We love exploring our beautiful nation’s parks and firmly believe that you are never too old to become a junior ranger. For a summer road trip our family traveled over 4100 miles from Seattle to the Dakotas, then down and around home to California. If you are interested in a similar vacation check out our itinerary to help you start planning. This list ranks the best National Parks and Monuments from our route with a few tips along the way.

#1 – Grand Teton National Park

Travel Tip: Drive from north to south. Interestingly, if you visit Yellowstone National Park first, then drive south, you only have to pay for one park entrance. But if you drive up through Grand Teton first then you pay both park fees. 

Grand Teton National Park takes our #1 spot for its drop dead gorgeous alpine scenery. You’ll find that you can circumnavigate the park easily in a day but you’ll never actually want to leave. The park will cast a spell on you that will stay with you long after your stay. The expansive valleys with snow-capped peaks practically touching heaven is a sight that can only be compared to the majestic European Alps. Unfortunately, as in many other mountain ranges, the glaciers that are nestled into the nooks are shrinking but you can still catch a glimpse of them with the help of marked placards around the park. Jenny Lake is a must-see with its mirrored waters reflecting the park’s perfect rocky slopes.  For a family hike we recommend venturing on the Taggart Lake trail, a 3.7 mile loop that crosses cascading rapids, tall forestry and open valleys. Wildlife is around so keep your eyes peeled for deer and moose! It’s a moderately popular trail with a little traffic at times, but that’s just because everyone who makes it there appreciates its beauty as much as we do!

#2 – Yellowstone National Park

Travel Tip: Junior Rangers, this is one of the only parks We’ve been to that charges for the booklets. It’s not much at $3 or so, and the activities are more robust, but it’s something to keep in mind so you can bring your allowance or have mom and dad bring a few bucks. 

We know what you’re thinking: Why is Yellowstone not #1 on the list? One word: Traffic! It’s popularity is so renowned that it’s honestly difficult for guests to reflect on it’s natural wonders before getting pushed to the next location. In 2017 alone 4,116,528 visited the park on their vacations. That being said, it’s still high on our list thanks to its unique character and scientific features. Make sure you check the times for Old Faithful and reserve your spot because crowding is definitely a thing there. Grand Prismatic Spring is another main draw, but keep in mind during certain times of year depending on the outside temp the steam may hinder your visibility. We went in June and although we could see the edges pretty clearly, this certainly was the case for us. Our favorite spring in the park is the Jewel of Biscuit Basin: Sapphire Pool, which is easily accessible offering a view from just a few feet away and whose colors seem to pop straight out of a pop-art painting. Wildlife is also abundant in Yellowstone with Bison roaming in packs and the occasional bear wandering around. Just look for the crowds and listen for the camera shutters to spot these them.

#3 – Badlands National Park

Travel Tip: Visit this breathtaking park in the evening or early morning if possible. There is certainly no bad view during the day, but the light from the rising or setting sun brings out more colors than you can imagine, giving the park a magical tone.

We’ve covered or leads for alpine and volcanic natural wonders but what about some red rock? Bryce Canyon is still our #1 for that category but for this trip we give Badlands National Park the award. TIP! Visit this at dawn or dusk as the vibrant colors are at their best in the low glows of the day. We ventured there just in the evening, just in time to reach the farthest junior ranger station where we were sworn in as official badge owners. The corrosive topography gives you the feeling as if you are standing in the middle of dino country. We were in awe to drive through and find a new formation around each curve that begged us to take its picture. It’s one of those places that is a photographer’s dream. Yellow Mounds stood out for us for it’s smooth rolling rocks juxtaposed against its surrounding sharp peaks. Pull out on the overlook and try to count the number of colors you see! And of course there is plenty of wildlife here, most prominently Big Horn Sheep wonder the grassy plains so keep an eye out but remember to be safe and give them space. You’re guests in their home after all.

#4 – Glacier National Park

Travel Tip: Be sure to check road conditions and closures on the Glacier National Park website. Depending on the time of year the Going-to-the-Sun Road may be closed due to icy conditions. The Junior Ranger booklet is a light one, and the Visitor’s Center will often modify it if full park access is limited. 

