epic national park road trip

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One Epic National Park Road Trip Across the USA

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Have you ever dreamed about leaving everything behind and setting out on the ultimate National Park road trip across the entire United States? I know I have! While I’ve set off on a number of epic road trips, including a massive west coast National Park road trip (twice, actually), and another cross-country road trip, and yet I’ve only managed to visit a total of 32 of the 63 National Parks. That means I’ve still got a lot of ground to cover, especially those parks that lay east of the Rockies.

And don’t miss my top national park road trip planning resources at the bottom of this article!

In this article, we are going to be talking about how to link together the vast majority of those parks, including basically all of them within the Lower 48 (aka the Contiguous USA) as well as an option for including the newest national parks that were added to the system in the past couple years. Combining together a bunch of national parks is the very definition of a great American road trip , in my eyes.

Ready? Let’s get planning and hit the road!

Planning an Epic National Park Road Trip

Within the continental United States (aka Lower 48) there are a total of 51 National Parks — there are 2 in Hawaii , 8 in Alaska , and 2 in the territories, making a total of 63.

But of those 51 National Parks in the Continental USA, there are another four parks that are not accessible by vehicle due to the fact that they are maritime-based National Parks.

While driving the Pan American Highway , I started dreaming about once again returning to those incredible protected areas back in my homeland. So I started to imagine what a massive national park road trip in the USA would look like.

I jumped on Google Maps and connected the route in the most logical way I could, taking into account the many miles and many parks I have already visited as well.

This Epic National Park Road Trip covers terrain in at least 39 of the 50 states, across more than 16,950 miles (27,277 km), and visits 45 of the 51 National Parks located in the Continental USA, but does not specifically include the four island-based National Parks (although you get pretty close and could organize boat transport to reach them), nor the two Midwest national parks.

Back in 2019, three national parks were added to the system: Indiana Dunes National Park, Gateway Arch National Park, and White Sands National Park. I’ve added an option to the route which would include these new two Midwest parks, but the addition of Gateway Arch makes it difficult to make a nice, clean route…

Honestly, I’m not really sure why Gateway Arch is a National Park when it is more of a historical monument. That’s one park I would probably skip if your focus is on nature. Indiana Dunes, on the other hand, would be easy to include and is a nature area. White Sands National Park, on the other hand, is included on the main route and is definitely not to be missed! And at the end of 2020, the New River Gorge in West Virginia was designated as a National Park.

I’ve also deliberately tried to route the map to visit a number of incredible scenic areas that aren’t necessarily national parks, like Monument Valley or Grand-Staircase Escalante , for instance.

I also made the route go through a number of exciting cities or landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Las Vegas, or even places like New York City, since an epic American Road Trip would seem almost incomplete without at least passing through some of these places. Furthermore, in areas where there aren’t national parks, I tried to route the trip through areas of interest, like the Mississippi Delta for a Blues and Americana trip in order to connect parks or regions.

Interactive National Park Road Trip Map

Be sure to zoom in and explore the interactive road trip map above, you will find additional notes and details about the trip planning process to better help guide your decision-making process. The map also includes park hiking trails and campgrounds to help you plan!

National Park Road Trip Itinerary

At a minimum, you wouldn’t want to take less than three months, in my opinion, to do a trip of this magnitude, as you shouldn’t have to rush through something like this.

For this hypothetical, albeit still rushed timeline, I would consider starting this national park road trip in the Northeast (since that’s where the largest population centers are clustered) and visiting Acadia National Park in Maine as the first stop in mid-July.

This allows you to cover the northern half of the US National Parks during summer in places like Glacier National Park, Mount Rainier, etc.

Then you will head south into the national parks of California by the end of August, and spend the beginning of fall exploring the multitude of parks in the American Southwest before heading once again across the country to reach the chain of east coast national parks (hopefully) in time for the changing of the leaves and fall colors.

This is a rushed and not ideal trip, of course. I would consider more time to be crucial!

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An ideal road trip of this length and geographic range would last at least six months to a year… Considering the weather, it might be best to start in the American Southwest in late winter or early spring, then head clockwise, through the Pacific Northwest and northern half of the country in summer, down the East Coast (fall colors!) in Autumn, and across the southern half in the winter.

Read More: National Parks to Visit in Spring

But anyone who was the chance to undertake this journey will have a different starting point, starting time of year, and length of time to complete it. You will need to customize it as you see fit and most likely have to make compromises along the way (visiting out of season, for instance). Either way, you’ll be able to hit the highlights of the park system as well as the most underrated national parks that don’t get as much attention.

Here is the order of National Parks visited on this road trip itinerary. Those with an asterisk (*) are the island parks that aren’t accessible by car. Those with a tilde (~) are the two Midwest parks which could be included with a detour of the current route. I also included a checkmark (✓) next to those national parks that I’ve visited personally.

Acadia National Park Cuyahoga Valley National Park ~ Indiana Dunes National Park ~ Gateway Arch National Park * Isle Royale National Park Voyageurs National Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park ✓ Badlands National Park Wind Cave National Park ✓ Grand Teton National Park ✓ Yellowstone National Park ✓ Glacier National Park ✓ North Cascades National Park ✓ Olympic National Park ✓ Mount Rainier National Park ✓ Crater Lake National Park ✓ Redwood National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park Pinnacles National Park ✓ Sequoia National Park ✓ Kings Canyon National Park ✓ Yosemite National Park ✓ Death Valley National Park * Channel Islands National Park ✓ Joshua Tree National Park ✓ Saguaro National Park ✓ Petrified Forest National Park ✓ Grand Canyon National Park ✓ Zion National Park ✓ Great Basin National Park ✓ Bryce Canyon National Park ✓ Capitol Reef National Park ✓ Arches National Park ✓ Canyonlands National Park ✓ Mesa Verde National Park ✓ Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park ✓ Rocky Mountain National Park ✓ Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve ✓ White Sands National Park Carlsbad Caverns National Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park Big Bend National Park Hot Springs National Park Everglades National Park * Biscayne National Park * Dry Tortugas National Park ✓ Congaree National Park ✓ Great Smoky Mountains National Park Mammoth Cave National Park ✓ New River Gorge National Park ✓ Shenandoah National Park

Best National Parks Resources

• America the Beautiful Pass : The annual pass is a MUST purchase if you plan to visit approximately four or more national parks in one year and it will save you a ton of money! The annual past is just $80 (even cheaper for seniors) and will grant you unlimited access to all parks, even those that normally cost like $30 each!
• Ken Burns’ National Parks Documentary : If you haven’t seen it yet, this six-part documentary series is an incredible introduction to the history of America’s National Parks system and all the challenges and triumphs faced. MUST WATCH! It will give you a whole new appreciation.
• Moon USA National Parks Guide : This is the most complete resource you’ll find about virtually all the parks (doesn’t include the two newest ones) with itineraries, suggested things to see and do, road trip planning and so much more. 
• AAA Insurance : If you’re going to be doing a monster road trip like this, be sure to have AAA insurance which will protect you in the event of a roadside breakdown. I’d recommend the more complete package which includes up to a 200-mile tow (I had to use that distance once when I broke down outside of Bryce Canyon!). Hopefully, you don’t need it, but it is a lifesaver if you do.

Looking for more road trip inspiration? Don’t miss my post about the most scenic drives in the USA , the best road trip books , or all of these amazing places to visit on a West Coast road trip .

If you need more concrete stuff beyond inspiration, you may want to check out my 21 favorite apps for a road trip , or my favorite podcasts to listen to while on the road .

I hope this post has filled you up with National Park road trip ideas, I know it has for me! I’m itching to get back on the road as I write this.

Read Next: The Ultimate Guide to Road Trip Planning

Did you enjoy this post about the most epic national park road trip ever? Please take a second to share it on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. Thanks!

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Comments 24

Love this! How many miles do you estimate this is as it stands, without modification? Were there parks that you just did the Griswalds and drove in, drove around and left? Just curious.

Thanks for all this work and sharing!

It is at least 17,000 miles or so as the trip stands. There were a few times where it was basically just a drive through and go type of situation, but I’ve also been able to visit some of these parks multiple times, so I almost always try to at least get in a day hike. Some that I just drove through that I recall at this moment were Saguaro NP and Petrified Forest. Hopefully I will get a chance to visit Arizona again soon and explore more.

Hey Ryan, My daughter and I are planning a trip like this, but could you tell me how many days your trip will take, roughly. What I have planned so far for our trip is about 60 days, but would like to do yours if it runs about the same amount of time. Thank you for putting it together and out there for us to follow/use. Chris

I can’t believe the route is so close to Pensacola FL and does not include a stop at the amazingly beautiful Gulf Islands National Seashore! You are truly missing out on a fantastic place – with camping at Ft Pickens – if you leave this off the list.

Hey Shawn, that’s only because the route is targeted toward designated national parks, but yes, there are countless amazing places that can and should be added to this route all across the country. There are tons of incredible Federal and state lands to check out.

For the families with a 4th grader they could get a free pass to all national parks. Check out https://everykidoutdoors.gov/pass.htm . We have 2 years, until our oldest is in 4th grade to plan and try to cram them all in!

I would add in a route that takes you to Mt. Hood in Oregon. Dense forests with a huge snow capped peak. Plenty of camping in the area. Summer at the Mt Hood Ski resort has many outdoor activities for all ages.

Definitely love Mt Hood and always try and head that way when I’m in the Columbia River Gorge.

Loved the road trip , and would like to plan one like it in the near future. Keep up the great work. You may e-mail me an update if you so desire. Thanks, Robert

Ahhhh this is so epic! I will have to do this at some point – I really hope I get the time! I’ve only ever done three weeks at a time before and that’s insanely fun, but something longer would be amazing to try. Thanks for the article!

Very nice article. I’m looking forward to doing this some day, when I’m finished with Hawaii. By the way, I don’t know when you wrote this, but there are more than two National Parks in Hawaii.

As far as I know, there are only two national parks (Haleakalā and Hawai’i Volcanoes), this article isn’t addressing national memorials, historic sites, historical parks, or historic trails… Doing so would definitely balloon the number of places (from 61 national parks to 419 different units administered by the NPS).

My husband and I went to Alaska a few years ago if you love nature Denali is the ultimate park to visit. We also took aside trip up to Barrow and was able to get the picture of a lifetime, Mt. Denali surrounded by clouds at 36,000 feet.

Have been to Mt. Rushmore, Assateague Island National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is almost in my back yard so we visit it alot. Going to Everglades National Park next spring with my sister.I

Many more places to visit in the future. Happy travels!!!

Oh yeah, I couldn’t agree more! Been to Denali as well, but it was a bit beyond the scope of this article about a national park road trip in the Lower 48… You’d almost need a lifetime just to explore the parks up in Alaska.

Damn, you weren’t kidding when you called it an “epic” road trip! I love traveling and everything but I think a trip that long would be overly exhausting for me.

My husband and I have been to Dry Tortugas National Park. We took a day trip over from Key West a few years ago. It was incredible. The jellyfish were in earlier in the season than normal and they were beautiful. Some were the size of dinner platters and vibrant purple. There were so many different types of fish. I was unable to get in the water due to being allergic to jellyfish stings but I still enjoyed walking the perimeter of the fort and getting some fantastic pictures of all the sea life. I hope you make it there some day.

That sounds amazing! I’d definitely like to experience that at some point… Not sure about getting in the water and the prospect of jellyfish stings though, haha.

Make sure to stop at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe.

Looks like a pretty wild place!

I have one month from middle of Aug to middle of Sept. this summer Leaving northern Calif to New York what route do you suggest? Want to see as much as I can I will be in my Coach House Van

My family and I are thinking about taking a road trip from northeastern Illinois to Mount Rushmore. Is there anything we must see and do when planning this outing?

Stop at the nearby national parks, that’s my only rec. Enjoy!

I have been in the process of planning just this very road trip. I am so eager to see as many of the national parks as possible. Thank you, you have saved me hours of routing.

Toni, that’s awesome to hear! You’ll have to update us all on how it goes for you… Best of luck!

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Visit Every US National Park on this Epic Road Trip

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Visiting every single National Park in the United States is no small task. Currently, there are 63 recognized National Parks including American Samoa & the Virgin Islands. Even if you only look at the contiguous U.S., there are 48 National Parks spread across the country. For this National Park road trip, we will be focusing on the parks you can reach overland without hopping a plane, boat, or crossing a border.

When we were planning our ultimate national park road trip we were surprised to find very little route information when you’re looking at exploring the entire United States. Most National park guides instead focus on a single region of the U.S.

But with vanlife surging in popularity, more travelers than ever will be exploring the United States on long term cross country trips . There really is no wrong way to reach the parks, but this is the optimal route we decided on when planning our road trip to every national park.

How to Plan a National Park Road Trip

How do you plan a road trip of this magnitude? One state at a time.

We converted a 1994 Dodge Ram Van before hitting the road. So for us, it was important to keep the mileage as low as possible. This old tank isn’t gonna last forever. We didn’t want to have to double back or go way out of our way if at all possible.

First, we made a map of all the national parks across the United States. Including a few that sit on small islands just offshore (like Key Biscayne & the Channel Islands).

Then we played connect the dots.

& the zig-zag map we provided below was born.

But now you have to ask yourself… when do you plan on leaving? Well, it all depends on where you’re starting.

I’ll cover this more in-depth at the end of the blog post but in general, you’ll want to avoid harsh winter weather during your national park road trip.

Best Way to see the National Parks? Van Life.

Okay. I might be biased. But van life has changed the road trip game. It’s made it cheaper. More comfortable & helped me to travel more off-the-beaten-path. & that’s just a few benefits of the van life . But van life isn’t always as glamorous as it’s made out to be. & if you’re on the fence you should test out van/RV travel before you invest in your own rig.

My favorite RV rental company is RVShare. They have rentals all over the U.S. & are a very affordable option. Another perk…they are locally owned RVs which means they are cozier than a generic rental and you’re supporting small businesses.

If you’re looking for more of an adventure van experience I would check out Travellers Autobarn (my favorite van rental company) or Escape van rentals.

Before you hit the road make sure you’re well-stocked with all the vanlife essentials that make living in your vehicle a piece of cake.

Ultimate USA National Park Road Trip Map

Here’s our google map with rough driving routes to every single national park in the United States included.

Disclaimer: These are the routes recommended by Google. We took slightly different driving routes to add small towns we were interested in stopping in. I would recommend creating your own driving route to add things that may interest you along the way.

Complete National Park Road Trip Itinerary

Because Google Maps can be a bit hard to read sometimes, let’s break it down.

Here is a USA National Park road trip map that starts & ends in Washington State. As you can see the route is a circle, which means you can start anywhere that is convenient for you.

Here’s a list of all the National Parks in order by this route.

• North Cascades National Park
• Glacier National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Wind Cave National Park
• Badlands National Park
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• Voyageurs National Park
• Isle Royale National Park
• Indiana Dunes National Park
• Cuyahoga National Park
• Acadia National Park
• Shenandoah National Park
• New River Gorge National Park
• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Congaree National Park
• Everglades National Park
• Hot Springs National Park
• Big Bend National Park
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• White Sands National Park
• Saguaro National Park
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Grand Canyon National Park
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Great Sand Dunes National Park
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Arches National Park
• Canyonlands National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Zion National Park
• Great Basin National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Sequoia National Park
• Kings Canyon National Park
• Pinnacles National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Redwoods National Park
• Crater Lake National Park
• Mount Rainier National Park
• Olympic National Park

How Long Would it Take to Visit All the National Parks?

In-depth? Years.

But obviously, most travelers don’t have that kind of time. Our road trip lasted about 3 and a half months . I wouldn’t recommend any less than this amount of time. If you plan on visiting just national parks in the US 3-4 months is ample time to see the highlights. But if you’re planning on enjoying the other sights and cities that America has to offer ( & you should ) I would recommend 6 months to a year.

Side Note: As you can see from our many maps there are a few national parks that are way out of the way. Like Great Basin National Park in Nevada . Or the Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri . We kept Great Basin on the route but decided NOT to include Gateway Arch as it’s really more of a national monument. Who decided that got to be a National Park anyways??

If you wanted to include Gateway Arch I would recommend adding it after Isle Royale and before you hit the Indiana Dunes National Park.

If you’re willing to charter a boat you can also add in Key Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, & the Channel Islands without changing the route drastically.

What about Alaska & Hawaii? Virgin Islands? American Samoa?

This is where the additional 12 National Parks come in. Alaska has a whopping 8 National Parks that you absolutely should visit in the Spring . Hawaii has two & there is one on both the Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

I did not include them here because it’s unlikely they will be included on a cross-country road trip.

Best Time to Start Your National Park Road Trip

We’ve covered the where but what about when? It’s time to look at the best time to start your cross-country road trip.

The truth is there really is no perfect route. You’ll have to make sacrifices with temperature and crowds along the way. Some parks will have to be visited off-season. It’s just the way it is. The United States is such a diverse and vast country that it’s impossible to get “perfect” conditions in every state along the way.

Weather to Consider on Your Road Trip

Northern U.S. : The Northern U.S. gets winter. Cold, snowy, horrible winter. Unless you’re an avid skier and experienced snow driver you’ll probably be wanting to avoid the North during the Late Nov-Feb months.

Southern U.S .: National Parks like Death Valley reach temps of over 130 degrees in the summer months. While states like Florida have a hurricane season that stretches from summer to fall.

Our Ideal Weather Route

Knowing we wanted to see the changing of the colors in New England in the fall we decided to begin in Washington State in late summer. If you have an entire year I would spend August-Oct crossing from Washington to Maine. Oct-Nov down the East Coast. Dec-Jan crossing the South to Arizona. Feb-April zig-zagging across the southwest to Death Valley & then enjoy a lovely summertime on the West coast from May onward.

For those with less time, I would just make sure to check national parks where extreme weather is common. Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado , Glacier National Park in Montana, Voygeaurs & Isle Royale in the North . & of course the desert National Parks like Death Valley in California and the parks in Utah.

Our Top 5 Can’t-Miss National Parks

In no particular order, these are the parks that we LOVED and you absolutely shouldn’t miss on your cross-country road trip.

• Yosemite National Park . This is my favorite national park. Climbing, hiking, dramatic landscapes, stargazing, I’ll go back to Yosemite again & again.
• Glacier National Park . With tons of hiking over varied terrain and rugged Montana landscapes, it landed easily in my top 3.
• Death Valley National Park . Who would have thought a massive empty dust bowl could be so pretty? Some of the best sunsets, sunrises, & stargazing you’ll find anywhere.
• Yellowstone National Park . Wildlife, geysers, and mars-like landscape. It lives up to the hype.
• Acadia National Park . Stunning fall foliage, beautiful coastline, and truly unique hikes. I recommend the Iron wrung trails.

Our 5 Least Favorite National Parks

These parks on the other hand…if you want to cut them out you won’t be missing much.

• Indiana Dunes National Park. There are far better dunes in the United States.
• Cuyahoga National Park. Essentially it’s one small hike with some neatly stacked rocks.
• Congaree National Park. Again. Just a flooded walkway and only a few trails.
• Wind Cave National Park. The least impressive of the caverns.
• Hot Springs National Park. You can’t even soak in the outdoor springs. Big disappointment.

Cross Country Road Trip Stops to Add

If you’re embarking on this adventure you’ll likely want to stop at more than JUST National Parks. We thoroughly explored each state we visited. We drove through the Black Hills of South Dakota , ate our way through cities like Chicago & NYC, and enjoyed a few weeks on the beaches of Florida .

I compiled a massive 400+ stop Google Map of all our destinations across the United States for truly the biggest & most epic USA road trip of all time. It includes state parks, hiking trailheads, budget-friendly food stops, & more. Everywhere you could possibly want to see on a cross-country road trip is included.

Join our E-Mail list below & I’ll send you my monster Google map with all our USA road trip destinations .

No planning necessary, all you’ll need to do is hit the road.

I promise I won’t spam you with emails or try to sell you anything. Currently, I send at most 1-2 emails a month. & if that’s too much for your inbox you can always unsubscribe. Thanks in advance for supporting my blog.

Alternative National Park Road Trips

Don’t have 4 months to a year to roam about? Here are some smaller National Park road trips that can be done in a month or less.

Pacific Northwest National Park Road Trip Map

Home sweet home. Being from Washington State I’ve got a soft spot for the mountains. This circuit is packed with wildlife, hiking, and dramatic landscapes. You could see it all in as little as 2 weeks, but I would avoid the cold winter months. This is a late spring-early fall road trip .

West Coast National Park Road Trip Map

If you’ve got a little longer you can take a trip down the West coast . These are some of the most impressive national parks in the United States and the climate will be diverse. This road trip will take you from the lush Olympic mountains to the tallest redwood forests to the jaw-dropping mountains of Yosemite to the arid deserts of Joshua Tree all in one go.

Southwest National Parks Road Trip

The Southwest is such a unique region of the U.S. The landscape is warm wide-open deserts marked with orange otherworldly rock formations , deep underground caverns, and stunning Colorado peaks . It’s a weird chunk of the United States and worth a short getaway.

Trying to Pick Which National Park to Visit?

Just planning a short trip? I wrote a blog post for each season in the United States to help you choose where to go when.

How to Spend the Perfect Day in Pinnacles National Park

Pinnacles is one of the most underrated national parks on the west coast. Here’s…

12 Stunning National Parks to Visit in the Summer

Looking to beat the heat & the crowds this summer? Plan a road trip…

12 Outstanding US National Parks to Visit in Spring

The last glistening drifts of snow have melted and the wildflowers begin to bloom.…

National Parks Road Trip Resources

A road trip of this size can’t be done on a whim (unless you sign-up for my complete Google map route). It takes some careful planning and research. Here are some resources we found useful on our cross-country road trip to every National Park.

America the Beautiful Pass

Most National Parks charge a fee to enter. It ranges from $10-$30 for a week-long pass. Or if you’re planning on visiting multiple parks the America the Beautiful Pass is $80 and gives you unlimited access to National Parks & Monuments for a year.

We used our pass to access all 47 National Parks above as well as Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower National Monument, and more. You can buy them online through the link above or at the entrance station to any National Park.

AAA Membership

Even if you’re not driving a 30-year old self converted van across the country it’s important to have a backup plan. Especially when you’ll be spending time out in the wilderness. You don’t want to break down in Death Valley & end up paying hundreds of dollars for a tow.

Road Trip Essentials Packing List

Here are a few things you might find yourself needing on the road. Visiting National Parks involves a lot of outdoor exploring.

• Lifestraw Water Bottle .
• Hiking Boots.
• Rain Jacket & Heavy Coat for unexpected weather.
• Comfy hiking pack.
• Thick socks.
• Mosquito repellant.

For a full list of road, trip gear be sure to check out my van life essentials blog post. It covers everything you could possibly need on your cross-country National Park road trip.

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Further Reading...

The Perfect Visit to Joshua Tree National Park

9 Best Hikes in New York State

Road Trip Yellowstone in Winter: What You Need to Know

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Ursula Mueller

Great info. Please send me your map. Thank you.

