There is a Public Service Campaign on the radio in which a banana slug encourages a young boy to find fun and adventure in a return to the forest.  It's a cute and well-executed message and it does make the forest sound fantastic.

Home Grown Amazement

Whenever I hear it (which is quite often!) I always think of the magnificent Mt Rainier National Park just 1 hr 24 min (71.1 mi) via US-12 to our northwest. It is an incredible place and seems like it would be one of the top parks for kids and families to explore.  Turns out it is.

The Family Vacation Guide looked at the country’s 63 national parks to determine which is the most kid-friendly based on the number of hotels, trails, attractions, and landmarks suitable for young travelers. Their result shows that Mt Rainier makes the Top Ten.

One Of The Best Stops For Kids

The region's indigenous people called the peak Tahoma or Tacoma which is a Salish Indian word for "the mountain that provided water " to their tribe. The name is meant to suggest images of strength and power and it's impossible to not see that when you look at Rainier towering over the surrounding landscape at an elevation of 14, 411 feet.
Remember when you visit that the giant is still considered an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1894.

Families Rate Yellowstone The Best

So props to the Queen of the Northwest, but it's Yellowstone National Park that was determined to be the best one for kids.
Situated mostly in Wyoming, with sections in Idaho and Montana, the country’s first national park gets its greatest appeal from its geothermal features, with more than 10,000 hydrothermal sites, including 500 geysers—half of the active ones on the planet.
The geysers are among the 37 kid-friendly landmarks within the park that also include the Grand Prismatic Spring and Mammoth Hot Springs.
As you make your summer travel plans keep in mind other kid-friendly parks include: The Great Smoky Mountains
Rocky Mountain
Yosemite
Grand Canyon
Glacier
Acadia
Death Valley
Grand Teton

Check out your options.

But don't forget one of the best is right next door...and with gas prices being what they are, Rainier might just make the most sense for you, your kids, and your wallet!

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

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