Montana and Wyoming are full of great family destinations, especially Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier national parks. Many properties in these areas have family cabins that include kitchens, and most motels have family rooms or suites tailored to the needs of parents traveling with their kids.
Recommended family travel websites include Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com), a comprehensive site that offers customized trip planning; Family Travel Network (www.familytravelnetwork.com), an online magazine providing travel tips; and TravelWithYourKids.com (www.travelwithyourkids.com), a comprehensive site written by parents for parents offering sound advice for long-distance and international travel with children.
Family groups should always ask about discounts for attractions and accommodations. If you plan to stay a week at a ski resort or dude ranch, you may find a better value by renting a condominium or lodge than multiple rooms. Ski areas often offer packages that include accommodations and lift tickets; check with a ski resort's reservation service for current prices. Before booking any type of room, event, or activity, inquire whether there are discounts for children or age restrictions.
The U.S. National Park Service offers an America the Beautiful -- National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass for $80 for 1 year into all national parks and federal fee areas. For more information, go to www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm, or call tel. 888/467-2757.
Montana Kids (www.montanakids.com) is a website from Travel Montana that's for kids, with games and such, and their parents, with information about places to go and things to do with families. As for books, Frommer's National Parks with Kids (Wiley Publishing, Inc.) is an excellent resource.
