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Response:

Calculated Shard: 97 (from laksa112)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa097.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/","crawl_time":1776402758,"first_indexed_time":1597642088,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,reneeroaming!www,\/us-national-park-road-trip\/ s443","src_root_hash":"7694459412154467697","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"US National Park Road Trip to See Every US National Park!","meta_descriptions":["This is how to take the ultimate US national park road trip from FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE of someone who has visited all of them!"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"In 2017\nI traveled to\nevery single US national park\nwith my husband. During the planning stages we very quickly realized there wasn’t much online to help us plan our itinerary. Of course there were blog posts listing all the national parks and plenty of people saying how they would hypothetically road trip to all of them… but we couldn’t find any maps or itineraries from someone who had\nfirsthand\ntaken a United States national park road trip to\nALL of them in one consecutive trip\n.\nKeep reading to find out how we came up with our\nitinerary\n, whether or not the trip was a success, and if in retrospect we would make any changes. I will also do my best to share all the\ninsiders secrets\non how you can see every US national park in one life-changing road trip!\nDisclaimer\n:\nThis blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers. Learn more about my affiliate policy \nhere\n. Thank you for the support!\nRoad Trip to Visit All the National Parks\nThere are currently\n63 national parks\nin America, 51 in the lower 48 states, 8 in Alaska, 2 in Hawaii, and 2 in American territories (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa). In this blog post, I will share an itinerary to visit EVERY national park, not just those in the 48 contiguous states. \nNote:\nIn 2017 there were 59 national parks and 4 more have been added since our road trip. So I have gone ahead and included them in this US national parks road trip itinerary in the order we would have visited them.\n*besides New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia\n.\nI put together a\nchecklist of all the national parks\n, so you can mark each off as you visit them! In addition, it’s free to download via my\ntravel resource library\n! Click the image below.\nOutside of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming\nBest National Park Road Trip Itinerary\nI frequently get asked what the ultimate national park road trip would be. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know a lot about our own\nitinerary\nto see all the national parks and looking back I think it was almost perfect!\nPlanning such an extensive trip\nSo how did we decide on our optimal US national parks road trip? Let me tell you, it was\nA LOT of work to logistically map out\nsuch an extensive trip. We spent many hours (who am I kidding… we spent DAYS) researching, plotting directions into Google Maps, and also making spreadsheets. Our goal was to see every US national park with minimal backtracking and to arrive in each park during an ideal season. \nOur cross country national park road trip started on April 1st and finished on October 31st, spanning 7 months total. That included traveling to all the national parks in the contiguous United States, plus the other 12.\nWe ended up driving over 25,000 miles, taking 26 flights, and visiting 39 states + 2 US territories. We skipped out on winter conditions in most parks and visited many of the tropical parks before peak summer temperatures hit. I think we\ntimed it perfectly\nto visit many of the most beautiful parks during the height of hiking season. \nDriving into the Yosemite Valley, California\nWould we do it differently?\nOverall we were happy with the itinerary we created to see the US national parks on one road trip. We wouldn’t make any major changes but these are\nsome things we may have adjusted\nin hindsight:\nIf it had of been an option to start earlier in the year then we may have chosen to visit the Florida parks and USVI during winter. \nRocky Mountain National Park is best experienced during summer, so we may have opted to include that before or after\nGrand Teton National Park\nif we had the time for extra driving.\nI do want to mention that it looks like we went FAR out of the way to visit\nGreat Basin National Park\n. Well that’s because we did 😂, it really is in the middle of nowhere! We could have technically visited between our Zion and Bryce Canyon stops (adding about 5 hours of driving), but visiting during April wasn’t an option for us. We knew the park can get very snowy in winter and spring and some sections are closed to visitors. Instead we visited in early October and the fall conditions were beautiful!\nKeep in mind that the best national park road trip route for your family may look different to ours. You could technically\nhop on the route at whatever point\nwas closest to your own… you’ll see what I mean when you view the map below!\nMap to visit every national park\nHere is our\nexact itinerary\nto see all the US national parks, plus the inclusion of the 3 newly added parks. If you’re viewing on desktop and want to see this US national parks map in more detail then\nclick here for a full page version\n.\nThis\ninteractive map\nof our national parks road trip shows the order we visited each park, our “as the crow flies” route, plus\nlinks to detailed guides for each national park\n. I will also link to these guides further down the blog post.\n*best viewed on desktop\nYou can zoom in and see the route closer\nor if you’re on desktop I recommend\nclicking here for a full page version\n.\nExploring Capitol Reef National Park, Utah\nHow long would it take to visit all the national parks?\nI briefly mentioned earlier that our national parks trip took us\n7 months (April – November)\n. In saying that, I don’t want you to think that this is the only time frame to see all the US national parks. In fact, taking 10-12 months would be even better if you had the time and finances.