Spend your vacation visiting one of the many National Parks located throughout the nation. There’s no better way to get in touch with nature and spend quality time with family and friends. It doesn’t matter which Park you visit, there’s many fun-filled things to keep you busy. Below are a few National Park vacation ideas to help you get started:

1.       Zion National Park- Visit Zion and spend a day hiking the trails. With 23 miles of paved trails and over one hundred backcountry tails there are many exciting sites to see.

2.       Yellowstone National Park- It wouldn’t be a trip to Yellowstone without visiting the boiling springs and geysers.

3.       Grand Canyon National Park- Plan a hiking trail that will take you to see sights you can’t see any other way.

4.       Great Smokey Mountain National Park- Enjoy a scenic drive where you can stop, go for short walks and take in a number of different sights all in one trip.

5.       Yosemite National Park- Horseback riding or rock climbing at Yosemite would be a unique and exciting way to spend the weekend at the park.

Come see what all the talk is about and find out for yourself why visiting one of the National parks is a great way to spend your vacation.

Help keep America beautiful by celebrating Earth Day on April 22^nd.  You can be among the thousands who’ll be taking part in one or more of the fun and exciting events held each year on Earth Day. These events are designed to remind others of how important it is for everyone to do their part to help protect the planet.

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and it continues to be celebrated every year. It’s a great time to look back on all the things you do or don’t do to help protect the environment. This is the time of year when you can make changes and learn new ways to conserve natural resources and reduce the carbon footprint that you leave behind.

Thousands of people join together all across the globe on Earth Day to help make others aware of the harmful effects pollution has on the earth. It’s a fun and festive way to celebrate, while keeping America beautiful. Many of the Earth Day rallies will have performers, live music and a number of activities for all to enjoy, regardless of age.

Include your kids when planning a family vacation and it’ll help make the trip more fun and enjoyable. Vacations are for the whole family, not just the parents. Therefore, it only seems right that you would give your kids a chance to voice their opinions and have a little control over the events you’re planning.

To make the planning more efficient and to stay on track, provide your kids with options instead of asking what they want to do. In other words, plan out the bulk of the vacation and the main destination first. Then, mark out different routes to your main destination and list the different things you can enjoy on the way based on which route you take. Let the kids decide which one they would enjoy the most.

Another option would be to pick out different things that you can enjoy while on your vacation and see which ones are the most appealing to your kids. This way, you’re allowing them to have some control over the activities that you take part in while at your destination.

Allowing kids to be a part of your family vacation planning will give them a sense of pride and make them feel like an important member of the family. This makes the trip more pleasant for everyone but don’t get so wrapped up in planning that you forget to allow for some downtime.

Are you bored with the same old vacation you take every year. Some families do the same thing every vacation simply because it’s a family tradition to lay on the beach soaking up the sun or to go camping in the mountains.

Just because you have been doing the same thing every vacation for years doesn’t mean that it’s too late to change. In fact, a change may be exactly what your family needs to recap some of the excitement everyone used to feel when planning out your family vacation.

When you’re ready for a change, there’s lots of family fun for everyone at Zion National Park. This is the place where you can explore nature at its finest or see exotic sights created by nature by hiking, cycling or booking a tour bus trip.

You can visit museums and national monuments or take part in some of the family oriented activities. The options are many so don’t worry; there will be something for everyone to enjoy. Who knows, you may even create a new family vacation tradition.

You and your family can enter any one of the National Parks this weekend for free! All National Parks offer free admission during the weekend of August 14^th and 15^th as a way to help more people take advantage of the wonderful scenery and other attractions these parks have to offer. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to visit one of the parks near you, now is the time to go.

One hundred forty-seven of the National Parks charge an admission ranging from three dollars to twenty-five dollars and you can enter any one of them this weekend for free. You and your family can enjoy a fun filled adventure at the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Great Smoky Mountains or any other national park near your area without having to pay the entrance fees.

The free weekend admission gives families and individuals an opportunity to visit the parks and explore the hiking trails, admire the wildlife and simply enjoy nature at its finest. If you’re on a tight budget, free admission weekends make it possible for you to take your family on a vacation to one of the most exciting places on earth by making it more affordable.

What better way to help bring the summer vacation to an end than by taking the whole family on a trip to a famous National Park. There are so many wonderful things to enjoy that everyone in the family will have a great time and it makes an excellent topic for children to write about when sharing an event from their summer vacation with the whole class.

The Zion-Mt Carmel Highway located in Zion National Park is a historic road that was officially opened in 1930. Since its opening this road has not had any major repairs done but that is all changing. Zion Road is now going through some major construction and the schedule for this maintenance has been revised. The new construction is scheduled to run from June 1^st through the end of October with the repairs beginning on June 7^th.

