Explore national parks history with the kids

Yellowstone National Park is not only the oldest, but it’s also one of the most popular national parks to visit in the USA. Established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant, this 2.2 million-acre park spans three states and draws more than 3 million visitors every year. But did you know that Yellowstone has more than 1,800 known archaeological sites within the park? These sites, trails, and oral histories have shown that people have been living near Yellowstone for more than 11,000 years. While the Tukudika are the best-known local tribe of Native Americans, many other groups of Native Americans also lived in and around the area, including the Crows, the Blackfeet, the Bannocks, and the Shoshones.

Mesa Verde National Park is known for its incredible cliff dwellings crafted thousands of years ago by ancestral Pueblo people. The park’s 600 cliff dwellings and 5,000 archaeological sites were the reason it was the first archaeological site in the world to be federally protected. Soak up the history of the park first-hand with a guided tour of Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The Ancestral Pueblo crafted the architectural masterpiece between 1190 and 1280 CE, and it once housed more than 100 people.

More than 2,000 naturally-formed arches mark the landscape of Arches National Park, which was formed by the joint forces of wind, water, and temperature changes nearly 65 million years ago. A highlight of its historical features is the Petroglyph Panel, a rock wall that tells the story of the land’s ancient inhabitants, the Ute and Pueblo peoples. Another incredible display of ancient art can be found at the Courthouse Wash Panel, which features human figures, dogs, spirals, and other animals both carved and painted on the rock. Families with children can participate in the park’s Junior Ranger program by picking up an adventure guide at the visitor center or downloading one online.