\nYou also need to consider that we didn’t visit White Sands, Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, and Indiana Dunes during that 7 month trip (because they weren’t designated national parks at the time). I would also say these 3 parks would have added on around 1.5 weeks to our national parks road trip itinerary.\nHow long to spend in each national park?\nWe never felt overly rushed during our 7 month national park road trip, but we did have many\nlong driving days\n. For instance, our itinerary typically included 1-2 days in the smaller parks. 3-4 days in the larger and more popular parks, and also a week or more in some of the super remote Alaskan parks. \nFor example, we spent 1 day exploring Carlsbad Caverns,\n2 days exploring Joshua Tree, 3 days exploring Grand Canyon, 4 days exploring Great Smoky Mountain,\n5 days exploring Yosemite, and 9 days exploring Gates of the Arctic. Parks that we planned to extensively hike or backpack in were allotted more days compared to parks that are known for their drive-up lookouts and easy to access views.\nPlanning a national parks road trip itinerary will also be\ndifferent for everyone\n. We met some travelers who were on a mission to visit every national park but were spreading the journey out over multiple years. We have also heard of people doing the same style trip but in only a few months.\nYou can make your national park road trip as carefree or as adventurous as you like. We personally opted for somewhere in the middle – slow enough to get a good feel of the parks. But fast enough to finish our trip before winter started. Whether you plan to hike or backpack in the national parks will also help decide what length and style of trip you plan.\nCruising through Joshua Tree National Park, California\nWhat are the best national parks?\nDid you know I have a blog post that features every\nnational park ranked from best to worst?\nMy husband and I used a\nrating system\nthat factored in beauty, trails, accessibility, transport, crowds, facilities, and overall how photogenic they were.\nHere’s a summary of the parks we found to be the best and worst!\nBest national parks\nThese were the\n10 best US national parks\nbased on our ranking system:\nGrand Teton National Park, Wyoming\nKenai Fjords National Park, Alaska\nWrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska\nDenali National Park, Alaska\nMount Rainier National Park, Washington\nYosemite National Park, California\nGlacier Bay National Park, Alaska\nGlacier National Park, Montana\nKatmai National Park, Alaska\nLake Clark National Park, Alaska\nWorst national parks\nThese were the\n10 worst US national parks\nbased on our ranking system. But keep in mind that all the parks are amazing and I am not saying these aren’t worth visiting. They just don’t have the same “wow” factor. Also keep in mind that the\n4\nnew national parks were not considered when making this list (Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, White Sands, Indiana Dunes):\nCongaree National Park, South Carolina\nBiscayne National Park, Florida\nPinnacles National Park, California\nChannel Islands National Park, California\nKobuk Valley National Park, Alaska\nCuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio\nWind Cave National Park, South Dakota\nVoyageurs National Park, Minnesota\nDry Tortugas National Park, Florida\nGuadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas\nBlack Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado\nSide trip to the Alabama Hills of California\nPlanning your national parks trip\nI have an entire blog post about\nhow to best plan your national park visits\n. It goes into detail on when to start planning, how to write out an itinerary, how to create your own map, what to pack, how to buy a national park pass, and more!\nCheck it out here\n.\nPIN to refer to later!","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#primary)\n\n- [Contact](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/contact\/)\n- [Resources](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/resources\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/about\/)\n- [Work With Me](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/work-with-me\/)\n\n[![Renee Roaming](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/reneeroaming.svg)](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/)\n\n☰\n\n- [Home](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/)\n- [Destinations](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/travel-destinations\/)\n- [National Parks](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/national-parks\/)\n- [Hiking](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/hiking-guides\/)\n- [Camping](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/camping-backpacking\/)\n- [Road Trips](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/road-trips\/)\n- [Photography](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/photography\/)\n- [Photo Presets](https:\/\/reneeroaming.shop\/)\n\n- [Contact](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/contact\/)\n- [Resources](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/resources\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/about\/)\n- [Work With Me](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/work-with-me\/)\n\n[Home](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/) » [Blog](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/blog\/) » See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip\n\n# See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip\nPosted on\n\n[August 16, 2020](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/)\n\nby [Renee Hahnel](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/author\/renee-hahnel\/)\n\n![Road Trip to all of the US National Parks - Itinerary to see every national park](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Road-Trip-to-all-of-the-US-National-Parks-Itinerary-to-see-every-national-park.jpg)\n\nIn 2017 **I traveled to** **every single US national park** with my husband. During the planning stages we very quickly realized there wasn’t much online to help us plan our itinerary. Of course there were blog posts listing all the national parks and plenty of people saying how they would hypothetically road trip to all of them… but we couldn’t find any maps or itineraries from someone who had *firsthand* taken a United States national park road trip to **ALL of them in one consecutive trip**.