Our treasured National Parks System has long been part of the lexicon of family travel in the U.S. For most of these parks, especially in the western half of the country, their remote location is part of what makes them special.
However, for families traveling to soak in some of this natural wonder, it's a smart bet to include time in nearby gateway cities and consider what they could add to a trip. Here's a look at two such cities my family and I recently visited.
Kalispell: How the West was fun
It wasn't until my fourth visit to Glacier National Park, located in Montana's northwestern corner, that I finally visited Kalispell. This gateway city to the famed park on the Canadian border is home to about 30,000 people -- and Kalispell doesn't quite realize how cool it's become in the last few years. Wander around the city's downtown area and you'll find everything from toy stores to fly-fishing outfitters to a skate shop.
Food is a big part of Kalispell's charm, and the kids will love the real Western feel of Moose's Saloon. You enter through old-fashioned saloon swinging doors to a blended crowd of locals and tourists. There's even sawdust on the floor, which was a first for me.
The DeSoto Grill is another must-stop, with comfort food that's elevated and unique. Try the Pork Belly PBJ Bites and the Peanut Butter Pie, both exceptional and kid favorites.
Pork Belly PBJ Bites at the DeSoto Grill in Kalispell, a gateway city for Glacier National Park visits. Photo Credit: Paul J. Heney
Kalispell is also awash in outdoor activities, like renting bikes or e-bikes from century-old Wheaton's Cycles in downtown for an afternoon of exploration. There are dozens of miles of paved bike trails here, including the Rails to Trails of Northwest Montana and Whitefish Trail systems.
The Rails to Trails route we tried featured some gentle hills, which made for pretty scenery without too much backbreaking pedaling and was suitable for the whole family.
For hiking, there's plenty in Glacier, located about 45 minutes away, but there's also what locals call, "The Bob" -- the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. The fifth-largest such preserve in the Lower 48 states, The Bob covers more than 1 million acres and offers countless trails, ranging in length from a few miles to more than 100 miles.
Another option for an active day is kayaking on nearby Flathead Lake, located southeast of Kalispell. Almost identical in size to Lake Tahoe, Flathead has about a dozen islands, including the popular Wild Horse Island. Outfitter Sea Me Paddle runs a wonderful half-day tour to the island, which is home to five wild horses along with bighorn sheep and deer.
We paddled from the tiny burb of Dayton through calm waters to Wild Horse Island, about 2 miles in total, much of it hugging the shoreline. We were provided with rain gear and a contraption that sealed us into our kayaks to keep water out, but the weather cooperated, and we saw no showers.
Once on the island, we were given packed lunches (quite tasty!) and were free to hike for two and a half hours. We spotted the five resident horses, casually grazing near where the forest met a meadow, and they stared at us momentarily before resuming their own lunches.
After wandering across a fraction of the 3-square-mile island, we got back in our kayaks and traded stories with our guides during the easy paddle back to the mainland.
A buffalo herd at Custer State Park, located near Rapid City, S.D. Photo Credit: Paul J. Heney
Rapid City: Animal encounters
The second-largest city in South Dakota, Rapid City is convenient to several popular attractions, including Badlands National Park (a 55-minute drive), Mount Rushmore National Memorial (30 minutes), Wind Cave National Park (55 minutes) and Crazy Horse Monument (50 minutes).
Rapid City has something for U.S. history buffs on every corner -- literally. The town began its privately funded City of Presidents project in 2000, and today, life-size bronze statues of all former presidents await on downtown corners for visitors to view and learn more about each one.
There's a self-guided audio tour for mobile devices. There's even a scavenger hunt for the kids, where they have to locate items, such as a baseball or toy airplane, that different statues are holding. The audio tour uses clips of each president speaking. (For some long-deceased presidents, an AI voice-cloning technology was used, a neat use of technology.)
For kids of all ages, you can find both extinct and very-much-alive creatures in Rapid City, too. On a hill overlooking the city, Dinosaur Park is a free attraction with a handful of large cement dinosaurs that dates back to 1936.
The replicas aren't up to date scientifically and are painted a garish green and white, but kids sure love walking under and climbing on the statues. The park has many steps -- it was recently modified with additional ramps, to be more accessible -- and provides a glorious view of the city skyline.
A bighorn sheep at Bear Country USA, a drive-through animal park. Photo Credit: Paul J. Heney
While Rapid City doesn't have a traditional zoo, what it does have instead is arguably better.
Start at Reptile Gardens, a truly impressive collection of everything from alligators to lizards, turtles and snakes. My son was surprised at how much he enjoyed the alligator-wrestling demonstration, and I was able to "wear" a python around my shoulders, doing my best Britney Spears impression.
Nearby, Bear Country USA is a drive-through animal park, where we spotted bears (of course), along with arctic wolves, elk, pronghorn and mountain lions.
Lastly, for a memorable (and wilder) experience, visitors can book a Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour at Custer State Park. Our two-hour tour, led by our hysterical guide, Scott, was fascinating for the history of the region that he provided as well as for the sight of hundreds of buffaloes, a number I've never spotted even in more famed parks like Yellowstone. We saw plenty of prairie dogs and even went off-roading a bit in the massive Jeep, something that made my son laugh out loud in delight -- the kind of family vacation memory that makes these trips worthwhile.
Editor's Note: This article was written well in advance of the government shutdown.