Our treasured national park system has long been part of the travel lexicon of American families. As with most national parks, especially in the western half of the United States, their remote location is part of what makes them special.
However, for families who want to enjoy this natural wonder, it's wise to set aside time in nearby gateway cities and consider what you can add to your trip. These are two such cities that my family and I have visited recently.
Kalispell: How the West is Interesting
Until my fourth visit glacier national parkLocated in the northwest corner of Montana, I finally made it to Kalispell. Home to about 30,000 people, this gateway city to the famous park on the Canadian border – Kalispell didn't fully realize how cool it had become in the past few years. Take a stroll downtown and you'll find everything from toy stores to fly-fishing shops to skateboard shops.
Food is a big part of Kalispell's charm, and kids will love the true Western feel of Moose's Saloon. Walk through the revolving doors of an old-fashioned pub and you'll find a crowd of locals and tourists. There was even sawdust on the floor, which was a first for me.
DeSoto Grill is another must-stop for upscale and unique comfort food. Try the Pork Belly PBJ Bites and Peanut Butter Pie, both kids' favorites.
Pork belly PBJ Bites are served at DeSoto Grill in Kalispell, the gateway city to Glacier National Park. Photo credit: Paul J. Heney
Kalispell also offers an abundance of outdoor activities, such as renting a bicycle or e-bike from downtown's century-old Wheaton's Cycles for an afternoon of exploration. There are dozens of miles of paved bike trails, including Railroads of the Northwest Montana Trail and whitefish trail system.
The Rails to Trails route we tried had some gentle hills, beautiful scenery, not too strenuous riding, and was suitable for the whole family to ride.
For hiking, there's plenty to do in Glacier, about 45 minutes away, but there's also what locals call “The Bob.” Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. The Bob Reservation is the fifth largest preserve in the lower 48 states, covering more than 1 million acres and featuring numerous trails ranging from a few miles to more than 100 miles in length.
Another option for an active day is kayaking nearby flathead lakelocated southeast of Kalispell. Nearly the same size as Lake Tahoe, Flathead is home to about a dozen islands, including the popular Mustang Island. Outfitter Sea Me Paddle offers exciting half-day tours of the island, home to five wild horses as well as bighorn sheep and deer.
We paddled from the small suburb of Dayton through calm waters to Wild Horse Island, a total length of about 2 miles, most of which was along the shoreline. They provided us with rain gear and a device to seal us in the kayak from the water, but the weather cooperated and we didn't see any showers.
Once on the island we were given a packed lunch (very delicious!) and free to hike for two and a half hours. We spotted the five resident horses grazing leisurely near where the forest meets meadow, and they stared at us for a while before returning to their lunch.
After wandering around a small part of the 3-square-mile island, we got back in the kayaks and swapped stories with the guide as we paddled effortlessly back to the mainland.
Buffalo herd at Custer State Park, near Rapid City, South Dakota Photo credit: Paul J. Heney
Rapid City: Animal Encounters
Rapid City is the second largest city in South Dakota and offers easy access to many popular attractions, including badlands national park (55 minutes drive), Mount Rushmore National Memorial (30 minutes), Wind Cave National Park (55 minutes) and Crazy Horse Monument (50 minutes).
Rapid City has something for American history buffs around every corner—literally. Town begins private funding city of presidents The project began in 2000 and continues to this day, with life-size bronze statues of all former presidents standing on corners downtown for visitors to see and learn more about each former president.
There is a self-guided audio tour available for mobile devices. There's even a scavenger hunt for kids where they have to find items held by different statues, such as baseballs or toy airplanes. The audio tour uses excerpts from each president's speeches. (For some long-dead presidents, AI voice cloning was used, a clever use of technology.)
For kids of all ages, you can also find extinct and very active creatures in Rapid City. On a hill overlooking the city, Dinosaur Park is a free attraction that features some large cement dinosaurs dating back to 1936.
The replicas are not scientifically up-to-date and are painted in fancy green and white colors, but the kids do enjoy walking and climbing under the statues. The park has many steps—ramps were recently added for easier access—and offers stunning views of the city skyline.
A bighorn sheep at Bear Country USA's drive-in animal park. Photo credit: Paul J. Heney
While Rapid City doesn't have a traditional zoo, what it does have is arguably better.
Started with reptile gardena truly impressive collection featuring everything from crocodiles to lizards, turtles and snakes. My son was amazed at how much he enjoyed the alligator wrestling show, and I was able to do my best Britney Spears impression by “wearing” a python on my shoulder.
nearby, American Bear Country is a drive-thru animal park where we saw bears (of course), as well as arctic wolves, elk, pronghorn, and mountain lions.
Finally, for an unforgettable (and wilder) experience, visitors can book a Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour at: custer state park. We took a two-hour tour with our hysterical tour guide Scott, who told us about the history of the area and also allowed us to see hundreds of buffalo, which I had never seen even in more famous parks like Yellowstone. We saw a lot of prairie dogs and even went cross-country in a huge Jeep, which made my son laugh with joy—the kind of family vacation memories that make these trips worth it.
Editor's note: This article was written before the government shutdown.