\n\nKeep reading to find out how we came up with our **itinerary**, whether or not the trip was a success, and if in retrospect we would make any changes. I will also do my best to share all the **insiders secrets** on how you can see every US national park in one life-changing road trip\\!\n\n***Disclaimer**: *This blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers. Learn more about my affiliate policy [**here**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/policies\/). Thank you for the support\\!**\n\n## US National Park Road Trip\n### Road Trip to Visit All the National Parks\nThere are currently **63 national parks** in America, 51 in the lower 48 states, 8 in Alaska, 2 in Hawaii, and 2 in American territories (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa). In this blog post, I will share an itinerary to visit EVERY national park, not just those in the 48 contiguous states.\n\n*Note:* In 2017 there were 59 national parks and 4 more have been added since our road trip. So I have gone ahead and included them in this US national parks road trip itinerary in the order we would have visited them. *\\*besides New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia*.\n\nI put together a **checklist of all the national parks**, so you can mark each off as you visit them! In addition, it’s free to download via my [**travel resource library**](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/resources\/)! Click the image below.\n\n[![National Park Checklist Free Printable Download - Renee Roaming](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/National-Park-Checklist-Free-Printable-Download-Renee-Roaming.png)](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/resources)\n\n![Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary - Grand Teton National Park Van Life](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Best-National-Park-Road-Trip-Itinerary-Grand-Teton-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Outside of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming*\n### Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary\nI frequently get asked what the ultimate national park road trip would be. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know a lot about our own **itinerary** to see all the national parks and looking back I think it was almost perfect\\!\n\n#### Planning such an extensive trip\nSo how did we decide on our optimal US national parks road trip? Let me tell you, it was **A LOT of work to logistically map out** such an extensive trip. We spent many hours (who am I kidding… we spent DAYS) researching, plotting directions into Google Maps, and also making spreadsheets. Our goal was to see every US national park with minimal backtracking and to arrive in each park during an ideal season.\n\nOur cross country national park road trip started on April 1st and finished on October 31st, spanning 7 months total. That included traveling to all the national parks in the contiguous United States, plus the other 12.\n\nWe ended up driving over 25,000 miles, taking 26 flights, and visiting 39 states + 2 US territories. We skipped out on winter conditions in most parks and visited many of the tropical parks before peak summer temperatures hit. I think we **timed it perfectly** to visit many of the most beautiful parks during the height of hiking season.\n\n[**READ**: *How To Plan the Perfect National Parks Visit*](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/plan-a-national-parks-trip\/)\n\n![See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip - Yosemite National Park Van Life](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/See-Every-US-National-Park-on-this-EPIC-Cross-Country-Road-Trip-Yosemite-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Driving into the Yosemite Valley, California*\n#### Would we do it differently?\nOverall we were happy with the itinerary we created to see the US national parks on one road trip. We wouldn’t make any major changes but these are **some things we may have adjusted** in hindsight:\n\n- If it had of been an option to start earlier in the year then we may have chosen to visit the Florida parks and USVI during winter.\n- Rocky Mountain National Park is best experienced during summer, so we may have opted to include that before or after [Grand Teton National Park](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton\/) if we had the time for extra driving.\n\nI do want to mention that it looks like we went FAR out of the way to visit **Great Basin National Park**. Well that’s because we did 😂, it really is in the middle of nowhere! We could have technically visited between our Zion and Bryce Canyon stops (adding about 5 hours of driving), but visiting during April wasn’t an option for us. We knew the park can get very snowy in winter and spring and some sections are closed to visitors. Instead we visited in early October and the fall conditions were beautiful\\!\n\nKeep in mind that the best national park road trip route for your family may look different to ours. You could technically **hop on the route at whatever point** was closest to your own… you’ll see what I mean when you view the map below\\!\n\n[![Map to visit every national park](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Map-to-visit-every-national-park-1024x711.png)](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/route-to-all-us-national-parks\/)\n\n#### Map to visit every national park\nHere is our **exact itinerary** to see all the US national parks, plus the inclusion of the 3 newly added parks. If you’re viewing on desktop and want to see this US national parks map in more detail then **[click here for a full page version](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/route-to-all-us-national-parks\/)**.