The Best Family Adventures of 2022
What does an adventure family look like in 2022?
The pandemic of 2020 brought plenty of uncertainty and concern for the adventurous family. Suddenly, they were forced to stop travel, stay inside, and refrain from adventurous activities together. National parks were closed across the nation, dashing dreams of visiting and exploring a new place. Without being able to embark on these explorations, the family was left to dream about their bucket list for the future.
Now, two years later, a lot has changed concerning Covid. The professionals have much more information in their hands, vaccines are around the corner, and plenty of natural remedies exist to fight the next virus. The family that lives for adventure can finally embark again! So what does a family adventure look like in 2022?
Visiting National Parks in the USA
National Parks in the USA have been around since the beginning of time, but they became official in 1872 when President Grant signed papers for the first park, Yellowstone National Park. Congress decided that the area was so beautiful and unique that they preserved that plot of land strictly for the enjoyment of the people.
Banning construction, mining, and excavation, the land was set apart for recreational purposes. Since that first signing in 1872, many other national parks have been declared, totaling 423 national park sites. Of those 423 sites, sixty-three of them have National Park in there name, such as Yellowstone, Acadia, Grand Canyon, etc.
National parks play a big part of adventure for the family looking to get out, explore more, and make lasting memories together. With so many to chose from, it may be difficult to know where to start when it comes to visiting the parks.
The most important thing? Just get out and start somewhere! What’s the best National Park you may ask? Some of the most popular are Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion National Park, and Grand Canyon. Other amazing options to explore are Bryce Canyon in Utah, or the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Visiting Sandy Beaches on the Coast
The coastal shore is often thought of a place to kick back, relax, and sip something cool as you watch the tides roll in and out during family vacation. But sandy beaches have much more to offer for the adventure family. What can be done along by the coast along the sea? So many options!
-Collect Sea Shells
-Go Kayaking
-Camp at different beaches
-Build sandcastles
-Bury each other in the sand
-Take creative family photos
-Walk a few miles together on the beach
-Ride bikes on the boardwalk or along the beach
Visiting Hot Springs in North America
Hot Springs are a rare thing of Nature. They usually don’t show up on the family vacation agenda just by happenstance. However, they should definitely be one of the destinations for your outdoor adventure with your family.
Hot pools of water often require hiking on a trail to get to the pool. But the reward at the end of the hike is so exciting, especially for kids. Most kids are used to water being cold when it comes out of the ground. So, the hot, steamy water is a pleasant surprise for little kids. Not sure where to start when looking for hotsprings to visit with your family?
Some of the best places to visit in the USA are Castle Hot Spring in Arizona, Hot Springs State Park in Wyoming, or Yellowstone Park in Montana. Make sure these hot pools of water are on your bucket list and plan them in to a trip or two. It will make one of the best family vacations yet!
Camping Together Under the Stars
Few activities bring families together like sitting around a campfire under the stars. Take your family camping for your next vacation trip. Have fun making memories that will last a lifetime as you go hiking, backpacking, kayaking, biking, and more.
Sometimes camping can feel a little overwhelming for the firstimer. But remember, you can always keep it simple when starting out. Get a tent, a cooler, some warm blankets to sleep in, and head out somewhere local for the night. You might not see wildlife your first night camping, and you might not be perched on the edge of a canyon. But if you are out under the stars with your family, that’s a really good step in the right direction.
If you’re still unsure about camping for your family adventures, don’t let it be a game stopper for your family. Just book a hotel and get outdoors to explore as soon as you can.
What are the top activities for the Adventure Family in 2022?
Looking for the best outdoor activities that are family friendly? The great outdoors has so many fun adventures to explore with your kids. Some of the top activities for the family are hiking, biking, backpacking, kayaking whitewater, watching wildlife, and taking tours. Let’s dive into each one of these with a bit more detail.
Hiking with your kids
Perhaps you have little ones in your family, under the age of three, and feel like hiking even a mile is impossible at this stage in life. I’d like to show you another way! Hiking together as a family in the great outdoors is one of the best ways to spend time together, even with a one year old.
Have you tried to hike outside with your kids yet? Have you given them a chance at walking a trail, even a fraction of a mile? I want to bet that your kids might do much better than what you expect. Bring kids out into the ‘wild,’ let them roam, and run, and explore, and you will be surprised at how much fun it is, for them and for you!
Even for wee little ones, that aren’t quite walking, you can still get out and hike with them. Many child carrier packs have been designed to bring you comfort and ease as you hike mountains, walk canyon floors, or meander to a hot spring. Your baby shouldn’t stop you from adventure travel, it should encourage you to get out more.
Family Friendly Biking Adventures
Biking is another fun adventure that is perfect for families. If you have young kids, ages 3 and under, there are many different options to have your kids ride with you. For example, pulling a bike trailer behind you, or having your child ride with you on your bike. If your kids are a little older, ages 4 and above, and can ride their own bike, then everyone can ride together on the trail.
