When my daughters’ proclaimed “National Parks are boring” during a family vacation planning meeting, I knew we needed to get the kids to parks. We accomplished this last year during the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service, during an epic RV National Park Grand Circle tour of Zion NP, Cedar Breaks NM, Bryce Canyon NP, and Grand Canyon NP. To keep the momentum past 2016’s National Park Centennial, we’ve partnered with the National Park Trust for their 7th Annual Kids to Parks Day, Saturday, May 20, 2017. Continue reading for more details on Kids to Parks Day, and enter to win a pair of Northside USA shoes to blaze your own trail outside with the kids.
DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of National Park Trust and Northside Shoes. However, all opinions are my own.
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Must be 18 years of age or older to participate.
Prizing courtesy Northside USA
During our National Park trip, we were wowed by the spectacular vistas and scenery, but, just as much, I treasured the moments we created together as a family – unscheduled and unplugged, reconnecting with nature, and reconnecting with each other.
That’s what Kids to Parks Day on May 20, 2017 is all about too. Helping kids and families develop more active, healthy lifestyles, and creating lifelong memories and educational opportunities. Northside USA believes you don’t need expensive, complex gear to enjoy the outdoors, and this small company creates affordable footwear to help get families outside.
During the 2016 National Park Centennial, in addition to our RV Circle Tour, we explored many of our protected lands from the Washington DC monuments…
to that “grand, gloomy, and peculiar place” underground in Kentucky…
to the spectacular fall foliage of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains.
If you’re searching for other national park vacation ideas, you might want to check out:
- Hot Springs National Park (AZ) – Known as “America’s Spa,” Hot Springs National Park is home to 100 year old bathhouses as well as the only brewery inside a national park – Superior Bathhouse Brewery.
- Voyaguers National Park (MN) – Nestled among ancient forests, maze-like waterways, islands and peninsulas, this national park is perfect for the adventure seeker
- White Sands National Monument (NM) – Home to 275 miles of white gypsum sand – one of the world’s most impressive natural wonders – this national park allows visitors to sled down the face of the dunes as well as camp in one of it’s 10 campsites and explore over 10 miles of scenic roadways.
Volunteering for the National Park Service is also a great way to Find Your Park with the kids while giving back to communities at the same time. Most service trips include free time for hiking / exploration, as well as offer lodging for a fun and affordable volunteer vacation. You can check out current trips via The Sierra Club.
However, you don’t need to travel that far or spend a lot of money to get the Kids to Parks. In fact, just down the road from our Rochester, New York home is the “Grand Canyon of the East” – Letchworth State Park and world-famous Niagara Falls State Park is only a little more than an hour away. From National Parks to State Parks to your local park down the street, Northside USA shoes provides reliable, affordable footwear for families to enjoy their outdoor time together.
The National Park Trust (NPT) urges kids across the country to discover science, history, nature and adventure in a neighborhood park right around the corner or just across town during Kids to Parks Day. 2017’s Kids to Parks Day promises to be bigger than ever. In 2016, Kids to Parks Day had more than 730,000 participants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and the goal is to have 900,000 people enjoy Kids to Parks Day all across the country. Northside USA is an official sponsor of Kids to Parks Day, and provides grants to schools for children to go on park trips in addition to donating the shoes for our giveaway. Click here to find a park event near you, and pledge to get your Kids to Parks on May 20, 2017.
Don’t forget to enter to win your own pair of Northside USA shoes for your Kids To Parks Day adventure.
For more family travel news, reviews, and trip reports, be sure to follow Adventures by Daddy on instagram & twitter and “like” our facebook page too.
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My favorite park I’ve been to is probably Starved Rock in Illinois. The one I want to go to most is Yellowstone.
Love Yellowstone! Have been wanting to get back there for years.
My favorite park is Yosemite — and we live close enough to go quite often. I also love Yellowstone.
We went to Yosemite for our honeymoon 20+ years ago, and have wanted to get back ever since. Such a beautiful park.
We love Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida keys. You camp right near the beach.
That sounds absolutely wonderful. I’ve never been to the Keys, and would love to check them out someday.
you should! But you need to get your can in line in the middle of the night, but once that’s over, the fun begins!
Good to know! Thanks!
our local playground/ park is our favorite at the moment!
Gotta love a great local playground!
Yosemite! We live in Southern California and have not yet taken our 13-year-old daughter. It is at the top of our list!
We took our honeymoon in Yosemite! I love that park.
I live right next to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park so we often take hikes as a family.
I’ve never been to that park. Ohio’s not that far from us, and I should check it out sometime.
the community playground
Can’t go wrong with that!
I love Carlsbad caverans
I’ve never been to Carlsbad Caverns. That’s a place I’ve always wanted to go.
I have always dreamed of going to Carlsbad Caverns. I haved loved caves since I was a little girl.
That’s a place I’d love to see someday too.
Oh we love to go to the Whitetail Woods Regional Park by our home! It is so beautiful with lots of walking trails…and deer. Its so beautiful They have an awesome kids natural play area…..with a old water pump and pans…sand..and mud! LOL…oh he has so much fun playing in it!