The park will remain open throughout the construction process so you can still plan a trip to Zion for a family vacation. The areas of the park that is most visited will still be accessible according to Superintendent Jock Whitworth because Interstate 15 accessed by State Road 9 will not be affected by this construction project. The part of the highway that will be affected is between US89 and Zion Canyon.

During the construction, Tunnel Road will be closed to travelers between 9am through 4pm. The road will be opened after 4pm however, work will continue at night under traffic control and visitors should expect delays. Travelers will not be allowed to stop or park along the road and no pedestrians or bicyclist are allowed on the road during construction.

Tunnel Road will be open on Saturdays, Sundays and on holidays but traffic control will be possible during these times. Bicyclist will still not be allowed on the road during this time but travelers can hike or park along the way as long as they stay out of work areas.

Any large vehicle traveling through the construction is required to have an escort. Vehicles that fall into this category include anything that’s 11’4” tall or 7’10” wide or larger. These vehicles can only travel Tunnel Road Monday through Friday from 7am to 9am and then again from 4pm to 8pm and weekends from 7am to 8pm through July 31^st. The hours may be shorter after July 31^st due to the days being shorter. Escorts will not be available when it’s dark.

When traveling through the construction, drive slowly for safety. There will be places where the road is uneven and workers located throughout the area. When this reconstruction project is finished, the road will be much smoother and safer for the millions of visitors that travel to the park each year.

A large road construction project will begin in Zion National Park starting on June 1, 2010 and scheduled to complete by October 28^th. This is a historic road that was originally opened in 1930 and since has had no major work. It needs a great deal of reconstruction to keep it safe and usable but this is likely to mean fewer visitors to the area. While the park will be open for the duration of the construction period, many from the area fear it will slow visitors this summer.

Parking will be limited in some areas and closed in others so preparation needs to be taken when planning a visit but this can work to your favor if not as many people are traveling to the area. You can see Zion in all its beauty without the crowds this summer.

Since there may be fewer people wanting to visit during this construction time, it’s the perfect opportunity to pack up your family and head over to Zion whether it’s your first visit or your fifth. You can take advantage of the likely lower traffic to the area and make this a time to visit and see everything that Zion National Park has to offer for you and your family.

All it takes is some know-how to work around the construction areas. Only travel between US 89 and Zion Canyon will be affected. If you’re visiting through the south entrance at Springdale, you can avoid the construction zone altogether. Your best bet is to camp or stay at the Zion Lodge and take the shuttle system to and from the park to completely miss the construction zone and still experience all there is to see and do at Zion National Park.

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Click here for a map of Alternate Routes
Click here for Drive Time Estimates

For updated information, Call 435-772-3256 (press 1, then 4)

If you want to step out of the mainstream tourist part of the park and do something different take a family canyoneering adventure in Zion National Park.  Every trip is designed for your family- with no age limits ea h member of your family from the youngest to the oldest will get to have an adventure in the Utah backcountry. You will fill your camera and your mind with priceless memories and fun.

The guided family canyoneering day is fun, exciting and adventurous, as your guides take you to places that few people visit to rappel, climb, hike and enjoy the scenery and wilderness. You can choose a full or short day trip for your group. Some of the things you can expect to see and do while on a family canyoneering adventure in Zion national Park include:

• Rappelling in slot canyon settings- beautiful, challenging and fun for all ages.
• Seasonal swims through natural pools
• Amazing guides who share their knowledge and adventures
• Hands on learning about canyoneering
• Down climbing logs, boulder and rock chimneys
• Lots of photo opportunities of the scenery and your family doing all these fun things.

The family canyoneering adventure is not watered down in any way, the guides simply adjust the days plan to suit your group. According to the guides, children are less timid that adults and enjoy getting started young with a day of adventure.  Just imagine your 5 year old rappelling down a slot canyon beside his older siblings, everyone is involved and everyone will have a blast!

When it comes to supplies and gear for the day the program supplies all technical gear needed. Your family will need to bring footwear- running shoes or hiking boots. Hiking clothing including nylon shorts, pants and shirts. Snacks and water, sunscreen and a sun hat, and don’t forget the camera! All you have to do is show up with all of your supplies and your guide will help you get them packed so that they will stay dry and safe.

Zion National Park offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S. as well as many different family fun activities. The day that you spend enjoying a family canyoneering adventure will simply make the rest of your vacation more interesting as you will learn so much about the terrain and the wildlife in the area while on your adventure you will find yourself noticing things you wouldn’t have before you learned to be a canyoneer.

SPRINGDALE — Enjoy the springtime beauties of Zion National Park during Fee Free Week, Saturday through April 25.

The entry fee will be waived during those days. The fee free week does not include camping, reservations, backcountry permits or tours.

via Enjoy Fee Free Week at Zion National Park | thespectrum.com | The Spectrum.

Our national parks have a way of mesmerizing visitors and reminding us of why we travel. And for one week starting Saturday, all 392 parks will be free for everybody.

via Free National Parks: From Yosemite to Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon – ABC News.