Family hiking trails in the national parks

45 day hikes in 12 national parks, with distance, elevation gain, difficulty, open seasons, and who each suits. Every row links to the park's day planner and to its NPS source.

Difficulty is the park's own rating. Who it suits comes from our planner: kids, low-mobility, casual, or active. 26 are tagged for kids, 13 for low-mobility plans, and 18 are open in winter.

TrailParkDistance (mi) Gain (ft)DifficultySeasons SuitsSource
Sun Notch Loop Crater Lake National Park 0.8 150 Easy Summer, Fall kids, casual, active NPS
Plaikni Falls Crater Lake National Park 2 100 Easy Summer, Fall kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Garfield Peak Trail Crater Lake National Park 3.6 1,010 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Hidden Lake Overlook Glacier National Park 2.6 608 Moderate Summer, Fall kids, casual, active NPS
Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake Glacier National Park 4.6 740 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Grinnell Glacier via the boat shuttle Glacier National Park 7.4 2,461 Strenuous Summer kids, casual, active NPS
Grinnell Glacier Trail Glacier National Park 10 2,596 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Highline Trail Glacier National Park 11.8 2,388 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point Grand Teton National Park 2 550 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, casual, active NPS
Taggart Lake Trail Grand Teton National Park 3 360 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, casual, active NPS
String Lake Loop Grand Teton National Park 3.7 540 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Cholla Cactus Garden Joshua Tree National Park 0.25 10 Easy Spring, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Hidden Valley Joshua Tree National Park 1 100 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, casual, active NPS
Barker Dam Loop Joshua Tree National Park 1.1 50 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, casual, active NPS
Arch Rock Joshua Tree National Park 1.4 50 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, casual, active NPS
Ryan Mountain Joshua Tree National Park 3 1,069 Strenuous Spring, Fall, Winter active NPS
Lost Horse Mine Joshua Tree National Park 4 550 Moderate Spring, Fall, Winter active NPS
Lost Palms Oasis Joshua Tree National Park 7.2 500 Strenuous Fall, Winter, Spring active NPS
Devastated Area Lassen Volcanic National Park 0.5 50 Easy Summer, Fall kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Bumpass Hell Lassen Volcanic National Park 3 250 Moderate Summer, Fall casual, active NPS
Cinder Cone & the Painted Dunes Lassen Volcanic National Park 4 800 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Lassen Peak Trail Lassen Volcanic National Park 5 2,000 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Skyline Trail to Myrtle Falls Mount Rainier National Park 1 100 Easy Summer, Fall casual, active NPS
Grove of the Patriarchs Mount Rainier National Park 1.3 50 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, casual, active NPS
Cascade Pass & Sahale Arm North Cascades National Park 7.4 1,800 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Hoh Rain Forest — Hall of Mosses Olympic National Park 0.8 100 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Sol Duc Falls Olympic National Park 1.6 200 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Marymere Falls Olympic National Park 1.8 200 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, casual, active NPS
Rialto Beach — Hole-in-the-Wall Olympic National Park 3 20 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter casual, active NPS
Hurricane Hill Trail Olympic National Park 3.2 700 Moderate Summer, Fall casual, active NPS
Cape Alava / Ozette Triangle Olympic National Park 9.2 200 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall active NPS
Giant Logs & Old Faithful Petrified Forest National Park 0.4 30 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Crystal Forest Petrified Forest National Park 0.75 20 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Blue Mesa Trail Petrified Forest National Park 1 100 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, casual, active NPS
Long Logs & Agate House Petrified Forest National Park 2.5 80 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, casual, active NPS
Stout Memorial Grove Redwood National and State Parks 0.6 20 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Fern Canyon Redwood National and State Parks 1 30 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, casual, active NPS
Lady Bird Johnson Grove Redwood National and State Parks 1.4 100 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Tall Trees Grove Redwood National and State Parks 4.5 800 Strenuous Spring, Summer, Fall active NPS
Wind Canyon Trail Theodore Roosevelt National Park 0.4 50 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Caprock Coulee Trail Theodore Roosevelt National Park 4.3 700 Strenuous Spring, Summer, Fall active NPS
Brink of the Lower Falls Yellowstone National Park 0.7 600 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS
Trout Lake Yellowstone National Park 1.2 150 Moderate Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter casual, active NPS
Upper Geyser Basin loop Yellowstone National Park 5 50 Easy Spring, Summer, Fall kids, low-mobility, casual, active NPS
Mount Washburn Yellowstone National Park 6 1,400 Strenuous Summer, Fall active NPS

Questions

What are easy family hikes in national parks?

Start with the rows marked easy and tagged for kids. The shortest here are Cholla Cactus Garden at Joshua Tree National Park (0.25 mi), Giant Logs & Old Faithful at Petrified Forest National Park (0.4 mi) and Wind Canyon Trail at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (0.4 mi).

How far can kids hike?

It depends on the child and the climb more than the miles. Read the distance and the gain together, and start with a short trail with little gain.

What do easy, moderate, and strenuous mean here?

Each is the park's own rating. A short trail can still be hard: Brink of the Lower Falls is 0.7 mi with 600 ft of gain and is rated strenuous.

Which trails work with a wheelchair or stroller?

13 trails are tagged for our planner's low-mobility plans. That tag does not mean the whole trail is paved or level. Check the source link for surface and grade before you go.

Which trails can we hike in winter?

18 trails are open in winter in our planners. Snow, ice, and road closures change that from week to week, so check the park's current conditions page.

More from the Park Service: hiking with children.

Parks not here yet

This table covers the 12 parks with a day planner. For the rest, start from the park guides.