Top Ten Kid Friendly National Parksby Trefoni Michael Rizzi, author of Teddy’s Travels America’s National Parks1. Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York, NY.  Ellis Island National Monument You can board the ferry to Statue of Liberty from either the Castle Clinton National Monument in Lower Manhattan, NY or the Central Railroad Terminal Building and Museum in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. Involve the children on your boat trip by remembering the name of your boat. Inside the statue base is a museum with an actual size replica of Lady Liberty's foot. It's a great way to show children how large she really is. On Ellis Island, the movie is a great way to learn about what was involved in making this huge trip across the ocean to America. Imagine being a child on this journey to a strange land. 2. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Nags Head, NC.  Wright Brothers National Memorial This park is filled with the history of Pirates, shipwrecks and lighthouses. Check out the many programs "Especially for Kids" at the Visitor Centers to learn more. Kids will love taking the ferry from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island and best of all, it's FREE! A trip to the Wright Brothers National Memorial is a great way to learn about airplanes and the History of Flight. 3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN, Townsend, TN or Cherokee, NC Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway / Shenandoah National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the Salamander Capital of the World! This park has great programs for kids, including Ranger-led interpretive talks, historical buildings and museums and a working grist mill. This park is filled with waterfalls. Go on a hike, see the wildlife (including bears!) and bring your camera! A drive along the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway is a great way to see the mountains. Take a picnic and stop along the road to slow down and let the pace of the Appalachians refresh your family. At the North end of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway is Shenandoah National Park. Just as beautiful as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but in a different way, there are waterfalls, hikes, beautiful views and great Children's programs daily. 4. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Rapid City, SD. Wind Cave National Park / Jewel Cave National Monument The sheer size of the sculptures can put a child's world in perspective. Join a Ranger-led tour to the base of the sculpture to learn about the Presidents on the mountain and why they were chosen. The most exciting way to see the Monument is by attending the Evening Lighting Ceremony. It will take your breath away. While you here, be sure to visit Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. These are some of the most beautiful caves in North America. 5. Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St.Louis, MO.  Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail This is a great place to learn about Lewis and Clark. The Museum of Westward Expansion, underneath the Monument, has great displays and takes you on a journey through the history of the American West. Don't miss visiting the Old St. Louis Courthouse, across the street. Some say this is where the Civil War began. Of course, you can't miss taking the tram to the top of the Arch. It is an experience you'll never forget. 6. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, NM. Guadalupe Mountains National Monument  While this park is about what's underground, there are wonderful hikes above ground, too. Don't miss the Evening Bat Flight Program. It is worth the crowds and will be an experience you'll never forget. There are Guided Tours and Self-Guided Tours. If you want to linger with a camera, a self-guided tour is probably your best option. If you have a little one in a stroller, be sure to bring a baby back-pack as strollers aren't permitted in the cave. Also, if your young ones are under three, you'll have to do a self-guided tour, because children under three aren't permitted on guided tours.
A great side trip while at Carlsbad is to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. There are lots of great trails to stretch your legs. One of my favorites is the Smith Spring Trail at the Frijole Ranch History Museum Trailhead. 7. Olympic National Park, Seattle, WA.  This park is great, it's like three parks in one; The Mountains, The Rain Forest and The Ocean! If you're in Seattle, half the adventure to Olympic is getting there on the Ferry! Hikes in all three areas of the park will give your children the chance to discover lots of wildlife. In the Hoh Rainforest, there are three great Nature Trails including the Hall of Mosses Trail, the Mini Trail which is Handicapped Accessible and the Spruce Nature Trail. While on the trails in the Rain Forest, watch out for Giant Slugs!
8. Yosemite National Park, Merced or Modesto, CA.  The main Visitor Center in the valley is a great place to start your trip to Yosemite. Look for the 3-dimensional map of the valley, it's a great way to see how the valley fits inside the mountains. The hikes to the base of the waterfalls are fairly easy and pretty exciting, too! The best way to get to the features of the Valley floor is either on the shuttle bus or better yet, on a bicycle. The bike paths are fairly level and the views of the valley walls are incredible when you're out of your car! You can bring your own bikes or rent them at Curry Village.
