Ryan Beck
Through the first door

National park guides

A few years ago I got tired of having to research from scratch what there is to do at a couple of my favorite national park spots each time we went. So I made a couple quick reference guides with the relevant info. Because I have small kids, these are oriented around lighter hikes and family activities, so day hikes aren't on these. Be warned that they may be a bit out of date, but I expect they're mostly still accurate and at the least they'll be a great starting point for what options are available.

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First page of the Rocky Mountain National Park activity guide

Rocky Mountain National Park & Estes Park

Two pages · Last edited June 2023

RMNP requires day passes reserved in advance for different sections in the park. It can be tricky to get the passes and there are other cool things to do in the area, like in Estes, so this guide gives a number of options.


First page of the Grand Teton National Park activity guide

Grand Teton & Yellowstone

Two pages · Last edited July 2025

The big thing to know is if you want a camping spot you'll need to reserve it when they become available 6 months in advance (more for cabins). Otherwise this covers activities and hikes in the Tetons, and a day trip up to Yellowstone.