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The Perfect Road Trip to See Every U.S. National Park

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Ultimate National Parks Road Trip Itinerary: 5 Epic Routes

With 63 national parks and over 420 national park sites including monuments, lakeshores, and recreation areas — to name just a few! — it can be overwhelming just deciding where to visit first. After all, each one has something unique to offer !

Well, good news: there’s a wonderful way to see several parks in one shot, and that’s planning the ultimate national park road trip. 

Regardless of which corner of the country you plan to visit or how much time you have, there are epic routes everywhere. Here, we’re highlighting our top five. Which national parks road trip itinerary will you tackle first?

Tips for Planning the Ultimate National Park Road Trip

In addition to planning out your actual national parks road trip itinerary, there are a few things that will help you get the most out of your trip. 

Buy an America the Beautiful Pass , AKA an annual national parks pass. The $80-per-year pass pays for itself in just three park visits.

Keep in mind that several parks now require advance reservations, completely separate from having an annual pass. For example, in 2021, Glacier started accepting reservations for the summer back in April. 

Dedicate at least one full day to each national park. For larger parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone, set aside 2-3 days if at all possible. 

National parks tend to be surrounded by spectacular national forests and other accessible public land. Consider bringing camping gear to save money on accommodations (and create some awesome memories!).

If your budget allows, rent a campervan for the ultimate national park road trip. Although it’s more pricey upfront, it combines the cost of your vehicle and accommodations. Some campervan rental companies, like Moterra , specialize exclusively in national park destinations.

National Parks Road Trip Itinerary, 5 Ways

1. east coast.

National parks included: Congaree, Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, New River Gorge, and Shenandoah

The Eastern Seaboard offers up some major bang for your buck when it comes to a national parks road trip itinerary. Five stunning parks are close enough to visit them all and different enough that you’ll want to do exactly that. 

From scenic drives and water activities like fishing and kayaking to hiking and exploring the longest cave system in the entire world, this ultimate national park road trip on the east coast has a little something for everyone.

Oh, one more thing — take our word for it and visit in the fall if possible. The leaf-peeping in this section of the country is outstanding in late September and most of October . 

Highlights for your east coast national parks road trip itinerary: 

Hike iconic Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Great Smokies

Drive the incredibly scenic Skyline Drive in Shenandoah

Tour Mammoth Caves (get tickets in advance; they sell out!)

Raised wooden boardwalk trails in Congaree

The catwalk of the New River Gorge Bridge

2. Utah’s Mighty Five

National parks included: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion

Utah is kind of the ultimate national park road trip destination in and of itself, with five heavy-hitting parks all within easy driving distance of one another. 

Start in either the southwest corner of the state near Zion or over in Moab, then work your way across to hit all five parks, situated in a near-perfect line.

Zion and Bryce Canyon are close to each other at one end of the “line,” as are Arches and Canyonlands at the opposite end. Capitol Reef is almost dead-center, two hours from both Arches and Bryce Canyon.

Hiking is the main event on this particular national parks road trip itinerary, so you’ll definitely want to have a sturdy pair of boots, a good hiking backpack, and plenty of trail snacks. 

Highlights for your Utah national parks road trip planner: 

Delicate Arch hike in Arches at sunset

Canyonlands’ Mesa Arch at sunrise

Navajo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon

Picking fruit from the public orchards in Capitol Reef

Zion’s Angels Landing ...for those without a fear of heights!

3. Pacific Northwest

National parks included: Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic, Redwood

If you’re looking for a national parks road trip itinerary that includes dramatic coastline, old-growth forests, snow-capped mountains, and actual rainforest, look no further than the PNW. 

Regardless of whether you want to visit all five parks or just a couple, your best bet if you’re not driving your own vehicle is to fly into Seattle and rent a car. From Seattle, make a loop and visit the three Washington parks (Olympic, North Cascades, and Mount Rainier), then head south to Oregon. 

In Oregon, head to Crater Lake National Park, home of the deepest lake in the U.S. If time allows, cross the border into California and visit Redwoods National and State Parks to gawk at some of the world’s largest trees. 

Depending on your travel arrangements, consider cruising back up the Oregon coast and flying home out of Portland. The beaches and scenic drives here are unmatched and worthy of a road trip all on their own!

Highlights for your PNW ultimate national park road trip:

Walk through a real-life fairytale in Olympic’s magical Hoh Rainforest

Drive the scenic North Cascades Highway

Myrtle Falls in Mount Rainier

Drive or bicycle Rim Drive, completely encircling Crater Lake

Redwoods’ Fern Canyon and Stout Grove

4. Colorado

National parks included: Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain

Colorado is easily one of the most magnificent and diverse U.S. states. It’s got all those 14ers (a whopping 58, to be exact), beautiful mild weather, and gorgeous scenery ranging from the famous Rocky Mountains to steep red rock canyons and even sand dunes.

Best of all, you can experience a little of everything Colorado has to offer with a national parks road trip itinerary hitting its four major parks. 

If you aren’t driving yourself, fly into either Denver or Durango. From either city, it’s easy to make one big loop and visit as many (or as few!) parks as you want.

Note that while you technically can take this Colorado ultimate national park road trip any time of year, it’s best to plan for summer or early fall to avoid seasonal road closures.

Highlights for your Colorado national parks road trip itinerary:

RMNP’s Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in America

Oak Flat Loop Trail in Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Try sandboarding in Great Sand Dunes

Tour Mesa Verde’s Cliff Palace

5. Northern Rockies

National parks included: Glacier, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone

You “only” hit three parks on this particular national parks road trip itinerary, but trust us, each one packs a tremendous punch. In all reality, you probably won’t have enough time to see and do everything you want to!

The hiking and backpacking are, of course, epic in all three parks, but so are the water activities, mountain biking, and — something a bit more unique to this part of the country — wildlife viewing. Seriously, don’t forget to pack a pair of binoculars...and bear spray. 

Of all the ultimate national park road trips we’ve discussed, this one has arguably the most spectacular scenery along the entire route. It also has some of the most easily accessible public land, which means the camping opportunities are epic. If there’s one trip to splurge on a campervan for, this is it.

Highlights for your Montana and Wyoming ultimate national park road trip:

Hike the loop around Jenny Lake and take a short detour to Hidden Falls

Lamar Valley in Yellowstone for wildlife watching

Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier

Also in Glacier, get a huckleberry bear claw from the Polebridge Mercantile (get there early!), then check out Bowman Lake

As you hammer out the details of your national parks road trip itinerary, don’t forget to commemorate it in a special way. 

The Wander Club’s U.S. National Park Tokens help you highlight all the stops on your road trip, plus they make excellent gifts. We have tokens for every national park, plus you can have them engraved with the date you visited. Happy road tripping!

To the thewanderclub.com administrator, Your posts are always informative.

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15 Tips for Planning an Epic National Parks Road Trip

Is there anything better than hitting the open road, going from one epic National Park to the next? But these days, with permits and reservations, crowds, and rental car shortages, planning a National Park road trip can feel totally overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! This guide covers the best, must-know, tips for planning your next, epic, National Parks roadtrip.

I’ve planned dozens of National Park road trips over the years and I’ve put together my best tips for exploring these incredible parks, hassle-free.

This post may contain some affiliate links, which means if you buy something, my blog will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  I will never recommend products or links on this blog that I have not personally used or fully endorse.

1. Start Planning Early

Start planning a National Parks road trip planning as early as possible, ideally 6 months to 1 year in advance.

Why so early?

Reservations for the most popular campgrounds in places like Yosemite and Yellowstone sell out within seconds of going online (seriously – not an exaggeration!) And the recent creation of timed-entry reservations and day-hike permits at the most popular parks means that planning ahead is more important than ever.

If you have your mind set on planning a national parks road trip to a specific park, create calendar reminders for reservation and permit window openings and make sure to start planning your bucket-list trip as soon as possible!

2. Planning A Last Minute National Parks Road Trip? Don’t Panic!

Trying to plan a trip last minute? Don’t worry, planning a spontaneous National Park road trip is still possible. Keep these tips in mind if you’re planning a trip within the next 3 months:

Consider a trip to one of the many lesser visited National Parks, plan your visit for the weekdays or off-season, and research hikes that don’t require special permits.

If you want to snag a reservation at in-park lodging, call their reservations line daily and ask if they have any cancellations for your range of dates. It may seem like a long shot, but I’ve booked many National Park reservations at the most popular hotels, like Zion and Yosemite Lodges, this way!

Camping? Choose parks that have first-come-first-serve campgrounds and plan to get there early .

3. Pick Your Parks

With 63 National Parks and thousands of NPS managed monuments and recreation areas, picking your parks can easily be the most difficult part of your National Parks road trip.

When choosing your Park or Parks, consider what kind of experience you are looking for?

Do you prefer forests, mountains, deserts, or the beach?

Do you want easily accessible, but crowded Parks? Or will you go out of your way to avoid the crowds?

Will you drive from home, or fly and rent a car?

Want to know what Parks are close to you? Check out the map below to find your nearest National Park, or explore other areas of the United States and find where you might want to explore!

Map of all United States National Parks

How to Use This Map:  Click the Icons on the map to see more information about each location. Click the arrow button on the top left to expand the list and view all Parks by region. Click the star at the top of the map to add the map to your Google Maps account.

4. Consider Exploring Less Visited Parks

Do you dream of visiting Yosemite, Arches, or hiking in Rocky Mountain or Great Smoky Mountain? Well, unfortunately, so does everyone else. 😂 While these popular parks absolutely live up to the hype, each of the 63 National Parks has something special to offer.

Consider planning a national parks road trip to some of the lesser visited National Parks. You’ll avoid huge crowds and have a better pick of hotel and campground options.

5. Research National Parks Permits and Entry Reservations

After you pick the parks you want to visit, start researching whether those parks require special permits and timed-entry reservations to visit.

With record-breaking crowds, some parks are introducing day-hike permits and timed reservation entries like Arches, Rocky Mountain, and Yosemite. Before booking flights or hotels, research any National Parks that you plan on visiting carefully to understand permit and reservation requirements that may affect your trip.

Luckily I’ve done all the work for you already! Check out my complete guide to every permit and reservation requirement at all 63 National Parks HERE.

6. Determine How Much Time You Need

National Park road trips can range from two days to several months. How long you need is up to you! Try and plan at least 1 week or more for a National Parks road trip, including the drive to, from, and between parks.

If you plan on visiting only one National Park, plan your visit for most parks for at least 3 full days to really explore the park in depth.

Visiting multiple parks? Try and give yourself at least two full days inside each park, with one fully day of travel between most parks.  

7. Create A National Park Road Trip Map

Once you have your list of National Parks you want to visit, its time to make your road trip map!

I use Google My Maps to plan all my road trips. This planning tool is an absolute must if you are planning a long or complicated National Parks road trip itinerary with multiple stops.

Add all the Parks in you are planning to visit to the map. This will give you a good idea which parks are nearest to each other and help identify your routes. Once you have your general route, you can start researching restaurants, points of interests (like state parks or kitschy roadside attractions) or hotels along the way. `

Once you’ve finished your itinerary, download the map to my phone or print (yes, I’m old fashioned) for offline use. Don’t rely only on your phone for directions. Many National Parks are located in areas with limited or zero cell service.

Want to learn more about planning an epic National Parks trip? Grab my free Ultimate National Parks Planning Guide below. It includes 70+ pages of printable packing checklists, my best planning tips, and everything you need to know to start planning a trip to all 63 National Parks!

8. Suggested Short National Parks Road Trip Itineraries

Short on time? Some National Parks are located very close together and make the perfect road trip itinerary for a short trip.

Suggested Short National Parks Road Trip Itineraries:

(All drive times are between visitor centers)

Arches and Canyonlands (Islands in the Sky District) (Moab, UT): 35-minute drive.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon (Three Rivers, CA): These two parks border each other and are jointly managed. 45-minute drive.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon and Yosemite (California): 4-hour drive.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton (Wyoming): 2-hour drive.

Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Cavern (New Mexico): 45-minute drive.

Everglades (Shark Valley) and Biscayne (Florida): 2-hour drive.

9. Decide When to Visit Your National Parks

Visiting national parks in summer.

Best National Parks to Visit in Summer: Mount Rainer, North Cascades, Glacier, all Alaska National Parks.

Summer is the most popular season for visiting National Parks. Long, sunny days and summer-break for children drive visitors to National Parks in the millions during this time.  

Desert parks may see extreme temperatures during the summer. In fact, the world heat record was set in Death Valley National Park when rangers recorded the temp as 130 degrees Fahrenheit at the Furnace Valley Visitor’s Center in July, 2021.

Visiting National Parks in Spring and Fall

Best National Parks to Visit in Spring or Fall: Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Utah Parks like Arches, Canyonlands, and Zion, California Parks like Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Redwood.

The best time to visit most National Parks is during the “shoulder seasons” of Spring or Fall. The weather is generally pleasant at most popular parks during these seasons, although there is usually a heightened chance of rain, or even snow.

Research the parks you want to visit and find out when services are closed or reduced for the “off season ” and plan to visit shortly before, or shortly after their “off-season” closures.

Visiting National Parks in Winter

Best National Parks to visit in Winter: Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Big Bend, Everglades

For those who are willing to brave the weather and travel a little more self-sufficiently, winter is a magical time to experience National Parks.

Many National Parks significantly limit their services during winter. Many National Park roads, trails, campgrounds, and visitor centers close in winter. Roads that remain open may have chain controls in effect (which are strictly enforced in National Parks) or may close temporarily during weather events.

Isle Royale National Park in Michigan is the only park to close completely in winter.

Planning a National Parks road trip in winter? Learn what you need for a safe and enjoyable winter hike.

When to Visit Tropical National Parks

Tropical National Parks, including Haleakala, Hawai’i Volcanoes, Dry Tortugas, Virgin Islands and National Park of American Samoa are generally warm year-round, but may experience a “rainy season” (Hawaii, November to March) or hurricane season (in Florida, June to November).

10. Book In-Park Campgrounds and Lodging

Once you know when you’ll be traveling (and have your permits reserved, if applicable) the next important step is to book your campsites or lodging.

In-Park accommodations often book up months, if not a year in advance. Campground reservations in certain parks, like Yosemite, sell out within seconds of being released online. Research your options and make a plan to book as soon as possible.

While National Park lodges and campgrounds lack fancy amenities, I always recommend staying inside the park whenever possible.

➡️ Staying inside the park means you can be the first one on the trail or shuttle in the morning, and stay late to enjoy sunset when all the day-tripper crowds have gone!

➡️ In Park Lodging Guests are exempt from day-use reservation requirements

➡️ Guests staying outside the park often have to wait in line – sometimes for hours – to enter the Park, and drive times to popular locations can be hours from the nearest town.

Are most in-park hotels the Ritz? Heck no! (Okay, except for the Ahwahnee in Yosemite.) While some lodges are more rustic than others, most hotel-style accommodations have towels and linens, a telephone, and usually an in-room coffee maker and mini-fridge. Many lodges do not have televisions in every room, and wifi and cell service are often spotty or non-existent. Campgrounds may have limited amenities, and do not always have showers.

Not sure what to do when the sun goes down and theres no Netflix? I always bring a deck of cards, a book and journal, or a small, easy-to-carry game like Bananagrams. Instead of pining for wi-fi, I cherish the opportunity to unplug, relax from a long day of hiking, and enjoy some quality time with my husband.

11. Tips for Booking Hard-To-Get Campground and Lodging Reservations

Campground and hotel reservations in certain parks, like Yosemite, sell out within seconds of being released online, and many parks no longer have walk-in campgrounds.

Research your options and make a plan to book as soon as possible. Campground reservations are almost all booked through Recreation.gov. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the website, creating an account, and be prepared to book the literal minute reservations are released.

Park hotels and motels are mostly managed by private hotel concessionaires, meaning there is no one central reservations website. Visit the Park’s official NPS website to learn about lodging options inside the park and find out how to book.

Is the lodge sold out? Don’t panic! Call the hotel’s reservations line frequently (I set a daily alarm on my phone) and ask if there are any cancellations on your desired dates. This method takes persistence and flexibility on your part – but it does work more often than not!

For example, I’ve made reservations at Zion Lodge for the 8th and 10th of my travel month, and called the lodge daily until a cancellation on the 9th occurred and I snatched it up! I’ve booked many trips at the most popular parks using this method!

12. Booking Rental Cars + Airfare

Once you have your lodging booked, book your rental car + airfare ASAP, if needed!

Remember most rental car companies do not allow you to drive on dirt or unpaved roads, and almost all prohibit the use of tire-chains.

If possible, I always opt to rent vehicle with 4 Wheel Drive . Some parks and seasons require the use of 4-Wheel or All Wheel drive, or tire-chains, especially in the western mountains and desert parks.

Read your rental conditions carefully and call ahead to make sure and get the right vehicle for your trip.

13. Buy a National Parks Annual Pass

Do you plan on visiting more than one National Park this year? I seriously recommend buying an annual parks pass!

The America the Beautiful Pass costs $80 and allows for unlimited entry into all sites covered by the Pass. While that sounds expensive up front, just consider that most Parks charge between $20 and $30 per vehicle for each visit.

That means you only have to use the pass 3-4 times before it pays for itself!

America the Beautiful Pass

Where can you use your national parks annual pass.

The America the Beautiful annual pass covers so much more than just the 63 National Park. An annual pass can be used at more than 2,000 Federal recreation sites where entrance or day-use fees are charged.

Wondering what else to bring on your National Park Road Trip? Check out my complete National Park Packing Lists + Printable Guides!

Your America the Beautiful Pass can be used at sites managed by the following agencies:

• National Park Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Fish and Wildlife Service
• US Army Corps of Engineers

How to Buy an Annual National Parks Pass

You can purchase an annual pass in person, online, or at your local outdoor retailer. National Park annual passes are available for in-person purchase at most National Park and federal recreation entrance stations .

Passes can also be purchased online either at your favorite outdoor retailer, like REI , or through the USGS government website.

Discounted or free passes are available for Military, Seniors, 4 th Graders, and Volunteers.

14. Plan Your Activities

After you’ve picked your parks and planned the logistics of your trip – now comes the fun part! Planning what to actually do at your National Parks.

Before booking your dates, take a look at any activities that will require a permit or reservation (for example, hiking Half Dome in Yosemite, Angel’s Landing in Zion, or whitewater rafting in New River Gorge). Check availability for any of your “bucket-list” activities first so you don’t miss out!

Not sure where to start? Make sure to read the NPS.gov website for important planning information, trail information, as well as ideas for what to do and see in each park.

Next, I always read as many blog posts as I can find about the parks and areas I’ll be visiting.

Take a look at my National Parks guides here for suggestions on what to do, and where to hike in Yosemite , Big Bend , Great Smoky Mountains , New River Gorge , and Cuyahoga Valley (with more added soon!)

For all my trips, I keep an organized list of all the activities, hikes, and sights I’m interested in seeing.

Remember, there’s more to do in National Parks than just hiking (although, that’s always my favorite activity!). Many Parks have amazing and family-friendly activities beyond the trails, including bike rentals, rafting and tubing, horseback and mule riding, snorkeling, and scuba, and yes, even the spa!

15. Avoiding Crowds on Your National Parks Road Trip

With park visitation surging, crowds are now a given at most parks.

Park visitation peaks during summer, holidays, weekends, and “Free Entrance Days.” If you can, travel in the “off” or shoulder seasons, and avoid peak visitation days, especially during the summer and fall.

Arrive as early as possible (before 7AM) to avoid long entrance lines or overcrowding at popular trails.

Choose less popular trails: Strenuous trails and trailheads that are more difficult to reach are often less crowded. If you are up for a challenge, these hikes can take you to some extraordinary places – leaving the crowds behind is just a bonus!

Most Importantly – Have Fun, Be Safe, and Leave No Trace

Planning a National Parks road trip can be stressful, but a trip to one of the incredible National Parks in the US is well worth the hassle!

While traveling, make sure take to take proper safety precautions (like packing your day-hiking essentials ) and follow all posted signs, regulations, and ranger instructions.

With millions of visitors heading to our Parks this summer, its more important than ever to Leave No Trace !

And remember, no matter how well you plan, not everything will go according to your itinerary. Be flexible and patient and don’t forget to actually have fun . Making beautiful memories is more important than capturing the perfect Instagram photo op or checking off another item on your bucket list!

Plan More Epic National Park Trips

Big Bend : Epic Big Bend Itinerary Guide

Cuyahoga Valley : 17 Best Things to Do in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Great Smoky Mountains :  The Ultimate Great Smoky Mountains Itinerary in 2 Days

Joshua Tree:   The Perfect Day Trip to Joshua Tree National Park

New River Gorge: The Best Hikes in New River Gorge National Park

Yosemite:   Epic Yosemite 2 Day Itinerary – How to Spend 2 Perfect Days in Yosemite

Zion : Epic Zion National Park Itinerary Guide

National Parks:  Get the  Ultimate National Parks Planning Guide  (for free!) sent to your inbox, full of important planning information, printable packing lists, and the best things to do in all 63 National Parks.

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The Maps You Need for Your Epic National Park Road Trip

by Suzanne Jacoby | Jul 14, 2021 | Touring

Reading time: 20 minutes

Introduction

• National Park Service map

North American road atlas

State campground guidebooks, state road atlases.

Nice to have

Scenic drives guidebook

State parks guidebook.

• Guides to your interests

Google Maps is a trade- mark of Google LLC.

D ON’T COUNT ON having a cellular signal on your national park road trip. It’s there sometimes. To find your way around, you have to download the information you need ahead of time or use items in print.

Articles about how to stay connected while working from the road can tell you how to increase the likelihood of connecting to the Internet. The solutions can cost a lot.

I used print on my two-year national park road trip. This blog post describes what I needed.

A National Park Service map of the U.S. was my guide. I picked a starting point and from there moved along to other parks based on what inspired me on the map and the weather. I recommend starting in that place you always wanted to see if the conditions there are good.

A recreational road atlas of the U.S. was my next level guide. It tells you what lies between the national parks and has information about most of the resources listed in this article.

Visitor centers, regional and park, announce themselves on road signs and are bursting with free, well-written printed information about everything. The local experts inside can answer obscure questions and point to the brochures you need.

The internets supplied me with additional detail when I could reach them.

What’s so great about print?

Print has a few things on screens:

• You don’t have to keep paper charged, monkey with it to get it to do what you want, or foresee what part you need to download before losing your internet connection.
• Given size freedom, maps want to be big. Big gives you your best chance of comprehending geography. You mentally travel when you visually trace a 20+″ wide paper map, discovering what you could physically go to see.

A smartphone gives you a small viewfinder onto the same map which you slide around and resize to inspect, seeing only a fragment of the big picture at a time, easily missing an important detail.

• Long-form printed guidebooks are organized surveys from skilled writers and other specialists with broad and deep knowledge of a subject. If you are new to a subject, they tell you what you don’t know you need to know.
• People understand the big picture and the idea of “where” better when they see it on paper than on a screen.

