India, March 11 -- Last year, my husband and I set off on a yearlong family road trip with our two kids, ages 9 and 12, to see as many national parks and monuments as we could.

After countless magical moments together-and lots of trial and error-we discovered how to get the most out of the money, time, and effort it takes to bring young travelers to these hard-to-reach places. These are my top five tips for visiting national parks with kids.

Check the park website before you go.

Before your visit, check the specific park's Current Conditions page on the National Park Service (NPS) website. This might sound basic, but nothing can derail a park visit faster than finally arriving only to find an anticipated attraction or road is closed. ...