Planning your summer vacations? You’ll find rich and rewarding destinations at national monuments across the country.
If you’re traveling with the family, the challenge is finding monuments that will appeal to each member of your group, no matter their age and stage in life. We think Utah national park family trips are the best, but we may be biased. 😉 So we polled other travelers. Here’s what they had to say:
Tatiana Sorokina
Tatiana Sorokina is an owner of Family Road Trip Guru blog focusing on educational, fun and affordable family trip itineraries in North America.
Devil’s Postpile
Devil’s Postpile in Mono County, California is a cliff of columnar basalt created by a lava flow about 100,000 years ago. It shows what phenomenal forces of nature can do. The structure is so unusual, it feels like it was made with a purpose: the columns are long, symmetrical and almost uniform (average height – 60 feet, average diameter of each column – 2 feet).
This is a great place to visit with a family because it encompasses much more than just the basalt cliff. A mountain trail leading through the area takes you to another natural wonder – Rainbow Falls. It is a mighty 101 ft waterfall on the middle fork of San Joaquin River. The waterfall is beautiful any time of the day but especially around midday on sunny days when rainbows form in its mist (hence its name). The full trail length is under 2 miles which is doable with even young kids. You will be walking through untouched natural habitat so keep your eyes open for wildlife.
Montezuma Castle
Montezuma Castle is a man-made monument in Arizona about two hours drive north from Phoenix. It is a testament to human ingenuity and engineering skills. Montezuma Castle is a cliff dwelling of Pre-Columbian native tribes. These structures are between 600 and 900 years old. They have been very well preserved, and each time I see them I keep wondering if houses that we build today are going to last millennia.
The site also includes Montezuma Well that has been used for irrigation since the 8th century. There is a short paved accessible walkway from the parking lot to the cliff dwellings that passes by a small visitor’s center that depicts the life of native tribes. Visiting Montezuma Castle is a great educational experience for kids and an easy pit stop for anybody driving to and from Grand Canyon NP.
Julie Espinosa
Julie Espinosa is a family travel blogger who specializes in traveling the National Parks with kids. She is a full-time middle school teacher, travel junkie, history buff and mom to three amazing daughters. Julie is based in San Diego and can be found at familytravellifestyle.com
Imagine your child being able to climb a mountain and crawl back in time about 800 years! They can do exactly that at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico. These ancient ruins are accessible only by walking up a mountain trail to where the Mogollon people carved their homes into the cliffside. This is one of the few places where one can actually enter the dwellings, walk amongst the ruins, and come face to face with centuries-old petroglyphs. Kids will love climbing ladders and peering into the various rooms of the dwellings as they try to decipher the images in the wall-paintings and imagine the lives of children their age living on the side of a mountain.
Due to the approximately 1-mile loop trail, with some steep parts, this monument isn’t accessible with a stroller, and smaller children will have to be carefully watched.
As with most National Park Service locations, Gila Cliff Dwellings offers a Junior Ranger Program in which children (ages 7 and up) complete activities and earn a badge. The Visitors Center has a small but fascinating display of artifacts as well as a film about the cliff dwellings and the people who inhabited them.
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is about two hours from Silver City on a winding drive through the mountains, but the drive and the monument are absolutely worth the time. For families that camp, there are great campsites just down the mountain! Otherwise, Silver City is a great town to spend the night, or a weekend, and visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings.
Nikola Webster
Born in the UK, Brit moved to the US in 1996 to attend UCF. An avid traveler, Brit constantly seeks out the next adventure while researching cost-effective routes. Brit is a passionate, vocal, no-nonsense lady that believes the world is her oyster.
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum, otherwise known as the 9/11 Memorial and Ground Zero. Why? What happened on 9/11, 2001 is not a standard part of the USA’s school curriculum. Shocking but true, this part of our history is not taught, and it should be. It’s an extremely relevant part of US history that shapes much of the political agenda today. Most importantly, 2996 people died and 6,000 were injured. I took my nine-year-old nephew to the memorial last year and explained what happened, the facts and the consequences.For example, why we now operate airport security as we do, why the right to bear arms is so important for some, and so on. Ultimately, all American children should at a minimum understand the events of the day and the lives lost. Visiting the memorial is a sobering reminder of the freedoms our kids enjoy.
- Mount Rushmore. Why? I’m originally from the UK. I am baffled at how few Americans make the trip out west to be awe-inspired by the carving of presidents into the face of a mountain. Not only do most kids not know about this marvel – few can name the faces on this work of art. Lastly, we are a patriotic nation. There is nothing more patriotic than visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota and understanding the significance of this gift to us.
Grainne Kelly
Grainne Kelly is a former travel agent and mom of two who revolutionized the child travel industry by inventing BubbleBum: the world’s FIRST portable, inflatable car booster seat that weighs less than one pound and can inflate/deflate in seconds, making it simple to throw in a backpack or tote bag. It’s ideal for every day rides and carpooling as well as road trips, fly-ins with car rental, taxis, Uber/Lyft rides. Its compact design allows for three across the back. BubbleBum is the 8x winner of the IIHS Best Bet for Car Booster Safety award.
National monuments are great vacation destinations, especially for families. They can sometimes be boring for the littlest family members, so it is important to find places that appeal to them, too! Below are the top five family-friendly national monuments to visit.
- Statue of Liberty – New York, New York. Visiting this national monument is a great reminder of the values of freedom our country was founded on. This will be an enriching experience for the whole family. It can also be used as an opportunity for historical education for the kids. All the people so many years ago who passed by this statue embarked on a life- changing adventure. Everyone loves an adventure story!
- Cabrillo National Monument – San Diego, California. The Point Loma Lighthouse commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European on America’s west coast in 1542. Here, kids get the opportunity to try on authentic sixteenth-century conquistador armor. The beach where the lighthouse stands is also full of natural wonders and wildlife that children are sure to have a blast exploring!
- Dinosaur National Monument – Jensen, Utah. Kids and dinosaurs go hand in hand, so what better place than a real live treasure trove of dinosaur history? Here, you will find fascinating walking trails where you can see the layers and fossils of ancient rock formations. You can also take part in an exciting river raft adventure of a lifetime!
- White Sands National Monument – Southern New Mexico. The largest gypsum dune field in the world looks like it comes straight out of a fairy tale. A pure white expanse where visitors can camp overnight, hike, picnic, and even sled! This will definitely be a magical experience the whole family will always remember.
- Sequoia National Monument – Southern California. This forest of massive and towering trees will take you straight into a land where humans are much smaller. Next to these elderly giants, you and your family will experience the wonder that is the earth. With countless walking trails and photo opportunities, this place will always hold a special place in the hearts of all who visit.