Before you leave home, coffee table books from the library can immerse you visually in environments that await and will help you intuit what you want to see most. On the road, standard-sized guidebooks are more practical, except road atlases should be big.

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Essential maps and guidebooks

You need these first printed resources to find your way around the U.S. and to find places to camp.

Image: National Park Service

National Park Service brochure system map

You have to know where the national parks are to go on an epic road trip to see them.

The National Park Service ( NPS ) system map shows all park units on a relief map of the United States. This is your big picture of where you could go on your national park road trip. Catch what you are inspired to see when conditions allow. Summer and the shoulder seasons are good for points north and high elevation, as long as the place is not burning down . Winter’s good for low elevation desert and southern coasts.

Your cellular data signal will be moody everywhere the relief map shows to be bumpy. Compare the NPS map to your network coverage map or check a network coverage comparison site .

The bigger your screen, the easier it is to understand this online NPS map.

I used and advocate the folding printed brochure of this map. Folded up, it is the size of a business envelope and opens to 24″ wide. There is a larger unfolded poster version . You can download other formats of the map from the National Park Service map page .

Where to order: U.S. Government Publishing Office

Where to see it:   Online or at some visitor centers in the National Park Service System

Or :  National Parks of the United States (National Geographic Destination Map)

A North American road atlas provides the big picture road map on an extended national park road trip. I used daily and recommend the National Geographic Road Atlas: Adventure Edition. It contains information about most other resources described in this post. Nat Geo’s perspective uncovers interesting routes and places to see more simply and quickly than a 5″-wide navigation or travel app that may require a cellular signal that you don’t have.

This road atlas has maps of:

🇺🇸   Every U.S. state, usually 22″  across two pages. It shows major routes and places National Geographic recommends seeing in the spaces between the national parks.

🇨🇦 🇲🇽   Canada and Mexico. Both our neighbors have magnificent national parks, too. Online system maps are at  ParksCanada and CONANP .

🏞️  A map similar to the National Park Service system map described above, but NPS ’s is more clear and having it loose is convenient. This version of the NPS map is fine though.

Road atlas legend example

The map legend essentials are:

At the start of your national park road trip, your enthusiasm will probably get you to your starting park fast.

When you recognize hurrying as the killjoy it is and emerge onto a slow road trip, this road atlas comes into its own. It suggests off-national-park-brand places nearby worth paying a visit. Humble-looking stops you never heard of on the map can turn out to offer some of the most memorable moments of your adventure.

You can get by on your national park odyssey with this road atlas alone, with help from visitor center brochures and the internet, but you will probably start needing more information.

Where to order:   Bookshop.org , Amazon , REI

Where to see one: Camping gear stores, bookstores, many park visitor centers

Camping is the best way to see the national parks and other public lands. You sleep in the nature you came out to see, and it usually costs $0–35 a night. Some parks have no lodges if you even wanted one. It is mostly dry camping around the western national parks, which means no electricity or water at your campsite, though there may be a drinking water spigot somewhere in the camp.

Lots of camps are marked with a tent icon on the national road atlas. You can find campgrounds on the internet if you have a cellular signal or find a Wi-Fi hotspot. Offline GPS map navigation apps can find you camps.

A printed campground guidebook for a region gives you an organized survey of the favorite camps in an area. It groups campgrounds by subregion, describing the delights of the subregion and providing a review of each campground, along with practical information such as if it closes for the off-season.

If you want a particular camp and have internet access, online reviews can warn you of recent events, such as flood or fire. Your guidebook may say the camp is first come, first served, but online you may discover it has begun using a reservation system, often through recreation.gov . It can be hard to determine online that a camp has non-reservable campsites (first come, first served or a camping overflow lot) in addition to reservable ones.

Pick out a bunch along the way

In the high season and especially its weekends, campgrounds fill up, so you should have a list of possibilities. The competition for camps in national parks can be fierce, but in some it’s easy. National park camps are often spartan, but it is hard to beat hiking straight out of camp.

If you have a long drive to your next destination, use the national road atlas and/or a campground guidebook to spot lots of places where you can camp on the way there. Some regions have no public campgrounds.

If you get a strong positive reaction as you pass through an area, consider quitting your day’s driving plan and camping there. If you don’t, the place may haunt you, compelling you to return later to find out why it is calling you to come back. A hint that you may fall under its spell is if it’s on a scenic drive with campgrounds along it. Discovering a great place is why I recommend against having campground reservations unless the place plays a centerpiece to your grand adventure, such as might Slough Creek . Such campgrounds book up half a year in advance if you have those kinds of planning skills. The campground office can tell you how to try to get someone’s cancellation.

Sometimes you get dangerously sleepy while driving and camp wherever the next campground is, so it is good to know what camp is coming up, and not have a reservation three hours away. Or you could pull over and take a nap.

What’s in these campground guidebooks?

These campground guidebooks are usually for one state, though some are for a multi-state region or one section of a large state.  They don’t include every campground.

They list mostly developed public campgrounds which charge a fee, have a host, potable water, and restrooms.

I had good experiences at private campgrounds, but campsites can be too close together and often cost more than at a public campground. These guidebooks list some private campgrounds that are in ideal locations.

Private campgrounds often have a partial (electricity & water) or full (+sewer) hookup at campsites. State park campgrounds are the most likely public land campground to offer hookups.

COVID-19 has closed camps at times, and some camps restrict the number of sites available to keep guests farther apart.

Did you say dispersed camping?

Instead of developed campgrounds, some people prefer dispersed camping  (or primitive camping , or boondocking), which is free.

It is usually more private, fun, and beautiful than a developed campground, but there’s no security (host), water, or toilet.  Wandering cattle may be surprised you are there and low about you to separated pockets of friends a mile away. The access road is often unimproved dirt and might become impassable after rain. Know the weather forecast. Dry, it might be so potholed you risk damaging your muffler, etc., so try to avoid the holes.

Dispersed camping is allowed with restrictions on certain public lands like in US Forest Service National Forests and Grasslands and Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ) land.

Sometimes you have no choice but dispersed camping because all of the public campgrounds are full, and you are a slow road tripper and don’t have a reservation.

If you have internet access, you can find free places to camp at freecampsites.net . Similar camping websites such as  iOverlander ,  Campendium , and others offer camping apps that have offline capabilities.

The national road atlas conveys national forest boundaries, but BLM land gets more complicated. If you plan on mostly dispersed camping, you won’t need a campground guidebook, but you will need the next resource, the state road atlas, to find the color-coded demarcations of where the BLM land and National Forests are.

Where to order:  Search book websites ( Bookshop.org , Amazon) on “camping” plus the state name (e.g. camping Utah).  Outdoor adventure publishers Moon and FalconGuides present fine offerings.

You frequently will be unable to initiate turn-by-turn GPS navigation from an online navigation app such as Google Maps mapping service in remote areas during your national park road trip. Web mapping requires a data connection by either a line of sight to a cell tower or a Wi-Fi hotspot. You may get a signal if you walk or drive up a hill or rise, or get Wi-Fi at the park visitor center. Once you have initiated a trip session, your device has cached the map data, so you will make it to your destination even if it is through a cellular dead zone. Just don’t close your sessi😭n.

If you are exploring a backcountry that does not have widespread network coverage, you need an offline map. Your choices are either an offline GPS navigation program or paper maps.

Your GPS receiver can be an offline navigation app on your smartphone, a dedicated GPS unit, or your car’s onboard navigation system if you have one. The BLM offers maps that work with georeferenced map mobile applications, and links to the Avenza Maps Store . Your online navigation app may have some offline capabilities such as downloading maps, as does Google Maps mapping service . You have to get these maps before you lose contact with the Web.

Can I camp right here?

If you are exploring, a  20+″ wide paper map is easier to fathom than a 6″ smartphone screen.

If you are doing dispersed camping rather than using developed campgrounds, some offline map apps and all printed state atlases color code the boundaries of public lands, two kinds of which you are allowed to boondock on. So you can camp for free inside the boundary, but follow the rules .

In some states, there is a lot more BLM land than National Forest land. BLM land may be checkerboarded in with private land. If you have to guess, look for if anybody is camping there already, and hope he or she is right, or see if you can find an old-looking fire ring made of a circle of stones. If you picked out a spot on your own and you’re visible from the road, desperate camping cars may join you as the sun goes down.

There may be an unlocked, closed gate onto the public land, which is often to keep public land grazing livestock in. If you enter, leave the gate in the state you found it. The rancher may have put a “Private” sign on the gate if too many people have mistaken it.

I preferred the printed Benchmark state road atlas because I caught it labeling more public campgrounds than DeLorme’s atlas did for the same state. Benchmark distinguishes campgrounds by using a tent icon. DeLorme marks camps with the same square icon it uses for any other point of interest. These state road atlases show more public campgrounds than make it into the campground guidebooks.

But only if you need them

You may not need a printed state road atlas in flatter, populated areas with widespread cellular coverage, or if you are sticking to main roads and major attractions. If you are exploring the backcountry you may still need it to understand the geography and what there is to see.

You should wait till you get there to decide if you need a state road atlas. They are big. You might prefer locally created folding maps designed for tourism in a more limited area. Regional offices of tourism like Visit Utah may have the map you need for free in print and for download.

GPS turn-by-turn navigation tries to direct you off of a scenic drive and onto an interstate at every opportunity. You have to refer to your printed maps to know when to reject the service’s turning instructions. It continues navigating once it sees you “missed your turn.” There’s got to be a good navigation app out there that values pleasure drives over speed between endpoints, but I don’t know what it is.

Where to order:  REI, Amazon , publishers Benchmark , DeLorme

Nice to have guidebooks

After you get used to offline navigation with the guides above, you will know what the gaps are that will in turn lead to getting a box to keep the captain’s library from ending up everywhere in your vehicle. That’s entropy. I needed the following additional guidebooks.

The fortune cookie–length impulse to go on a very long road trip may deploy cover validation in a camouflaging excuse about a network of stationary goals, destinations: a purpose! with no mention of jonesing for the lines between points. So we utter something about going to see the national parks.

Perhaps the real goal is to wander in the desert. The national parks are credible-sounding beacons we know of ahead of time that are out there somewhere and are supposed to be good.

Some drives are more destinations in themselves than others, such as Historic Route 66.

States and federal public land agencies mentioned throughout this blog post, in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration, have designated hundreds of Scenic Byways . Some of the national routes qualify for multiple reasons and become a step higher, All-American Roads.

Lots of national parks are on scenic byways, so you’re going on them. Some sections of interstates are scenic byways.

The tedium is the message

When traveling a long distance between national parks, you balance your enthusiasm to bypass everything and get there now by going 60 +mph on whatever the fastest route is, against slowing down and taking a two-lane through America’s heartland. You may slow down so much you stop and camp for a closer look.

I used and recommend the National Geographic Scenic Highways & Byways guidebook. Other publishers offer similar guides, some in the cumbersome but immersive, visual field–filling coffee table format if you are at home envisioning legs of your odyssey .

Some regions call out touring topics such as history and culture. If you search the web on such a topic followed by the word “Trail” or “Highway,” you may find a dream route plotted by historians of the subject. For example, exploring the southeast might suggest the Civil War Trails , the Civil Rights Trail , or the Blues Highway . There are touring books on such topics if you are that committed. On the road, you may pass a signpost that says you are on an intriguing-sounding trail or are at one of its stops. In camp offices and visitor centers, eyeball the tiny to immense brochure racks for these trails, which contain a map.

You may deliberately head for or a brochure cover may tip you off that you are near the hometown of a famous person who made an imprint on you. Inside the brochure is a map with the addresses of her childhood home, church, and high school. Walk her old beat and imagine she’s you haunting the place.

You may find online or in print touring routes for the connoisseur of such things as mid-century diners and roadside attractions.

Mandatory offline navigation skill disclaimer

You should have a printed state road atlas or folding local road map if taking one of these routes somewhere with unreliable cell service or have offline-capable GPS navigation.

GPS navigation is antithetical to scenic driving unless there is only one way there. GPS picks the shortest path; scenic drives are the æsthetically widest path. You can get turn-by-turn navigation to assist if you add a node for each road turn until you plot out the route, but that may be technology for technology’s sake.

When starting your adventure, you’ll probably blast through on an interstate highway to get to your starting point. Same when you’re fleeing the fall’s first ten-degree cold front, or going in for the start of the shoulder season after the first good thaw in the spring.

Where to order: Bookshop.org , Amazon

Where to see one:  Bookstores’ US travel section, travel bookstores, some park visitor centers

As grand as is the premise of a national park road trip, long, boring interstate drives, and at last, seeing famous sites in a large selfie-whipped crowd is at times as high stress and competitive as a job. They’ll yell at you to get out of their picture then smile for it.

There are a lot more kinds of public lands to explore when weary of the ways of man taking a selfie in a national park. Every state has its own public land in the form of state parks. They can be as magnificent as national parks. Many state parks pre-date national parks, so NPS was too late to snap them up as theirs. Redwood National Park in 1968 filled in the spaces between three state parks from the 1920 s to make it like one large park.

State park campgrounds are usually beautiful and spacious, with showers, all rare in a national park campground. They usually cost more.

State parks next to national parks hold their own. When farther away from national park clusters, a state park campground makes a lovely place to stop and camp for the night if you are in a hurry. If you aren’t, the park is always a treat.

There are ten thousand state parks . The National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States showcases a handful of the finest state parks in each state, what is so great about each, and if there’s a campground. At the end of each state’s section is a longer list of more great state parks, some of which you may think are better than Nat Geo’s top picks. All state parks are great.

Thor’s Hammer in Bryce Canyon , Utah

Guidebooks about your interests

Oh, play that thing! ▶

Owachomo Bridge in Natural Bridges , Utah

Image Copyright © 2021, Tyler Nordgren

Some of these aspects ignite your interest with enough fervor to become a separate voice in the fugue that is your road trip of a lifetime adventure. Places where you can explore these interests often extend over a much greater area than that enclosed by national parks.

Eventually, you may look for a map-based guidebook about your new favorite subject. Some interests may not have whole books about them, and you find out about piecemeal, such as online, from printouts and asking questions at visitor centers, from camp neighbors, or in offline apps created by people who love the same topic.

A frequent interest is in modes of moving through terrain—how to and accessing entry points to favorite routes. Some examples are hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayaking. This may be your only exercise as long as it isn’t motorized. There’s campground laps with a can of bear spray in one hand, but she can still get you from behind.

A complementary interest is in rays of illumination onto phenomena you encounter. Examples are animals and plant ecosystems, fossils, geology, dark sky stargazing, Native American culture, history, and remote art installations. Maybe start with visitor center booklets as needed and move on to a guidebook if your condition worsens. Books with color images get heavy and bulky.

Your interests coalesce, such as into a hike in which you scramble past dinosaur tracks that puzzlingly go vertically up a wall to try to find the petroglyphs in the cliffs, careful to avoid getting stuck by cacti you try to identify, someplace far from a national park and a hospital.

Beginner’s mind

If there is a map-based guidebook about your new interest, it may overwhelm you with the impulse to see everything mentioned in it in a million square mile blanket. You get a better handle on the book if you use it as a directory, where you can go bottom-up and look up what is nearby, or top-down and look up where you could go for what some call the finest or most fundamental examples of what it is that interests you.

You can wait till you get to your adventure’s starting point to discover what interests you about the area besides its national parks. If you want a preview of what topics obsess visitors, some of the top ones are addressed on tourism websites at the nested levels of government, such as VisitUtah.com  and DiscoverMoab.com . Many national parks have an online bookstore such as Canyonlands Natural History Association which shows what subjects of interest patrons buy off their shelves. The Western National Parks Store shows subjects of interest across a lot of parks.

Pregnant bison at Nine Mile Canyon , Utah

Rock layers of the Grand Staircase  of Utah and Arizona

Image: David Rumsey Map Collection , David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries

Blanche Russell rock house, Marble Canyon, AZ

Graphic: Copyright © 2021 Meridian Line

Background: Angels Palace at Kodachrome Basin , Utah

Events in time such as famous multi-day music and arts festivals can require reservations and will put you on a schedule. The national road atlas marks towns with partial year live theater festivals, where you can often get rush tickets a few hours before the show.

Where to order:  Preview topics at regional and park visitor sites, park bookstores

Where to see:  Visitor center bookstores, camping gear stores

a highlighted southeast Utah route

Moab Man petroglyph

On your epic national park road trip, you and the Internet are in for a trial separation. You must have Internet-independent information with you to carry out your trip. You will sometimes have cellular service and you may find a Wi-Fi hotspot when you don’t.

Your information media choices are offline digital or print.

In this blog post, I argue that print is better suited for exploring geography than digital screens, and list which printed material is the most helpful.

Get your big picture of what’s out there by pondering maps of the National Park Service system and flesh out the spaces in between with a recreational national road atlas. Follow your inspiration, or let a lonesome highway billboard–informed whim take the wheel.

Pick up free printed guides at visitor centers, and chat up anyone in there. You will need detailed maps if you are exploring, information about campgrounds, and a happy relapse into a child’s wonder at your surroundings may make you grab for any explanation from natural and human history guidebooks.

The Internet is great help when you can reach it. It can fill in a lot more details, especially with up-to-the-minute information, and information that has not been published in books. You have to keep an eye on the weather forecast, but you can get that from broadcast radio if need be.

Use both paper and screens to find your way on your grand adventure. May you soon find them windshield wipers slappin time.

Image credits: Apple Compass app, David Rumsey Map Collection, Esri ArcGIS, Google Maps icon, The Meridian Line, National Geographic Partners, LLC , National Park Service, Tyler Nordgren. Google Maps is a trademark of Google LLC and material on this website is not endorsed by or affiliated with Google in any way. This is an independent website and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc.

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Map Shows the Ultimate U.S. National Park Road Trip

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If exploring the breathtaking beauty of our National Park System in one road trip is something on your bucket list, this may be the perfect map for you. Back in 2016, for the 100 th anniversary of the National Park Service, blogger Randy Olson devised an optimal route to see the most epic national parks across the nation.

The U.S. National Park System technically consists of 59 parks, but 12 of them are in Alaska, Hawaii and other U.S. territories. This road trip is focused solely on those you can reach by car in one trip within the Continental 48.

Even with the reduction of the parks outside the Lower 48, Olson included 47 others along his route that stop in 23 different states. If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains , Joshua Tree, or any of the other great National Parks, this may be the best way to see them in one shot.

Those determined to finish the trip full of scenic drives can do so in approximately two months! The route covers 14,498 miles. Olson starts his trip at the Grand Canyon, but he designed the route as a loop, so you could begin anywhere on the map and travel in whichever direction you'd like.

Here's the full list of national parks in order and a visual of the route:

Randy Olson/Google Maps

The Ultimate U.S. National Park Road Trip

• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
• Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
• Saguaro National Park, Arizona
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
• Big Bend National Park, Texas
• Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
• Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
• Everglades National Park, Florida
• Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
• Biscayne National Park, Florida
• Congaree National Park, South Carolina
• Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
• Acadia National Park, Maine
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
• Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
• Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
• Badlands National Park, South Dakota
• Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
• Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
• Canyonlands National Park, Utah
• Arches National Park, Utah
• Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
• Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
• Zion National Park, Utah
• Great Basin National Park, Nevada
• Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
• Glacier National Park, Montana
• North Cascades National Park, Washington
• Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
• Olympic National Park, Washington
• Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
• Redwood National and State Parks, California
• Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
• Yosemite National Park, California
• Kings Canyon National Park, California
• Sequoia National Park, California
• Pinnacles National Park, California
• Channel Islands National Park, California
• Joshua Tree National Park, California
• Death Valley National Park, California

This post was originally published on June 16, 2017. It was updated on March 9, 2022. 

READ MORE:  Map Shows the Most Efficient Cross-Country U.S. Road Trip

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The Ultimate National Park Road Trip: How to See all 51 National Parks in the Continental U.S.

By Halle Homel

The United States is home to 63 national parks, most of which are located within the continental U.S. From expansive desert landscapes to some of the tallest mountains in the country to islands right off the coast, there is so much to see.

The U.S. National Park Service manages over 400 units, including national parks, monuments, and recreation areas. They all hold a different designation based on what is being protected, whether it’s natural landscapes, historical relics, or some combination. The 63 places that hold “park status” are located throughout the United States and are a mix of both natural and historic significance.

While it would be a long haul, it is more than possible to do a massive road trip that connects all of the national parks in the continental U.S. In 2019, I personally drove through all of the contiguous 48 states solo with the goal of visiting as many parks as I could. While I didn’t hit all of them on that first go, I’m now 52 parks in and work as an adventure guide in many of our western parks.

So, from California to Florida to Maine, this is the ultimate national park road trip. Pack your bags, gas up the car, and don’t forget your hiking boots—let’s go.

A Tip From a Full-Time Nomad

I’ve been living on the road and visiting national parks for almost five years now, and the number one piece of advice I have for anyone attempting a trip like this is to purchase an America the Beautiful Pass . This pass is $80 and allows entry into every National Park Service site in the country, which saves you so much money on entry fees. Most parks are approximately $30 to enter, so once you’ve visited three parks, your pass has already paid for itself.

The Weather

Something to keep in mind when doing a trip like this is the weather. It would be best to visit most of these parks in the summer, and while you can visit a lot of them in the off season, it’s crucial to check conditions. Determining when you’re going to start your road trip is going to depend on weather, road closures, and park accessibility. For example: Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake have lots of winter road closures, and Isle Royale is completely inaccessible in the winter. On the other hand, visiting the Florida and Texas parks is going to be more pleasant in the cooler months.

For this reason, I’ve divided this route into sections that make sense to do seasonally. You won’t be jumping from the desert to the high alpine, so you can stay safe and prepared for what’s ahead.

There’s no better place to start and end this road trip than the stunning southwest. Because you’ll be traveling all over the country, it only makes sense to have this road trip be a loop. Most of the parks in the American Southwest are fairly warm in the winter, with the exception of Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. However, it can be assumed that roads are generally open in these areas in the colder months.

Let’s start our journey in Joshua Tree National Park in California. This park is a great place to start—it’s easy to navigate, accessible for most beginner national park travelers, has great camping, and great views. It’s a fantastic introduction to the southwest, with massive granite rock features, desert flora and fauna, and sunny skies most of the year.

From Joshua Tree, drive east to Grand Canyon National Park , one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This is one of those places that’s on just about everyone’s bucket list, and it is a great place to camp, hike, or backpack. I’ll save the rest of the Arizona parks for later, but for now, let’s head north.

Not too far north from the Grand Canyon, we’ll hit the first of Utah’s Mighty Five: Zion . Known for stunning red rocks and the infamous Angel’s Landing hike . Visiting the rest of Utah’s parks is easy, simply drive east. This will allow you to witness the diversity in red rock formations, from hoodoos to natural arches. From Zion, you can easily hit Bryce Canyon , Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches in one week or less, maybe throwing in some underrated state parks along the way. Keep in mind that during peak season, Arches does require a timed entry reservation.

