3 National Parks Great for Wintertime Visits

Visiting national parks is always a great option for family travel, and with programs like the Passport to Your National Parks Program, they are a great way to introduce kids to the country’s diverse landscape and develop a love of traveling together as a family. But during the winter months, inclement weather can make visiting certain parks a little more difficult. We’ve looked at national parks across the country and compiled this list of great parks for families to visit during winter.

Death Valley National Park
This massive park spans one of the most desolate portions of the California desert and offers plenty of great ways to explore the desert, but, in the summertime, it can get unbearably hot (temperatures, which often exceed 120 degrees in the summer, have reached as high as 134 degrees in 1913, according to the National Park Service), making it difficult to visit and unsafe for anyone who is overly heat sensitive, like older and younger travelers. While it can definitely get chilly in wintertime, this is a great time of year to experience things like Badwater Basin, a massive salt flat that occupies the lowest point in North America, and Artist’s Palette, an area of the park filled with rock formations of a beautiful array of colors.

Everglades National Park
Winter months are an ideal time for a trip to Florida’s Everglades thanks to a reprieve from the muggy heat and overwhelming insect presence (namely those pesky mosquitoes that come out in force during much of the year). During the winter months, the park is extremely beautiful, and because these months are technically the dry season, you are more likely to see some of the local wildlife, like alligators who have less water to hide in, while exploring the park. The only drawback of visiting during the winter is the park tends to get a bit more crowded as Florida’s wonderful winter weather attracts seasonal visitors, also known as snowbirds, looking to escape the cold and snow in other parts of the country.

Zion National Park
This Utah gem is one of the most popular in the country, and for good reason. Incredible hiking, camping and sightseeing opportunities are in abundance, but, during summer months, temperatures can make many of these activities difficult, especially for multigen families with younger and older members. Crowds are also an issue, with the park one of the most-visited in the country, so you will find it easier to access popular hiking trails and find affordable lodging.