Every Kid In A Park Program
4th Grade Summer Adventures Begin Here
Our Family Trip .....
I just want to share a bit of information with you and your 4th grader. You are lucky enough to be able to get a FREE entrance pass to any NATIONAL PARK this year thanks to the Every Kid In A Park program. Please click on the link for more information.
We saved over $300 on entrance fee's thanks to our 4th grader. Our kids learned so much from this vacation. We traveled to 9 National Parks and 1 National Monument in 10 days. I know, a bit crazy, but it was so worth it.
I love the national parks and would be more than happy to give you any information you need to help you plan your trip!
This was one of our BEST family trips and my youngest son, a 4th grade at OES, has been planning his trip for a few years and can't wait to hit the road this summer.
https://www.everykidinapark.gov/
SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE.......
Mrs. Jennifer Peterson
OES Physical Education
petersonj@oskycsd.org
We saved over $300 on entrance fee's thanks to our 4th grader. Our kids learned so much from this vacation. We traveled to 9 National Parks and 1 National Monument in 10 days. I know, a bit crazy, but it was so worth it.
I love the national parks and would be more than happy to give you any information you need to help you plan your trip!
This was one of our BEST family trips and my youngest son, a 4th grade at OES, has been planning his trip for a few years and can't wait to hit the road this summer.
https://www.everykidinapark.gov/
SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE.......
Mrs. Jennifer Peterson
OES Physical Education
petersonj@oskycsd.org
SOUTHWEST NATIONAL PARKS
We picked this particular route for our national park tour because we knew there would be several parks within a short distance of each other. The only park we didn't hit was Capital Reef National Park in Utah. Our family was kinda tired and ready to head to Grandma's house in Idaho.
FYI -- There has been talk about the entrance fee's to the more popular parks increasing to $70. I think the price has only gone up $5, BUT..... this might be an incentive to travel to the parks before that price jump becomes a reality.
We stayed at a KOA, the lodges at a few National Parks and some hotels. Don't get discouraged if you call and there are no rooms available. Many families book rooms a year in advance and then cancel. I booked our rooms a few weeks before the trip and was still able to get lucky to stay exactly where we were hoping to be.
Please get a hold of me if you'd like more information!
FYI -- There has been talk about the entrance fee's to the more popular parks increasing to $70. I think the price has only gone up $5, BUT..... this might be an incentive to travel to the parks before that price jump becomes a reality.
We stayed at a KOA, the lodges at a few National Parks and some hotels. Don't get discouraged if you call and there are no rooms available. Many families book rooms a year in advance and then cancel. I booked our rooms a few weeks before the trip and was still able to get lucky to stay exactly where we were hoping to be.
Please get a hold of me if you'd like more information!
NATIONAL PARK HIGHLIGHTS
Rock Mountain National Park
This was our 1st stop on our National Park Tour -- AMAZING views at 11,000 ft. Colorado is a beautiful state and has several national parks for you to enjoy.
At Rocky Mountain National Park our boys enjoyed SNOW in July, moose, elk, and beautiful mountain vistas.
At Rocky Mountain National Park our boys enjoyed SNOW in July, moose, elk, and beautiful mountain vistas.
Canyonlands National Park
This park is located in Utah just outside of Moab. This was a 1/2 day trip for our family. We visited in the afternoon so it was hot, but most of our time was spent driving and getting out at overlooks to enjoy the views. The views are like nothing I would of imagined. Looking out over the canyons and seeing endless landscapes -- The canyons went on forever. The were no crowds so it was a peaceful trip through the park. I won't say stress free -- making sure my boys were close by was my 1st priority!!!
Arches National Park
We stayed in Moab, Utah so we could do Arches the next morning on our trip. That was a HUGE win for us. First, Moab is a fun green town in the middle of LOTS of red rock. We ate great food and we stayed in a cabin at a KOA with a pool. Kids loved that!
Arches is fabulous! We were in the gates by 8:00am to beat the heat and the crowds. We hiked a strenuous hike to the Delicate Arch which is shown on the Utah license plate. This park took my breath away. So very different than Canyonlands which was just 45 minutes way. The arches in the park were so cool and we took several short hikes to many of them.
Arches is fabulous! We were in the gates by 8:00am to beat the heat and the crowds. We hiked a strenuous hike to the Delicate Arch which is shown on the Utah license plate. This park took my breath away. So very different than Canyonlands which was just 45 minutes way. The arches in the park were so cool and we took several short hikes to many of them.
Grand Canyon National Park
We elected to drive 7 hours south of Moab to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This rim is not as busy as the south rim, you get the nature vibe vs the tourist vibe. We stayed at a cabin right on the rim of the canyon! A huge forest fire prevented us from hitting many of the viewpoints, but non the less, it was amazing! Do your homework on where to stay - north and south rim are very different.
Zion National Park
AMAZING!!!!! Zion is probably my favorite park. I really want to go back and hike The Narrows. We stayed in Kanab, Utah which was a 33 minute drive to the east Zion entrance. We actually went to Zion about 4pm and it wasn't busy and the evening was perfect. We took an amazing (easy) hike and captured some of the best sunset pictures of the trip. The next day we went back to Zion in the morning - early again to beat the rush and to get a parking spot at the visitor center. The only transportation besides foot in the park, is the free shuttle. It was super easy and we never had to wait for it. Parking is limited so going in the evening and then around 8am was a perfect choice for us. THIS PARK IS A MUST!
Bryce Canyon National Park
After visiting Zion in the morning, we left about 1:00 and traveled to Bryce (2 hours travel time). Arrived there later in the afternoon as a thunderstorm was rolling in. Bryce is another park you can drive to most of the viewpoints so hiking is optional. We stayed at the lodge in the park (great choice) woke up at 6:00 and went for a breathtaking sunrise hike.
Yellowstone National Park
MY FAVORITE PARK!!! I worked here during college for 4 years. I was a recreation supervisor for employees. It was so much fun and I am certain I love Yellowstone for all the places I got to explore and the wonderful people I was able to meet. This park is amazing and if you visit, please allow a lot of time to explore! If you get a chance, visit during the winter. We went during Christmas break and it didn't stop snowing!!! My kids continue to talk about the winter trip and can't wait to do it again. There is so much peace in this vast wilderness. 2.2 million acres of awesome! It's very busy in the summer so be prepared for traffic.
Wind Cave National Park
This was a neat cave. It was a quick stop for us as we were headed to Mount Rushmore. The natural cave entrance was SMALL and the story about the early explorers was very interesting. This cave breaths!! Sometimes the air is going in and sometimes, it's blowing out. A fun stop, especially in the heat of the day. We were 200 ft underground. There are even parts of this cave that haven't been explored yet.
Badlands National Park
This was the last stop on our National Park tour. These hills didn't seem as big after visiting the huge mountains and arches we had seen prior to this park. This was a good stop and not too far off interstate 90.
Mrs. Jennifer Peterson
Email: petersonj@oskycsd.org
Phone: 641-673-8093
Twitter: @oesphysed