From Utah, it makes sense to stay in the desert a little bit longer, stopping at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado before heading south. Mesa Verde is known for its ancient ruins, so stop and take a tour while you’re here to see them up close.

South from Mesa Verde, you’ll visit Petrified Forest National Park, which is a perfect day trip destination where you can appreciate the fossilized wood, and walk your dog—this is a dog-friendly park. Saguaro National Park is next, right outside of Tucson, Arizona, where you can walk amongst giant cacti. Both of these Arizona parks are fairly small and take little planning.

As you head east, you’ll hit White Sands National Park , home to a massive gypsum dune field. This is your first of a few sand dune parks, and while it’s smaller than the others, there is nothing like sand that looks like snow. Go on a hike on the dunes or rent a sled and enjoy the downhill ride.

Staying in New Mexico for one more park, head down to Carlsbad Caverns . Walk down into the cave and check out the underground rock formations. Make sure you stay for the bat flight program at sundown if you visit in the right season—this is an unforgettable wildlife experience.

Just a few miles south of Carlsbad Caverns is Guadalupe Mountains National Park , home to the tallest peak in Texas. This is a smaller park that doesn’t need a ton of time, unlike its neighbor to the south, Big Bend . This park’s name makes it clear; in order to see the whole park, you’ll need a couple days. Check out the Chisos Mountain area and the Rio Grande River here. Go hiking or soak in a hot spring, just keep in mind that being so far south, this park is a hot one in the summer months.

This concludes the southwest portion of the trip, and while there are a couple desert parks left, the way they’re accessed means they’ll be on your route later in the trip.

From Texas, you’ll keep driving east, heading to Arkansas, where Hot Springs National Park is located. This park is more of a historic district, but with a beautiful campground and some hiking trails, it’s truly a mix of everything you could ask for in a park. Make sure you try the natural spring water and visit one of the historic bath houses while you’re here.

The thing about the eastern side of the U.S. is that the parks here are a lot less condensed. The next park on this route isn’t until southern Florida, where we’ll visit three: Biscayne, Everglades, and Dry Tortugas. Everglades is known for its swampy Florida landscape and is the only location in the world where you’ll have the chance to see both crocodiles and alligators. Biscayne is best seen by snorkeling through the park’s protected waters. Dry Tortugas does require a boat to get there, which must be reserved in advance, but once you arrive, you’ll be able to explore this old fort and its surrounding tropical waters.

Since the Florida parks are right next to each other, we’ll head north from here and start heading up the east coast, stopping at Congaree National Park in South Carolina next. This is a great park for wildlife viewing and is the perfect way to experience the unique swampy landscapes of the southeast. Not too far from Congaree is Great Smoky Mountains , located on the Tennessee and North Carolina state line. This is the most visited national park in the country and is a fantastic place to hike, visit waterfalls, and chase views.

From Great Smoky Mountains, you won’t be far from New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. This is the newest national park in the country, and it’s known for whitewater rafting and rock climbing. Its river is the second oldest in the world, and you’ll be able to hike, camp, and so much more during your time here.

From New River Gorge, head to another iconic Appalachian park: Shenandoah . Shenandoah is similar to the Smokies but with fewer crowds. Take on one of the iconic hikes here, like Old Rag, and camp in one of the park’s many beautiful campgrounds.

New England and the Midwest

This section of the country is hard to put a name on, because you’ll be traveling through many states that don’t have national parks in them. That’s not to say there aren’t beautiful things to see, but there won’t be another park until you reach Maine. In Maine, you’ll visit Acadia National Park . Located on an island off the coast, Acadia is known for having the first sunrise in the U.S. every day. There are lots of hiking trails, and even opportunities for rock climbing here in Acadia, and don’t forget to stop at one of the many beaches.

Coming up next, you won’t have another park until you hit Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. This park is a little more urban than others, but it’s known for waterfalls and its scenic train ride. At this point, you’re heading west, and your next park is Indiana Dunes . At first glance, Indiana Dunes might not seem like much, but the reality is, it’s one of the most biodiverse places in the country. Like lots of sand dune parks around the U.S., this is another great place to bring your dog.

Now, you might be thinking we skipped a couple, but don’t fret—you’re heading to Mammoth Cave next. Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest known cave system. Take a cave tour here, and learn about the cave’s rich history. This park is also home to one of my favorite campgrounds in the Midwest—definitely spend the night here and make the most of your time in Kentucky.

Speaking of history, Gateway Arch is your next park. This iconic landmark is probably the most different from the rest of the destinations on our list. During my visit, I was told by a ranger that the reason it became a park was due to the historic significance of the land the arch was built on. Take the elevator to the top of the arch and look over the city of St. Louis.

Northwoods and Great Plains

While Isle Royale is in Michigan, you’ll drive up to the Upper Peninsula through Wisconsin. Make a stop at Apostle Islands on your way to your boat harbor. Isle Royale can only be accessed via boat, which must be reserved in advance. Isle Royale is going to force you out of your comfort zone: the boat ride is too long for day trips, so most people camp for at least one night on the island. This is also a great place to try backpacking for the first time.

Once you reunite with your car, you’ll drive to Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota’s Northwoods. This park does have hiking trails but is best seen and appreciated from the water. It’s a fantastic place to rent a kayak or canoe and head out to one of the islands while you take in a view of Canada in the distance.

From Voyageurs, you’ll keep heading west to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This park will be your first taste of badland formations . Theodore Roosevelt is known for its wildlife, so keep an eye out for prairie dogs, bison, and wild horses. Make sure you explore both the north and south unit as well—they’re very different from each other and worth seeing.

Next, head south to Badlands National Park . This is easily one of the most otherworldly landscapes in the country, and here, you’re able to hike anywhere, even if there’s no trail. Because of this, there aren’t a lot of designated trails in the park, but a fun, short hike is the Notch Trail. Make sure you get up for sunrise here and take in the views of bison, coyotes, pronghorns, and prairie dogs.

Wind Cave National Park is next, where you’ll be able to explore both above and below ground. Take a cave tour and go on a hike to experience the bison herds on the surface.

Mountain West

You’ve made it back to the expansive west, and by now you’re a seasoned national park traveler. Head south down to Rocky Mountain National Park , where you’ll be welcomed by stunning mountain vistas, herds of elk, and stunning hiking trails. This park does have timed entry requirements in the summer, so keep that in mind and try to plan ahead.

There are two more Colorado parks that you haven’t visited yet. Next up is going to be Great Sand Dunes National Park , home to the tallest sand dune in North America. Just like other sand dune parks, you can bring your dog here, as long as you stay in the front country. The sand does get quite hot in the summer, so my best tip is to plan a sunrise hike. The dunes will be less crowded and the sand will be cool enough for you to hike barefoot.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is next. This unique canyon is extremely steep, but it’s also one of the only canyon parks that allows you to drive down into it. If you’d rather hike down, this is an option too, just make sure you get a permit from the visitor center. There are also many overlooks along the rim of the canyon, which is perfect if you’re looking for a more low-key adventure.

Next, you’ll head north to Wyoming, where you’ll visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks . These unique parks are neighbors, but they couldn’t be more different. In the Tetons, you’ll find towering rocky peaks, and in Yellowstone you’ll be in the depths of a volcanic landscape. Grand Teton National Park hosts the Jenny Lake trail, one of the most famous trails in the park. In Yellowstone, visit some of the many boardwalks through the volcanic springs, like the famous Grand Prismatic. Both parks are known for wildlife—make sure you’re carrying bear spray if you choose to go hiking and appreciate all wildlife from a distance.

After Yellowstone, you’ll head north to one of my favorite parks in the continental U.S.: Glacier. Located in northern Montana, Glacier National Park is famous for mountains, wildlife, and well, glaciers. Drive the Going to the Sun Road or hike one of the many trails to a glacial view and learn about how ancient ice shaped our landscape. The Going to the Sun Road does require timed entry reservations, but it’s worth the extra hassle to get to drive through this stunning landscape. Make sure you stop at Logan Pass as well as some of the many other viewpoints as you make your way from west to east Glacier.

Pacific Northwest

After Glacier, drive west to North Cascades . You’ve officially arrived back on the U.S. West Coast. North Cascades is one of the least-visited parks in the country and is a great place to go backpacking. If you’re not into backpacking, check out Diablo Lake or one of the many views and day hikes throughout the park.

From here, head west to Olympic National Park . This stunning place requires a lot of time to properly explore. Here, you can visit the tall Olympic mountains, the rocky Washington coastline, and the Hoh Rainforest—one of the only true temperate rainforests in North America. This park is home to incredible coastal wildlife, such as Roosevelt elk, banana slugs, and black bears, as well as the invasive mountain goat.

South of Olympic, it’s time to visit Mount Rainier National Park. This park requires a timed entry reservation in the peak season (June-August), so plan ahead. Here, you’ll see the giant 14,000-foot Mount Rainier, which is home to wildlife such as black bears, elk, and foxes. This is a great place for a hike, and Sunrise Point is home to one of my favorite sunrises in the country.

After Mount Rainier, you’ll head south to Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake. Crater Lake is the world’s ninth deepest lake, which formed as the result of the eruption of Mount Mazama. This park is amazing for a scenic drive, boat tour, hike, or swim, but keep in mind, the Rim Drive is only open in the summer months.

California and Nevada

Coming from Oregon, you’ll visit Redwoods National and State Parks first, where you’ll see the tallest trees in the world. This incredible park is on the coast, so make sure you visit both the forest and the beach while you’re here.

After the Redwoods, make your way back to the mountains, heading toward Lassen Volcanic National Park. This is one of the most underrated parks in the country , home to the southernmost Cascade mountain: Lassen Peak. Lassen stands at over 10,000 feet tall, and the park is home to volcanic activity similar to Yellowstone, as well as alpine lakes and unique lava fields left over from past eruptions. Keep in mind that many roads here are closed in the winter.

Lassen Volcanic is the perfect gateway to the Eastern Sierra, which is how you will get to Nevada. A long drive across the state will allow you to finally visit Great Basin National Park. This park is not what you would expect from this desert state—it’s home to Wheeler Peak, a 13,000-foot mountain that stretches up out of the desert landscape. Book a cave tour to see the Lehman Cave, so you can explore this park above and below ground.

From here, you’re heading back to California and entering Death Valley National Park from the Nevada side. Death Valley is the largest national park in the continental U.S. at over 3 million acres. There is so much to explore in Death Valley, from the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin to the magical Mesquite Sand Dunes to the 11,000-foot summit of Telescope Peak, and so much in between.

From here, you might be wondering, what about the Western Sierra parks? The thing about California’s geography is that there is a massive mountain range that you have to drive around to access a lot of the parks here. Since Tioga Pass, which leads from the Eastern Sierra to Yosemite, is closed for parts of the year depending on snowpack, I’m going to suggest that you head south from Death Valley to Sequoia National Park .

Sequoia is home to the largest trees in the world—not to be confused with the Redwoods, which are the tallest. This incredible old-growth forest is home to massive trees, beautiful mountains, and amazing wildlife-viewing opportunities. Just north of Sequoia is Kings Canyon —Sequoia’s sister park. These parks are so close together, it only makes sense to visit them back to back. Kings Canyon is the underrated combination of Sequoia and Yosemite’s landscapes, with amazing rocky cliffs, canyon walls, and sequoia trees throughout the park.

From here, you’ll finally make your way north to the coveted Yosemite . Yosemite does require timed entry during the summer, and I highly suggest reserving a campsite or lodging far in advance—it’s very hard to find a place to stay here. Go see the mighty Half Dome, watch the climbers on El Capitan, or hike to one of the many waterfalls like Vernal or Nevada Falls.

From here, you’ll head southwest to Pinnacles National Park . I highly recommend getting a campsite here, because the park is pretty remote and there aren’t a lot of places to stay nearby. This is California’s newest park and is home to unique rock formations and the unique flora and fauna of central California.

There’s only one park left: Channel Islands . This one is an adventure worthy of being the final park on your road trip. Book a ferry ticket and park your car at Ventura Harbor. Your boat will take you to the island of your choice, and you’ll have the chance to see wildlife like whales, dolphins, and sea lions. Depending on the island you choose, you might even see the rare island fox, which only resides in Channel Islands National Park. Go for a day trip or take your backpacking gear and stay in one of the established campgrounds on the islands.

You now have the knowledge to accomplish a massive feat that many dream of: visiting all of the national parks in the continental U.S. While there are still other parks to see, this is more of the country than most people see in their lifetimes. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to hit the road.

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How to visit all of California's national parks in one epic road trip

Mar 14, 2022 • 12 min read

A road trip to California’s national parks will show you the best of the state’s stunningly diverse landscapes © Albert Pego / Shutterstock

California is romanticized for its sparkly Pacific oceanfronts, thickets of palm trees and glass-walled high-rise buildings in the big coastal cities. But the state consists of so much more than its famed southern coast.

If you go north, inland or even offshore, you’ll be treated to dazzlingly unique terrain, insanely diverse ecosystems and eyebrow-raising history lessons — all of which you can experience through the nine (yes, nine!) US national parks in the Golden State.

Each of these parks represents a distinct piece of California’s beautiful, multifaceted puzzle. Here's how to visit them all in a single trip that you’ll talk about — to anyone and everyone who will listen — for the rest of your life.

Breaking down the itinerary

• Total parks visited: nine
• The parks: Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia National Park, Death Valley National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Pinnacles National Park, Yosemite National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redwood National and State Parks, Channel Islands National Park
• Total trip time: 17 days, starting from Los Angeles
• Total mileage: 2,003 (may vary depending on your exact route and road closures)  

Day one: Los Angeles to Joshua Tree  National Park

Leave LA in the morning, and travel 131 miles to Joshua Tree, where you’ll camp.

Day two: Hang out in Joshua Tree 

Spend the day in Joshua Tree National Park; camp here for a second night.

Where to stay

Joshua Tree National Park has several campgrounds. Take your pick, but book far in advance if your trip will take place between October and May — the cooler months are busy in the desert parks. If you want to lodge, check for availability in the nearby towns of Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms.

Need-to-know

Desert weather can change suddenly. It’s not uncommon for dampened fires to reignite when nighttime winds fan the embers. Make sure to fully put out your fire, and secure any items that may fly away in strong winds. 

How to get around

Joshua Tree is a relatively small park and easy to navigate. Park Blvd runs through the entirety of the park, with offshoots to get to attractions. You can drive your vehicle to almost all of them, and trailheads too.

What to do while you’re here

Joshua Tree has several hikes ranging from easy to hard, and ample rock-climbing and bouldering opportunities. One fun thing to do in Joshua Tree is drive down Park Blvd to see the flora shift from Joshua Tree groves to thickets of yucca cacti.

Day 3: Joshua Tree to Death Valley  National Park

Leave Joshua Tree in the morning and drive 228 miles to Death Valley, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Day 4: Take in the scenery in Death Valley 

Spend the day in Death Valley National Park; camp or lodge here again.

Death Valley National Park has primitive and full-hookup campgrounds, and lodges  ranging from basic to luxurious. All but one of the campgrounds are first-come, first-serve, but you need reservations for a lodge.

Camping is probably not the best option if you visit Death Valley in the summer months — temperatures can remain high, up to 100ºF (38ºC) throughout the night, and spike as early as 9am. It's not a great idea in the middle of winter either, when temperatures can drop below freezing at night.

The best way to get around Death Valley is by car. Highways stretch far and wide throughout the park, along with offshoot roads to get to attractions and trailheads. The National Park Service recommends keeping hiking to a minimum in the summer, due to extreme temperatures.

Walk out to the biggest, sparkliest dunes at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes ; drive Artists Drive to see mountains in shades of seafoam and mauve; visit Badwater Basin (the lowest place on earth at 282ft below sea level); and check out Ubehebe Crater on the north side of the park.

Day 5: Death Valley to Sequoia National Park

Leave Death Valley in the morning, and travel 268 miles to Sequoia National Park, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Sequoia offers incredible camping opportunities, with both primitive and developed campgrounds. There is one developed lodge in Sequoia National Park, Wuksachi Lodge , as well as a primitive lodge maintained by an NPS partner.

The road between Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park can close during the winter due to snow. If you plan to visit during the winter months, check for road closures and adjust your route as needed.

Generals Highway traverses the entire park; you’ll drive your vehicle to and from all trailheads and attractions. There are parking areas along the way, though parking can be tough to find in the summer.

You’ll never be able to do everything in Sequoia National Park in just a day or two, but you can get a good idea of what the park has to offer. Spend some time romping around Giant Forest to understand the sheer size of Sequoia's trees; hike to Little Baldy for a relatively quick trek with a fantastic payoff; and see the huge  General Sherman Tree (the world’s largest tree by volume).

Day 6: Sequoia to Kings Canyon  National Park

Spend the day in Sequoia; move on to Kings Canyon National Park (48 miles) in the evening, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Day 7: Spend time in Kings Canyon

Spend the day in Kings Canyon National Park, then drive 112 miles to Yosemite National Park, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Like Sequoia, Kings Canyon National Park has both camping and lodging options . Make reservations in advance and check to ensure your vehicle isn’t too large for the campground you book.

It seems like Sequoia and Kings Canyon are one and the same, but the parks do have defined borders — they are connected by Generals Highway, but closures can occur. Check the driving guidelines from the NPS to make sure your route and vehicle are appropriate. Depending on your vehicle and the season, you may have to exit Sequoia and drive around the park to get to Kings Canyon.

You’ll get around mainly by vehicle in Kings Canyon National Park, hopping out to travel on foot for hikes and attractions.

See General Grant , the second-largest tree in the world; walk up 172 steps to Buck Rock’s dizzying 8205-foot lookout; and enjoy the view at Kings Canyon Overlook off Generals Highway.

Day 8: Explore Yosemite  National Park

Spend the day in Yosemite; camp or lodge here.

For quieter camping, camp on the east side of Yosemite near or in Tuolumne Meadows . If you want to lodge, you can choose one of the many options within the park .

Two main roads in Yosemite, Tioga Road (Hwy 120) and Glacier Point Road, close in the winter due to snow. They usually reopen in May or June — plan your trip accordingly. If you want to see wildlife, spend more time in the Tuolumne Meadows area, rather than the valley.

Yosemite is well-developed, with many roads, paved walking trails, boardwalks and unpaved trails. There is also a shuttle system in the valley area. If you visit during the summer, be prepared for congested traffic and trouble with parking. Getting around by bike or foot is typically easier during the summer months.

Yosemite has so many attractions that it can be tough to choose which ones to see. With limited time, see  El Capitan and Half Dome from the valley floor, hike Tuolumne Meadows Trail to Soda Springs , or raft down the Merced River (summer or spring). For an expansive view of the famous granite structures, drive to Tunnel View on Wawona Road.

Day 9: Yosemite to Lassen  Volcanic National Park

Leave Yosemite by early afternoon and travel 301 miles to Lassen, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Day 10: Stay overnight in  Lassen

Spend the day in Lassen Volcanic National Park; camp or lodge here.

There is only one lodge in Lassen Volcanic National Park , Drakesbad Guest Ranch , but there are many campgrounds . Most campgrounds require advance reservations, and some are first-come, first-served.

Park Highway (Hwy 89) closes past the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center during the winter months. The visitor center itself can also close during winter storms. While in the park, stay on established trails and boardwalks. Hydrothermal areas can be disguised and dangerous, and visitors who travel off-trail can suffer severe burns.

Lassen Volcanic National Park has several roads running through the park, but they can all close due to snowfall. The NPS highly encourages checking road conditions before you visit, or simply visiting after roads are cleared in April.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is quintessential northern California: It shows off with glistening mountain lakes, snowy peaks, and lush meadows. But the park’s real claim to fame are the boiling hydrothermal areas and volcanoes. Backpacking, hiking, biking and auto-touring are popular activities for seeing the attractions.

Day 11: Lassen to Redwood National Park

Leave Lassen Volcanic National Park by mid-morning; travel 177 miles to Redwood National Park, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Day 12: Mess around in the Redwoods

Spend the day in Redwood National Park; camp or lodge here again.

Redwood National Park — technically known as Redwood National and State Parks — has eight basic campground cabins but very limited lodging. If you want a real roof over your head, consider staying outside of the park in nearby communities.

The campground cabins tend to book up several months in advance, so if you're keen to stay in them, be sure to plan well ahead of your trip. 

The park is mostly oriented around US Highway 101, the corridor that runs north and south along most of California. Many other roads, including designated scenic drives, run throughout the park. 

Marvel at some of the tallest known trees in the world, obviously! Aside from craning your neck to attempt to see the tops of coastal redwoods, biking, hiking, horseback riding and kayaking the Smith River (summer only) are popular activities.

Day 13: Redwoods to Pinnacles National Park

Leave the Redwoods by early morning and travel 437 miles to Pinnacles National Park, where you’ll camp or lodge.

Day 14: Escape the crowds at Pinnacles

Spend the day in Pinnacles; camp or lodge here again.

There is only one campground at Pinnacles National Park , and it’s on the east side of the park. The east and west sides of Pinnacles are not connected by road — only by hiking trails. If you plan to camp, make sure you enter on the east side through Hollister, California. You can lodge in Soledad, California, if you plan to enter on the west side.

On this trip, you only have time to enjoy one side of the park. Plan accordingly. Both the east and west side offer great hiking trails and California condor viewing, though the cave attractions differ.  

Highway 146 takes you into the west side, while highway 25 takes you into the east side. Both highways weave through the park for a few miles, and then it’s mainly foot traffic from there.

Pinnacles is one of the smaller national parks in California and has very limited facilities. Its lack of development makes for quiet hiking and uninterrupted wildlife-viewing. Make sure you shimmy through Bear Gulch Cave (east side) or Balconies Cave (west side), and look into the sky to see some condors (the largest land birds in North America!).

Day 15: Pinnacles to Ventura

Leave Pinnacles National Park and travel 233 miles to Ventura, California.

Day 16: Ventura to Channel Islands National Park

Make a reservation for an Island Packers tour to Channel Islands National Park. Head back to Los Angeles after the day tour, or stay in Ventura for another night.

Ditch your car or camper van for a night (it'll be safe in Ventura Harbor, or you can pay to park in a nearby garage) and take a park concessionaire boat to the island. Pitch a tent in one of the park's lush campgrounds or venture into the backcountry — but watch for ticks, and seal your food in rodent-proof containers. You can also opt to return to the mainland on the same day and lodge in the beachside town of Ventura.

There are no remedies for poor planning at Channel Islands National Park , so make sure you bring enough food, water, clothing and other supplies. You must reserve your Island Packers tour in advance — it’s likely that you’ll have to plan your entire trip around this day, because tours are limited and fill up fast.

You'll need fresh legs for a visit to the Channel Islands, as there's no transportation service on the islands. Everything must be accessed by foot or kayak, unless you have a private boat.

Island Packers boats most commonly go to Santa Cruz Island , the largest island in California at over 96 sq miles. On Santa Cruz, you can go hiking, bird-watching, snorkeling, kayaking and whale-watching. You can also peruse old Chumash Native American residences and ranching quarters from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Day 17 (optional): Return to LA

Travel back to Los Angeles (68 miles).

