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We believe that babies and toddlers make the best travel buddies. This is especially true for national park destinations. You’ll see your little one’s eyes fill with wonder and awe as you explore wild outdoor spaces. The snow-capped mountains, glittering waters, and fascinating wildlife impress visitors of all ages, especially children seeing and experiencing these sights for the first time.

For more than a hundred years, the National Park Service has been preserving natural wonders and making it possible for visitors to experience these one-of-a-kind places. We’ve highlighted 8 parks with hikes, sights, and attractions that are perfect for families with little ones. This intro-level roundup of baby and toddler-friendly national parks highlights trips that don’t require wilderness experience. Our national parks are for everyone, so get exploring!

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park Visitor Center
image courtesy Zion National Park

The first of our recommended national park destinations, Zion National Park, is located about 2 ½ hours from Las Vegas in Southwest Utah. This incredible spot is known for its stunningly beautiful steep red cliffs, and just like our kiddos, Zion is always changing. The Virgin River that runs through Zion Canyon moves one million tons of sediment each year and continues to carve out the canyon. When you visit Zion, you’re witnessing the work of over two million years of erosion.

The park’s main road—Scenic Drive—winds its way north along the Virgin River. Many of Zion’s iconic hikes and vistas are accessible from this main road via the park’s free shuttle service. It’s easy to hop on and off the shuttle buses—which run every 7-10 minutes from March through November.

For an easy day hike, take the shuttle to stop number five, Zion Lodge (bathrooms and water available here). Follow the paved Lower Emerald Pool Trail 0.6 miles to the Lower Emerald Pool and waterfalls. Return the way you came or take the slightly more difficult Kayenta Trail one mile to The Grotto shuttle stop.

No trip to Zion is complete without a peek at The Narrows. Ride the shuttle all the way to the end, shuttle stop number nine, Temple of Sinawava (bathrooms and water available here also). Follow the paved stroller and wheelchair-accessible Riverside Walk along the Virgin River. It’s an easy one mile to where it ends at The Narrows. This is where you’ll see adventurous hikers in fancy water shoes hiking up the river into Zion Canyon.

Accommodations in the gateway town of Springdale include South and Watchman Campgrounds (reservations recommended). Many visitors opt to stay in nearby St. George, where BabyQuip Quality Providers rent kid carriers, strollers, etc., to families visiting Zion.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park
image courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park – photo by Debra Miller

About an hour and a half north of Denver, you will find the second of our recommended national park destinations, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). This stunning locale is home to the highest highway in the United States, at over 12,000 feet! Gateway town Estes Park is also over a mile high. Give yourself and the kiddos a day to acclimate to elevation before hitting the trail. Like Zion, RMNP provides a free shuttle service. During peak season, parking lots fill up, and the shuttle is the only way to access some trails.

For an all-terrain-stroller-friendly hike, check out the half-mile Bear Lake Loop trail. This mostly level trail is made of hard-packed dirt. The trail circles scenic Bear Lake with views of Hallett Peak and Half Mountain.

While it’s not within park boundaries, we think kiddos will be delighted by a tram ride at Estes Park Aerial Tramway. Modeled after European tramways, this unique experience offers riders mountain views. Bonus, kids five and under ride free!

There are numerous accommodations in Estes Park. Nearby Lyons is also a great jumping-off point for day trips into RMNP. Many families with babies find the Colorado air to be dry, which is why BabyQuip Quality Providers frequently rent humidifiers. QPs in the Estes area also deliver cribs, Pack ‘n Plays, jogging strollers, and hiking kid carriers to the park.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park

Jumping clear across the good old USA, another of our favorite national park destinations is Maine’s Acadia National Park. Situated on islands in the northeastern part of the state, Acadia boasts deep forests to explore, shimmering ponds to splash around in, and tall granite peaks to climb. It can get really cold up here, so try to plan your visit in the summer! The coast is mostly rocky, but you can find some beautiful protected areas for beaching it; two family-friendly favorites are Sand Beach in Bar Harbor and Seal Harbor Beach in Mount Desert.  

To get a killer view of the area, be sure to drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, especially for a sunrise or a sunset. If you come from October through March, you’ll be treated to the first sunrise in the country! One fun idea is to take the bus up to the summit and then hit the hiking trails for some adventure on the way down. 

Downtown Bar Harbor is quintessential New England and a great place to grab lobster rolls for lunch. If the tide is low, you can walk off your lunch on the Bar Island Trail, a 2-mile hike that goes over an exposed sandbar and out to an island. Just keep an eye on the tide chart and the clock, so you don’t get stuck! Bar Harbor has a variety of lodging options, but for an authentic Maine experience, try out one of the area’s many campgrounds! 

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Joshua Tree National Park

While the beautiful national park destinations we’ve listed so far have all been ones geared towards summertime visits, Joshua Tree is best suited for a shoulder season travel excursion. Summer in the desert can get pretty hot, so plan to come here in the spring or fall months. Convenient to LA and Palm Springs, this park is known for its fairytale-like landscape. Piles of boulders, spiky cacti, and big sky come together to form a unique scenery that will entertain for sure. 

Hidden Valley is a popular and easy one-mile hike with beautiful views and fun rock climbing opportunities for the little ones. Be sure to stop by the often-Instagrammed Skull Rock, which is conveniently located right on the main road, and check out this huge rock that looks like…well, a skull! The Cholla Cactus Garden is another park fave, and conveniently, you’ll be going right by if you use the southern entrance at all. 

