Beat the Crowds in September

Autumn's a good time to visit Redwood, Crater Lake, Acadia, and North Cascades parks, as temperatures will be cool and school kids absent.

• Beat the Crowds in October

National Parks (Minus the Crowds)

Our most protected lands—and the dramatic drives that give access to them—are all too often conga lines of taillights and tourists. These four itineraries revive the majesty.

• See the slide show
• Expert Advice: Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan on National Parks
• Road Trip: Mount Rainier and the North Cascades
• Road Trip: Southern Utah

Camp With Your Kids (Painlessly)

We asked camping experts for age-appropriate activities likely to grab your kids' attention and get them outdoors.

• Hard-Won Wisdom: Adventures in Family Travel
• Packing: Backpackers Do It With Less

Online Trip Coach: National Parks

Kurt Repanshek, author of National Parks With Kids, answered your questions about vacations in the national parks with (and without) children.

• 10 Canadian National Parks
• 50 All-Star Family Camps: 2007
• Expert Advice: Camping Tips for Parents
• Expert Advice: RVs
• Grand Canyon
• Grand Canyon Hiking
• Hawaii's New Superferry
• Hawaii: Volcanoes National Park
• Mount Rainier and the North Cascades
• National Parks Guide: January/February
• National Parks Guide: March
• National Parks Guide: April
• National Parks Guide: May
• National Parks Guide: June
• National Parks Guide: July/August
• National Parks Guide: September
• National Parks Guide: October
• National Parks Guide: November/December
• The Queen Charlotte Islands
• South Dakota: Badlands
• Southern Utah's National Parks
• State Parks Lodges
• Trip Coach Transcript: National Parks