\n\nThis **interactive map** of our national parks road trip shows the order we visited each park, our “as the crow flies” route, plus **links to detailed guides for each national park**. I will also link to these guides further down the blog post.\n\n*\\*best viewed on desktop*\n\n***You can zoom in and see the route closer* *or if you’re on desktop I recommend [clicking here for a full page version](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/route-to-all-us-national-parks\/).***\n\n![Van life in Capitol Reef ](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Best-national-park-road-trip-itinerary-Van-life-in-Capitol-Reef-National-Park-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Exploring Capitol Reef National Park, Utah*\n#### How long would it take to visit all the national parks?\nI briefly mentioned earlier that our national parks trip took us **7 months (April – November)**. In saying that, I don’t want you to think that this is the only time frame to see all the US national parks. In fact, taking 10-12 months would be even better if you had the time and finances.\n\nYou also need to consider that we didn’t visit White Sands, Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, and Indiana Dunes during that 7 month trip (because they weren’t designated national parks at the time). I would also say these 3 parks would have added on around 1.5 weeks to our national parks road trip itinerary.\n\n[**READ**: *12 Best National Parks to Visit in Fall*](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/national-parks-to-visit-in-fall\/)\n\n#### How long to spend in each national park?\nWe never felt overly rushed during our 7 month national park road trip, but we did have many **long driving days**. For instance, our itinerary typically included 1-2 days in the smaller parks. 3-4 days in the larger and more popular parks, and also a week or more in some of the super remote Alaskan parks.\n\nFor example, we spent 1 day exploring Carlsbad Caverns, 2 days exploring Joshua Tree, 3 days exploring Grand Canyon, 4 days exploring Great Smoky Mountain, 5 days exploring Yosemite, and 9 days exploring Gates of the Arctic. Parks that we planned to extensively hike or backpack in were allotted more days compared to parks that are known for their drive-up lookouts and easy to access views.\n\nPlanning a national parks road trip itinerary will also be **different for everyone**. We met some travelers who were on a mission to visit every national park but were spreading the journey out over multiple years. We have also heard of people doing the same style trip but in only a few months.\n\nYou can make your national park road trip as carefree or as adventurous as you like. We personally opted for somewhere in the middle – slow enough to get a good feel of the parks. But fast enough to finish our trip before winter started. Whether you plan to hike or backpack in the national parks will also help decide what length and style of trip you plan.\n\n[**READ**: *15 Least Crowded US National Parks*](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/least-crowded-national-parks\/)\n\n[![Plan your trip with our national park book - Roaming America](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Plan-your-trip-with-our-book-1024x896.png)](https:\/\/amzn.to\/3rsdJ6v)\n\n![Joshua Tree van life](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/US-national-park-road-trip-Joshua-Tree-van-life-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Cruising through Joshua Tree National Park, California*\n#### What are the best national parks?\nDid you know I have a blog post that features every [**national park ranked from best to worst?**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/americas-national-parks\/) My husband and I used a **rating system** that factored in beauty, trails, accessibility, transport, crowds, facilities, and overall how photogenic they were.\n\nHere’s a summary of the parks we found to be the best and worst\\!\n\n##### Best national parks\nThese were the **10 best US national parks** based on our ranking system:\n\n1. **[Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/grand-teton-national-park-guide\/)**\n2. [**Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/the-ultimate-guide-to-exploring-kenai-fjords-national-park\/)\n3. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska\n4. Denali National Park, Alaska\n5. **[Mount Rainier National Park, Washington](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/mount-rainier-national-park-guide\/)**\n6. [**Yosemite National Park, California**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/yosemite-national-park-guide\/)\n7. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska\n8. Glacier National Park, Montana\n9. **[Katmai National Park, Alaska](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/how-to-visit-katmai-national-park-a-comprehensive-park-guide\/)**\n10. **[Lake Clark National Park, Alaska](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/lake-clark-national-park-guide\/)**\n##### Worst national parks\nThese were the **10 worst US national parks** based on our ranking system. But keep in mind that all the parks are amazing and I am not saying these aren’t worth visiting. They just don’t have the same “wow” factor. Also keep in mind that the 4 new national parks were not considered when making this list (Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, White Sands, Indiana Dunes):\n\n1. Congaree National Park, South Carolina\n2. Biscayne National Park, Florida\n3. Pinnacles National Park, California\n4. Channel Islands National Park, California\n5. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska\n6. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio\n7. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota\n8. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota\n9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida\n10. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas\n11. