Adventures for Teens and Tweens

We pulled these 63 teen-worthy adventures out of our full catalog of kid-friendly spots in Texas, New York, Hawaii, Florida, US Virgin Islands, Oklahoma and Puerto Rico. Every listing has the ages it suits, what it costs, how long to budget, parking notes, and what to pack.

Showing 41 of 63 adventures — pick a state above for the full list

Bend, TX

Colorado Bend State Park

70-foot Gorman Falls waterfall with spring-fed swimming holes. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. Easily a full day. Dogs welcome.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 4+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Burnet, TX

Inks Lake State Park

Spring-fed lake swimming and cliff jumping at Devil's Waterhole. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 3+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Canyon, TX

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Second-largest US canyon with the iconic Lighthouse Trail hike. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip. Moderate effort.

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

Glen Rose, TX

Dinosaur Valley State Park

Real dinosaur tracks in a riverbed plus 20 miles of trails. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 3+
  • ~4h
  • 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

Fort Davis, TX

Davis Mountains State Park

Cool mountain camping with skyline trail and historic pueblo lodge. Paid entry. Best from about age 4. A half-day trip. Moderate effort.

  • Camping
  • Ages 4+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

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

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

Spicewood, TX

Pace Bend Park

Rocky limestone coves and cliff jumping on Lake Travis. Paid entry. Best from about age 3. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 3+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Vanderpool, TX

Lost Maples State Natural Area

Stunning fall foliage and limestone canyon trails along the Sabinal River. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 5+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Vanderpool, TX

Lost Maples State Natural Area Camping

Riverside campsites and hike-in primitive sites at the one Texas park with real fall color, and your guaranteed entry in November

  • Camping
  • Ages 4+
  • Overnight
  • Paid

Saranac Lake, NY

Saranac Lake Islands Camping

Paddle-in island camping on the Saranac Lakes with 87 primitive sites. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. Plan to stay overnight.

  • Camping
  • Ages 5+
  • Overnight
  • Paid

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

Fort Ann, NY

Sleeping Beauty Mountain

Moderate summit hike with one of the best Lake George panoramic views. Free. Better for ages 6 and up. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

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

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

Gowanda, NY

Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area

Wild 600-foot gorge with old-growth forest and deep swimming holes. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. A half-day trip. Dogs welcome.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~4h
  • Free

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

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

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

Slide Mountain Trail

Hike the highest peak in the Catskills at 4,180 feet. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. Easily a full day. Dogs welcome. Moderate effort.

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

Kapaa, HI

Wailua River Kayaking

Kayak Hawaii's only navigable river, then hike to a 120-foot hidden waterfall you can swim under. Paid, ages 5+. No kayaking on Sundays.

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

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

Captain Cook, HI

Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park

Kayak across a marine sanctuary to world-class snorkeling with dolphins and turtles. Paid entry. Best from about age 5. A half-day trip.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 5+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

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

Hana, HI

Kipahulu Campground

Oceanfront bluff-top camping at the end of the Road to Hana, a short walk from the Pipiwai Trail and the Oheo Gulch pools

  • Camping
  • Ages 4+
  • Overnight
  • Paid

Kula, HI

Hosmer Grove Campground

First-come tent camping at 6,800 feet in Haleakala, which turns the brutal predawn sunrise drive into a fifteen-minute one

  • Camping
  • Ages 5+
  • Overnight
  • Paid

Kula, HI

Sliding Sands Trail (Haleakala)

Hike into a volcanic crater through a Mars-like landscape of cinder cones. Paid entry. Better for ages 8 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

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

Naalehu, HI

South Point Green Sand Beach (Papakolea)

Hike to one of only four green sand beaches in the world at the US southernmost point. Free. Better for ages 8 and up. A half-day trip.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~4h
  • Free

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

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

Oklahoma City, OK

OKC Sailing School

Week-long learn-to-sail camps for kids on Lake Hefner, open to non-members, plus a half-day Pirate Camp for ages 5 to 7. Paid.

  • Sailing
  • Ages 5+
  • ~7h
  • 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

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