Top 4 Nature-Loving Family Road Trips

Spring is in the air, which means it's time to get outside! Scenery and back-to-basics family fun take center stage on these cheap, outdoorsy family road trips:

Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Amid the backdrop of the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains, this 105-mile stretch of highway (itself a section of the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway) is dotted with exits to kid-friendly hiking trails. Inexpensive campgrounds and cabin-style resorts make for a budget-friendly family vacation.

Asheville, North Carolina, to Gatlinburg, Tennessee
This beautiful two-hour drive passes right through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Campgrounds are plentiful in the area, as are laid-back lodging options like cabin rentals and motels.

Sacramento Trip Idea: Raft the American River

California’s American River is one of the state’s most popular stretches of whitewater, with over 100,000 river rats floating the South Fork of the river each year. It also happens to be one of the best rivers for an early-season float, with the melting winter snowpack off the Sierra Nevadas helping to feed an April-June season down the Class II-III South Fork. More experienced paddlers will want to tackle a riotous 9.5-mile stretch of the North Fork, with some burly Class IV+ rapids. The gateway to the American River is the state capital, Sacramento, which lies about two hours’ drive from the most popular river put-ins.

Photo credit: American River whitewater rafting, California (O.A.R.S.)

California Highlights: Mount Shasta

At 14,162 feet, Mt. Shasta is the second highest volcano in the United States and forms a major part of the Cascade Mountain range. Naturalist John Muir once claimed that his "blood turned to wine" upon viewing the snow-covered peaks.

Photo credit: California: Photodisc/Getty

Sacramento Trip Idea: Gold Rush Days Festival

Over Labor Day Weekend, Sacramento's historic district transforms into the days of yore during its annual Gold Rush Days. More than 200 tons of dirt are poured into the streets to recreate the Sacramento of the 1850s, featuring costumed re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, musicians playing period instruments, wagon trains, miners, and storytellers. Be sure to stop at the jail, apothecary, blacksmith shop, and saloon, where you can buy food from the actual days of the Gold Rush.

Photo credit: Sacramento Gold Rush Days (courtesy, Sacramento CVBu)

California Highlights: Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

At 8,842 feet high, Yosemite's Half Dome is considered one of the national park's greatest wonders, not only because of it's magnificence, but also because of the air of mystery surrounding it. It's believed that the Dome's other half crumbled when glaciers surrounding it receded. Many say the exposed face is stained with the profile of an Ahwahnee Indian.

Photo credit: California: Steinitz