That sounds absolutely heavenly! Thanks for the description, now I want to go.
We would love to go to Washington DC again!
Thank You
There’s so much to do and see in DC!
Our favorite park is right down the street. It’s a state park, Banning Park here in Wilmington, DE. Lots to do, they even have tennis courts.
Nice! Delaware has some great parks. We always loved visiting the State Park beaches like Tower Beach.
We tend to go to Joshua Tree to hike 🙂
That’s another national park I’ve yet to get to. Would love to visit Joshua Tree National Park someday.
We usually go to our local park which has a wooded area to explore. I would love to go the blue ridge parkway and the appalachian trail which are both in my home state
I was able to do a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple of years ago, and would love to explore more. Such a gorgeous area.
I’d love to go to Grand Canyon National Park!
I finally made it to the Grand Canyon last year, but it wasn’t enough! We just spent a day at the North Rim, and now I want to go to the South Rim too.
We like to go to Valley Forge.
I’ve never been to Valley Forge. One of these times when I’m passing through Pennsylvania, I should stop.
We love visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.
I spent 7 years in Michigan, and Sleeping Bear Dunes was one of my favorite places. Love that whole Traverse City area.
Yellowstone is my favorite national park.
Been there once, and have wanted to go back ever since.
Yosemite & Yellowstone are both Parks I love.
Two of the best parks right there! Good luck!
We enjoy national parks quite a bit. We recently visited Arches National Park as a family and loved it!
We took an RV trip last year through Southern Utah, but didn’t make it over to Arches. I want to go back and see that one.
We love the large community playground at our local baptist church. They have a specific section for the wee kids. Size appropriate equipment and fenced so kiddos can’t run off! We can’t wait til we can do more traveling to the national parks.
There’s so many great outdoor spaces. You definitely don’t have to go far to get your Kids to Parks!
I love Grand Canyon National Park when we went!
I finally visited the Grand Canyon for the first time last year. We spent a day at the North Rim, and now I just want to see more of it.
I’m a Virginia girl, so I love Shenandoah!
I don’t think I’ve ever been to Shenandoah, unless the Blue Ridge Parkway counts. Does that go through Shenandoah? I need to put that park on my list.
I actually don’t have children, so I don’t go to parks. As a kid, I don’t really remember going to them either. On occasion, I went to Thompson Park in New York. As a teen, I hung out in Reed Webster, as I lived across the street from it.
Wow, you don’t go to any state or national parks either, just to explore, get into nature, or take a walk? I definitely encourage it if you get the opportunity. There’s something rejuvenating about being in the wild spaces.
We love a local park named Blacklick, It has great trails and lots of activities.
I love walking along trails with a tree canopy above me. Sounds fantastic.
I love hiking at Mammoth Cave! It’s one of my favorite places.
I really enjoyed seeing Mammoth Cave last year, would love to go back and explore more.
I love the caves in Carlsbad
A lot of people have mentioned Carlsbad, I really need to get there.
Our favorite park is Yellowstone! Even though it is 9 hours away, we spend at least 4 weeks throughout the year up there. Our sons get just as excited about visiting as we do!
I’ve only been to Yellowstone once, and have wanted to get back ever since. Really want to get my kids out to see it too.
I would really like to take my family to the Grand Canyon. I’ve been there but my husband daughter never have been!
Great choice! So much to see at the Grand Canyon.
Yellowstone is awesome
turkey run
We like to go to a local park called woodland mound. There are trails, playgrounds and they have a water park. Its a really fun place to go!
our favorite park is the Dunes in Indiana Beach! camping, hiking, swimming, what more could you ask for
We like to go to a local state park of ours. It’s pretty neat because I grew up going there basically every weekend as a kid. It has its own campground, playgrounds, volleyball/tennis/basketball all kinds of great things to do.
we go to a few different local parks
We love to go to Desoto National Memorial Park
We have been to Disney World and loved it but we also enjoy many of our local parks.
Our MN state park
Yellowstone National Park
I love Balboa Park in San Diego
I enjoy the Indiana State park in the fall and spring.
I go to the shawnee state park here in southern ohio, it’s beautiful and my kiddos absolutely love it!
I love to go with my kids to Silver Creek Falls National Park in Oregon!
Absolutely love Yosemite National Park
My family loves taking hikes through the trails of Grant Park’s 7 bridges.
Cades Cove is my favorite of all time! We have been several times and are ready to go again!
Our MN state park is beautiful!
I live about three hours from Yosemite, and we try to make the trip there several times a year.
love Yellowstone
We love to visit most of the parks, but we are really looking forward to visiting Yellowstone this year.
I would love to take my son to any park in NC.
Grand Canyon Park
We have a mountain just outside of town that is easy enough to climb for the whole family and the view from the top is gorgeous! Lots of friendly little critters along the way up. There is a nice park at the base of it that we enjoy before or after climbing.
I like the Community Playground.
We love a local park that has a vast playground and a nice walking path along the water with boats.