6 Parks Around the World You Can Hike Virtually with Your Kids

Thanks to the evolution of technology, life has become so much easier. Not only do we get to access information at our fingertips, but we also get to travel the world with just a few taps from our couch.

Forget about getting your kids to put on a jacket or getting them to put right feet in the right shoe, here are 6 parks around the world you can hike virtually with your kids!

1. Hang Sơn Đoòng | Vietnam

Source: National Geographic

Hike: Hang Sơn Đoòng

Hang Son Doong, situated within the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park in Vietnam, is the world’s largest natural cave. To preserve the cave as it is before tourism developments greatly alter its untouched state, National Geographic has developed a digital version of the cave. Thanks to that you can now effortlessly explore the cave from your digital device.

2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park | New Mexico

Source: Google Arts and Culture

Hike: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Located in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park features more than 100 caves. The caverns, a vast wonder of nature, make a lasting impression when you witness them for yourself. But on days you can’t, you can settle for a virtual tour.

With Google Arts & Culture Streetview, you’ll be able to fly with thousands of bats, explore the incredible formations, and trek by headlamp through a cave.

3. Grand Canyon | Arizona

Source: Google Arts and Culture  

Hike: Grand Canyon

One of Earth’s spectacular sights, this Arizona landmark with its ages-old red rocks, peaks and plateaus, and gorges, is one of the most visited national parks in the United States. You can trek its rock-laden path with Google Arts & Culture or via Google Maps’ Street View Trek.

4. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park | China

Source: AirPano

Hike: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is where the world’s tallest outdoor lift, the Bailong Elevator (which translates to “hundred dragons sky lift”) is located at. Though the Bailong Elevator is not the only thing worth marveling at in this park, there are various scenic areas, such as the Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, and Gold Whip Stream to feast your eyes on.

You can fly above the towering natural columns in an interactive video tour or take a closer look at the mountains, temple, and glass bridge with 360-degree images.

5. Giants Causeway | Northern Ireland

Source: AirPano

Hike: Giants Causeway

Albeit not a park, Giants Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns and the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom, hence, worth mentioning. While legend has it that the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant, the formation is actually the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption.

The National Trust has a series of virtual tours you can take to explore the rugged landscape or marvel from above with 360-degree sweeping views of the place.

6. Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah

Source: Google Arts and Culture

Hike: Bryce Canyon National Park

The highlight of Bryce Canyon, distinctive by its red and orange-hued natural structures called hoodoos, is a natural series of amphitheater carved into the edge of a high plateau. Google Arts & Culture’s virtual tour of the Bryce Canyon centers around the Sunset Point. Along with riding horseback through a canyon and seeing hoodoos up close, you can also explore North America’s star-filled night sky even if it’s a bright sunny day outside.