You might also like:   15 unforgettable experiences in US national parks    Why you should drive California's scenic Highway 395 The best free things to do in the US national parks   

This article was first published February 2020 and updated March 2022

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Epic National Parks Road Trips – Pacific Northwest Road Trip

LAST UPDATED: 2/3/24 – National Parks Road Trip – Pacific Northwest Road Trip

When it comes to travel, there are few things more American than epic road trips and national parks.  Americans have been hitting the open road on their family vacations for decades. And when they do, the most popular destinations are the country’s beautiful national parklands.

In the spirit of both of these American cultural mainstays, I have put together a series of road trip itineraries. These road trips are certain to bring your family together to make memories that will last for a lifetime.

In this five-part series, I will lay out a series of road trips for you to explore. These road trips take you through some of the most stunning national parklands in the country. If you are looking for a mountain adventure, there is an itinerary that will be right up your alley.

For those looking for a desert escape, I have an itinerary that will blow your mind. And for those looking to explore America’s incredible coastline, there is an itinerary you will never forget. The beauty is, there is an itinerary for everyone to enjoy! From the incredible Rockies to the magnificent canyons of Utah, to the coast of Oregon, these have it all.

Check Out My National Park Road Trips Series

You may also like these detailed utah\arizona park itineraries.

If you are looking for some more detailed national park itineraries to follow, I have created two in-depth guides for touring one of my favorite regions of North America. The national parks in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona are legendary and I have trips all mapped out for you in these detailed itineraries.

Pacific Northwest Road Trip

In the fourth part of my road trip series, I take you into the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Be prepared, because this national parks itinerary visits some of the most breathtaking parklands and coastlines in North America. If you weren’t aware, the Pacific Northwest is known for its rugged coastline and beautiful mountains. These are the areas you will be visiting, so be prepared to be amazed.

The Trip Will Start in Seattle, Washington

To start, you will fly into the beautiful city of Seattle, Washington . After taking some time to explore the city, you will head to the nearby Olympic National Park . Located on the Olympic Peninsula, the park is renowned for its temperate rainforests.

Most of the year you will see stunning moss-covered trees throughout the park. In addition, Olympic National Park is also known for its beautiful mountain vistas, such as Hurricane Ridge. With so much to see and do, you will want to spend a full day exploring the park.

Once you have explored Olympic National Park, you will head East into the Rocky Mountains. Your next destination is the incredible North Cascades National Park in Washington State. Prepare to be amazed because the North Cascades is one of the prettier sections of the American Rocky Mountains. While visiting the park, you will take amazing hikes and enjoy stunning mountain vistas. For those who are into climbing and hiking, this stop may be the highlight of your trip.

You Will See the Breathtaking Mount Rainier

Having seen some of the prettier mountains in the Rockies, you will head South to Mount Rainier National Park .  At 14,410 feet (or 4,392 meters), it is the 5th tallest mountain in the continental United States. Not surprisingly, it is one of the favorite mountains for climbers.  Make sure you bring your hiking shoes with you. Mountain Rainier has some of the best hiking trails in the US National Parks System.

If you think the destinations on this itinerary have been impressive so far, we are just getting warmed up.  As soon as you are finished exploring Mount Rainier, you will continue south to the infamous Mount Saint Helens . 

The Incredible Mount St. Helens Will Take Your Breath Away

If you didn’t know, Mount St Helens is a volcanic mountain that last erupted in 1980. This eruption covered much of the Pacific Northwest in ash and killed 57 people.  Today you can see the crater that the explosive eruption created. Not only that, but you can still see where the areas that were damaged by the eruption.

When you have finished touring Mount St. Helens, you will say goodbye to the state of Washington. The next phase of your road trip will take you to Oregon.  Your first stop in Oregon will be the beautiful Multnomah Falls . This stunning waterfall is conveniently located just East of the city of Portland.  Not only is it one of the prettier waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, but it may also be the prettiest in America. Believe me, you won’t want to miss it.

The Beauty of the Oregon Coast Will Mesmerize You

After touring the falls, you will head to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Here, you will enjoy some of the most amazing ocean views you will see in the continental United States.  As you head South along the coast, I would strongly suggest checking out Cannon Beach . Without a doubt, it is one of the prettiest beaches in North America.  

Your next official stop on this itinerary will be the beautiful Heceta Head Lighthouse . Located on the Pacific coast, it is roughly a three-hour drive South of Portland. This is one of the most beautiful lighthouses in North America. If you have the time, you won’t want to miss it.

You Will Explore North America’s Deepest Lake

When you are finished exploring the lighthouse, you will turn East and begin heading inland toward the next stop on the itinerary, which is Crater Lake National Park .  One of the most underrated national parks in the United States in terms of beauty, Crater Lake is one of the gems of the US National Parks System.  With a depth of 1,949 feet (594 meters), it is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest lakes in the world.

Finally, You’ll Gaze Upon the World’s Tallest Trees

From the deepest lake in the United States, you will next head to some of the biggest trees in the United States when you visit Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California.  With trees that are so big, you can drive a car through them, you will be absolutely astonished when you see the size and the beauty of the California Redwood trees. 

As soon as you are finished marveling at their height and beauty, you will head back North to Portland where you will return your rental car and catch your flight home.  If you have some extra time before you leave, Portland is a pretty amazing city in its own right and is really fun to explore.

Recommended Trip Time

The Pacific Northwest is a very large area, and with a total drive time of 34 hours, you cover a lot of ground on this Pacific Northwest Road trip.  For that reason, I would strongly recommend that you schedule 10 to 14 days to complete this trip.  You will feel very rushed if you try and complete the trip in less than 10 days.  Below you will find an itinerary that I have designed for a 12-day trip through the Pacific Northwest to some of the area’s most beautiful national parks and public lands.

Day 1 – Seattle, Washington

You will begin your trip in the city of Seattle, Washington, but you will complete your trip in Portland, Oregon.  So when you book your flight, you will want to make sure you select a multi-destination flight.  You will want to do the same with your rental car, with a pick-up location of Seattle, but a return location of Portland.

As soon as you land in Seattle, you can either take some time to explore the city or head straight for Olympic National Park to do some sightseeing.  It really depends on how much time you are taking on your trip and how much time you would like to spend in Olympic National Park.

Drive Time:   2-hour drive from Seattle to Olympic National Park

Day 2 – Olympic National Park

The second day of your trip will be reserved exclusively for exploring Olympic National Park.  Olympic is such an amazing place with such a wide variety of landscapes and habitats that you will want to make sure you see it all. 

The beautiful moss-covered trees in the park’s temperate rainforests are absolutely amazing and the views from on top of Hurricane Ridge are breathtaking.  After you have spent the day exploring the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park, you will want to head Northeast into the Rocky Mountains to North Cascades National Park.

Drive Time:   4-hour drive from Olympic to North Cascades National Park

Day 3 – North Cascades National Park

With beautiful mountain passes, crystal blue rivers, and some of the best hiking in the American Northwest, North Cascades National Park is a playground for outdoor enthusiasts.  You will get to see the American Rockies at their most beautiful and have a chance to hike and climb in one of the most stunning landscapes in the continental United States. 

When you are finished checking out all of the amazing trails and viewpoints, you will need to head South to Mount Rainier National Park, which is another beautiful mountain park.

Drive Time:   3-hour and 30-minute drive from North Cascades to Mount Rainier

Days 4-5 – Mount Rainier National Park

Centered around one of the tallest mountains in the continental United States, Mount Rainier National Park is full of breathtaking beauty.  With numerous viewpoints and miles of alpine hiking trails, you will quickly fall in love with Mount Rainier National Park. 

I would suggest that you spend a few days in the park exploring, especially if you would like to do an overnight hike or do some climbing.  When you are finished exploring Mount Rainier National Park, you will continue heading South to Mount St. Helens.

Drive Time:   3-hour drive from Mount Rainier to Mount St. Helens

Day 6 – Mount St. Helens

There is nothing else quite like Mount St. Helens in the United States and few places like it in the world.  This large volcano last erupted in 1980 and you can still see the impact of that eruption on the landscape around the mountain to this day.  With some amazing viewpoints and a learning center that teaches you exactly what happened on that fateful day when the volcano erupted, Mount St. Helens is a must-do stop on your way South.

As soon as you have completed your tour of Mount St. Helens, you will head further South into the state of Oregon and then turn East when you get to Portland.  Just East of Portland you will find the beautiful Multnomah Falls.

Drive Time:   2-hour drive from Mount St. Helens to Multnomah Falls

Day 7 – Multnomah Falls and the Oregon Coast

If you are a fan of waterfalls, then you are going to absolutely love the Multnomah Falls, which is located just East of Portland.  This beautiful, two-tier waterfall is one of the prettier waterfalls in North America.  There is an observation deck that you can get to via stairs for a close-up look at the falls, so make sure you make the hike up to check that out. 

When you are finished enjoying the falls, you will turn West and head towards the coast of the Pacific Ocean.  The first stop on the coast will be the stunning Heceta Head Lighthouse, which is located about four hours South of Portland.

Drive Time:   3-hour and 45-minute drive from Multnomah Falls to Heceta Head Lighthouse

Day 8 – The Oregon Coast and Heceta Head Lighthouse

There are not many lighthouses in North America, if not the world, that is as pretty as the Heceta Head Lighthouse.  Located on the edge of steep ocean cliffs with a beautiful forest just behind it, the Heceta Head Lighthouse is a photographer’s dream. 

Make sure you stop at the multiple viewpoints approaching the lighthouse so that you can get some stunning ocean shots with the lighthouse like the one I took above.  After enjoying the Heceta Head Lighthouse, you will turn back inland and head East towards Crater Lake National Park.

Drive Time: 3-hour and a 45-minute drive from Heceta Head Lighthouse to Crater Lake

Days 9-10 Crater Lake National Park

Not only is Crater Lake the deepest lake in the United States, but it is also one of the clearest lakes you will ever see.  This makes the deep blue waters of the lake look almost magical when the sunlight hits the water.  Appropriately, the island in the center of Crater Lake is named Wizard Island and looks a lot like an old, abandoned sea ship stranded in the middle of the sea. 

There are some amazing viewpoints around the lake and some really nice hiking trails that take you around the lake and down by the water.  I would suggest spending the good part of a day at the park exploring.  When you are finished, you will head South into California to see Redwood National and State Parks, which is your last park stop on this Pacific Northwest Road trip.

Drive Time:   4-hour and 35-minute drive from Crater Lake to Redwood

Day 11 – Redwood National Park

The last, but certainly not the least beautiful, park stop on this itinerary is Redwood National and State Parks.  This collection of national and state park lands is home to some of the biggest trees in the entire world.  These behemoth Redwood trees can reach heights of over 360 feet, which makes them the tallest trees in the world.

They don’t have as much girth as the Sequoia trees that are also found in California, but they do get pretty big in diameter.  In fact, they can get so wide that you can drive a car through some of them.  Just outside the national parkland, you will find a tree that you can drive through, as you can see in my picture above.  What a surreal experience this is.

When you are finished exploring the Redwood National and State Parks, you will head back up North to Portland to finish your trip.  This is the longest stretch of driving that you will do on this trip, so make sure you leave yourself enough time to make it back without stressing.

Drive Time:   6-hour drive from Redwood National Park to Portland, Oregon

Day 12 – Portland, Oregon

You will wrap up your trip in Portland, Oregon, where you will return your rental car and catch your flight home.  If you have some extra time, I would recommend taking some time to explore the Portland area.  The Columbia River area has some really scenic areas and Portland has some excellent restaurants and shopping.

Best Time to Go

I would strongly recommend that you make this Pacific Northwest Road trip between May thru October.  It can be quite cold in the Pacific Northwest during the Winter months of December thru February and the early Spring months of March thru April and the late Autumn months of November can be quite unpredictable in terms of weather. 

If you are up for outdoor winter activities like cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, then winter might be right up your alley.  However, I would make sure you are prepared for cold temperatures and possibly poor road conditions.

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Published by Josh Hewitt

Avid traveler and photographer who loves to see new places, meet new people, and experience new things. There is so much this world can teach us, we just need to explore! View all posts by Josh Hewitt

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20 comments ›.

Great read, I visited a few of these last summer but some I’ll have to go back to. You definitely get better temperatures but that’s somewhat balanced out by forest fires which hit much of Washington, Oregon and California. Or certainly last summer anyway.

Definitely a trip worth taking though. It’s such a pretty region 🙂

Thank you! I 100% agree. Such a gorgeous area!

Amazing post! I am planning to rent a car in San Jose and make a roadtrip across California.

Awesome!! I am actually writing up a California parks itinerary as we speak. Have fun on your trip!! 👍

Olympic National Park looks and sounds amazing, would love to visit one day 😀

It is beautiful!! The moss covered trees in the temperate rainforests are breathtaking!

Can you suggest places to stay? Planning this trip with a group of 4 women artists for next august

Hi Janis! You bet. Are you planning on doing the whole trip I outlined? How many days?

I’m planning to do this entire trip! Do you have places to recommend staying? RV or no RV? Thank you!

Hi Kristin! If you look at my location specific guides that I link to in this itinerary, they have both camping and hotel recommendations. Hope this helps! Super excited for you. This is such an incredible road trip!

My wife and I are thinking of taking this epic trip in late March or early April 2021. I realize weather can be pretty unpredictable on this time and would hate to experience road closure, but wanted to hear your thoughts on our odds. Summer seems to be the best time to visit a ton of places and we’re trying to squeeze in trips and the Spring.

We don’t care about it being cold and rainy, but just don’t want to not be able to explore a park due to road closure.

Hi Andy! You will definitely be able to get into all of the parks in March, but in parks like Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades, the roads at higher elevations may be closed if there is a lot of snow. For instance, tire chains are required on some roads in Mount Rainier NP from Nov-May each year.

I would recommend targeting late March or early April if you want to visit in early Spring. However, if you can wait until late April or early May, you should avoid most of the road issues.

Hope this helps! 😄

Great guide! I did want to share that the Cascades are not part of the Rockies though! They’re two different mountain ranges 🙂

Thank you so much for the kind words and for pointing that out Valerie!! I will make an edit as soon as possible! 😄👍

Sounds like a great trip. We can’t wait for ours! Can you give suggestions on places to stay and things to see? There will be 3 adults and 3 kids (5yo, 3yo, and 8mo) and are going for 9 days in June. Our route will be fly in to Seattle, North Cascades, Mt Rainier, Portland area, Olympic, fly out of Seattle. Trying to figure out the best way to see everything without it being too hard on the little kids.

Sounds like an amazing trip! I can absolutely provide some suggestions. Olympic National Park is incredible. Lots to do in the area and I have a guide on my blog with fun things to see and do. I have guides to a lot of the stops on the Oregon coast near Portland too. You will definitely want to visit Canon Beach and the Hecteta Head lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. The Northern Coast of Oregon is breathtaking. Just outside of Portland is the Multnomah Falls, which are beautiful. I have a guide on that as well. Its one of the prettier falls in the whole US. Definitely don’t miss that. Also, make sure you stop and see Mount St Helens. It’s incredible to see the crater from the explosion and learn about it. They have kids exhibits too. I hope you have a great trip!

Great reading your bloog post

Thanks you so very much!!!

Hello, I am so thrilled that I found your site. We are planning a trip in Sept/Oct of 2024. We like to stay and rent a house. I am hoping you can suggest a town or two to stay in and just take day trips. We are to old to stop and stay and stop and stay in different places all week. Last time we stayed in Tacoma and visited Mt Rainer, Port Angeles to whale watch and there was a waterfall but I cannot remember the name of it and hoped to get to Oregon parks but never got a chance. We are going for 2 weeks we can break up the trip and stay one week in one area and another week in another. We want to go back to Mt Rainer also. Any suggestions? I really appreciate your help and just the beginning of reading all your tips. I hope this makes sense? Planning on flying into Seattle Thank you and have a blessed day, Clara

Thank you for the kind words Clara!! What do you want to see on your trip besides Rainier? The Oregon Coast? Olympia NP? Crater Lake NP?

Let me know what you are thinking and I would be happy to recommend some cities to use as base camps.

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6 Epic National Park Road Trips To Take This Year

The united states has hundreds of amazing national and state parks to explore. we're sharing 6 epic national parks trips that will not disappoint., start your american southwest trip in moab & see delicate arch in arches national park. go to bryce canyon to see red rock hoodoo's & hike zion national park near las vegas., utah road trip, california road trip, cali is home to yosemite national park, lassen volcanic national park, & redwood national park. have an outdoor adventure amongst huge magical trees..

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Mountain Road Trip

See icebergs in glacier national park. hang with bison in yellowstone. hike grand teton national park, & experience scenic drives through rocky mountain national park., in montana on your, mountain road trip see amazing wildlife, grizzly bears, and bison. watch old faithful blast off and don't miss the colors of the grand prismatic springs., yellowstone national park, pacific northwest road trip, with coastal beaches & rainforests, the pacific northwest is a must-visit. jump into a clear blue crater lake, get lost in oregon national forest or camp in olympic np, east coast road trip, the great smokey mountains national park has hiking trails and very beautiful scenic drives. cave exploration is really fun in mammoth cave national park., explore florida's beaches and national parks including the everglades and dry tortugas. see alligators in the swamps and snorkel in the dry tortugas crystal waters., florida road trip, where to stay, the best way is to rent an rv and hit the open road for any one of these usa national park road trips. there are also tent camping options, lodging in some areas and cabins., more things to do, do a 4x4 jeep tour in moab, go to joshua tree & death valley in california, visit national monuments or take a wildlife safari tour in the grand tetons. click here for full article., more stories from:, things to do in northern california, things to do in  big sur, things to do in  lake tahoe, for more family-friendly destinations, travel ideas, and rv tips, be sure to check out our site: crazy family adventure..

Epic Utah National Parks Road Trip: all 5 Utah NPs and Bonus Stops

By: Author Rob Taylor

Posted on Published: May 22, 2022  - Last updated: February 20, 2023

Get ready for an awesome road trip through Utah National Parks. This road trip plan hit all kinds of amazing places from Salt Lake City through the five National Parks and beyond. We’ve done quite a few road trips around Utah and this is by far our favorite. From the more popular parks like Arches and Zion NPs, to Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, you’ll be astounded at all the beauty.

I know what you’re thinking: “Aren’t the Utah National Parks really busy/crowded?” You’re partially right, but we’ve got a plan that both shows the best of the parks AND helps you experience the less well known sides of them. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Be sure to check out our favorite Unique Sights and Activities in Utah!

Utah National Parks Road Trip: Epic, Unforgettable Loop Route

You’ll see lots of vultures in Utah, circling like they have a plan. Well, here’s a plan for you. Utah is a fascinating area with both desolate landscapes and… barbeque? This Utah National Parks road trip plan will take you through some of the most popular parks in the USA as well as through territory that you might otherwise try to drive through quickly and completely miss. And be sure to eat local as you explore, because Utah has some great barbeque and local cuisines.

After this road trip through Utah, if somebody asks you why you like the Southwest, you’ll have an easy, un-arguable answer: it’s astoundingly beautiful and super dramatic. This road trip is a loop, so you’ll be able to hit all five Utah National Parks, you’ll see how each is extremely different, and you’ll be tired by the end.

Being Prepared for a Utah Road Trip

Since so much of this road trip is EXTREMELY remote, be sure that you are well stocked with back up water (you can never have too much) and lots of snacks. Sometimes it’s more than an hour between services, and they may not always be open. Be well prepared for any situation. Also, for some of the more remotes areas, take time to download the offline maps through your preferred navigation program. You’ll be glad you did.

Check out our Road Trip Planning Tool for both building your specific itinerary AND budget!

An idea for having an unusual Utah National Parks road trip is to actually book an Escape Campervan for it. There are campervan depots in both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, so being able to secure a campervan should be pretty easy.

Also, you’ll need to be sure you’ve got the right camera gear for the travel photos you want to capture . Are you like me who needs a phone camera, a DSLR with telephoto, an Olympus Rough and a DJI Osmo Gimble Cam? Or are you good with just a cell camera or point-n-shoot? The Utah National Parks road trip route goes through some remarkable scenery that stretches the horizon, but then it also includes tight slot canyons where you don’t want to be carrying a lot of gear. Just be smart about what you bring with you on the trails, is all I’m saying.

How much time do I need for a Utah National Parks Road Trip?

Ooh, that’s a good question. This particular Utah National Parks road trip plan is setup to last for 10 days. I think spending 10 days is ideal because it means you get to spend less time each day driving from place to place, and can have some relaxation at the end of each day. You could do this same trip in seven days by cutting out certain sights and hike, but you’ll still have a great deal of time in the car without much relaxation.

If you combine this trip with our Lesser Known Utah road trip , you’ll need 14 days. The two plans overlap quite a bit, but there are some reaches of the state that the Utah National Parks road trip plan doesn’t hit. You’ll just have to pick and choose what’s most important to you. You can’t go wrong either way.

How Many Miles is the Utah National Parks Loop?

If you do the loop and don’t take any side jaunts or make road trip stops that go off the main highways, hitting all five Utah National Parks will be about 1000 miles. No doubt though, you’ll want to drive the scenic routes and hit the off-the-beaten-path hiking spots, so with all of the extra bits, you should plan for the loop and its spurs to be able 1600 miles. It may end up being less for you, but I think this is a realistic plan.

Note: this is important to consider if you are flying into SLC or LAS and renting a car. Some car rentals DON’T have unlimited mileage, so you’ll need to consider the cost of additional miles.

Utah National Park Road Trip Plan – SIMPLIFIED

Start :  Fly into Salt Lake City (SLC) or Las Vegas (LAS) – There are flights into Moab (CNY) or Cedar City (CDC) as well, but the amount of time spent changing planes and waiting is better spent driving from a larger airport.

Day 1: Salt Lake City to Moab

There are so many things to do in Salt Lake City (including seasonal skiing in nearby Park City) , but we need to hit the road for our National Parks!

Drive from Salt Lake City to Provo ( you can do Park City on another trip), where you can start your adventure immediately by heading up Provo Peak. It’s a tough hike but beautiful, but if you’re not quite ready for 11 miles at the start of your trip, head to Buffalo Peak instead. Both will get you sweeping views. Continue your drive towards Moab. On the way, you’ll have countless opportunities to stop and admire the landscape. If you didn’t hike earlier in the day, visit Corona Arch or Gemini Bridges for a taste of what’s in store for the rest of your Utah road trip. 

For a real bonus, head into Arches National Park for sunset. Watching the sun go down on Delicate Arch is such an iconic National Park sight to see.

• Sleep in:   Moab

Recommendation: Hoodoo Moab – Curio Collection (luxe!) or Best Western Plus Greenwell Inn (great pool area)

Check out our Complete Review of the Hoodoo Moab hotel!