If you want to avoid the crowds, visit Yosemite in the Fall or Winter. In the Fall, the rivers are low, but the trees are glorious colors. In the winter, you'll see wildlife on the valley floor and snow covers the ground. My favorite thing to do in winter is to go ice skating outside at Curry Village in the shadow of Half Dome under a full moon! That's a memory I will never forget. Don't miss driving up to Glacier Point to look over the Valley from above Curry Village. In the summer, Tuolumne Meadows offers great hiking, incredible views and beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers. 9. Yellowstone National Park, Gardiner or West Yellowstone, MT.  It's hard to miss the wildlife in Yellowstone. The key is to respect that these animals are wild. Of course, you have to visit Old Faithful and Geyser Basin, but one of my favorite places in Yellowstone is the Bubbling Mud Pots. Remember, whenever you see steam coming out of the ground, keep your children close. It's really hot! While in Geyser Basin, visit the Old Faithful Inn to see a classic National Park Lodge. The trail along the edge of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is an easy walk and the views are incredible. Here's a great way to keep your kids busy as you drive through the park: Count how many times you cross the Continental Divide. Sop and take pictures at each of the signs!
If you have the time, you're headed in the right direction and it's summertime, take the Northeast exit out of the park and travel on the Beartooth Scenic Highway for unbelievable views of alpine meadows and the Rocky Mountains. 10. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hilo or Kona, HI.  The Visitor Center is the best place to start in this park. Then take Crater Rim Drive and stop along the way to see craters and lava flows. There is a great trail just outside of Volcano House called the Sandalwood Trail where you can vies steam vents. Be sure to keep your little ones close as the crater walls are very steep. For a fun nature walk, stop at the Thurston Lava Tube and walk through the Tree Fern Forest and the Lava Tube.
There are two great side trips when visiting Volcanoes National Park. The Petroglyphs are a great place to see something really cool and learn about historic cultures at the same time. Additionally, I would highly recommend stopping at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, the Place of Refuge, to learn about Hawaiian Culture and history. Here are three great tips to make your next trip an adventure to remember: 1. A great way to engage your child in their visit to a National Park is to give them a disposable film or small digital camera. This will get them to really think about what they are seeing and best of all, you have a scrapbook for each child that will hold their personal memories. 2. Every National Park listed here has a Junior Ranger Program. Most of the programs can be completed in a couple of hours and are a great way to engage your child in their experience in a National Park. 3. Purchase an America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to help keep your costs down and enjoy entrance to National Parks and Monuments across the country.  Trefoni Rizzi is author of the Award Winning Teddy's Travels - America's National Parks, a Travel Guide, Scrapbook and Journal for Families to the National Parks. www.teddystravels.com. After traveling across the United States countless times, Rizzi and co-author Tedrick de Bear™ decided to write Teddy's Travels to share their passion for traveling and the wonders of America's National Parks.
Website Link: www.teddystravels.com Statue of Liberty National Monument www.nps.gov/stli
New York, NY
Ellis Island National Monument www.nps.gov/elis Cape Hatteras National Seashore www.nps.gov/caha
Nags Hear, NC
Wright Brothers National Memorial www.nps.gov/wrbr Great Smoky Mountains National Park www.nps.gov/grsm
Gatlinburg, TN; Townsend, TN; Cherokee, NC
Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway www.nps.gov/blri
Shenandoah National Park www.nps.gov/shen Mount Rushmore National Memorial www.nps.gov/moru
Rapid City, SD
Wind Cave National Park www.nps.gov/wica
Jewel Cave National Monument www.nps.gov/jeca Jefferson National Expansion Memorial www.nps.gov/jeff
St. Louis, MO
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail www.nps.gov/lecl Carlsbad Caverns National Park www.nps.gov/cave
Carlsbad, NM
Guadalupe Mountains National Monument www.nps.gov/gumo Olympic National Park www.nps.gov/olym
Seattle, WA Yosemite National Park www.nps.gov/yose
Merced and Modesto, CA Yellowstone National Park www.nps.gov/yell
Yellowstone, WY, Cody, WY, Jackson, WY, Gardiner, MT; West Yellowstone, MT; Silver Gate, MT; Cooke City, MT Hawaii Volcanoes National Park www.nps.gov/havo
Hilo and Kona, HI Junior Ranger Program http://www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.htm National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm | 
