9 Fantastic vacation destinations for outdoorsy families

An inspiring selection of vacation destinations for outdoorsy families: wonderful active holiday ideas for families with kids of all ages.

Do your kids love hiking, snorkeling, swimming, ziplinging and basically any and all activitieis that get them to be active outdoors? Then, when planning a family vacation, you need a destination that caters to their needs!

These are some fun destination for outdoorsy families that are fun for kids and adults.

Best vacation ideas and holiday destinations for outdoorsy families

Hike in forests, deserts and canyons on the US West Coast

If you are looking for an active vacation in the USA, then you cannot go wrong picking one of the wonderful West Coast National Parks that span from Washington State all the way down to California.

Yosemite Valley meadow with peak in the background

The variety of landscapes and family activities is huge!

Depending on the park of you choice, you, can hike in forests, chase waterfalls, enjoy long active days on the beach, hike in the desert, cycle and much more.

Thanks to the variety of climates, you can even pick the temperature you like best: Mild summers and green landscapes will welcome you in Oregon and Washington while hot, dry lands will be expecting you in Southern California.

Western National parks are among teh most beautiful in teh contraband have powerhouses of beautify such as Yosemite and Joshua Tree.

Find our guide to the >>> best West Coast National Parks for families <<< .

Go hiking, cycling and snorkeling in one US East Coast National Parks

The East Coast of the United States also has wonderful National Parks perfect for active families.

Many East Coast parks have forest and mountain trails perfect for hiking however, if you head down to Florida or Kentucky, you can also try your hand at snarling and caving – super fun activities with kids!

Some east coast parks are close to big cities which means they can easily be easily accessed for a fly + drive family vacation.

Find our selection of the >>> best East Coast National Parks for families <<<here

Hiking and skiing in the Italian Dolomites

The Italian Dolomites are a paradise for active families both in winter and summer.

Us at Tre Cime di Lavaredo — The Zsigmondy alpine hut near the mountain Zwoelferkopf in the Dolomites during sunset

If you love skiing and ice skating, in winter the Dolomites are perfect winter wonderland: depending exactly where you are going, you can find baby ski camps, beginner slopes, cross country skiing opportunities, sledging and skiing slopes for all levels, all accompanied by the presence of wonderful family hotels with all comforts

Om summer, the Dolomites are perfect for hiking and have path for families with strollers, young walkers, all the way up to trails for more experienced kids and even multi-day hiking options.

We have been going to the Dolomites for more years that we can count and we have always found them to be a fantastic destination for outdoorsy families with kids of any age.

Travel resources to plan a trip to the Dolomites:

Go on a winter adventure in Iceland

Iceland is paradise for sporty families!

The country has out of this world beautiful scenery and very many outdoor activities options for all ages, many more than a country with long winters may lead you to believe!

In winter, Iceland offers you the option of going dog sledding, ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, glacier climbing (yes, you read that one right!) and in summer you can add to this hiking, horse riding and you can also take wildlife trips that may not have your legs burning but will sure give the kids plenty to be excited about!

As well as all of this, Iceland is easy to visit by car and has plenty of beautiful and relaxing options that will make it appealing to adults too.

Waterfalls, black sand beaches, natural hot springs and skies that in winter night tinge themselves with the magical colors of the Northern Lights are sure to regal you a family vacation you’ll love!

Travel resources for a family trip to Iceland:

Go on an active vacation in Grand Canyon

The great outdoor doesn’t get much greater than at the Grand Canyon, one of the world’s wonders and by far one of the most beautiful places in the USA and beyond.

the Grand canyon as seen from the South rim at Mather Point — The Grand Canyon truly is one of the natural wonders of the world and it is very easy to enjoy at all ages

The Grand Canyon is wonderful no matter how visited (even just one day at the Grand Canyon watching the views is enough to leave you in awe) however, there is no doubt that you appreciate its beauty even more if you get active in its beautiful nature.

The best activities for sporty families in the Grand Canyon include hiking, cycling, taking a mule back tour and rafting.

As well as adventure, the Grand Canyon offers plenty of opportunities to relax and play.

The park has accommodation options both inside the park close to the rim and in its vicinities and many of them are geared towards families sporting pools and, in Tusayan, even and Imax Theater

Our travel guides to the Grand canyon:

Explore Yosemite National Park

Another stunning national park to explore with kids is Yosemite, UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful places in the world for mountain scenery.

Our bike with trailer when we went cycling in Yosemite National Park

There is plenty to do in Yosemite for sporty families!

The place to stay here is Yosemite Valley, where most of the visitors services are located nd from where you can explore the park.

Here, you can easily rent biked (adults and kids bikes available, also with trailers if you have a toddler too small to cycle on their own), you can hike, paddle in the river, go mule or horse riding and there is also a kids mountaineering school if you have a daredevil!

Yosemite has many accommodation options for families ranging from campsite to historical lodging and it well organized and easy to enjoy for kids.

In summer, stay in a hotel with a pool to escape the worse of the heat and make sure your kids participate in the junior ranger program for the best fun!

Travel resources to plan a trip to Yosemite with kids:

Hike in Bryce and Zion National Park

Ok so I admit I have a soft spot for US National Parks but seriously, it doesn’t get much better than this if you are looking for a top destination spot for outdoorsy families.

Zion and Bryce and close to each other and it makes sense to plan a trip to both of them together, dividing your time between the two.

In both cases, there is plenty to keep your sporty kid occupied!

In Bryce, you can hike and go horse riding in summer and snowshoeing in winter while in Zion you can go hiking, horse riding, cycling and even rock climbing as a family!

In terms of accommodation and family facilities, both Zion and Bryce have excellent accommodation options to suit most budgets.

You can find out family travel guide to Zion and Bryce at the following links:

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Get sporty in Ireland

Did you know that Ireland is a wonderful destination for active families?

Zip lining wicklow adventure: me and my son on suspended wooden pathways — The things we do for our children! Me and Mr M on our tree adventure

I know that the country is usually mentioned as a destination for road trips (indeed, a trip around Ireland Is one of the best rod trips for families you can ever take) however, we live here and I can tell you there are plenty of opportunities to keep active kids entertained!

Depending where you are, you can go hiking, ziplining, climbing, surfing and you can decide whether to mix these activities for standard sightseeing or even put them at the center of your vacation staying in one of the amazing Ireland’s adventure center.

One you should not miss is the stunning Delphi Resort: located in stunning Connemara, it is a place where kids can go while mountain biking, swimming, running, doing archery and pretty much any outdoor activity you can think of.

Just bring a rain layer as it’s Ireland so rain is likely in all seasons!

Travel resources for planning a family trip to Ireland:

Get active in Canada’s Mont Tremblant National Park

I am going to close this list of out favorite destinations for outdoorsy families with the first national park we experienced with our kids: Mont Tremblant in Canada!

Mont Tremblant is an area of fantastic natural beauty close to Montreal and has plenty on offer for sporty families in both winter and summer.

In winter, the thick layer of snow that covers its wonderful mountains becomes a wonderful playground where kids can ski, go snow tubing, snowshoeing and horse sledding, while in summer they can choose between ziplining, hiking, go-karting, boating and hiking!

You can read about our experience in Mont Tremblant with kids here.

I hope you enjoyed this overview of our favorite destinations for outdoorsy families and it inspired you to start dreaming of your next trip.

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