Day 2: Arches National Park

Exploring Arches National Park will definitely wow you. There are so many great hikes in Arches . Head into the park early and make your way to the Devil’s Garden Trailhead. For an active hike, head out to the Double O Arch, coming across plenty of other arches and formations along the way (4.5 miles round trip). If you still have energy and want to check out one more spectacular area, hike to the Park Avenue viewpoint (2 miles round trip). Moab has some great restaurants and the town only seems to be growing. Watch for barbeque pits or trucks. 

• Sleep in: Moab

Day 3: Canyonlands National Park – Island in the Sky District

Today we’re going to Canyonlands National Park. Although it is very close to Arches, it’s shockingly different. Head towards the Island in the Sky entrance and start at Grand View Point. As you wind your way back towards the entrance, stop at each overlook, and try the short hikes at Mesa Arch and Aztec Butte.

Visit Deadhorse Point State Park on your way back to Moab for another collection of amazing views, easy hikes along the canyon rim and popsicles at the visitor center. NOTE : this Utah National Parks road trip plan does not take you down to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It’s a remarkable place and is worth a day or two just for that area. It’s also got an AWESOME campground if you’re planning to do this trip as a camping road trip.

Day 4: Capitol Reef National Park

You’ll start by backtracking on the highway a little since Moab was farther south than the loop highway, but that’s okay because we’re heading to Capitol Reef National Park. While you could spend a week canyoneering and rock climbing, a simple trek onto Scenic Drive with stops at the many viewpoints should satisfy your curiosity. For a beautiful hike in Capitol Reef NP , Hickman Bridge or Cohab Canyon will wow you. And easy walks like the Goosenecks Trail and Sunset Point can fill any extra time you have. 

• Sleep in: Torrey

Recommendation: Capitol Reef Resort (loved it!) or Rim Rock Inn (great views and restaurant)

Check out our complete review and guide to the Capitol Reef Resort!

Day 5:  Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

It’s easy to breeze through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument but why would you? Instead, go off the main road a bit and explore Devil’s Garden. This is a different Devil’s Garden than in Arches NP. Here, you can climb between hoodoos and natural bridges, enjoying the natural playground of Escalante. This is one of the best Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sites in Utah !

Also, the small town of Escalante has a few small restaurants, so this is another great place to see what the rural Utah food scene has to offer. When you head back out to the main highway, plan to stop at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park to hike the Trail of Sleeping Rainbows. Finish out the day by watching the shadows grow in Kodachrome Basin State Park. This day of views and hikes may be my favorite in all of Utah. 

• Sleep in: Tropic or Bryce

Recommendation: Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Lodge (amazing location) or Bryce UpTop Lodge (closer to Dixie NF sites) or Bryce Canyon Log Cabins (adorable and close to Kodachrome Basin)

Day 6:  Bryce Canyon National Park

Spend the day hiking in Bryce Canyon National Par k enjoying the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Trails. You might also choose to do the Rim Trail and then ride the shuttle back to the Visitors Center. You’ll have lots of amazing view points, but will want to keep on eye on the time. Hiking in Bryce Canyon can be dangerous in the dark. 

Day 7: Bryce Canyon NP to Zion National Park

You’ll get one more day of hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park before you move on. The Peekaboo Loop trail is longer and brings you to some strange sights you definitely haven’t seen before. When you’re done, drive through the Dixie National Forest, where sandstone arches make tunnels as you exit Bryce. If you like, stop at the Thunder Mountain Trail (no, not Disneyland) and see where the inspiration for the famous roller coaster came from.

As long as you’re doing this Utah National Parks road trip spring through fall the road through Zion National Park should be open, including the Mount Carmel Tunnel. As you drive to your next home base, enjoy the sunset views in Zion National Park and let the beauty prepare you for tomorrow. 

• Sleep in: Springdale

Recommendations: Zion Canyon Lodge (beautiful and good location) or Best Western Plus Zion Canyon Inn and Suites (big rooms and fire pits on-property)

Check out our guide to Where to Stay at Zion National Park

Day 8:  Zion National Park

Get up early to beat the crowds for your day of hiking in Zion National Par k. You can either ride the shuttle to the end of the canyon or hike the Pa’rus Trail and ride back. You can also use the shuttle to visit the main sights, after which you head to the Canyon Overlook or Angels Landing trails. Angels Landing is longer and more difficult, so only start it if you know you can safely finish before dark. 

• Sleep in:   Springdale

Day 9:  Snow Canyon State Park and Zion’s Kolob Canyons

Visit Snow Canyon State Park for a different sort of hiking day, with volcanic areas and striking colors. Enjoy the scenery and then hike the Lava Tube Trail, where you’ll find red sandstone, black lava, cholla cactuses and colors you haven’t seen in your previous park visits. When you’re done, head north for one final visit to Zion National Park at the Kolob Canyons. Very different from the Zion Valley, Kolob is dramatic with the Timber Creek Overlook Trail being short yet breathtaking. If you have more time, hit the Lee Pass Trail, but be sure to be back to your car before sunset. 

• Sleep in:   Cedar City

Recommendation: Best Western Plus Cedar City or Holiday Inn Express Cedar City (consistency is key at the end of a road trip)

Day 10:  Cedar Breaks National Monument to Salt Lake City

This is the end of your trip. Today you need to drive back to Salt Lake City, stopping at Cedar Breaks National Monument for one last epic view, or you can relax in Cedar City, enjoying the town and recuperating from an amazing ten days in Utah.

Depart:  Fly out of Cedar City (CDC) if you can return your car there, otherwise head back to Salt Lake City (SLC) or Las Vegas (LAS). Since this road trip route is a loop, you can start from any point, whichever is closest to your arrival airport. 

Check back for our complete Utah Off the Beaten Path road trip plan! It’ll be up before you know it!

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or send us a note . We’re happy to help you plan your Utah National Parks road trip!

Kelly Blanchard

Thursday 26th of May 2022

EPIC road trip!

I would happily do this again if you're down. I know I can justify going back!

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Take An Epic Road Trip To Five California National Parks 

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National park fans know President Teddy Roosevelt had a passion for preserving public land. He earned the nickname “conservationist president,” but National park fans may not know he was also the first president to publicly ride in a car, and someone who said, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”   

As I took a road trip through California with my family, I kept thinking how all those presidential statements influenced what we were doing: enjoying nature, driving from point to point, and knowing we were halfway there. That’s because California has nine national parks — more than any other state — and we didn’t have time to hit all in one itinerary. So we picked five parks that promised a world of variety within one state’s borders. 

Here’s what happened, logging more than a thousand miles in a rental car driven between a flight to San Francisco (SFO) and a flight out of Los Angeles (LAX): 

Stop 1: Yosemite National Park  

Yosemite is an appropriate start because it’s one of two places President Lincoln set aside for public land . (The other is Mariposa Grove, which you will see at the next stop!)  Decades later, California preservationist John Muir wanted more Yosemite land protection, so he invited Teddy Roosevelt to camp there. Roosevelt later said , “It was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by the hand of man.” 

Today, Yosemite is perfect for adventurers pushing their limits and sightseers content to tour in their vehicles. We got our bearings on day one with a short hike to El Capitan’s base, then driving through Yosemite Valley and towards Tunnel View and Glacier Point to see views photographer Ansel Adams made famous. We caught a stunning sunset after hiking up the 2.2-mile round-trip Sentinel Dome trail. It gets steep as you scurry up rocks at the end and is not accessible to wheelchairs, though many other trails are .  

Day two brought a longer hike to Vernal Fall waterfall . This requires navigating 600 steps. If you prefer not to walk down the same way, pick up the John Muir trail to return to the valley floor. 

Pro Tip: Lodging and camping in Yosemite books quickly. We couldn’t get a room in the park and instead booked two nights in a Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabin. This meant an extra 90-minute drive in and out of the park each day, yet we appreciated a pool, laundry, and restaurants. Also, groceries are available in Yosemite at a few general stores, but they get crowded. Consider stocking up well before entering the park.  

Stop 2: Sequoia National Park  

Driving from Yosemite to Sequoia National Park gives the feeling something big is in store and it turns out to be really big: General Sherman , the world’s largest tree.  

General Sherman is 275 feet tall and 36 feet in diameter. A park sign says looking towards the top is like a mouse looking up at a six-foot-tall human. Be prepared to wait in line with fellow tourists seeking the perfect tree picture. Part of the crowd size is due to General Sherman’s accessibility. You can see it from a paved trail connected to a shuttle bus stop and parking for vehicles with accessible parking placards or take a longer walk from a lot available to all visitors. 

Another photo opportunity comes thanks to a sequoia’s downfall. Tunnel Log fell in 1937 when it was popular to attract tourists by advertising a chance to drive through the toppled tree. Today, parks focus more on natural environments, but Tunnel Log remains a relic of novelty attractions to delight drivers.

Pro tip: Sequoia National Park boasts hundreds of miles of trails, plus opportunities to see the park from different angles. From below: Crystal Cave is available for tours. Tickets can sell out months in advance. From above: try Moro Rock, where a 350-step climb rewards you with a remarkable view.

There are lodges and cabins in the park. We stayed at an Airbnb 45 minutes away in Exeter. This helped us start two days with big breakfasts at the Exeter Whistle Stop diner and the Wildflower Café , and wrap up days enjoying ice cream at the Frosty King .  We also enjoyed meals closer to the park in nearby Three Rivers. The Ol Buckaroo came highly recommended in Airbnb’s guest journal, and Sierra Subs and Salads was a welcome find to grab sandwiches and salads for mid-day refueling.

Pro Tip: There are no gas stations within the park borders, so come with a full tank or fill up at the small stations on the park edges.  

Stop 3: Kings Canyon National Park  

We knew Kings Canyon and Sequoia were close when planning this road trip; we did not realize some parts are adjacent until studying the park map. They are so close the National Park Service awards just one junior ranger badge encompassing the two parks to young or young-at-heart explorers.  

True confession: This realization changed our plans. We shoved two regular days of exploring into one marathon-long day so we would not cover the same crowded, curvy roads twice. We then relaxed at our Airbnb the second day. 

With a redo, I would spend one day driving from Kings Canyon Visitor Center to Roads End, then spend a second day beginning at the same visitor center and heading through Sequoia National Park. Another option is cutting one day off this segment and substituting something else like a day exploring Los Angeles.

Sequoia National Forest splits Kings Canyon, and the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway provides multiple overlooks. Many trails are in the backcountry, though you can get a taste of the park if you simply visit the General Grant Tree . It’s second in size only to General Sherman, and worth a quick walk on a short, paved-loop trail. Kings Canyon has half the visitors of its neighbor, with more crowd-free places. So, when a bear crossed the road in front of our vehicle, we had plenty of time to stop and enjoy watching it without worrying about holding up traffic! 

Stop Four: Channel Islands National Park  

Once we got our feet wet, rhetorically speaking, with three parks, we headed to a park where water surrounds everything. Channel Islands National Park encompasses five California Channel Islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara. You can learn about the so-called Galapagos of North America at the Visitor Center in Ventura, but you need to leave land to get a real Channel Islands feel. Island Packers Cruises are boat voyages by the park’s official vendor. Island Packers leaves from Ventura and Oxnard harbors, and rates vary depending on island destination. Most of the Channel Islands’ 400,00 annual visitors visit this way, so make reservations early. There are hiking opportunities, and you can make reservations to kayak and explore sea caves, mingle with sea otters, and appreciate islands towering above the Pacific Ocean. All islands have permitted camping ; you will need to carry all supplies.

Pro Tip : Look for 2,000 plant and animal species, including the island fox, found no place on earth except these islands.

We opted to sail around two islands on a chartered sailboat where the captain and bosun explained history, geography and seafaring to us while we watched pods of hundreds of dolphins. Food prepared on the boat tasted even better watching the ocean change by the hour, and two nights of anchorages provided an opportunity to relax before hitting the road again.  

Joshua Tree National Park  

The National Park Service says remember four letters at Joshua Tree National Park: BYOW, as in Bring Your Own Water. Drinkable water doesn’t exist in most of the park where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet , so you need to bring lots of water. Another simple park guide is to hike only if you are taller than your shadow in the hot, midday sun. 

One way to follow this advice is to start your day in the dark. Cholla Cactus Garden is a remarkable place to watch the sunrise. We drove from there to popular sites like Skull Rock, Split Rock, and Arch Rock. Seeing them in early morning hours helped avoid heat and crowds and each was a relatively short walk from parking areas. 

We left the park midday to grab a meal at Crossroads Cafe and cool off at our Airbnb home just minutes from the Joshua Tree entrance. It was so close we could easily return to the park later to enjoy Keys View , where Mexico’s in sight on a clear day, and watch the sunset through the park’s namesake trees.

With more time, I would have loved to have watched climbers explore the San Andreas Fault and hike around Cottonwood Spring . Yet one day in the park provided enough variety to feel disconnected from everyday life. The Joshua Tree area has some great Airbnbs available to get a good night’s sleep before heading out. The next day, an early 141-mile drive to LAX wrapped up the journey, with great memories and the reminder that more national parks await. Lassen Volcanic, Death Valley, Pinnacles, and Redwood National Parks promise more adventure, the next time vacation calls for an epic California road trip.

National Parks are ranked among the top places to visit by travelers from around the United States:

• 6 Things To Know Before Visiting A National Park This Summer
• Top 15 Can’t-Miss Hidden Gem National Parks
• 10 Important Ranger Tips For A Great National Park Visit

Emily Schmidt is an Emmy award-winning journalist who grew up on an Iowa farm and is based in Washington, DC. She has told stories while floating in air, wading through floodwaters, and covering the race for U.S. President.

Emily scopes out places like Tajikistan and Guinea while on assignment and tackles exploring U.S. National Parks with her husband and two sons. They’re writing a book, “Geokids: 50 States On School Breaks” about those adventures and mapping out continent visits. Next up: Antarctica.

Epic California National Parks Road Trip: 2-Week Itinerary

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The perfect two-week California national parks road trip to see the best highlights and experience the Golden State’s outdoor nature to the fullest.

I vividly remember my first introduction to each national park I’ve visited in California. 

The first time I saw a Joshua Tree up close and experienced the next-level nature of desert stargazing. 

Driving along El Portal Road on my way into Yosemite Valley, my skin prickling from the jaw-dropping scenery in front of me. 

That feeling of awe as a huge California Condor flew overhead while I was hiking through Pinnacles National Park. 

The national parks in California are memorable, to say the least, and all of them deserve a place on any California bucket list . 

That’s why I wanted to put together an epic road trip itinerary to hit the highlights of the California national park system in two weeks. 

In this itinerary, I take you through the heights of the Sierras to the lowest point in North America, as well as California’s most beautiful islands . 

Along the way, you’ll experience the best of California nature and what makes each of these parks so special. 

Here’s to having a national parks road trip of a lifetime, happy road tripping! 

Note: this post contains affiliate links, which help run this site at no extra cost to you so I can keep providing free travel advice and tips. 

Table of Contents

How Many National Parks Are in California?

There are a total of nine national parks in the Golden State. This is the full list of California national parks :

• Redwood National and State Parks
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Yosemite National Park
• Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon National Park  
• Death Valley National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Channel Islands National Park  
• Pinnacles National Park  

How Much Time Do You Need to Visit All of the National Parks in California?

California is a large state and its national parks are very spread out, so if you want to hit all nine I’d give yourself at least three weeks if not a full month. 

This two-week epic road trip itinerary takes you to 7 out of 9 of the national parks and is very doable, but if you want to add on more than that you should probably give yourself more time. 

If you don’t have two weeks and you just want to see the most popular national parks, such as Yosemite, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree, you could do a 5-day to one-week road trip instead. 

I have more road trip itinerary recommendations below for different lengths of time.

Get your FREE California Travel Planner – including printable checklists and my favorite two-week itinerary for the state. 

When’s the Best Time of Year to do a California National Parks Road Trip?

It depends on what you’re looking for, but my favorite time to do a California road trip around the national parks is either late spring or fall . 

Summer is the most popular time to visit the national parks, but it’s also when they’ll be at their busiest. And the ones in the deserts are impossibly hot at that time (Death Valley and Joshua Tree). 

Winter can be tricky if you’re visiting the national parks in the Sierras (Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and Lassen Volcanic National Park) because road closures are common due to snow.

There’s also less open in the winter so you don’t get the same atmosphere at certain parks. 

Spring, on the other hand, can be an ideal time for wildflowers , waterfalls, and nice weather without too much rain (especially in late spring). 

The fall will usually be warmer in California than in spring. In the fall, you’ll also be treated to fall foliage around the Sierras and reasonable temperatures at most places (for the deserts you might want to go in late fall though). 

Overall, different parks are good for different times of the year but if you’re looking to hit the most national parks in one go, spring or fall are the best seasons to plan your California road trip. 

• America the Beautiful Pass

If you’re doing a national park road trip, it’s worthwhile to grab an America the Beautiful Pass to save on the cost of the parks. 

The entrance fee for most national parks in California is around $35 per vehicle, so as long as you hit three different national parks the pass will pay for itself. 

The pass is good for a year and can be used at any other US national parks as well if you’re planning other out-of-state adventures this year. 

You can grab an America the Beautiful Pass here  

PS – you might also want to grab a national park passport just for fun!

California National Parks Road Trip from San Francisco

Day 1-3: san francisco to yosemite national park.

Distance: 179 miles, 3.5-hour drive

Note: since we’re skipping Redwood National & State Parks on this California road trip itinerary, you might want to visit Muir Woods to see the California redwoods before you leave or once you get back to San Francisco. 

Starting from San Francisco , you’ll make the 3.5-hour drive to Yosemite National Park. 

Once you make a right at Yosemite Junction, prepare yourself for a winding road up to the Sierras until you get to the Big Oak Flat Information Center. 

This is the western entrance of Yosemite National Park and you’re going to either be staying near this entrance or within the park for the next couple of nights. 

For this first day, you’ll probably only have a half-day to see the park after driving from San Francisco. 

Once you arrive, spend the rest of the day doing a mini road trip around Yosemite Valley and its surrounding areas to get your bearings and take in those jaw-dropping vista points. 

Here are a few vista points to go see: Lower Yosemite Fall, El Capitan Meadow, Valley View, Tunnel View, Washburn Point, and Glacier Point. 

Since you’ve already been in the car for a few hours, you can choose to do as few or as many of these as you want. 

Maybe you just want to have a picnic at Lower Yosemite Fall and watch the sunset at Glacier Point and call it a day, it’s up to you! 

This is your day to get out of the car and start hiking Yosemite’s popular trails. You have two options for today – a challenging long hike or a self-guided waterfall hiking tour. 

If you want to go with a challenging hike, hike either Half Dome (16.3 miles) or Clouds Rest (11.9 miles). 

Half Dome is the most famous hike in Yosemite, but you’ll need to really plan ahead and snag a permit to do the full hike and climb the cables at the end. 

Permits are done by lottery (the best way to enter is by doing the pre-season lottery from March 1st-31st on Recreation.gov ) so you’ll want to book early and there’s no guarantee you’ll get one. 

If you’re not able to get a permit for Half Dome, tackle Clouds Rest instead, which is just as beautiful and not as crowded. 

If you’re not up for that strenuous of a hike, I’d recommend doing a tour of Yosemite’s waterfalls through 1-3 trails. These are your options: 

• Bridalveil Fall Trail (0.5-mile) 
• Lower Yosemite Fall Trail (1 mile) – Most family-friendly waterfall hike for those traveling with kids or with mobility issues. 
• Vernal Falls (2.4 miles) and Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail (5.4 miles) 
• Wapama Falls Trail (4.6 miles) – You can also see Hetch Hetchy Reservoir here too. 
• Upper Yosemite Falls Trail (7.2 miles) 

Note: The best time to do waterfall hikes in Yosemite is during peak runoff in May or June. If you’re traveling outside of this time, these are still stunning hikes to tackle. Otherwise, I’d recommend the Mirror Lake Trail (2-5 miles) at any time of the year besides winter. 

For your last day in Yosemite, it’s time to check out the eastern side of the park in the Tuolumne Meadows area. 

Head over to Olmstead Point to start your day with a stunning viewpoint. Then, drive to Tenaya Lake to relax and have breakfast or an early afternoon picnic. 

Next, stop by the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center to grab a map and learn more about the area. From here, you can do a short walk to Soda Springs and Parsons Lodge .

If you’re not too tired from hiking the previous day, you can also tackle one of the many hikes in the Tuolumne Meadows area. 

The hikes around here take you through the subalpine meadow, as well as craggy peaks and calm lakes. In other words, they’re gorgeous. 

A few you could do include: Gaylor Lakes (2 miles), Lembert Dome (2.8 miles), and Cathedral Lakes (7.7 miles).

Once you’re done hiking, continue enjoying the scenic drive along Tioga Pass , taking your time and stopping to check out the views along the way. 

If you have extra time, drive just outside the eastern side of Yosemite National Park to spend an hour or so at Mono Lake . 

This is one of the oldest and most unique lakes in North America, featuring alien-like tufa towers. 

Looking for more to do? Read our guides to the best things to do in Yosemite , two days in Yosemite itinerary , and how to see the Yosemite Firefall .

Where to Stay in Yosemite

• Camping: Lower Pines Campground , North Pines Campground , Upper Pines Campground
• Hotels: Yosemite Westgate Lodge , Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite , The Ahwahnee 

Read our guide to the best campgrounds in Northern California .

Day 4-5: Yosemite National Park to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Distance: 147 miles, 3.5-hour drive

The drive from Yosemite National Park to Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Parks is another 3.5-hour journey, so I’d recommend starting early from Yosemite and arriving at Kings Canyon National Park (your first stop) by noon. 

Note: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are two separate California national parks. However, they’re often grouped together because they’re located next to each other and administered together by the National Park Service.

Leaving from Yosemite Valley, don’t miss Mariposa Grove where you’ll find the largest sequoia grove in Yosemite and some of the biggest sequoia trees in the world.  

At Kings Canyon National Park, you’ll have the chance to explore meadows, waterfalls, epic views, and Sequoia trees. Kings Canyon National Park is also home to the deepest canyon in the US (8,200 ft).  

Once you get to Kings Canyon, drive the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway that starts around Dunlap on Highway 180 and goes until Road Ends. 

Along the way, there are plenty of sights to check out, including the Kings Canyon Visitor Center, Panoramic Point, General Grant Grove, Hume Lake, Junction View, Grizzly Falls (a good picnic area), and Zumwalt Meadows.  

You have all of today to explore Sequoia National Park at your leisure and there’s a lot to pack in. 

Sequoia National Park is another place where you’ll find some of the biggest trees in the world, as well as interesting rock formations, caves, viewpoints, and plenty of hikes.  

If you have the energy, start your day off with 1-2 hikes inside the park. Here are a few options: 

• Big Trees Trail (1.5 miles) 
• Tokopah Falls (1.7 miles) 
• Crescent Meadow Trail (1.8 miles)
• The Congress Trail (3 miles) 

And then spend the rest of your day visiting Moro Rock, General Sherman, and the Giant Forest Museum. 

If you have extra time, you can also sign up for a 45-minute tour of Crystal Cave, just reserve your spot at least two days in advance.

