I will see what I can find for both as far as hotel/lodging/travel times, but Glacier is definitely looking more challenging!

tomfuller

My last trip on the Empire Builder involved driving to Spokane and sitting in the station from 9PM until boarding time. DW and I were asleep before we hit Idaho. We were only an hour late into Chicago.
When we got back 11 days later, our car started just fine and we were back in Bend Oregon before noon.

hotzim

You don't say where you live or what kind of places the kids have already seen. It sounds like you will fly to a destination and then rent a car. We summer in Washington and part of the reason we enjoy it so much is that it is so totally different from the places we lived and vacationed on the East coast. Besides the Olympic National Park, there is also North Cascades NP, Mt. Rainier NP, and the Lewis & Clark NP which spills into the very northern parts of Oregon. As if that's not enough you also have the Washington State Ferries that take you and your car out to the islands of the San Juans. Seattle has some great museums with exhibits about the First Peoples and their very appealing art with wonderful animal images. The new Dale Chihuly museum at the base of the Space Needle is a good introduction to art for young kids. The Experience Music Project is there as well. This way you could balance out your nature interests with some cultural experiences. You might want to check out the North Cascades Learning Institute that has camping and family lodging as well as educational programs. Seattle Light provides a great little boat trip within the park. You may also still see some snow in August, especially if you venture to Mt. Baker! The kids might find that pretty interesting. You will find the weather in August is pretty pleasant compared to other parts of the country, and attendance in most is way less than Yosemite or Yellowstone. Weekends at Mt. Rainier might be crowded, but the others not so much.