Before They’re Gone: Visiting Endangered National Parks With Kids

“We can only expose children to experiences that etch lasting memories; they will chart the journey of learning from there.” – Michael Lanza, Before They’re Gone

This quote expresses why my husband and I are such big fans of nature-based travel. Why we choose to take our kids to places others might not find appropriate – or at least, not fun.

Like this summer when we explored caves in Lava Beds National Monument. And two winters ago when we hiked some three miles with a 2 year old en tow to see elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park.

But these are small-time adventures compared to the undertaking author Michael Lanza set out for his family of four in the spring of 2010. Along with wife Penny, son Nate (9), and daughter Alex (7), Lanza created a year-long travel plan that would impress any nature lover (let alone any parent).

His itinerary included 11 adventures spanning the seasons:

1. Backpacking into the Grand Canyon
2. Hiking to Yosemite’s waterfalls at their peak (my personal favorite)
3. Sea kayaking in Alaska’s Glacier Bay
4. Backpacking in the North Cascades
5. Backpacking in Mount Rainier
6. Backpacking on the Olympic Coast
7. Backpacking in Glacier National Park
8. Seeing the exploding aspens in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park
9. Rock climbing at Joshua Tree National Park
10. Cross-country skiing in Yellowstone
11. Paddling the Everglades

It is these adventures that Lanza shares in Before They’re Gone: A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks. Why the ambitious goals for a family with two relatively young kids? Take a listen to what Lanza has to say.

Each chapter of the award-winning Before They’re Gone is a blend of personal story and climate change education, featuring input from the experts who know the parks best. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and hopefully you’ll be inspired to take your own kids to some of the country’s (and world’s) most wild places. Before they’re gone.

You won’t want to miss this book if …

• You want to know what it’s like to go adventure traveling with kids.
• You love America’s national parks.
• You want to know more about how climate change is impacting the planet’s wild places.
• You need some inspiration to plan your own nature-based adventure!

Michael Lanza is a freelance outdoor writer and photographer and Northwest Editor of Backpacker Magazine. You can read more about his adventures on his blog at TheBigOutside.com.

Note: I received a free copy of Before They’re Gone in exchange for providing my honest review with you. Read my full disclosure policy for more information.