Where to Stay in Sequoia and King Canyon National Parks

• Camping: Lodgepole Campground , Dorst Creek , Azalea Campground
• Hotels: Waksuchi Lodge , John Muir Lodge , Cedar Grove Lodge  

Day 6-7: Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks to Death Valley National Park

Distance: 311 miles, 5.5-hour drive

The next segment of your California national parks road trip itinerary will feel completely different from what you’ve done so far. 

You’re now entering the Southern California desert region and the first stop is Death Valley National Park – the most brutal and extreme California national park on this list. 

In fact, it’s the lowest and driest national park in the contiguous US. 

This is the longest driving day in terms of distance between parks, so make sure you budget enough time from Sequoia National Park to get to Death Valley while it’s still light out. 

Day 6 

On your way into the park, stop at Father Crowley Overlook where you can sometimes see fighter jets practicing overhead. 

If you want to pick up a map and learn more about the history of the area, your next stop should be the Death Valley National Park Information Center . 

Depending on what time of day it is and where the temperatures are at, you may just want to rest for the afternoon until it starts cooling off. 

Once it gets close to golden hour, head over to two of the park’s best viewpoints at Dante’s View and Zabriskie Point . 

Start your only full day in Death Valley as early as possible. 

Spend the morning at Badwater Basin , the park’s famous salt flats and the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. 

Take your time walking around this massive area and snap some pictures while you’re there. 

Right next to Badwater Basin, you can do the two-mile hike to Natural Bridge to look at interesting rock formations. 

Next up, you can visit Devil’s Golf Course , which is another unique salt flat near Badwater Basin. 

Nearby there’s also the 9-mile Artist’s Palette Drive , which features two viewpoints looking out over a rainbow-colored mountain.

If it’s not too hot yet, you can also do a hike at Golden Canyon (there are a few different hikes of varying lengths at the trailhead). 

Spend your last evening in Death Valley making the journey to Mesquite Sand Dunes . You can hike to the top of them (it takes about 20 minutes) for prime golden hour views. 

Looking for a more detailed Death Valley bucket list? Read our full guide to the best things to do in Death Valley National Park .

Where to Stay in Death Valley National Park

• Camping:  Furnace Creek Campground , Wildrose Campground , Mahogany Flat Campground  [But I’d only recommend camping at Death Valley if you’re visiting during the cooler months (October-April)] 
• Hotels: The Inn at Death Valley , The Ranch at Death Valley , The Oasis at Death Valley  

Day 8-9: Death Valley National Park to Joshua Tree National Park

Distance: 228 miles, 3.75-hour drive

Continuing your California road trip itinerary, it’s now time to introduce you to my favorite California national park – Joshua Tree! 

There’s really no other place like Joshua Tree. It spans two deserts (the Mojave and Colorado) and features alien-like landscapes and funky-looking cacti. 

It was the first place I realized how beautiful the desert can be. 

There’s a lot to see in and even on your way to Joshua Tree, so you’ll want to be on the road early for the four-hour drive through the desert. 

Make sure to fill up on gas when you can and enjoy the many unique sights the California desert has to offer. 

There are a few stops you can make on your way into the west entrance of the park. 

Make a stop at Pioneertown to see what was once a Wild West movie set turned live town, grab a coffee from Joshua Tree Coffee Company , and walk around the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Art Museum to see the beauty of “junk art.”

Once you get into Joshua Tree, you’ll probably have a few hours left to sneak in some sights before calling it a day. 

For your first introduction to just how beautiful the Joshua Tree landscape can be, head over to the Arch Rock Nature Trail .

This 1.2-mile trail takes you to an interesting rock formation in the middle of the desert shaped, as you probably guessed, in the form of an arch. 

Afterward, you can head over to Skull Rock and the Jumbo Rocks Campground to immerse yourself in the massive boulders and weird rock formations that make Joshua Tree such a fun place to visit. 

Next, head over to another one-mile loop at the Hidden Valley Nature Trail to take in even more desert scenery. 

Finally, end your day with a sunset at Keys View – a panoramic viewpoint that looks out over the Coachella Valley. 

Start your day early today to beat the heat of the desert and get in some hikes. 

You have a few options today for hiking around the park.

If you’re up for the challenge I’d recommend starting with the more difficult Ryan Mountain Hike (3 miles). It’s a steady uphill climb to get to the summit but the views at the top are worth the effort. 

Note: If you’d rather explore the other side of the park that features a slightly different landscape, head south instead of doing the Ryan Mountain Hike. In the southern part of the park, you can hike the Mastodon Peak Loop Trail (2.6 miles) or the Lost Palms Oasis Trail (7.2 miles) to get a different perspective of Joshua Tree. 

After the views at Ryan Mountain or doing a hike in the south, it’s time to tackle one or two of Joshua Tree’s most popular (and easier) trails – the Barker Dam Nature Trail (1.3 miles) or the Wall Street Mill Trail (2.4 miles). 

The Barker Dam Nature Trail gives you the highlights of the Mojave Desert and guides you through the landscape with interpretive displays. 

This is a good one to do if you want to learn more about the local flora and fauna or you’re traveling with young kids. 

However, if you’re a history buff interested in looking into Joshua Tree’s past, head to the Wall Street Mill Trail. 

Along the trail, you’ll find leftover remnants of another time in the form of rusted-out cars and a mill that’s in disrepair. There are also signs along the trail that teach you about the history of the area. 

This is actually my favorite hike in Joshua Tree if only for the interesting juxtaposition of abandoned cars in the middle of the desert.  

After you’re done hiking for the day, head over to the Cholla Cactus Garden to see the cute and fuzzy teddy bear cacti (just don’t give it a hug!).

These are also nicknamed “jumping cholla” cacti because they “jump” when you get too close, so please be careful and keep your distance from the cacti. 

If you have time, you can round out your day by touring Keys Ranch , which is a historic ranch and homestead that was once lived in from 1910 to 1969 by William F. Keys and his family. Just note that tours are only offered from October to May. 

Before hitting the hay, finish off the night with a warm cup of hot chocolate (or a hot toddy depending on your preference) and do some stargazing.

Where to Stay in Joshua Tree National Park

• Camping: Belle Campground , Hidden Valley Campground , Jumbo Rocks Campground  
• Hotels: Pioneertown Motel , Joshua Tree Inn , Sacred Sands

Read my full guide to the best hotels near Joshua Tree  

Day 10-12: Joshua Tree National Park to Ventura & Channel Islands National Park

Distance to Ventura: 200 miles, 3.5-hour drive

Ventura to Santa Cruz Island: 1-hour ferry ride 

Oxnard to Anacapa Island: 1.5-hour ferry ride 

You’ve made it to the last leg of your national parks road trip, congrats! It’s finally time to head to the coast to check out California’s famous Channel Islands. 

Since ferries to the islands leave early from Ventura and Oxnard, I’d recommend using your road trip from Joshua Tree to Ventura as an excuse to see some nearby Southern California sights instead of trying to rush to the ferry in time. 

Once you arrive in Ventura, you have the option of staying on Santa Cruz Island for two nights or doing two-day trips – one to Anacapa and the other to Santa Cruz – to see more of the islands. 

Today is the perfect day to add some detours into your California road trip itinerary, especially since you’ll need to cross through the Los Angeles area anyway. 

Here are a few detour options you can make on your way to Ventura. 

• Whitewater Preserve – a scenic park in the desert that’s not too far from Joshua Tree. 
• Disneyland – You’ll want to get here early if you plan to visit, but this can definitely be a fun stop to break up the long hiking days and time in nature. 
• Spend the day around Los Angeles – Read my full list of 100+ Things to do in the city .
• Enjoy a mini Pacific Coast Highway road trip – You can hightail it over to the California Coast from Joshua Tree, and then do a mini highway 1 road trip starting around Dana Point and ending in Ventura. Check out my guide to the Pacific Coast Highway to find out where to stop along the way. 

It’s time to choose your adventure. You can either head to Santa Cruz Island today for two nights of camping or just do a day trip to Santa Cruz Island. 

I recommend starting with Santa Cruz Island because it’s close to the mainland and there are the most things to do for first-time visitors. 

On the island, you can book a kayaking tour to explore the island’s sea caves, go snorkeling in clear waters, spend the day at the beach, or hike around the island.  

Today, you’ll either continue exploring Santa Cruz Island if you’re camping there or you’ll do a day trip to Anacapa Island. 

Anacapa Island is another Channel Island that’s close to the mainland and offers good views, a touch of history, and some short hikes. 

There aren’t any accessible beaches on Anacapa but it’s a nice spot for a picnic and some coastal hiking. 

Where to Stay in Ventura: Amanzi Hotel , Waypoint Ventura , Crystal Lodge Motel

Where to Stay on Santa Cruz Island: Santa Cruz Scorpion Campground , Santa Cruz Del Norte Backcountry Campground

Day 13: Ventura to Pinnacles National Park

Distance: 225 miles, 4-hour drive

You’ll end your California national parks road trip at the newest national park in the state – Pinnacles! 

Pinnacles is a small park so you can easily see a good chunk of its sights and viewpoints in one day. 

If you’re driving up from the south, I’d recommend hiking the 8.4-mile High Peaks to Balconies Cave Loop . 

This trail gives you the bulk of the park highlights and even lets you explore the Balconies Cave (if it’s open), just make sure to bring a headlamp! 

Also, keep your eyes peeled for California Condors flying overhead. They’re the park’s most famous residents and pretty incredible to see in person. 

If you don’t have time for an 8-mile trail, there are a number of shorter hikes you can do from the west side of the park as well. The best one is probably the 2.4-mile Balconies Cliffs to Balconies Cave Loop .  

Read my full guide to Pinnacles National Park

Where to Stay in Pinnacles National Park

• Camping: Pinnacles Campground
• Hotels: Inn at the Pinnacles , Valley Harvest Inn

Day 14: Pinnacles National Park to San Francisco

Distance: 145 miles, 2.5-hour drive

It’s time to head back to the starting point of your road trip today. 

Depending on your energy levels, you can just head back to San Francisco to rest up, grab some food, and maybe have a drink to cheers to an epic road trip. 

Or, if you want to squeeze in a few more sights, you can stop by Mission Soledad , the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, and grab some garlic ice cream while driving through Gilroy. 

San Jose also has a lot of things to do if you’re looking for a more full day of sightseeing. 

Another alternative is heading to the coast and taking the longer but more scenic route back up to San Francisco along Highway 1. 

Where to Stay in San Francisco: Stanyan Park Hotel , Omni San Francisco , Argonaut Hotel  

California National Parks Road Trip from Los Angeles

If you want to do a national park road trip from Los Angeles, you can just reverse the above road trip itinerary and start from the bottom. 

I’d recommend the following order if you’re starting from Los Angeles: Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Yosemite National Park, Pinnacles National Park, and Channel Island National Park.

Other 14-Day National Park Road Trip Variations You Can Do

Winter: Redwood National & State Parks, Pinnacles National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Sequoia National Park (if you want to see red sequoias in the snow ).  

Summer: Redwood National & State Parks, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, and Channel Islands National Park.

Shorter Road Trip Variations to see California’s National Parks

5-Day Itinerary

From San Francisco: Yosemite National Park and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.

From Los Angeles: Joshua Tree National Park & Death Valley National Park.

7-Day Itinerary

From San Francisco: Lassen Volcanic National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.

From Los Angeles: Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Channel Islands National Park.

10-Day Itinerary

From San Francisco: Yosemite National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park.

From Los Angeles: Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, and Yosemite National Park.

Tips for Planning a National Park Road Trip in California

• Double-check the weather and air quality ahead of time – If you’re traveling in winter or early spring, check snow levels and make sure there aren’t any road closures (this is mostly for the Sierras). Wildfires are also always something to keep in mind when you’re doing a California road trip. They can, unfortunately, happen pretty much year-round these days, but it’s especially good to check air quality and any nearby fires in the summer and fall.
• Book things early – National parks are very popular in California, make sure to book your accommodation (especially if you’re staying at campsites or in the parks) at least three to six months in advance. 
• Fill up on gas and don’t always expect to have cell service – This is especially the case near the more remote parks like Death Valley, but make sure to fill up on gas when you can. Also, don’t expect a ton of cell service in a lot of the areas around or inside the parks. It’s good to download maps ahead of time so you can access directions even without service.
• The best parts of these parks are outside your car – Although some people visit national parks and barely get out of their cars, the parks in California are best experienced when you’re hitting the trails and immersed in the outdoors. Sure, you might be able to see some nice viewpoints from the road in parks like Yosemite, but it won’t beat getting out on the trail to really take in what these parks have to offer. 
• Leave no trace – This is just common courtesy when you’re visiting any place, but please pack out what you brought with you and leave no trace. We want to keep our national parks beautiful for years to come.

What to Pack for Your California Road Trip

• Driver’s license/registration
• Spotify/iTunes playlists
• Road trip snacks & extra water
• Hat that’s good for hiking
• Daypack for hiking
• Hiking shoes
• Lightweight and moisture-wicking hiking clothes
• Sandals or flip flops
• Good walking shoes
• Bathing suit
• Various tops , shorts , jeans/pants , dresses , underwear , socks , PJs (and at least one super comfy outfit for longer driving days) 
• Light sweater
• Windbreaker , puffy jacket , or backpacking poncho
• Beanie  
• First aid kit
• Reusable water bottle
• Microfiber towel
• Usual toiletries ( lip balm , hairbrush , hair ties , toothbrush , toothpaste , floss , deodorant , makeup , pads / tampons )
• Downloaded maps/paper maps
• Camera / phone
• Outdoor watch (like a Garmin watch )
• Portable charger / USB cord  
• Books or Kindle
• Camping gear (if you plan to camp)
• Travel insurance

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mimi McFadden Founder & Editor-In-Chief

Mimi McFadden initially started The Atlas Heart in 2013 to write about her adventures abroad. But since 2019, The Atlas Heart has become a love letter to the Golden State. Mimi enjoys sharing her first-hand knowledge and expertise with the places she knows so well and making the most comprehensive travel guides possible. When she’s not hiking and exploring new places in California, she loves to travel abroad, read in her cozy chaise lounge, play basketball, and connect with friends and family over board games. Over her 28 years in California, she has lived in Santa Cruz (18 years), San Diego (5 years), and the San Francisco Bay Area (5 years), where she currently resides.

Looking for more California travel inspiration? Check out these related posts below! 

The 30 Best California Breweries to Visit

California State Parks List

California Hot Springs Guide

Best Glamping Spots in California

Best Places to Spend Christmas in California

Most Beautiful Sunflower Fields in California

Most Romantic Getaways in California

Best Lavender Farms in California

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Hi, I'm Mimi! I'm an outdoorsy Californian who has spent over 28 years immersed in the incredible natural beauty that California has to offer. My goal is to inspire others to get out and find their next adventure in California. Whether it’s escaping to an alpine lake in the Sierras, finding peace among the giant redwoods, or road tripping down the PCH, there’s always more to explore in this beautiful state.

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Epic 5-Day Olympic National Park Itinerary

A family guide to road tripping the Olympic Peninsula, Washington with the perfect Olympic National Park itinerary

When it comes to family-friendly national parks, Olympic National Park in Washington is undisputedly one of the best. Where else can you witness snow drifts in mountainous meadows, go boating on lowland lakes, enjoy stunning rainforest waterfall trails, finished with sunset on the beach, all in one day!?

The Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest is one of the most biodiverse locations in the world. The national park covers nearly one million acres, and is filled with fun and adventure for families who love the outdoors.

Now, to fit it in one day on a road trip would be a squeeze for any family itinerary. We do suggest you spend at a very minimum 3 to 5 days exploring the Olympic National Park and the entire Olympic Peninsula.

How To Get To The Olympic Peninsula

The best time to visit olympic peninsula, olympic national park itinerary – 5 days, a shorter olympic national park itinerary, lodgings in olympic national park , olympic national park pass fees.

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Olympic National Park is located west of Seattle in Washington state, in the Pacific North West of the USA.

The Olympic Peninsula is the mass of land across the Puget Sound from Seattle. It is surrounded by the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north (separating the USA from Canada), the Hood Canal to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The Olympic National Park covers 1,406 square miles of the Olympic Peninsula, along with the 70 miles of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The remaining lands are largely made up of the Olympic National Forest and the Quinault Reservation.

To explore Olympic National Park to it’s fullest, you will need your own vehicle, and, of course, a National Parks pass .

Most will start their road trip journey to Olympic National Park by either flying into Seattle, or as part of a greater tour of Highway 101 and the West Coast.

Either way, Highway 101 is the main route you are heading for as it circumnavigates the entire National Park. Due to the mountainous terrain, there are no through routes in the park.

Seattle Airport to Olympic National Park

If you are picking up your vehicle from SEA airport or nearby, it takes at least 2 hours to drive around the Puget Sound, down I-5 before crossing to the Olympic Peninsula.

If your plan is to take the entire of Highway 101 along the east coast, you’ll pass Tacoma and Olympia before reaching the start of the 101. It is, however, a little quicker if you make the cut through State Route 16 after Tacoma, it will join you back to the 101 closer to Sequim.

Sequim or Port Angeles are where we recommend you start your Olympic National Park journey when coming from the east. Spend the night in either of these two towns stock up on supplies (you’ll want to BYO lunches etc.).

Just outside of Port Angeles is where you’ll find the Olympic National Park Visitor Center. Make sure you have your National Park Pass ready, as well as your junior ranger booklets, before under taking the itinerary we’re going to step you through below.

Ferry to the Olympic Peninsula

It is possible to also take the ferry from Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula. Depending on where you’re coming from in Seattle, or even if you are crossing from Canada, it can be the fastest route to Olympic National Park, cutting out a lot of freeway driving.

When taking your vehicle with you, the easiest choice is the Bainbridge Island ferry . From Bainbridge Island, it is a further 70-miles by road to Port Angeles.

From the north, another option to consider is the Edmonds-Kingston ferry  to the Kitsap Peninsula.

Heading North Along Highway 101

Coming by road on the 101 from the south, the lower entry point to the Olympic National Park, Lake Quinault is about 2.5 hours (120 miles) from Astoria, Oregon.

You’ll cross the stunning Astoria-Megler Bridge then can decide if you’ll take the 101 all the way, or a a slightly faster route is to take State Route 401/4 via Knappton/Naselle.

Aberdeen is your last sizeable town to pick up supplies if you are starting your Olympic National Park journey from the south.

Getting Around Olympic National Park

As we mentioned above, there’s no through route, you’ll be following Highway 101 and making turn offs throughout your journey.

Theoretically, you can make a lap of the park and a few stops within a day, but honestly, why rush it?

The beauty of exploring Olympic National Park is to get out on foot and explore, so do factor in how long each highway turn off point takes, as well as trail lengths at each stop when working out how much you can fit in each day.

We’d recommend choosing a couple of different points to base yourself if you are only planning a short 3 to 5-day trip, ideally positioning yourself somewhere in the north for a couple of nights and somewhere east for best access to key points. More on where to stay below!

• Traveling with an electric vehicle ? You’ll find several EV charging points at lodges around the national park and in several of the larger towns on the Olympic Peninsula.

Indicative Driving Distances in Olympic National Park

To work out how much you can fit in a day, this will give you an idea how far it is between key attractions and accommodation towns in Olympic National Park and accommodation:

• Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge – 20 miles (40 minutes – windy, mountainous driving)
• Port Angeles to Lake Crescent – 22 miles (27 minutes)
• Port Angeles to Sol Duc – 43 miles (1 hour)
• Port Angeles to Forks – 56 miles (1 hour 5 minutes)
• Lake Crescent to La Push – 47 miles (55 minutes)
• Lake Crescent to Hoh Rainforest – 66 miles (1 hour 30 minutes)
• Sol Duc to Forks – 40 miles (52 minutes)
• Forks to La Push – 15 miles (21 minutes)
• Forks to Hoh Rainforest – 31 miles (48 minutes)
• Forks to Ruby Beach – 27 miles (33 minutes)
• Hoh Rainforest to Ruby Beach – 32 miles (48 minutes)
• Ruby Beach to Quinault Rainforest – 42 miles (50 minutes)
• Hoh Rainforest to Quinault Rainforest -73 miles (1 hour 40 minutes)
• Quinault Rainforest to Staircase – 112 miles (2 hours 30 minutes)
• Quinault Rainforest to Seattle – 147 miles (2 hours 40 minutes)
• Staircase to Port Angeles – 90 miles (2 hours)

NB timings are indicative only and do not take into account queues and road works, both highly possible around the entire Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park!

Summer is the best season to visit Olympic National Park, although don’t discount visiting in the off season too. Some roads are closed seasonally, but most of the park is accessible year round.

An Olympic Peninsula tour in the early fall can be ideal, too, especially if you want to experience the colorful forests. Visit from mid to late October if you want to see the Roosevelt elk when it’s most active or the fall foliage.

During winter, the temperature at sea level hardly gets below freezing point. In the mountains, it’s rarely above 30°F. You can tour Hurricane Ridge, which is family-friendly and adventure-packed during the cold season with tubing, snowshoeing and other winter sports on offer.

It doesn’t matter if you approach the park in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, or start from the top or the bottom.

We are assuming a Seattle start point for this Olympic National Park itinerary and taking things at a relatively easy pace over 5 days in an anti-clockwise direction. You’ll just need to rejig the itinerary below to suit your direction of travel and number of days.

We’ve also assumed you are travelling during the warmer months of summer. Not everything we mention below will be possible during winter.

Day 1 – Olympic National Park Itinerary

Starting with arrival day, this is all about getting your bearings on the Olympic Peninsula – a scenic ferry across Puget Sound is the perfect way to start your journey to another land!

The Visitor Centre in Port Angeles is open from 9:00AM to 4:00PM – grab your National Parks Pass and Junior Ranger Booklets. Get acquainted with all the walks and trails, confirm weather conditions and any trail closures.

If your timings permit, your first stop is tackling the Hurricane Ridge drive straight away on day 1 or hold this over for early on day 2. From the Port Angeles Visitors Centre, allow 40 minutes – depending on traffic conditions to reach the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center.

From here, on a clear day enjoy spectacular mountain views of Mount Olympus to the south and over to Juan de Fuca and Victoria, Canada to the north. Several short trails suitable for all ages take you through the mountainous meadows – often still shrouded in snowdrifts right into the summer months.

Little animal lovers are in for a treat here as the mountains are rich in opportunities for wildlife spotting, including black bears, massive elk, Blacktail deer and mountain goats. Don’t worry, you’re unlikely to have too many close encounters unless you’re hitting the backcountry, but there are plenty of smaller critters, too, such as voles, moles, squirrels and chipmunks.

During the winter season , the road is scheduled to be open Friday through Sunday and holiday Mondays for vehicles carrying tire chains only. Check the road status beforehand (360) 565-3131.

If you’re short on time and just want a brief introduction to the park and the area day 1, there’s a very short hike to Madison Falls waterfall near Port Angeles, a very easy grade trail.

