Adventures for Big Kids (Ages 6-9)

We pulled these 72 big-kid adventures out of our full catalog of kid-friendly spots in New York, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Oklahoma. Every listing has the ages it suits, what it costs, how long to budget, parking notes, and what to pack.

Showing 55 of 72 adventures — pick a state above for the full list

Blue Mountain Lake, NY

Blue Mountain Trail

Popular fire tower hike with panoramic views over Blue Mountain Lake. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~4h
  • Free

Buffalo, NY

Sail Buffalo Sailing School

A nonprofit sailing school on Buffalo's Outer Harbor running week-long Lake Erie camps for kids, sorted by ability. Paid. Ages 8 to 17.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 8+
  • ~7h
  • Paid

Geneva, NY

Seneca Sailing Academy

A nonprofit school on Seneca Lake with Opti weeks for little kids and free public First Sail days off Geneva. Ages 7 and up.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 7+
  • ~7h
  • Paid

Indian Lake, NY

Snowy Mountain Trail

Challenging hike to the tallest peak in the southern Adirondacks with fire tower summit. Free. Better for ages 8 and up.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~6h
  • Free

Ithaca, NY

Merrill Family Sailing Center

Cornell's public sailing center on Cayuga Lake, running youth camps, classes and family fleet access. Paid. Ages 8 to 17.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 8+
  • ~7h
  • Paid

Long Lake, NY

Forked Lake Campground

Mostly paddle-in shoreline campsites on a quiet Adirondack lake, a real step up from car camping for families who can paddle gear in

  • Camping
  • Ages 6+
  • Overnight
  • Paid

Niagara Falls, NY

Niagara Gorge Trail

Hike the bottom of Niagara Gorge with boulder scrambles and whirlpool rapids. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Pilot Knob, NY

Buck Mountain Trail

Challenging summit hike with sweeping Lake George views from 2,334 feet. Free. Better for ages 7 and up. Easily a full day.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 7+
  • ~5h
  • Free

Saranac Lake, NY

Ampersand Mountain

Challenging hike to a bald summit with 360-degree Adirondack panorama. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. Easily a full day.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~5h
  • Free

Saranac Lake, NY

SAIL Adirondacks

Learn-to-sail sessions and crewed cruises on an O'Day 23 out of Saranac Lake Marina, four passengers max. Published minimum age 6.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Paid

Schroon Lake, NY

Pharaoh Lake Wilderness

Pristine wilderness lake with backcountry camping far from the crowds. Free. Better for ages 7 and up. Easily a full day.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 7+
  • ~6h
  • Free

Shandaken, NY

Giant Ledge Trail

Popular hike to dramatic cliff-top viewpoints in the Catskill Mountains. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Captain Cook, HI

Captain Cook Monument Snorkel Trail

Steep hike down to world-class snorkeling in a marine sanctuary with dolphins. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. Easily a full day.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 8+
  • ~5h
  • Free

Halawa, HI

Halawa Valley Cultural Hike

Guided cultural hike through an ancient valley to a 250-foot double waterfall. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Hawaii National Park, HI

Kilauea Iki Trail

Walk across the floor of a volcanic crater through hardened lava in Volcanoes National Park. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Hawi, HI

Pololu Valley Trail

Steep trail to a remote black sand beach in a dramatic cliff-lined valley. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. About two hours.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Free

Honolulu, HI

Koko Crater Railway Trail

1,048-step staircase up a volcanic crater with panoramic coastal views. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. About two hours.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~2h
  • Free

Kailua-Kona, HI

Kamanu Charters

Kona's original sailing catamaran, wide enough for kids to sprawl on the trampoline, out to Pawai Bay to snorkel. Ages 7 and up.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 7+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Kilauea, HI

Secret Beach (Kauapea)

Stunning hidden beach accessed by a jungle trail on Kauai north shore. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. About two hours. Dogs welcome.

  • Nature
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Free

Kula, HI

Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area

Cool mountain forest of redwoods and pines on Haleakala that feels like the Pacific Northwest. Free. Better for ages 6 and up.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Lihue, HI

Kauai Sailing Association

A nonprofit community sailing center on Nawiliwili Harbor where kids learn to rig and sail small boats. Paid. Ages 7 to 16.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 7+
  • ~6h
  • Paid

Princeville, HI

Queen's Bath

Dramatic ocean-filled lava pool for experienced families in calm conditions only. Free. Better for ages 10 and up. About two hours.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 10+
  • ~2h
  • Free

Wailuku, HI

Nakalele Blowhole

Natural ocean blowhole shooting water 100 feet high on a dramatic lava coast. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. About an hour.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~1h
  • Free

Canyon Lake, TX

Canyon Lake Gorge

Guided tours through a limestone gorge with dinosaur tracks and fossils. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Dripping Springs, TX

Reimers Ranch Park

Premier Central Texas rock climbing with 18 miles of trails. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

  • Rock Climbing
  • Ages 6+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

El Paso, TX

Franklin Mountains State Park

Largest urban park in the US with aerial tramway and desert hiking. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

El Paso, TX

Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site

World-class bouldering with ancient pictographs in El Paso. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip. A tough one.

