Do National Parks Beckon? 10 Tips to Plan Your Trip

We learned many things the hard way when planning our 7,000 mile adventure to 20 national parks in Eye Rolls & Awe: A National Park Road Trip with Teens. Here are our top 10 tips:  

1. There’s no one-stop shopping for park stays.
   The National Park Service is making great strides with www.recreation.gov, that helps you build a trip and links you to reservation services at each park. The system works best for single park visits; booking multiple destinations can take more work. You may be directed to various third-party vendors. 

2.  Do your homework before you book.
   Some parks, especially popular ones, have more sleeping options than a small city: luxury lodges. condo-like cottages. bare-bones cabins and, of course, camping. The rates vary widely, from less than $30/night campsites to more than $500/night deluxe private-bath rooms with a view. Be aware that a lodge or cabin in Glacier may be quite different than a lodge or cabin in the Cascades. It pays to be a Google geek when it comes to a good night’s sleep. We based our campsite reservations on a few druthers: Good view? Not too far (or too close) to bathrooms? Cooking allowed? Near hiking trails? Our choices were part educated guess, part luck. 

3. Popular parks sell out fast. 
   Many parks have a “first-come, first-served” policy for accommodations, meaning you don’t have to reserve. Don’t take that chance, unless you’re traveling off-the-beaten-path or off-season. Most parks let you book six months in advance; a few offer a 13-month window. Some stellar places, like Phantom Ranch at the bottom of Grand Canyon, fill the day reservations open. A few stellar, but environmentally sensitive, destinations have lotteries and it can take years to “win” the chance to visit. It was March when we reserved campsites for July and August and were already too late for Grand Canyon. (We opted for a basic lodge instead.) If you’re traveling during peak season and have your heart set on particular lodging, be sure to book early.  

4. Tap into planning support. 
   Dozens of apps can help you plan your adventure. A good one is TripIt, which organizes your master itinerary so you have all the information you need at your fingertips. If you’re a member of AAA, you have access to hundreds of free maps, guidebooks and expert support. While we went for hard copies, all AAA resources are available online or through the AAA app.  

5. Double check online connection. 
   You may think wifi and cellular service are everywhere in the U.S. today. Not so. In many valleys, mountaintop lodges and other remote areas, service is spotty at best. If you are telecommuting on your adventure or a social media junkie, double check that you’re staying in a place where connection will be a sure thing, even if it means finding lodging outside a park. 

6. Ensure Fido is welcome.
   In general, pets are permitted in national parks as long as they are restrained. Some parks, however, don’t let pets (other than therapy animals) in certain buildings, campgrounds and trails. Be sure to check your destinations for its rules. 

7. Consider shipping
   If your journey includes flying, double check your airline’s baggage limitations. We shipped a box of heavier, more solid equipment (stove, coffee pot, pans) to our first hotel in Denver. Everything else went into our checked luggage, letting us stay within our one-item-per-person limit without paying overage fees, which would have been more than the cost of shipping the box. Our family of five used three soft-sided suitcases, stuffing our sleeping bags, tarps, and clothes. We also filled one hard-sided cooler and one milk crate with camping  supplies wrapped in towels. We secured the tops of both with duct tape. The cooler was our “refrigerator” throughout the trip, and the crate stored our paper goods and cooking tools. 

8.  Share your itinerary
   Common sense, sure. Yet there are far too many awful tales of people on the home front not being able to contact traveling pals and relatives in an emergency. Cell phones and social media don’t always ensure connection. Leave an electronic or print copy of your itinerary with at least one family member or friend. 

9. Set a ground rule: ixnay on the internet-tay
   Trust me on this one. Set limits on device use – especially your own. Minimize online connections and you’ll definitely maximize natural ones. Perhaps, set a little downtime each day to binge, and then turn everything off except your camera. (Service is spotty in many parks, so this also avoids the frustration of trying to post live pix and videos.) We had our share of device battles. But all three of my children will vouch for the fact that our decree made a huge difference. Their presence and focus heightened greatly without electronic distractions.

10. You can get away!
    Finally, and maybe most importantly, know that your dreamcanbecome a reality. Like many folks, my husband and I had work, bills to pay and kids committed to sports leagues, music lessons and Junior Lifeguards. Plus, I was a councilwoman on our borough’s governing body, which meant I attended several meetings a week. The trick? If you want to travel, there are ways to make it happen. Ask your boss and co-workers (or fellow council people), call the kid’s coaches, check websites for home rentals and pet sitters. More than anything else – just put it out there. Verbally spread the word about your trip. I can’t tell you how it works, but I’ve seen it happen again and again: when you express your dreams and needs, solutions often present themselves.