Want to reach new heights with your family vacations? Want to experience cooler climates in some of the warmest summer spots? Want to experience a summer vacation as adventurous as it is relaxing? Family mountain vacations may be exactly what you are looking for.
With plenty of mountain vacation spots the world over, and many of them being kid-friendly, why not take your family on a holiday they’ll never forget?
Don’t think mountain vacationing means exclusively hiking – there’s a lot more activity to be found at these high-altitude getaways.
Attitash Mountain Resort, New Hampshire
Attitash is one of the lofty White Mountain peaks that loom over New Hampshire, and the mountain resort that is found near its summit offers a totally different family mountain vacation experience, depending on what time of year you decide to visit.
In the winter, skiers descend upon it but come summertime, it becomes an adventure park offering ceaseless fun for all ages!
There is a zipline, which suspends you above the mountainside’s forestry, a climbing wall, waterslides, a mountain coaster, a gondola ride, slacklines, and a bungie trampoline – as well as several endless mountain bike trails, for you and your family to explore Attitash at your own pace.
Vorarlberg, Austria
For a mountain resort that gives you the freedom to create your own fun, consider the west Austrian gem of Vorarlberg – a campsite above the clouds!
The campsite gives you a great starting point to do some hiking and biking, particularly if you and your family want to swim in the nearby crater lake Lünersee or explore the middle age settlement of Feldkirch.
If you get bored of exploring, the campsite has a playground, a cinema, and unparallel views of west Austria.
Massanutten, Virginia
If you’ve got kids who are looking for wide-ranging fun from their mountain vacation, Massanutten, Virginia could be an option.
This Rockingham County resort of course focuses on the great outdoors when it comes to activities, with an extensive adventure park on site, complete with tubing, zip-lines, and a suspended rope course.
But, if that doesn’t excite your kids, there is also an indoor/outdoor waterpark, a golf course, and a horse-riding school.
Parents will be impressed by the luxury rooms to rent, plus the surprisingly good restaurant selection.
Bansko, Bulgaria – the most unusual of family mountain vacations
In winter, Bansko becomes the most popular ski resort in the whole of Bulgaria – not only that, it becomes the cheapest in the whole of Europe!
You’ll be amazed at what Bansko delivers for not that big of a price tag.
The Pirin National Park, which Bansko is located next to, affords this mountainside town seemingly limitless countryside to explore, including an extensive selection of natural hot springs, which makes it one of the best family mountain vacations.
Family-friendly camping huts can be rented out on the outskirts of Bansko, which provides excellent vistas for your family to wake up to.
In town, you’ll find delicious food, regular music festivals, and bike renting facilities for you to explore all the town’s nearby trails.
Yosemite National Park, California
Looking to instil outdoorsy knowledge into your kids while on a family mountain vacation?
A trip to Yosemite can be as educational as it can be fun.
Yosemite National Park has several luxury hotels, including the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, and plenty of camping spots throughout, which will give your family great access to the bountiful waterfalls, mountain tops, and forests of this Sierra Nevada national park.
Your kids can partake in the daily educational tours, such as Ranger Ned’s Big Adventure, that’ll lead them on an educational expedition, and teach them of the park’s history, wildlife, and preservation projects.
Your family can also marvel at some of the biggest trees in the world, traverse through valleys, and earn JR Ranger badges!
Mountain Beiras, Portugal
For families with bigger kids, the Casa das Penhas Douradas hotel on the Beiras Mountain, in the north of Portugal, is a perfect spot to commence family expeditions into the mountains, past granite tors and through glacial valleys – 1550m above sea level.
You really can go the extra mile while staying at this contemporary mountain hotel, with an onsite spa to help you recuperate!
This makes our list of top family mountains due to its apparent remoteness, and yet easy accessibility – you can reach the resort in under two hours from the nearby airport in Porto.
Lake Louise, Canada
Staying at accommodation around Lake Louise in Alberta, such as Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise, is the perfect places to set off for a hike in the Sundance Canyon with your younger kids, and the Canadian Rockies with your older kids.
You’re likely to find a wealth of activity throughout this region that’ll keep each member of your family occupied, from horseback riding to rafting, mountain biking, and canoeing.
There are some unbeatable camping spots throughout the valley too, for the more adventurous of families.
Cedar Breaks, Utah
Another great family mountain vacation that offers both challenging trails for adults, and easy trails for kids and inexperienced hikers.
The red rocked escarpments of Cedar Breaks is likely to leave an impression on all, with such family-friendly hikes as the Sunset Trail and the Alpine Ponds giving all members of the family a chance to view stunning vistas involving lakes, caves, natural amphitheaters and jagged mountaintops.
Cedar Breaks is a great place to camp out, however, if that doesn’t suit, there are a plethora of comfortable hotels in the nearby Cedar City, which has plenty of restaurants to boot.
Cedar Breaks is also a great place for a spot of stargazing, and the park rangers frequently set up telescopes at certain points throughout the range, which will surely pique the interest of your kids.
So, if you’re looking for some fresh air and exercise for your family’s next holiday, a family mountain vacation may be just the ticket.