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Best National Parks and trails for beginners?

donmontalvo

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Need advice for a road trip.

A friend is planning a 3 week long vacation to some national parks with their 2 kids. The kids are 10 and 13. They just bought a new JLU and want to explore National Parks and other interesting parts of the country. Other than wanting to leave in 2 weeks they have no plan yet.

Their starting point will be Michigan City IN. They have not decided on where to go yet. They are very open to recommendations. Most of their trip will be hotel/motels and maybe a couple of days camping. Which National Parks and trails would you recommend for beginners. What are fun trails that do not require much experience? They want to do mostly sightseeing with the kids on some fun roads and trails.

Let the recommendations and fun suggestions begin!
I just got a 2021 JLUR and finished a 30 day vacation, a BOH grab marathon if you will. :)

https://donmontalvo.com/2021/06

I took a month, and I took my time, avoided the tough trails, since I didn't have a lift or bigger tires yet.

Fins & Things and Hell's Revenge in Moab, UT are bucket list items, well within the capabilities of a JLU.
 
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viper88

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I just got a 2021 JLUR and finished a 30 day vacation, a BOH grab marathon if you will. :)

https://donmontalvo.com/2021/06

I took a month, and I took my time, avoided the tough trails, since I didn't have a lift or bigger tires yet.

Fins & Things and Hell's Revenge in Moab, UT are bucket list items, well within the capabilities of a JLU.
Great link! Thanks!
 

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Steel8083

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Also end of August is the Jeep invasion in pigeon forge
 

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jrocker

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Capitol Reef National Park in Utah has a couple of tame trails, that are enjoyable and scenic. In my opinion, it would be great for real noobs.

Cathedral Valley Loop road involves a river crossing (it was 18" deep when we crossed in May), and it is mostly just unpaved road with a couple of rocky sections. 4 hi works well on this one. We aired down just to smooth out the washboard.

"Loop the Fold" (aka the Burr Trail) takes you through the southern part of the National Park, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, and up into the Dixie National Forest. It's 2wd unpaved road, with a couple of opportunities off the main road the kick it into 4wd (Muley Twist Canyon is one). We stayed aired up for this one, even Muley Twist.

Then the South Draw. Kind of in between unpaved road and "Jeep Trail". If you take it from Highway 12 (which I recommend), you'll hit one section of downhill, off camber, roughage. And then the creek crossing at the end. The rest is mild, though a bit rough.
 

variableknife

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Need advice for a road trip.

A friend is planning a 3 week long vacation to some national parks with their 2 kids. The kids are 10 and 13. They just bought a new JLU and want to explore National Parks and other interesting parts of the country. Other than wanting to leave in 2 weeks they have no plan yet.

Their starting point will be Michigan City IN. They have not decided on where to go yet. They are very open to recommendations. Most of their trip will be hotel/motels and maybe a couple of days camping. Which National Parks and trails would you recommend for beginners. What are fun trails that do not require much experience? They want to do mostly sightseeing with the kids on some fun roads and trails.

Let the recommendations and fun suggestions begin!
A good, albeit remote nearby trail to tackle for them would be Drummond Island, in the far Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This is off roading, but there's not much else up there. Alternatively, I might explore the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smokey Mountains. Not much for off roading trails there, but the scenery is spectacular.

Of course, I don't know their budget or how much time they would have, but if they have more time and a larger budget, Consider Monument Valley south through Utah to Page, AZ, and then to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where one of the best trails lies, the primitive road to Point Sublime.
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