Thanks for the tips Lodo. I am a take it easy and play it by ear kind of guy. I do need to buy a new hammock and good sun hats for the kids.
I already found out that swimming in the Great Salt Lake is not really fun. Too much salt, wading and brine shrimp flys.
We will probably skip Grand Canyon as it is too far out of the way. And Death Vally is probably too hot and risky for a car breakdown.
We did Yosemite a few years ago and it was a zoo. I can only imagine what Yellowstone is like during the tourist season.
If you ever want to visit a nice National Park - try Olympic NP in Washington. Lots of great backpacking in the mountains and along the wild coast line. Another dandy I backpacked a couple trips in is Denali in Alaska - No trails as it is mostly tundra and minor brush along rivers. I encountered all of the big 5 while backpacking there (Moose, Grizzley, Caribou, Dahl Sheep, and Wolf).