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado\n\n[**READ**: *15 Most Underrated US National Parks*](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/most-underrated-national-parks\/)\n\n![Van Life Couple](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Road-Trip-to-Visit-All-the-National-Parks-Van-Life-Couple-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Side trip to the Alabama Hills of California*\n#### Planning your national parks trip\nI have an entire blog post about [**how to best plan your national park visits**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/plan-a-national-parks-trip\/). It goes into detail on when to start planning, how to write out an itinerary, how to create your own map, what to pack, how to buy a national park pass, and more! [**Check it out here**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/plan-a-national-parks-trip\/).\n\n#### PIN to refer to later\\!\n![Best Route to Visit Every Single US National Park - Renee Roaming](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Best-Route-to-Visit-Every-Single-US-National-Park-Renee-Roaming-683x1024.png)\n\n![Road Trip to Every Single US National Park - Renee Roaming](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Road-Trip-to-Every-Single-US-National-Park-Renee-Roaming-683x1024.png)\n\nPosted in [National Parks](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/destinations\/national-parks\/), [Road Trips](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/travel\/road-trips\/), [United States](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/destinations\/united-states\/)Tagged [national parks](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/tag\/national-parks\/), [road trips](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/tag\/road-trips\/), [usa](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/tag\/usa\/)\n\n##### Related Guides\n- [![Best Things To Do in Indiana Dunes National Park - Mount Baldy hike at sunrise](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Best-Things-To-Do-in-Indiana-Dunes-National-Park-Mount-Baldy-hike-at-sunrise.jpg)Best Things To Do In Indiana Dunes National Park](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/best-things-to-do-in-indiana-dunes-national-park\/)\n- [![How To Visit Katmai National Park - A Comprehensive Park Guide - Brooks Falls Platform Brown Bear](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/How-To-Visit-Katmai-National-Park-A-Comprehensive-Park-Guide-Brooks-Falls-Platform-Brown-Bear.jpg)How To Visit Katmai National Park – A Comprehensive Park Guide](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/how-to-visit-katmai-national-park-a-comprehensive-park-guide\/)\n- [![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/White-Sands-National-Park-Itinerary.jpg)Best Things To Do In White Sands National Park: Epic 1 Day Itinerary](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/best-things-to-do-in-white-sands-national-park\/)\n\n### JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR EXCLUSIVE RESOURCES, EVENTS, AND MORE\\!\n![](https:\/\/t.flodesk.com\/utm.gif?r=5ec6da60d832e40026fdad3b)\n\n## 18 comments\n1. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8de37d0d2acc5c5945f8c32777812026194ce8d0e6f78d9aab6de73552593215?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **[grymahjong](https:\/\/grymahjong.com\/)** says:\n   \n   [December 25, 2025 at 5:56 pm](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-133533)\n   \n   An epic road trip dream This is the ultimate way to experience every US national park in one unforgettable adventure\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-133533)\n2. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c138484abaa92572d4e5395277f23c44142847570848384f18e594a10373b197?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Jonathan Edward Allen Malone** says:\n   \n   [December 4, 2025 at 11:27 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-130585)\n   \n   I would love to travel to every national park in one trip\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-130585)\n3. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5127f57de0ddac30d7ea3b2a637bfd84370bd0efbc8667f2815bf17ea10fe59c?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **[Blog lifestyle beauté](https:\/\/journaldesmuses.fr\/)** says:\n   \n   [August 17, 2025 at 5:35 pm](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-110937)\n   \n   This is an absolutely epic undertaking! The amount of planning and detail you’ve shared is incredible and makes such a monumental trip feel achievable. Your photos are breathtaking and truly capture the magic of each park. Thank you for creating such an inspiring and invaluable resource for the travel community\\!\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-110937)\n4. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bbcb67e60deff8a9d00bef6b6f294e3c60c2c99757b0f5c7e33c8a426277c5e?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **[Habitat-Magazine](https:\/\/www.habitat-magazine.com\/)** says:\n   \n   [July 22, 2025 at 3:52 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-106304)\n   \n   C’est exactement le genre de projet qui fait rêver ! Bravo pour ce défi fou et inspirant. On sent que tout a été pensé avec passion et vécu intensément. Merci pour ce partage très concret – on sent que c’est du vécu, pas juste un itinéraire théorique. Ça donne envie de prendre le volant, la carte et de partir à l’aventure\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-106304)\n5. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f535f583e5bb050a74935e127272eb096e3e5315f3f1cccdb7779bed629df150?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Brian Hall** says:\n   \n   [July 7, 2025 at 2:17 pm](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-102995)\n   \n   Just stumbled across this as I’m trying to plan a month long sabbatical in a couple years. I’d like to do something similar in my rig that has an RTT and bring my pups. Currently we are based out of Oregon, but if we move back to Austin by then I’d love to go from there.\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-102995)\n6. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cb2ed4b1791d5b59158fe7e0b31f27bc8950ffb5841591060b056372b6a025ea?