Don’t forget the essentials (gas, water, food, diapers, etc.) because there aren’t any concessions in this park. You also won’t find a cell signal or streetlight, so plan accordingly! Our local BabyQuip Quality Providers can set you up with the other things that parents deem essentials, such as a high chair, full-size crib, or kid carrier backpack!

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Olympic National Park, Washington

River Running Through The Forest

From coastal tide pools to old-growth rainforests to alpine wildflowers, Olympic National Park wows visitors with a staggering variety of ecosystems. Your kiddos will be impressed by the impossibly tall trees and lush green mosses of the Hoh Rain Forest—the only rainforest in the lower 48!

For a quick photo-op, check out the world’s largest Sitka Spruce tree where little ones will be dwarfed by its massiveness. Then drive north to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, where two easy trails loop through the temperate rainforest—the 0.8-mile Hall of Mosses Trail and the 1.2-mile Spruce Nature Trail.

At the north end of the park, drive Hurricane Ridge Road until it dead-ends at the visitor center. From the parking lot, walk 1.6 miles on the paved and stroller-friendly Cirque Rim Trail. The trail takes you past wildflowers and offers views of Port Angeles. It can be windy and cold up on the ridge, so dress in layers.

For unique accommodations, check out the lodges of the Olympic Peninsula. There are numerous hotels, motels, and vacation rentals just north of the park in the town of Port Angeles, where BabyQuip Quality Providers deliver backpack carriers and other Airbnb baby gear essentials.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina & Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Nature’s beauty is in full effect at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! With tree-topped mountain ridges as far as you can see, year-round wildflower displays, and an extensive system of rivers, streams, and waterfalls, it’s no wonder this is the most-visited of the national park destinations. 

The main attraction here is the system of hiking trails covering over 850 miles of beautiful ground, many of which are kid-friendly. Grab some coonskin caps from one of the tourist souvenir stores because trekking through these woods will bring out the Davy Crockett in everyone! Don’t miss the trails that head to the spiraling observation tower at the peak of Clingmans Dome or the John Oliver Cabin in Cades Cove. Keep your eyes peeled for all things wild, from raspberries to black bears! 

Stay in nearby Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, where the accommodations can be as simple as a campground or as luxurious as a 6,000 square foot “cabin” on Airbnb! Both of these towns are fun to explore and offer a variety of attractions, including Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, the amazing outdoor experience Anakeesta, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not Odditorium. 

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Mammoth National Park
image courtesy Mammoth National Park

For a totally out-of-the-norm NPS experience, check out Mammoth Cave National Park. Set in the Green River Valley of beautiful south-central Kentucky, this place has over 400 miles of underground cave systems, the largest on the planet by far; and those are just the parts of the cave that have been discovered so far!

After driving through the surrounding rolling green hills and open fields, you’ll come upon the entrance to the park. Start at the Visitor Center, where you can check-in (Pro Tip: book your cave tour and time that you most want well in advance because many of them fill up fast!) and grab your poncho. A bus will take you to the cave entrance, where you’ll quickly lose that wide-open feeling that Kentucky gives you; instead, you’ll be absorbed by claustrophobia in no time! But don’t worry! There’s enough room for everyone.

Kids and grownups alike will marvel at the natural cave formations that have been forming underground for millions of years. As you move through the dimly lit chambers, you’ll feel like you’re on the set of The Goonies, with water dripping down around you and the sound of bats roosting and little critters scurrying over the walls. To make it even creepier, it has been discovered that the Native Americans in this area used the caves to bury their dead. Don’t let One-Eyed Willy get you on your way out!

Everglades National Park, Florida

Everglades National Park Mangrove Trees
image courtesy Everglades National Park

While the first three national park destinations on this list are best for summer visits, Everglades National Park at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula is more comfortable during the winter months. For families vacationing in Miami, Everglades makes a great side trip. In addition to its national park status, Everglades is a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance. It provides a unique and fragile habitat for alligators, snakes, birds, bears, and deer.

Just 39 miles from Miami, you can hop on a guided tour with Shark Valley Tram Tours. The two-hour ecotour is narrated by a naturalist and takes riders through the sawgrass prairie full of wildlife. The commentary is fascinating, and the frequent animal sightings will keep even the youngest travelers engaged. Children under three ride free!

After your inland Everglades experience, head to the western edge of the park along the gulf for a coastal experience with Everglades National Park Boat Tours. On the Ten Thousand Island Cruise, a naturalist guides visitors through a saltwater mangrove forest home to manatees, spoonbills, and dolphins. Children four and under ride free!

After you experience Everglades, add another stamp to your National Park Passport from Biscayne National Park. Just east of Everglades, Biscayne covers 172,971 acres, 95% of them on the water, and provides a unique habitat for manatees, dolphins, and tropical fish.

The National Park Service (NPS)

Best National Parks For Little Kids

This list is truly just a drop in the bucket! The National Park Service maintains over 400 national parks, national monuments, national recreation areas, and national historical parks. You could spend a lifetime exploring these amazing natural and historic treasures! 

Before you head out, be sure to visit the NPS Store. For only $80, you can get the Annual Pass that will let you and your family into any park for free for an entire year; if you’re planning on multi-parking that one will save a ton of money! You can also look into the Junior Ranger program, a fun and educational opportunity for the kiddos to enjoy at most parks.

Here are some more family-friendly favorite National Park Service destinations to consider checking out the next time you’re looking to explore this beautiful country: