In July of 2015 we set out on a grand vacation through the southwest. We traveled for 21 days and over 6,000 miles, visiting 5 states and 9 National Parks. We explored new places and met up with old friends. Overall, it was an incredible journey and everyone learned so much. You can view all posts about our wild west adventure here.
Destination: Montezuma Castle National Park
Date of Visit: July 2015
Kids: Cole (age 8) & Kiley (age 5)
Length of Visit: 1/2 Day
We checked out of our hotel at the Grand Canyon early because we knew it was going to be a long day of travel on the way to Tucson. My friend, who is a park ranger, suggested that we plan to stop at Montezuma Castle National Park so the kids could stretch their legs (and earn another Junior Ranger badge). It was the perfect place for us to get out and walk around. There’s short, paved trail that was the perfect length for us to walk. The kids completed the easy Junior Ranger book and we were on our way.
This is a small park, but it was still a fun visit. I would have liked to plan ahead next time and pack a lunch so we could picnic while we were there. They had a nice visitor center with a few hands-on activities that the kids loved.
Highlights: The kids both said they loved the visitor center at this park and they also loved that the short trail was paved.
What We Would Change: If we went again I would take a lunch and plan to picnic at the park. It had lots of shade and it was very well maintained. It makes a good 1/2 day trip if you’re in the area.
Recommended Reading: I highly recommend the Foder’s guide to National Parks of the West, we used it when planning our trip and it was a great resource. I liked that there were plenty of suggestions to exploring the parks with kids.
