{"id":41859,"date":"2021-06-12T00:12:08","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T14:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=41859"},"modified":"2025-03-11T22:00:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T11:00:50","slug":"family-experiences-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/family-experiences-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"5 fantastic family experiences you can have in the USA this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From digging for dinosaurs to mushing with sled dogs, these summer activities are fun for the whole family.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a family adventure that\u2019s a bit closer to home this summer, we\u2019ve got a few ideas that will help you make the most of the USA\u2019s incredible national parks system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individual permits for national parks tend to sell out quickly and early in the season, making it difficult to plan a family trip to the parks on your own. However, on our US family tours<\/a>, we\u2019re fortunate to have access to many of the parks that sell out, including Yellowstone in Wyoming, Zion in Utah and Kenai Fjords in Alaska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired to go? Here are some of the epic experiences you can have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep in a wagon on a Wild West ranch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
The incredible views of Zion National Park. Image via Shutterstock. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Imagine waking up to the warmth of the sun and the sounds of birds singing outside your\u2026 wagon? Yep, in Zion National Park, you can do just that, with a ranch stay that features cabins, camping and conestoga wagons. Covered wagons were originally used by travelling pioneers in the 19th<\/sup> century, but these aren\u2019t the wagons of the past. Instead, they\u2019ve been converted into cozy family accommodations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But of course, you can\u2019t stay in your wagon all day, and you probably wouldn\u2019t want to anyways, with stunning gorges, tumbling waterfalls, emerald pools and towering hoodoos (thin rock spires) all nearby. And on our Zion Family Ranch Stay<\/a>, you can do just that, with your nights in cosy cabins and wagons and your days spent exploring the spectacular beauty of Zion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Yellowstone’s technicolor rainbow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
The technicolor hues of the Grand Prismatic Spring. Image via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever seen photos of Yellowstone National Park\u2019s mesmerizing Grand Prismatic Spring, you know it\u2019s the kind of site that needs to be seen to be believed. (And in fact, when settler Europeans first heard of \u201cthe place where hell bubbled up\u201d, they thought it was a myth.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This massive pool is 370 feet across and 160 feet deep, making it the largest spring in the US and the third largest in the world.  But it\u2019s not just the size that fascinates everyone who visits \u2014 it\u2019s the bright, otherworldly colors that form a rainbow rim around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a scientific reason for this technicolor dream: heat-loving microorganisms that live along the edges alter the color of the water, shifting it from bright orange to deep green. At the centre, which is pool\u2019s hottest point, the water is a vivid blue \u2014 and completely void of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to see this wonder of science in real life? You can on our Yellowstone and Grand Teton Family Holiday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mush with Alaskan sled dogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
The furry faces of Alaska’s sled dogs. Image via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even in summer, dog sledding is a staple in Alaska. Not only is it a long-standing tradition \u2014 the practice of using dogs to transport goods and people goes back over 1000 years, to the First Nations people of northern North America \u2014 but it\u2019s also Alaska\u2019s official sport!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some true northern exposure, take a ride \u2014 or as the sledders call it, \u2018mush\u2019 \u2014 through the Alaskan wilderness with a team of sled dogs. On our Alaska Summer Family Holiday, you\u2019ll learn how to train and steer the dogs as you ride to the base of Resurrection Mountain and along Box Canyon Creek. Back at the kennel, see the facilities for your furry friends and learn how they\u2019re (ethically and responsibly) cared for, and perhaps even meet some adorable husky puppies! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk where the dinosaurs roamed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Horseshoe Bend and the surrounding landscape. Image via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The deserts and badlands of the western US are the site of some of the most impressive dinosaur finds in the world \u2014 everything from the ones you\u2019ve likely heard of like the Brontosaurus and the T Rex, to plenty you probably haven\u2019t. Like maybe the Nothronychus graffami, which was first discovered by amateur paleontologist Merle Graffam, who works at the Big Water Dinosaur Museum in southern Utah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the center, which we visit on our Zion Family Ranch Stay, you can chat with Merle or other local experts on staff to learn about the remarkable landscape of red rocks and hoodoos, and its connection to the dinosaurs. You can also view real dinosaur relics and a replicated dinosaur dig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we\u2019re pretty sure dinosaurs are no longer roaming the Southwest, the wild scenery you\u2019ll see in this corner of the US, like Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell, just might make you wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow along with a wolf tracker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Wolves are back in Yellowstone. Image via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, wolves were hunted all across North America, including in national parks. In Yellowstone, the last wolf pack was killed by 1926 as part of a policy to eliminate predators from the national park grounds. But environmentalists soon pointed out that wolves aren\u2019t the dangerous beasts we once thought they were (don\u2019t get us wrong, you still shouldn\u2019t get close to one in the wild!), and eradicating them from Yellowstone threw the entire ecosystem out of whack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1995, Yellowstone launched a plan to reintroduce the grey wolf \u2014 and now, not only has the grey wolf been brought back from the brink of extinction, but the park\u2019s natural balance is returning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you dream of seeing these famous wolves in the wilds, you\u2019re in luck. On our Yellowstone and Grand Teton Family Holiday, you can join a naturalist guide who tracks the wolves\u2019 movements and behaviors, and who knows the best places to (safely) spot them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to pack up the kids and go? Check out all our family holidays in the USA<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From digging for dinosaurs to mushing with sled dogs, these summer activities are fun for the whole family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15098,"featured_media":41883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1870],"tags":[70,1558,1275,874,330,964],"class_list":["post-41859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","tag-alaska","tag-family-holidays","tag-family-travel","tag-national-parks","tag-usa","tag-utah","ipf_region-united-states"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 fantastic family 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