Exploring close to town and around Port Angeles, the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge on Dungeness Spit is a great bird spotting spot on opportunity to stretch the legs. Families will enjoy an evening stroll on the ODT (Olympic Discovery Trail), or hire an electric scooter, taking advantage of the long summer evenings in PNW.

If you didn’t arrive by water, you may also want to allow a half day in your Olympic Peninsula itinerary to head out into Puget Sound for a whale watching tour if you’re there at the right time of year.

Fuel up on food and supplies in Port Angeles for the next few days in the national park.

Day 2 – Olympic National Park Itinerary

If you didn’t have much time to tackle Hurricane Ridge day 1, you could make an early start day 2. In the summer months, it’s open 24 hours, so you can make the most of daylight hours and beat the string of cars that come after the visitor center opens or direct from Seattle for the day.

The short trail to Sunrise Point can be an awesome way to start your day in Olympic National Park.

Next, we’re going to head west towards Lake Crescent, one of the most easily accessible stops as it’s immediately off the 101. You can easily spend half a day at the lake and tackling the surrounding trails.

There are also rowboats and kayaks for hire if you want to explore the lake itself.

Marymere Falls trail is popular for families to take from here. It is flat for the most part with the only elevation gain at the end to view the falls. Plentiful picnic grounds here make it an idea lunch stop. This area is very popular into the fall too as one of the state’s top fall foliage spots !

Next up, drive onward to Sol Duc. If you’re interested in taking a dip in the hot springs, they’re open daily from 9:00AM to 8:00PM. Do be warned, the springs are mother nature at work, so they come with their own, ah, unique smell! This may put some reluctant bathers completely off but certainly a unique experience!

Alternatively, the Sol Duc Falls are another moderate hiking option at the end of this road that most little legs should be able to tackle. You can head to Salmon Cascades and turn back if they’re struggling or all the way to the impressive falls.

NB – since COVID the hot spring works on a timed basis only, you must come in person, first come first served on a daily basis. Pool access fees are $15 for adults, $12 for children ages 4-12 and $12 for seniors over 62 years old.

Spend the night either back at Sol Duc campgrounds or the Sol Duc Resort, Lake Crescent or double back to Port Angeles. Alternatively, head onward to your next adventure along the coast.

In the summer months you can still easily squeeze in a sunset trip to the beach by evening on Day 2 then stay overnight in Forks.

Day 3 – Olympic National Park Itinerary

Today we’re going to tackle temperate rainforests and beaches.

The order in which you do this may be tide dependent . Low tide at most Olympic Peninsula beaches will offer the best opportunities for exploring coastal tide pools, high tide can make certain beaches inaccessible. Don’t be mistaken into thinking you’re going for a beach swim though – even mid summer the Pacific Ocean waters can be icy cold!!

There are plenty of beaches you can explore along the Pacific Ocean coastline. They do range in challenge in terms of accessibility though, so it’s best to pick out a selection of beaches rather than visit them all. There’s a good guide here to the best Olympic beaches to visit with kids .

If you’re stretched for time we’d suggest just Rialto Beach or La Push Beach One near Forks, and then Ruby Beach further south for two different coastal experiences.

Whichever beach or beaches you choose, you’re bound to be spoilt with incredible driftwoods along with spectacular and dramatic cliffs, sea stacks and an abundancy of marine life.

The coast offers opportunities to spot sea otters, dolphins, grey whales, sea eagles and in the rock pools, you’ll almost certainly discover crabs, starfish and sea urchins.

Next up, we’re heading inland to Hoh Rainforest. We’d suggest heading here first in the summer months if timings do work. The queues do grow throughout the day, and if parking lot is full, they’ll stop letting cars in for a period.

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This is among one of the few places where you’ll find temperate rainforests in the U.S, complete with dripping moss and massive ferns.

There’s a good choice of trails here to pick for your families hiking capabilities, the Hall of Moses Loop and Spruce Nature Trail are easy going. For older kids you should be able to manage at least part of the Hoh River Trail, 2.5 miles will take you to the spectacular Mineral Creek Falls.

Hoh is a gorgeous spot to camp if you’re lucky enough to have nabbed a spot, the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center is excellent, with an active ranger program run by the National Park Service for kids.

Alternatively, head onward to Kalaloch Beach on the coast, perfect if you love being right next to the crashing waves with the beach access right on your doorstep! You can also head back to Forks for the night if you’d prefer motel style accommodation.

Day 4 – Olympic National Park Itinerary

Today, we’re exploring around the southwestern corner of the Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest. The Quinault Valley offers a scenic loop drive and short hikes through temperate rain forests and around Quinault Lake.

If you want a more secluded spot during your visit, then this is the part of the park for you – but still, in the summer months, we’d recommend getting in early – not just to beat the crowds but because this is when it’s at it’s most beautiful!

The Quinault rainforest has some of the largest Sitka spruce, western red cedar, hemlock, and Douglas Fir trees. The Quinault Rainforest Nature Loop here is an easy hike of just 0.5 miles on flat terrain making it good for kids.

You can also try Big Cedar Trail and the Trail of the Giants if you want to extend your experience.

If you have longer to spend, you can also go swimming, boating, and fishing around the lake. Stay overnight at either one of the campgrounds or historic and rustic Lake Quinault Lodge.

Day 5 – Olympic National Park Itinerary

We’re heading onwards now to the see the less-explored side of the park, Staircase .

It takes approximately 2 hours to get from Lake Quinault around to the park’s eastern side and Staircase ranger station (manned in summer); there’s no through road here. (Likewise, you’re looking at about 2 hours from Port Angeles if tackling things in the other direction). Remote but worth it if you love the solitude when exploring outdoors – less than 1% of the parks visitors make it this far!

Staircase Rapids is a beautiful loop trail that will suit your older kids and more confident hikers. Arguably the prettiest in the park, this hidden gem travels though old-growth forests and across a gorgeous cable bridge, following alongside the Skokomish River.

Lake Cushman also offers kayaking, canoeing, and SUP, with fewer crowds than Lake Crescent.

From the eastern side of the Olympic National Park it is under 2 hours return to end your 5 day Olympic Peninsula Road trip back in Seattle.

Only got 3 days? Look to make some earlier starts and take some shorter trails, this itinerary can easily be packed into a shorter time frame, why not try:

• Day 1 – Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Sol Duc
• Day 2 – La Push/Rialto Beach, Hoh Rainforest, Ruby Beach
• Day 3 – Kalaloch, Quinault Forest, Lake Quinault

With only 4 days we’d drop the eastern most part of the park and head back to Seattle after visiting Quinault Valley.

What’s your road tripping style? Will you be looking to camp, have your RV or motorhome with you or require motor inn or lodge/hotel style accommodation?

The Olympic Peninsula offers the lot but if you have any strong preferences BOOK EARLY!

Many options, particularly popular campsites and lodges within the national park, will book out months in advance. DO expect even motor inns and motels to be fully booked in the peak of summer; we’d not turn up on spec in the Olympic Peninsula.

Olympic National Park Lodges 

One of the best ways to experience Olympic National Park if you love having accommodation with full amenities is to stay at a lodge. The three main lodges to choose from attached to the Olympic National Park are Lake Quinault, Kalaloch, and Lake Crescent Lodge.

Lake Crescent Lodge

The best place to base yourself for exploring the northern highlight of Olympic National Park. The historic Lake Crescent Lodge offers spectacular waterfront and mountain views. For year-round enjoyment, the various accommodation choices from lodge rooms to cottages and cozy fireplace cabins.

It would be our top pick for families both for amenities and the choice of accommodation.

Kalaloch Lodge

Situated on the southern coastal area, be preferred for an authentic Pacific Coast experience! Kalaloch Lodge offers rooms with incredible forest views, as well as seafront cabins and Seacrest House for an incredible oceanside experience.

Lake Quinault Lodge

If you’re looking for a classic national park lodge experience in nature, Lake Quinault Lodge will deliver on the tranquility and breathtaking scenery you desire with a lakefront setting.

Remember, lodges are not the same as luxury hotels! National park lodges are designed to help you connect with nature; there are no televisions and possible no cell service. Rooms do not come equipped with extras like microwaves and self-catering facilities, so you will also need meal reservations at the onsite restaurants.

Camping Olympic National Park

Camping in Olympic National Park is an incredible experience with the kids. Yes, weather in PNW can often disagree with your best laid plans, but do try it!

• Most campsites are unpowered but will provide access to bathroom facilities and potable water.
• Be aware of the need to book and pay well in advance.
• First come, first serve only operates at quiet off-peak season times.
• Peak bookings are only released six months in advance on a rolling basis.
• Sites open between approximately March and June for the summer season (i.e. you need to start looking at booking slots from September to December the year before)

Hoh Rainforest Campground

One of the most beautiful family camp sites in Olympic National Park, inclusive of a superb evening ranger program. The summer season here is short so the 72 sites here get snapped up fast. Each site is equipped with a fire pit and picnic table. Regular sites $24USD/night, group sites $48USD/night.

Mora Campground

This popular beachside campground is close to both Rialto Beach and La Push with 94 sites. All sites are unpowered with fire pit and picnic table, note the RV dump only operates in summer (with additional charge). Regular sites $24USD/night, group sites $48USD/night.

Kalaloch Campground

Another good coastal option for families. This large campground has 168 unpowered campsites spread along the cliffs and beachfront. Advance reservations are a must in summer, whilst off-peak they run a first-come basis (some loops may be closed as inaccessible in winter). RV dump operates at a fee. RV & standard sites $24USD/night, group sites $48USD/night.

Falls Creek Campground

This campground is located on the shores of Lake Quinault, and it has 31 unpowered campsites. Bookings are open from May to mid-September. All sites here are unpowered $25USD/night.

Willaby Campground

Another sort-after option along Lake Quinault with only 21 campsites. There’s a slightly longer season here than other campsite from April to October, RV’s only up to 16ft. All sites here are unpowered, $25USD/night.

For backpackers, there are also several more walk-in only campgrounds around the park which you can check out here. Note if you are hiking into backcountry you’ll need a permit .

RV Campgrounds

If you are traveling with a larger RV or motorhome, or prefer more facilities than you get at an unpowered campsite you’ll also want to check out:

Sol Duc Hot Springs RV & Campground

With 82 tent camping sites and 17 RV camping sites (water/electric hookup), this campground sits just a quarter-mile from Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. The season here runs from mid-April to the end of October. Camping off-peak is permitted, but you may not have water & power.

The resort facilities include hot springs pools and swimming pools, onsite massage (additional charges), restaurant, poolside deli and gift shop.

Log Cabin RV & Campground

Another option on the shores of Lake Crescent, offering a choice of rustic cabins, powered and unpowered sites. These sites can only be booked by phone – 888.896.3818.

Dump stations can be found at Fairholme, Kalaloch, Mora and Sol Duc campgrounds

Motor Inns, Motels & Hotels around the Olympic Peninsula

Surrounding Olympic National Park, there are several small towns offering family lodgings.

Accommodation Near Port Angeles

• Quality Inn & Suites Olympic National Park – in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley, you’ll be treated with breakfast included and an indoor heated pool
• Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles Harbor – easy walking distance to everything on offer in Port Angeles with onsite pool & dining

Forks Accommodation

The only town of any real size on the western side of Olympic National Park is Forks, 15 minutes off the coast. You’ll be able to stock up on supplies here and find reasonably priced basic motel accommodation. We recommend:

• Woodland Inns – each room includes a kitchen and living area, accommodating up to 6
• Forks Motel – includes laundry facilities & heated pool, offers double rooms that can fit up to 5
• Pacific Inn Motel – larger doubles for families that can fit up to – even Twilight decorated rooms!

• Single entry -$30
• Olympic National Park Annual Pass – $55
• America the Beautiful Annual Pass (all national parks) – $80
• Every Kids Outdoors ( 4th Grader Pass ) – Free

Camping permits cost extra as outlined above $15 – $24 per night.

You can pay at several gated entrances to the National Park, at one of the visitor centers, or order your annual passes in advance – America the Beautiful is a must for a US Road Trip!

We recommend having your passes ready before arriving to save entry time. Whilst there is no timed entry permit required to enter like other busy national parks, in the summer peak long queues can be experienced at Hurricane Ridge and Hoh Rainforest.

More Tips & Inspiration For Road Tripping West Coast USA

Continue your family road trip adventure on the USA West Coast and the Pacific North West . Why not check out next:

• Washington’s most scenic drives – from Snoqualmie Falls to the San Juan Islands, these are the most stunning roads you need to drive, many are an easy day trip from Seattle .
• The Most Utterly Unmissable Scenic Drives in Oregon – from spectacular coastlines to mountain passes and waterfall trails, Oregon packs in the lot for nature-lovers in PNW.
• 12 incredible Scenic Drives in Northern California – discover a whole new side to California, far more than just sunshine and beaches you’ll explore California’s mining past, giant coastal Redwoods, and volcanic legacy with this selection of unmissable drives.
• Create a spectacular PNW national parks road trip from Seattle to Yellowstone – incorporating Mt Rainier, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks.
• Check real-time traffic conditions before you set out in Washington with WSDOT interactive map .
• Never forget an important road-tripping item again! Download our essential family road trip checklist before your travel.

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10 Epic Mesa Verde Tours on a National Park Road Trip in Colorado

Have you ever considered taking a national park road trip from Denver to Mesa Verde in Colorado?

Hey, even if you don't live in Colorado, plan to fly into Denver International Airport for your national park road trip and some epic Mesa Verde tours. Rent a car for your adventure and subsequent outdoor recreational activities and enjoy the amazing beauty that Colorado offers.

Check Google Flights for the best prices.

Stops to Make on Your National Park Road Trip from Denver to Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park is located in the southwestern corner of Colorado and is one of the most amazing places to visit in Colorado . Mesa Verde, one of the first designated UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites in ALL of the world , features the cliff dwellings and archeological heritage of the Ancestral Puebloan people (600 to 1300 CE).

The distance from Denver to Mesa Verde National Park by car is approximately seven hours. If you plan to spend time exploring the national park and taking some of the guided Mesa Verde tours, you'll definitely want more than just one day for your visit.

From Denver to Mesa Verde, Colorado - courtesy of Google Maps

Add to your adventure with stops in :

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Breckenridge
• Chimney Rock National Monument
• Colorado Springs
• Vallecito Trail

Some of these stops will be a bit of a detour (see the above map), but hey, isn't that the fun of a road trip ?

Where to Eat

There are a few options of places to eat when you visit Mesa Verde.

Metate Room : This is the only sit-down dining available within the park and is open only for dinner. The Metate Room is in the main building of Far View Lodge where you can also find a gift shop and a lounge.

Far View Terrace Cafe : This economical and kid-friendly option is located just down the street from Far View Lodge where you'll find breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings served cafeteria style. If you have never tried a Navajo Taco before, you might want to try one here! You can even pick up some grab and go breakfast and lunch options.

Spruce Tree Terrace Cafe : Close to the Mesa Verde park headquarters and the Chapin Mesa Museum, this cafeteria offers a seasonal menu with appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts.

Far View Lounge : Above Far View Lodge, enjoy stunning views, watch a sporting event, and enjoy time with friends and family in a relaxing atmosphere. You'll find typical pub fare—appetizers, snacks, cocktails, beer, and wine.

Knife Edge Cafe : Within Morefield Campground, head on over to the outdoor patio to enjoy some pancakes and other breakfast foods.

Morefield Campground Store : Check out the Campground Store for basic food, snacks, and beverages, located in Morefield Campground.

Pack a Picnic : Plan a picnic lunch to bring with you and eat along the way as you explore the park or after you've enjoyed one of the Mesa Verde tours. Be sure to bring a packable cooler with you.

Where to Stay Before Your Mesa Verde Tours

Interested in immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the park? You have options for staying within the park as well as more options in the small towns, such as Cortez, outside the park. Note that it will take you about an hour to reach the top of the mesa from Cortez.

If you have the opportunity to stay within the park, I highly recommend it. You'll have better access to the attractions and cliff dwellings.

If you plan to stay for more than one day, there is camping in Mesa Verde National Park as well as reservations available at the Far View Lodge .

The lodge is conveniently located at the center of the park—about 15 miles from the entrance to the park. Far View features amazing views to the south over Mesa Verde and is available for reservations from spring to fall.

Camping in Mesa Verde National Park

"Morefield Campground is located just four miles from the park entrance. The 267 campsites are located within a high grassy canyon filled with Gambel oak, native flowers, deer, and wild turkeys. A camp store offers registration, food, and camp supplies. Firewood, gasoline, showers, a coin-operated laundromat, and a kennel are located nearby. Each site has a picnic table, gravel tent pad, and fire pit/BBQ grill." ~ Check NPS.gov for reservations

Things to Pack for Mesa Verde Tours of the Dwellings

If you are planning a road trip from Denver to Mesa Verde, a few of the items you will want to add to your road trip packing list include:

• Hiking boots
• Camelbak water reservoir and pack
• Hat or visor

Check my Amazon Storefront for ALL of your TRAVEL GEAR

Tips for Visiting Mesa Verde National Park

You might have guessed that Mesa Verde National Park sits on a mesa. The elevation of Mesa Verde is 8,572 feet at its highest point. As such, the temperatures get pretty hot in the summer months if you are planning outdoor recreational activities.

Some tips for your visit?

• Plan for an early start to avoid peak crowds
• Visit at a cooler time of the day
• Get an early start to maximize your time in the park
• Wear sunscreen
• Drink lots of water

You'll find the visitor center and park entrance kiosk outside the park; once you enter Mesa Verde National Park there is still a twenty-minute drive to reach the top of the mesa. Entrance requires an America the Beautiful Park Pass or a pass to Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde Tours: Self-Guided

There are a number of self-guided Mesa Verde tours that you can add to your itinerary, especially if you are only planning to spend one day in Mesa Verde National Park .

1. Cliff Palace

Along the Cliff Palace Loop Road, you'll discover one of the largest cliff dwellings in North America. You can view the Cliff Palace from the Cliff Palace Overlook as well as from Sun Temple on the Mesa Top Loop.

2. Cliff Palace Loop Road

The 6-mile Cliff Palace Loop Road features cliff dwellings and overlooks as well as access to the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail.

3. Far View Sites

It is an easy ¾-mile walk among the pinyon-juniper forest on the mesa; the short walk connects a community of farming villages and an ancient reservoir. Far View features one large kiva (living area) surrounded by 30 to 40 rooms. Three smaller kivas were added at a later date.

4. Mesa Top Loop Road

Mesa Top Loop Road is also a 6-mile driving tour featuring 700 years of Ancestral Pueblo history, villages, cliff dwellings and overlooks.

5. Park Point

Park Point features a short walk to the highest point in the park at 8,572 feet. With spectacular views across the Four Corners Region, you'll want to be sure to have your camera ready to go.

Looking through the telescope

6. Spruce Tree House

Who comes to Mesa Verde without wanting to see the amazing cliff dwellings carved into the side of the mountain? Spruce Tree House Overlook offers a view of the park’s best-preserved cliff dwelling.

Mesa Verde Tours and Dwellings: Guided Tours

If you wish to see the Mesa Verde Dwellings up close and personal, then you'll definitely want to reserve your space on one or more of the guided tours offered by the park service.

Take note of the physical requirements for these hikes as you will be climbing ladders and scaling the side of cliff using carved footholds.

Stone Steps Carved Out of Rock Cliff in Mesa Verde

Tickets and Reservations

Be sure to have a copy of your receipt to go on a tour. You can use a screenshot of your receipt or bring a paper copy. Ticketed tours with a ranger are required to enter the cliff dwellings. Tours run from mid May to the middle of October.

" Tour tickets can be purchased only on recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777. Tickets are available 14 days in advance, 8:00 am MT, on a rolling daily window. For example, tickets for May 17th will be available starting May 3rd at 8:00 am MT. Demand for tour tickets is high. We recommend reserving tickets as soon as they become available. " ~ Recreation.gov

Cliff Dwellings & Tours

Mesa Verde National Park is open year round; timed-entry reservations are required between May and October. Once in the park, tickets are available for ranger-led tours of a number of cliff dwellings.

7. Cliff Palace

Get up close and personal with Cliff Palace. As the largest cliff dwelling in North America, the architecture and design is amazing. It was built between 1190 and 1280 CE, and offered residence to over 100 people.

Getting to Cliff Palace requires you to climb down uneven stone steps and four ladders. Total walking distance is 1/4 mile.

Cliff Palace

8. Balcony House

Scaling ladders as the Ancient Puebloans must have done and then squeezing through a narrow tunnel on your hands and knees makes this a tour for adventurous souls. Some of these passages were used over 800 years ago!

Check the website for the tour specification and times.

Square Tower House

9. Square Tower House

Square Tower House is the tallest standing structure in the park complete with original plaster, paint, roof, and rock art. Mesa Top Loop offers a great view of the tower from the overlook, but the ranger-led tour of Square Tower House is a glimpse into one of Mesa Verde's most impressive cliff dwellings.

The hike to Square Tower House is a strenuous 90-minute, 1-mile round-trip hike. If you have a fear of heights, you may wish to view this dwelling from one of the overlooks. The path is unpaved and uneven and includes cliff drop-offs, switchbacks, and two ladders for you to climb down. Each tour participant must have the ability to climb over boulders and navigate steep trails unassisted.

10. Ranger-led vs Ranger Assisted Tours

Ranger-led tours are hour long tours through some of the ancestral dwellings. The ranger-assisted tours are timed-entry experiences that allow you to move through the cliff dwellings at your own pace. Rangers are stationed along your route to answer questions and facilitate your experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the elevation of mesa verde national park.

The elevation of Mesa Verde ranges from 6,800 feet in the south to 8,570 feet along the northern border.

Is it possible to spend 12 hours in Mesa Verde?

You will get a chance to see a lot of the dwellings within twelve hours. If you plan to participate in any of the ranger-led tours, you may wish to give yourself an extra day to explore.

What is the Mesa Verde meaning?

Mesa Verde is spanish for "green table" .

What is the best time of year to visit Mesa Verde?

While Mesa Verde National Park is open year round, the best time to visit would be from May to October. This is also the time that you would need to have timed-entry reservations to enter the park.

What is a kiva in Mesa Verde?

Kivas, a Hopi word, were underground rooms that tended to be round and small household areas that were used for daily activities as well as for special ceremonies on occasion.

What is the landscape on the mesa?

Having suffered through three big fires, much of the mesa is fairly barren. There are some trees closer to the overlook points.

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Final thoughts on 10 epic mesa verde tours on a national park road trip in colorado.

On our first visit to Mesa Verde National Park, Chris and I marveled at the cliff dwellings. I found myself wondering how the Puebloan people climbed down to their homes using small footholds and ladders? What about small children? Did these homes keep intruders out? You may wonder the same.

Be sure to sign up for one of the Mesa Verde tours to experience an up close and personal experience for yourself.

You will surely leave with a greater sense of their building skills, adaptability, methods of self-preservation, and a general sense of day to day life on the mesa.

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