  • Rock Climbing
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Flower Mound, TX

Northshore Trail

26 miles of lakeside singletrack mountain biking trails. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome. Moderate effort.

  • Mountain Biking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Fredericksburg, TX

Enchanted Rock Walk-In Camping

Walk-in tent sites and primitive backcountry camping at the granite dome, and the reliable way in when the day-use gate closes

  • Camping
  • Ages 6+
  • Overnight
  • Paid

Grapevine, TX

Grapevine Junior Sailing Club

A nonprofit club on Lake Grapevine running two-week RS Zest dinghy camps, booked through city parks and rec. Ages 8 to 15.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 8+
  • ~7h
  • Paid

Presidio, TX

Big Bend Ranch State Park

300,000-acre desert wilderness along the Rio Grande for experienced families. Paid entry. Better for ages 8 and up. Easily a full day.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~6h
  • Paid

Rockport, TX

Rockport Yacht Club Learn to Sail

An eight-day June learn-to-sail program on Aransas Bay, small classes, with a published non-member rate. Paid. Ages 8 to 17.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 8+
  • ~6h
  • Paid

Salt Flat, TX

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Highest point in Texas and stunning McKittrick Canyon fall foliage. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. Easily a full day.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~6h
  • Paid

Wimberley, TX

Jacob's Well Natural Area

Crystal-clear artesian spring near Wimberley TX with three miles of free trails. Swimming is cancelled; the well overlook stays open.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Free

Crystal River, FL

Three Sisters Springs

The only place in the US where you can legally snorkel alongside wild manatees, plus a boardwalk view for families staying dry.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Key West, FL

Dry Tortugas National Park

Seventy miles out from Key West: a vast brick fort on an empty island, ringed by the clearest snorkelling water in Florida.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~12h
  • Paid

Williston, FL

Devil's Den Spring

Snorkel inside a collapsed underground cavern lit by a single opening in the roof - a prehistoric spring reached by a staircase.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Paid

Bristol, FL

Torreya State Park

Hundred-and-fifty-foot bluffs over the Apalachicola River, on trails with real elevation change - Florida hiking that does not feel like Florida.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 7+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Homestead, FL

Biscayne National Park

Ninety-five percent underwater: boat trips run out to living reef and mangrove islands from a visitor centre south of Miami.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~6h
  • Paid

Silver Springs, FL

Juniper Springs Recreation Area

A seven-mile canoe run through narrow jungle-like creek in Ocala National Forest, plus a 1930s stone millhouse and a CCC-built spring pool.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Vieques, PR

Mosquito Bay

The brightest recorded bioluminescent bay in the world - on a dark night, fish leave visible glowing trails under the kayak.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Arecibo, PR

Parque Nacional Cueva Ventana

Walk through a bat cave on a guided tour to a window-shaped opening in a cliff, framing a green view over the Rio Grande de Arecibo valley.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Paid

Fajardo, PR

Laguna Grande Bioluminescent Bay

Paddle a mangrove channel after dark into a Fajardo lagoon where every stroke of the blade lights up blue-green with living microorganisms.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Guanica, PR

Bosque Estatal de Guanica

A UN biosphere reserve of subtropical dry forest - cactus, thorn scrub and rare birds - with hot coastal trails leading down to empty beaches.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~4h
  • Free

Isabela, PR

Playa Jobos

A limestone-framed bay on the north-west coast with a reliable surf break at one end and sheltered tide pools for children at the other.

  • Surfing
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Rincon, PR

Domes Beach

Puerto Rico's best-known surf break, with beginner lessons when the summer swell drops and humpback whales passing offshore in winter.

  • Surfing
  • Ages 8+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Christiansted, VI

Buck Island Reef National Monument

A marked underwater trail through an elkhorn coral barrier reef, on an uninhabited island reached only by licensed boat.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~6h
  • Paid

Christiansted, VI

Cane Bay Beach

Swim a couple of hundred feet from the sand and the reef simply ends at a wall dropping thousands of feet into open blue. Easy entry, big drop-off.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Christiansted, VI

Salt River Bay Bioluminescent Bay

Night kayaking in a glowing bay at the only documented place where a Columbus landing party came ashore on what is now United States soil.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Frederiksted, VI

Frederiksted Pier

Pier pilings encrusted with orange and purple sponge hold seahorses, frogfish and octopus in shallow, sheltered, unusually clear water.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 7+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Broken Bow, OK

Broken Bow Lake Paddleboarding

Stand-up paddleboard rentals and lessons on crystal-clear Broken Bow Lake. Paid entry. Better for ages 6 and up. About two hours.

  • Paddleboarding
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Paid

Broken Bow, OK

David Boren Hiking Trail

Premier 12-mile trail system with lake views and flexible routes in Beavers Bend State Park. Free. Better for ages 6 and up.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Broken Bow, OK

Rugaru Adventures

Top-rated six-line forest canopy zipline tour in the Ouachita Mountains. Paid entry. Better for ages 7 and up. About two hours.

  • Aerial Adventure
  • Ages 7+
  • ~2h
  • Paid