Our family ( 2 boys- 8 and 14)) had a great time last Summer at Olympic National Park ( Kalaloch Lodge)and Mount Rainier (Paradise Inn)...Our question: What other National Parks out West do you recommend for a 10-day August vacation this year?...we are saving the Grand Canyon for a few years out.We like hiking, exploring and family-oriented lodges to stay.

If a trip to the Grand Canyon is a few years away, go to Yosemite now. You can tie Zion and Bryce in with the GC trip.

Agree with Ronkala. You can easily combine Bryce and Zion with North Rim of GC, but if you decide not to do it that way you can DEFINITELY do Bryce and Zion on the same trip...divide your days between the two.

Both are excellent choices. It already has been mentioned that Zion and Bryce can easily be combined with the Grand Canyon trip a few years out.

If you go to Yosemite, try to stay in the park. With that in mind, your choice might depend on if you can get reservations for summer. As much as I love Yosemite, 10 days might be a long time. You could consider a couple days in Sequioa - Kings Canyon.

Another great destination for your family, if you haven't been, would be Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

Utahtea

I've been to all of the parks mentioned, twice each. I agre with Utahtea: a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton would be my choice.

When you get to Yosemite (say, NEXT year), combine it with Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

And one more thing: do NOT go to the Grand Canyon in August. This is the WORST time to go there, as the heat and crowds will be unbearable.

Agree with Utahtea also.

Do you want to stay in just one place the whole time? I think 10 days would be a lot to spend just at Zion and Bryce too--there are so many places close by there that you could visit too (and a wealth of information on this forum about them).

We spent 5 days at Yosemite and 5 at Sequoia/Kings Canyon and only had to stay at two locations.

I'd love to hear about your trip to the Northwest--did you spend 10 days there between the two parks? Most of what I have read has said that there isn't that much to do unless you are backpacking hikers (we are day hikers only).

Thanks to all of you. Maj we did spend 14 great days in the Northwest: 3 in Seattle, 3 at Mount Rainier,1 at Mt St Helens, 3 in Astoria, Oregon, 3 at Olympic NP, and 1 in Victoria. Recommend all sites highly. Mount Rainier NP is great for day hikes, but avoid weekends and try to stay in the Park ( Paradise). At Olympic NP the coastline is beautiful (Kalaloch is basically the only accommodation on the Coast) -the beaches and rainforest provided 2 days of great day hikes. Lewis and Clark were our purpose in Astoria. I am now roughing out a SW Utah, Yellowstone and Yosemite itinerary, to put the 3 forth for a family vote. Looks like we're set for 3 more Summers !

MDamiano. Thanks for the info on your trip. I am going to add it to our list of places to go--maybe our next trip. Good luck with your planning--those are all great places. And when you're done with those, you can add Glacier and the Canadian Rockies.

MDamiano,

I'll throw another idea your way. Moab, Utah. Arches Natinonal Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park, Scenic Hwy 128, La Sal Mountains, hiking, miles and miles of 4 x 4 roads (and places to rent jeeps), mountain biking and river rafting trips! Side trip to Capitol Reef National Park or Mesa Verde National Park. Good for a 10 day trip!

BTW, I have YEARS & YEARS of good vactions ideas!

Utahtea

I completely agree with the previous post by
Utahtea! We did almost that exact itinerary last June with 4 kids ages 8 - 13, and all of us had a blast! Moab is a small town with many wonderful things to do in the outlying areas. Take a day trip down the Colorado River, go to Arches NP, Dead Horse State Park, the local waterpark, etc. A wonderful place without crowds! If you do go, I highly recommend the ranger-led Fiery Furnace park tour at Arches. It was the highlight of our trip. Cheap price and a great (!!) hike. The kids loved it!