Our opa (grandpa in dutch) described this park as one of his favorites when he visited it not long ago on a father-son trip. It was the first big park on our trip and we were excited to see what all the fuss was about. It’s nice because the traffic is light, we even were able to pull off the side of the road and fly our drone for some areal shots without dodging too many cars. There are bugs though! Papa bear got eaten alive by skeeters in the few minutes he was taking video of the river and scenery. I think this park may have been bumped up a bit on the list if we had more visibility but keep in mind depending again on the season you visit fog might settle in and hide some of the tall peaks that make the landscape most recognizable. Before your visit check the road conditions in the park, particularly to see if Going-to-the-Sun Road is open, as this is the main scenic route for viewing. During our visit in June it was still closed due to winter conditions so we had to drive around the park to get to the eastern part of the park to the Two Medicine Area. Driving through it almost feels like you are in an entire different park but we loved it even more with the easy hikes and gushing waterfalls. We highly advise taking the kids to Running Eagle Falls, a super mild stroll with a big reward.

#5 – Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Travel Tip: Weather up here can be a bit unpredictable so be sure to pack an umbrella and rain coat in case of a sudden downpour. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the primary attraction in North Dakota as most of the drive you’ll see flat land for MILES. We loved this park of course because it honors the man who championed for conserving our beautiful lands by creating the United States Forest Service (USFS) and establishing the foundation for the national park system. Today the park still extends the spirit of conservation by hosting a variety of educational programs in and around the park. There are a few ranger stations here the main one being at the start of the driving loop and the other that is on the outskirts of the park. The larger ranger station has a film you can watch and the usual resources, while the smaller station is really there to give you an expansive overlook of the badlands. We felt like storm chasers when we were there and mostly experienced the park from the safety of our car but it was still an awesome park to see. There are wild horses wondering the hills, prairie dog plains, more bison, elk and longhorn steers. Just kick back and play a little Garth Brooks, in our heads it was “The Thunder Rolls” and immerse yourself in the scenery.

#6 – Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Travel Tip: Your annual national park pass does not work here! We found this particularly irritating out of principle. They claim “admission” is free but parking is paid. They even customize the parking pass with your license plate number so you cant share the pass with any other visitors. 

Extra travel tip for junior rangers: make sure you bring your own pen or pencil for the JR booklet. This is such a popular monument that they simply cannot supply enough for everyone. I mean it’s a must see right? A true American landmark! It’s a little further down on our list because we were certainly annoyed by the extra fee, especially since to be honest there is not a lot to do at this site like the larger locations. No matter how amazing your camera is, this is one of those massively photographed locations and actually looks the exact same in person than it does in pictures. There is a spot around the corner that has a pull-out area where you can see the profile perspective of the presidential faces but without going in you won’t have that iconic view. The biggest thing to note is that you may want to build a little more time into your itinerary on the way to Mount Rushmore because the surrounding area has sooo many tourist attractions from a Cosmos Mystery Spot to a Dinosaur Park you will likely get a bit distracted on the drive to the monument by trying to figure out which of the many options to choose from.

#7 – Jewel Cave National Monument

Travel Tip: This site is another rare case where your National Park Annual Pass does not work for all tour types depending on age so be prepared to fork up a little cash to experience the larger cave adventure. Parking and ranger guided nature trail is free though. 

If you have the time waiting for your tour join the resident volunteer or park ranger on the short nature walk. It has some great historical, scientific and educational information about the Black Hills region. As mentioned your annual pass won’t work here depending on your family members’ ages so be sure to check the Jewel Cave national park service website for updated rates as these vary by tour type as well. The longest tour is about an hour and 20 minutes and is a moderately strenuous commitment.  The shortest one which is your cheapest, most accessible (including wheelchairs) and quickest option with only family members 17 and up having to pay for admission and lasting just 20 minutes. As long as you plan ahead you’ll be able to catch a tour while still staying on schedule.

#8 – Pompey’s Pillar National Monument

Travel Tip: This was a spur of the moment addition to our trip since it was literally right off the freeway, but it may take a little time to walk to the actual site from the visitor’s center.

Pompey’s Pillar National Monument is mainly a drive by stamp opp for your passport, located right off the 94 highway. Its a perfect opportunity for you to incorporate a little learning into your trip because its significant stems from the fact that William Clarke of Lewis and Clarke left his mark as he passed through the area on July 25, 1806 as he explored the region. It’s worth a quick stop if you have the time.