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **[11 Winner](https:\/\/11winner.dev\/)** says:\n   \n   [March 24, 2025 at 12:14 pm](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-91081)\n   \n   What an incredible adventure! I’ve always dreamed of visiting all the national parks, and your detailed itinerary and tips are super helpful. Can’t wait to start planning my own road trip! Thank you for sharing your experiences\\!\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-91081)\n7. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a73cec9ca016aa65c32f09617b8284cd814e6c06cafa436fb8ba035cdc6e3a3?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Shandel Panneton** says:\n   \n   [March 2, 2025 at 11:42 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-89352)\n   \n   Looking to plan a 2 week trip and I couldn’t get pins 11 – 16 to work. I kept getting an error saying the page was unavailable. Love the guide for the other parks you have posted\\!\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-89352)\n8. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/84665ab5ee6b4981b845b801b78e645c2147a6ace25ed95d91c6dd47c39d68b6?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **[park classic](https:\/\/theparkclassicudaipur.com\/)** says:\n   \n   [December 31, 2024 at 1:48 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-84644)\n   \n   nice post , thanks for sharing\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-84644)\n9. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ba5aff39c33e3ad09c89fbb4f937f970b6556539b2ed190d7c6f837ded982f3?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Anonymous** says:\n   \n   [April 19, 2024 at 6:47 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-62368)\n   \n   Just curious how much a trip like this cost. Did you stay in annRV, hotels, or Air BNB’s\n   \n   [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-62368)\n10. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2718a86b00b78b93664bb2b55b04cdd9e4e366e799855c3bb411fc6bb28c73b2?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Susanne Holste** says:\n    \n    [March 24, 2024 at 11:57 pm](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-58993)\n    \n    Hello, wow this will be such a great resource to plan my journey to the parks! I’m starting with American Samoa and I’m on my way there now. I’d be grateful if you could send me your impressions on that park. I’m on a very slow internet connection and couldn’t open all the links in your blog.  \n     Thanks so much! Susanne\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-58993)\n11. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Anonymous** says:\n    \n    [December 9, 2023 at 11:03 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-47087)\n    \n    I disagree with your best and worst list. We’ve only been to around 30 so far, but Yosemite was so crowded I’d put it on the worst list. Joshua Tree we found anti climactic and would put on the worst list also.  \n     Voyager however was one of our favorites. We rented a canoe and camped out on an island there. I also think Black Canyon of the Gunnison should not be on the worst list.\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-47087)\n    1. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65606b13f09e1555f0178cc28bdd0ca3a8c4ad8eaa717ef640f74fd55a71e7e2?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Miki** says:\n       \n       [March 12, 2024 at 4:26 pm](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-57327)\n       \n       I agree with Yosemite being crowded, but how beautiful the scenery and the hikes kinda makes up for it…. kinda. Living nearby, I never go unless it’s for hiking Half Dome or something specific.\n       \n       I would not put Pinnacles in the worst list. One full day there is enough, though, and the weather is oh-so-important. It’s blazing hot a lot of the time, but if timed right (like directly after a rain) and if hiking is important in the ranking, then Pinnacles is definitely better than the worst. There is a cave to hike through with water running down the rocks, a long hiking loop to explore with steps carved into the rock to walk up\/down, super scenic photo ops, California Condors to see, rock climbers to watch sometimes, electrical sites in the campground, and there aren’t many people 🙂\n       \n       [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-57327)\n12. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/23a50bfeb554d5da847261f12c8674ea97967a9428dc41ba2e98d0e77d249231?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Frederick Williams** says:\n    \n    [May 21, 2023 at 11:06 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-38927)\n    \n    That is some walkabout. You are living the dream while you’re still young. Outstanding.\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-38927)\n13. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e98f4dc8ef6aa33254e6a76055bd4db79d560d54faa205c72bf7cfa699d16d5f?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **[Jen](http:\/\/www.schoandjo.com\/)** says:\n    \n    [March 15, 2023 at 8:36 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-36167)\n    \n    I bought your Roaming America book and love it! I’m using it for inspiration as I create a similar book for America’s Great Loop. Thank you for sharing your epic journey to all of the US National Parks with us\\!\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-36167)\n14. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Nick** says:\n    \n    [January 29, 2023 at 10:23 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-34423)\n    \n    Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is among the worst national parks? You got to be kidding\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-34423)\n15. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/751ae21e2a5bc319339eca61e02734fe55c28abbe808d07b15cec7d22c5f9df7?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **gary stanyer** says:\n    \n    [November 21, 2022 at 7:19 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-31538)\n    \n    hi there I amApril 2023 How do I sign up to get tips ?Cheers\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-31538)\n16. