June vacation ideas

[duckcarver]

We did a great 2-week trip with out kids about that age: San Francisco, Monterey, Yosemite, Death Valley, Vegas (kid-friendly: Cirque, great pools, Grand Canyon). Happy to share the itinerary if of interest.

More recently, we spent 15 days working through several SW National Parks (Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands and Park City). It was also a fantastic trip, but our kids were 10-12, which was helpful on some longer hikes.

 

[brerud2]

I have done several 2 week long trips with my family starting when my youngest was 4. We have managed to hit all of the lower 48 states over the course of our adventures and they have all been in the summer - my wife is a teacher so it works for us. Don't worry about June being too hot - I was with 2 boys about 10 & 12 when we were in Death Valley, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyone etc... when the temps were well over 100 degrees most days in late June one year. We saw 115 in Death Valley - didn't do much outside of the rental car that day other than in the morning and after supper and it was still a pretty memorable experience. We just planned on driving to our next destination during the hot afternoon.

My suggestions out west would have to be;
1. Northern CA to Olympic National Park - Eureka - Redwoods, Gold Beach Oregon, Crater Lake National Park, Coos Bay, Newport, Tillamook, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Astoria, Fort Clatsop National Historic Site (Lewis & Clark), up to Olympic National Park in WA. Plenty of small beach towns and cool places to stay on the Oregon coast - we stayed in camping cabins in some Oregon State Parks on the coast - they were awesome for a family with younger kids - my boys were 6 & 8 when we were there. Skip as much as you want and this is still a really cool area but I wouldn't skip the Redwoods.
2. Fly to Vegas - Zion, St. George - Tuacahn Amphitheatre to check out a broadway play on an outdoor stage in a cool setting, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, 4 corners, lower antelope canyon, lake powell, horseshoe bend, moenkopi dinosaur tracks, grand canyon, flagstaff/sedona, Hoover Dam. This is one nice loop that you could do in as little as 8 or 9 days if you really wanted to but you could slow down and spend more time in some places and really get out and explore. Lots of things for young kids to be doing and most hikes we did were short enough that kids can do them easily.
3. Glacier (June might be a little early for some of the cool places but might not be as crowded as it has been lately), Kalispell, Missoula, Yellowstone,
4. California - sequoia, Kings canyon, yosemite, monterey/carmel-by-the-sea, San Simeon (elephant seals), San Luis Obispo, etc....
5. Anything in the west half of Colorado is pretty awesome. I liked Colorado Springs area the most but Rocky Mountain National Park is cool too - horseback riding in the mountains was fun for my kids.
6. UP Michigan is pretty but isn't exactly out west? If you consider that area I would look at the North shore of Lake Superior north of Duluth, a short BWCA canoe trip is easy to do with an outfitter, Isle Royale, Apostle Islands/Ashland WI, Porcupine Mountains, Copper Harbor, Munising MI - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinaw Bridge, Mackinaw Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Our country has so many cool places to go and explore you can't really go wrong - you just need to be excited about the place you choose and make the most of it. I typically pack too many places into a trip and end up driving more than most people would tolerate but we live in a rural area where distances are measured more in hours than miles so it wasn't ever an issue for our family.
Good Luck!

 

[duckcarver]

@brerud2 - Thanks to my wife's teaching breaks, several of our summer trips are almost identical. I backpacked the length of Isle Royale as a kid, but otherwise haven't done #6 - need to work that into the next summer or two.

Thanks!

 

[Finch]

I have done several 2 week long trips with my family starting when my youngest was 4. We have managed to hit all of the lower 48 states over the course of our adventures and they have all been in the summer - my wife is a teacher so it works for us. Don't worry about June being too hot - I was with 2 boys about 10 & 12 when we were in Death Valley, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyone etc... when the temps were well over 100 degrees most days in late June one year. We saw 115 in Death Valley - didn't do much outside of the rental car that day other than in the morning and after supper and it was still a pretty memorable experience. We just planned on driving to our next destination during the hot afternoon.

My suggestions out west would have to be;
1. Northern CA to Olympic National Park - Eureka - Redwoods, Gold Beach Oregon, Crater Lake National Park, Coos Bay, Newport, Tillamook, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Astoria, Fort Clatsop National Historic Site (Lewis & Clark), up to Olympic National Park in WA. Plenty of small beach towns and cool places to stay on the Oregon coast - we stayed in camping cabins in some Oregon State Parks on the coast - they were awesome for a family with younger kids - my boys were 6 & 8 when we were there. Skip as much as you want and this is still a really cool area but I wouldn't skip the Redwoods.
2. Fly to Vegas - Zion, St. George - Tuacahn Amphitheatre to check out a broadway play on an outdoor stage in a cool setting, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde, 4 corners, lower antelope canyon, lake powell, horseshoe bend, moenkopi dinosaur tracks, grand canyon, flagstaff/sedona, Hoover Dam. This is one nice loop that you could do in as little as 8 or 9 days if you really wanted to but you could slow down and spend more time in some places and really get out and explore. Lots of things for young kids to be doing and most hikes we did were short enough that kids can do them easily.
3. Glacier (June might be a little early for some of the cool places but might not be as crowded as it has been lately), Kalispell, Missoula, Yellowstone,
4. California - sequoia, Kings canyon, yosemite, monterey/carmel-by-the-sea, San Simeon (elephant seals), San Luis Obispo, etc....
5. Anything in the west half of Colorado is pretty awesome. I liked Colorado Springs area the most but Rocky Mountain National Park is cool too - horseback riding in the mountains was fun for my kids.
6. UP Michigan is pretty but isn't exactly out west? If you consider that area I would look at the North shore of Lake Superior north of Duluth, a short BWCA canoe trip is easy to do with an outfitter, Isle Royale, Apostle Islands/Ashland WI, Porcupine Mountains, Copper Harbor, Munising MI - Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinaw Bridge, Mackinaw Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Our country has so many cool places to go and explore you can't really go wrong - you just need to be excited about the place you choose and make the most of it. I typically pack too many places into a trip and end up driving more than most people would tolerate but we live in a rural area where distances are measured more in hours than miles so it wasn't ever an issue for our family.
Good Luck!

Wow, thanks for all the recommendations. We are still deciding but need to hurry up.