Is Yellowstone National Park or the Grand Canyon a good place to go on a family vacation?

Question

Which is better do you think (if you have been to both places)?

Are either of them good to go to in early April?

Answer 1

I've been to the Grand Canyon 6 times and Yellowstone twice. It would be difficult for me to choose one over the other. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, I love visiting our national parks. I've been to 36 of them do date - many of them more than once. I enjoy nature and usually spend my time in the parks hiking. White water rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon by oar was one of my greatest experiences.

The Grand Canyon is a great place to go hiking and seeing Yellowstone will require a bit of hiking too so I hope you enjoy walking. Yellowstone in April is snow covered and your options may be limited by that. On the other hand, April is a great time to visit the Grand Canyon, It's early enough in the year to avoid the summer crush which can be pretty discouraging. But, by April, much of the snow is usually gone although the temperature is still a bit nippy.

My advice is to see both parks but not necessarily on the same trip. Give yourself at least two full days to explore the south rim of the Grand Canyon if you plan to do some of it on foot (hike). But, if you're like most tourists who only see the village area and maybe take a bus tour of the east rim, a day is sufficient.

If you want to see Yellowstone without most of the snow, visit in late spring. The park starts to get busy by late June. Or, go in mid to late September after most of the crowds have left. Allow three to four full days to see the different areas of the park and maybe take a short drive south to see Grand Tetons National Park.

I hope this is of some help. Enjoy your trip regardless of which park you choose.

Answer 2

Have never been to the Grand Canyon, but my wife and I visited Yellowstone last summer. It was awesome! If I were to go there on a family vacation, I'd plan at least a week. We only had a day to drive around and couldn't spend time exploring the way we would have liked. If you go to Yellowstone, I'd highly recommend taking a side trip to Grand Tetons National Park too. - - - One of the things I've always wanted to do is take the Grand Canyon Railway out to the rim and do the mule ride down. That seems like it'd be an awesome way to experience the Grand Canyon area. I've heard you have to have reservations like a year in advance for the mule ride though.

Answer 3

Actually camping in the park at an NPS campground in the Grand Canyon is not much more than your limit - $18 per night. At the Mather campground on the South Rim, there are flush toilets and showers nearby in Grand Canyon Village. There is also a LOT of Forest Service land surrounding the Park that one can camp on - see the links below for developed campgrounds. At Yellowstone, NPS campgrounds vary in price from $12 to $18.50 per night. There is also a lot of Forest Service land around Yellowstone, too. For the NPS campgrounds, you will need to reserve them ASAP. There are also KOAs in West Yellowstone, MT and Williams, AZ (just south of the South Rim of "the GC"). But there are about twice ($30 per night for tent camping) than you want to pay.

Answer 4

I did both many times but without family.

Except the swimming pools, ... if the children don't like long hiking, the Grand Canyon will be quickly boring for them.

In Yellowstone, you don't have to walk too much to be impressed by different natural formations (geysers and related formations). Everyday for a minimum of 3 days, you can plan to see another section of the park and always see something different to amaze everybody.

Answer 5

Yellowstone has lots of wildlife. You and the kids should love it. The Grand Canyon is beautiful in its own right, too. I think Yellowstone can get "crowded" so make sure to make reservations well in advance.

Answer 6

i've been to both when i was younger and i definitely would say go to yellowstone. i think there is a lot more to see and do. you have beautiful hikes, lakes, waterfalls, geysers and you see animals everywhere. i went to yellowstone with my family and we had a blast! it just was a lot more exciting than the grand canyon. we rented a cabin with a field in front of it and we would wake up and see elk right outside.
yellowstone is mostly in wyoming but it also runs into montana and iidaho. so we have some great family pictures with the signs that say welcome to this state and my sister and i were so excited that we had gone to so many states on one trip.
so i would definitely say go to yellowstone!

Answer 7

the grand canyon issss beautiful but it can get boring after a while. it kind of depends if you like western stuff better than like the forest. yellowstone is soo pretty too and there is probably more to do there

Answer 8

Dont go there!!!! go to Boracay in philippines you'll enjoy the best Summer you never enjoy in your intire life.