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e192d8f92083bf1f3aae14506a712140c1d937f408d2a402811604a18fe325f8?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **Jawana Watson** says:\n    \n    [June 15, 2021 at 12:12 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-8610)\n    \n    Could you share what this trip cost you guys?\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-8610)\n17. ![](https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836495e49572b250216d1de1a21c4f28b9ad13709d5ee609e9b50391c97477a0?s=32&d=mm&r=g) **JACKIE** says:\n    \n    [August 17, 2020 at 1:30 am](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-7523)\n    \n    WOW so much helpful planning info in this blogpost. Thanks Renee for generously sharing your journey, maps, ideas and recommendations.\n    \n    [Reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#comment-7523)\n### Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/us-national-park-road-trip\/#respond)\nThis site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [Learn how your comment data is processed.](https:\/\/akismet.com\/privacy\/)\n\n![Renee-Roaming-Profile-Photo](https:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Renee-Roaming-Profile-Photo.jpg)\n\nHi! My name is Renee and I’m an Australian photographer, blogger & travel addict. I now call the U.S. home but you can usually find me wandering the globe with a camera in hand. Let’s get lost\\!\n\n[About Me](https:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/about\/)\n\n[![Ultimate Yellowstone To Grand Teton Road Trip Itinerary](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ultimate-Yellowstone-To-Grand-Teton-Road-Trip-Itinerary.jpg)](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton\/)\n\n#### [Ultimate Yellowstone To Grand Teton Road Trip Itinerary](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton\/)\n\n[![12 Best National Parks To Visit In The Fall - Grand Teton National Park Oxbow Bend](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/12-Best-National-Parks-To-Visit-In-The-Fall-Grand-Teton-National-Park-Oxbow-Bend.jpg)](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/national-parks-to-visit-in-fall\/)\n\n#### [12 Best National Parks To Visit In The Fall](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/national-parks-to-visit-in-fall\/)\n\n[![Incredible Iceland Road Trip Itinerary and Planning Guide - Dyrholaey Lighthouse](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Incredible-Iceland-Road-Trip-Itinerary-and-Planning-Guide-Dyrholaey-Lighthouse.jpg)](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/iceland-road-trip-itinerary\/)\n\n#### [Incredible Iceland Road Trip Itinerary and Planning Guide](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/iceland-road-trip-itinerary\/)\n\n[![Get-Outside-Beginners-Guide-to-Hiking-MtRainier](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Get-Outside-Beginners-Guide-to-Hiking-MtRainier.jpg)](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/beginners-hiking-guide\/)\n\n#### [Beginner Hiking Guide: Essential Tips for New Hikers](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/beginners-hiking-guide\/)\n\n[Destinations](https:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/destinations\/)\n\n[National Parks](https:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/national-parks\/)\n\n[Hiking](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/hiking-guides\/)\n\n[Camping](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/travel\/camping\/)\n\n[Road Trips](https:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/road-trips\/)\n\n[Photography](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/travel\/photography\/)\n\n## Follow along on instagram\n[![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.03@2x-300x400.png)](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.15@2x-300x396.png)](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.31@2x-300x400.png)](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.43@2x-300x400.png)](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.58.09@2x-300x399.png)](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.58.17@2x-300x397.png)](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/reneeroaming)\n\n[instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[pinterest](https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/reneeroaming\/)\n\n[youtube](https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC_ufpzixKs1AL2VRIAHNyaA)\n\n### Let's Connect\n- [Contact](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/contact\/)\n- [About](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/about\/)\n- [Work With Me](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/work-with-me\/)\n\n### Subscribe\n![](https:\/\/t.flodesk.com\/utm.gif?r=5ec6da60d832e40026fdad3b)\n\n### More Info\n- [FAQs](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/faqs\/)\n- [Resources](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/resources\/)\n- [Privacy + Policies](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/policies\/)\n\n© 2026 Renee Roaming","attrs_readable_markdown":"In 2017 **I traveled to** **every single US national park** with my husband. During the planning stages we very quickly realized there wasn’t much online to help us plan our itinerary. Of course there were blog posts listing all the national parks and plenty of people saying how they would hypothetically road trip to all of them… but we couldn’t find any maps or itineraries from someone who had *firsthand* taken a United States national park road trip to **ALL of them in one consecutive trip**.\n\nKeep reading to find out how we came up with our **itinerary**, whether or not the trip was a success, and if in retrospect we would make any changes. I will also do my best to share all the **insiders secrets** on how you can see every US national park in one life-changing road trip\\!\n\n***Disclaimer**: *This blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers. Learn more about my affiliate policy [**here**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/policies\/). Thank you for the support\\!