Bike trails can range from super easy for the beginner, to more advanced riding, like mountain biking. Families have enjoyed biking together for years. Bike trips are even more memorable when they are combined with other fun adventure, like biking to your campsite, riding along the coast, or taking a new, scenic route.
Backpacking as a Family
How does backpacking differ from hiking you might ask? Just going for a hike is often done in a day, whereas backpacking involves hiking to a particular location and then camping out for the night. Backpacking packs are often quite large, with enough room to store water, food, clothes, tent, sleeping bag, emergency kit, and more that would be needed for an overnight trip into the outdoors.
Backpacking trips are especially fun to see how much you can get by with (or without) when you’re on a trail together, or exploring the wild west. If your kids are old enough, definitely give them a pack of their own, so they can contribute to the adventure. Whether you are backpacking in the mountains, or to a remote beach, each trek is a memorable trip for your family adventure.
Whitewater River Kayaking
Whitewater kayaking or rafting is suited for families with older kids. Whitewater rafting or kayaking is taking a water vessel on different levels of rapids, known as classes that range between one and six. Class one is the lowest grade class of whitewater and is the easiest to ride. Young kids, even as young as age 5 or 6, can usually start riding whitewater class one.
The most extreme whitewater is Class 6 and is known as “nearly impossible and very dangerous.” Often class 4 whitewater is what the majority of people will ride when they consider doing whitewater rafting.
Whitewater rafting trips are almost always guided by a professional or lead guide.
Watching Wildlife
I don’t know about you, but I think there’s something beautiful, mysterious, and attractive about wildlife animals. They are wild and scary and fast and intimidating, but they are unique and rare and beautiful. I love finding animals in the wild, howbeit almost always in the safety of my car, and I want my family to see the beauty and attraction of wild life too.
Many of the national parks allow you to drive though and tour the landscape, giving you opportunity to spot wildlife. One of the best places to view wildlife in their natural habitat is Yellowstone National Park. Of course if you want to get more upclose and personal with the wildlife, all you have to do is hike or bike deeper into the mountains and you will see plenty of amazing creatures. Always be safe and respectful to the wildlife as you visit their range.
Take Family Friendly Tours
Many of the world class destinations offer family friendly tours for your family to enjoy while on vacation or enjoying a multi day trip. They can range anywhere from walking through a canyon, exploring manmade structures like Hoover Dam, or learning about fossils, turtles, or trees. Tour options are basically endless. Pick a topic or feature your family is interested in, and find a scenic tour near your next trip or vacation.
Where does an Adventure Family Stay?
Camp
If your family is adventrous and lover of all outdoor things than probably the best option for lodging is to camp. Camping opens up a plethora of fun opportunities for your family’s adventure travel.
Consider camping in a national park, along sandy beaches, on the river bank, outdoor under the stars, in a canyon, in the mountain, along a back trail, or near a lake. One of the best things about camping is it is one of the cheaper lodging options for your family, if not free. If camping isn’t your thing for your family, you can always book a hotel or hostel for your next vacation or trip.
Find more inspiration here for camping meals, your camp kitchen checklist, and the best camping apps.
Hotel
Hotels are on almost every corner these days, and very easy to come by and find accomodations for the traveling family. Hotels will be more expensive than camping or hostels, but they will almost always provide the basic necessities, like towels, linens, and hot water. If you’re out camping for awhile, sometimes a hotel room is a very pleasant change for a night.
Hostel
Hostels are a unique travel experience as they are much more communal than the average hotel. Rooms, common areas, bathrooms, and lounge areas are often shared between multiple guests. Because of it’s cheaper price tag, it is attractive to the frequent traveler.
Another thing that makes hostels really unique and interesting is the community aspect of it. After a day of adventure and exploring, travellers hang out in common areas, swapping stories and experiences. Often the common lounge areas in hostels will have table games such as pingpong or foosball, or card games, books, and activities.
An important thing to keep in mind when looking at hostels for your family, is to make sure it is family friendly. Some hostels are known for more of a ‘party atmosphere,’ which would not make it ideal for family travel. However, there are definitely family friendly hostels out there, making it a worthwhile, memorable experience for your trip.
Airbnb
Airbnb’s have become incredibly popular since their start in 2008. Airbnb rentals are typically a private home or room, rented out to the guest for a select period of times. In recent days, Airbnb rentals have become really unique and special, almost making a visit to them a vacation by itself.
From treehouses and tiny houses, to boats and farmettes, the options on the airbnb platform give your family and kids a vacation to remember. Simply search the area you’re going to, and plan your dream vacation trip with the airbnb platform.
Summary
If your family is the adventurous type that loves to get out and explore new, wild places, there are endless options for you. Whether you visit the west coast, a unique island, or go backpacking through a mountain, there are memories to be made when you adventure with your family.
Visit Colorado or Utah next summer, or pick your favorite state along the west coast. Try out water sports on the lake, river, or beach. Endless options exist for you and your family to make memories.
The question is – which will you choose?