Did you know you could get Free Admission to National Parks?? Maybe that is why you’re planning your road trip with kids and want this National Parks checklist printable so you won’t miss a thing. Print our PDF and take it with you on your adventures to see National Monuments and parks in the United States.
There are so many great places to visit with your kids when they are young. As a family every single vacation centered around visiting a different park, and then planned stops and activities around that. We have visited almost all on the West Coast like Joshua Tree National park and Yosemite. Now that we live near the Montana border, have been to Yellowstone a time or two too. Here are our tips on what to bring when visiting and how to travel cheap.
National Parks Planner
This is great once you have looked at all the Places You Can Camp for Free and figured out where you want to go. Inside the parks themselves usually takes up to a year to reserve something and has a cost to that but you can find areas outside in cities nearby that are very cheap or cost nothing at all so look there first.
I also have tips on How to Travel for Free in the U.S. by gathering points by doing things just like searching the internet or specific credit cards that offer airline miles. We have not paid for a plane ticket the entire 19 years we have been married, and done it this way all along….
National Parks Bucket List
These sheets will list every location, in each state so you can decide whether you want to visit one close to you or make a bigger event out of it. Of course most of them depend on how much time you have, money allocated and how many days you can reserve. If you are traveling with your own living quarters we have a Printable RV Camping Checklist for you too.
How do you visit national parks on a budget?
Stay in tents!! Use the resource above to find spots free of charge or close to it. Then pack accordingly so you don’t forget something important and need to spend an arm and a leg buying it at a small store along the way. Take easy meals you can prep so you eat out less and bring lunch into the park each day with water bottles you can refill often.
Here are important Things to Pack for Camping Checklist so you don’t forget anything. Remember that most sites are far from any sort of city. You may find a small gas station store but it will likely be very expensive and very limited as to what they offer in there so pack more than what you think you will need.
Are there restaurants inside National Parks ?
I wouldn’t count on there being more than a small store with snacks so make sure you are prepared to bring sandwiches for everyone before you enter. Each one is different. Some have lavish hotels inside with great restaurants on the main level but not all, and even if they do they may not be open year round either. It is better to be safe than sorry with extras of everything!
I recommend taking a peek at our Easy Camping Recipes post to prepare your trip as well. Here I meal plan for about a week with things that don’t need to be refrigerated, and a few that do but you make those earlier in the stay. Once you have everything planned out on paper it is easier to move to the next step and not worrying about a thing.
Free National Parks Printable Checklist
Keep in mind that National Parks of American locations do charge a fee to get in. If you are planning to visit let’s say a few in teh area like traveling to Mammoth Caves, Grand Teton National Park and sand dunes it is better if you buy a yearly pass. If you visit 4 it will pay for itself so plan ahead and figure out how likely you are to hit at least that many.
How to keep track of national parks visited?
Use our free PDF printable below!! If you are planning to visit a few you could make a few copies. Laminate the list + a map of the United States. Give each child a wet erase marker to make the route you are taking there and check mark off the ones you hit on the list!
Time needed: 5 minutes
Checklist for Visiting National Parks
- Print
Click this link to print your National Parks Checklist here and get them all or one you want.
- Laminate
For best results you would want to laminate the ones you want to keep handy. Use wet erase markers to check off if you’d like and wipe clean with baby wipes.
What is the best way to plan a family vacation?
Especially if your kids are older, like school age, you really want them to have an input on things so they will have a better time and it won’t be a “chore” vs. an adventure. Print out the top sheet with where to go and start there.
- Include everyone, even the little ones will have something to say even if it is that they want to have hot dogs one night.
- Talk about locations, in this case they are limited as to which state you are in or how long you are willing to travel to each.
- Discuss sleeping arrangements, especially if you have a mix of boys and girls. They may want to go on the trip but are not as excited because sister has to share a tent with brothers which can be fixed easily and make her now excited about the whole journey.
- Plan stops along the way that may be just as fun as the end goal. If you have AAA they can often times provide ideas for fun activities to see and do.