**\n\nRoad Trip to Visit All the National Parks\n\nThere are currently **63 national parks** in America, 51 in the lower 48 states, 8 in Alaska, 2 in Hawaii, and 2 in American territories (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa). In this blog post, I will share an itinerary to visit EVERY national park, not just those in the 48 contiguous states.\n\n*Note:* In 2017 there were 59 national parks and 4 more have been added since our road trip. So I have gone ahead and included them in this US national parks road trip itinerary in the order we would have visited them. *\\*besides New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia*.\n\nI put together a **checklist of all the national parks**, so you can mark each off as you visit them! In addition, it’s free to download via my [**travel resource library**](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/resources\/)! Click the image below.\n\n[![National Park Checklist Free Printable Download - Renee Roaming](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/National-Park-Checklist-Free-Printable-Download-Renee-Roaming.png)](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/resources)\n\n![Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary - Grand Teton National Park Van Life](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Best-National-Park-Road-Trip-Itinerary-Grand-Teton-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Outside of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming*\n\nBest National Park Road Trip Itinerary\n\nI frequently get asked what the ultimate national park road trip would be. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know a lot about our own **itinerary** to see all the national parks and looking back I think it was almost perfect\\!\n\nPlanning such an extensive trip\n\nSo how did we decide on our optimal US national parks road trip? Let me tell you, it was **A LOT of work to logistically map out** such an extensive trip. We spent many hours (who am I kidding… we spent DAYS) researching, plotting directions into Google Maps, and also making spreadsheets. Our goal was to see every US national park with minimal backtracking and to arrive in each park during an ideal season.\n\nOur cross country national park road trip started on April 1st and finished on October 31st, spanning 7 months total. That included traveling to all the national parks in the contiguous United States, plus the other 12.\n\nWe ended up driving over 25,000 miles, taking 26 flights, and visiting 39 states + 2 US territories. We skipped out on winter conditions in most parks and visited many of the tropical parks before peak summer temperatures hit. I think we **timed it perfectly** to visit many of the most beautiful parks during the height of hiking season.\n\n![See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip - Yosemite National Park Van Life](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/See-Every-US-National-Park-on-this-EPIC-Cross-Country-Road-Trip-Yosemite-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Driving into the Yosemite Valley, California*\n\nWould we do it differently?\n\nOverall we were happy with the itinerary we created to see the US national parks on one road trip. We wouldn’t make any major changes but these are **some things we may have adjusted** in hindsight:\n\n- If it had of been an option to start earlier in the year then we may have chosen to visit the Florida parks and USVI during winter.\n- Rocky Mountain National Park is best experienced during summer, so we may have opted to include that before or after [Grand Teton National Park](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton\/) if we had the time for extra driving.\n\nI do want to mention that it looks like we went FAR out of the way to visit **Great Basin National Park**. Well that’s because we did 😂, it really is in the middle of nowhere! We could have technically visited between our Zion and Bryce Canyon stops (adding about 5 hours of driving), but visiting during April wasn’t an option for us. We knew the park can get very snowy in winter and spring and some sections are closed to visitors. Instead we visited in early October and the fall conditions were beautiful\\!\n\nKeep in mind that the best national park road trip route for your family may look different to ours. You could technically **hop on the route at whatever point** was closest to your own… you’ll see what I mean when you view the map below\\!\n\n[![Map to visit every national park](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Map-to-visit-every-national-park-1024x711.png)](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/route-to-all-us-national-parks\/)\n\nMap to visit every national park\n\nHere is our **exact itinerary** to see all the US national parks, plus the inclusion of the 3 newly added parks. If you’re viewing on desktop and want to see this US national parks map in more detail then **[click here for a full page version](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/route-to-all-us-national-parks\/)**.\n\nThis **interactive map** of our national parks road trip shows the order we visited each park, our “as the crow flies” route, plus **links to detailed guides for each national park**. I will also link to these guides further down the blog post.\n\n*\\*best viewed on desktop*\n\n***You can zoom in and see the route closer* *or if you’re on desktop I recommend [clicking here for a full page version](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/route-to-all-us-national-parks\/).***\n\n![Van life in Capitol Reef ](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Best-national-park-road-trip-itinerary-Van-life-in-Capitol-Reef-National-Park-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Exploring Capitol Reef National Park, Utah*\n\nHow long would it take to visit all the national parks?\n\nI briefly mentioned earlier that our national parks trip took us **7 months (April – November)**. In saying that, I don’t want you to think that this is the only time frame to see all the US national parks. In fact, taking 10-12 months would be even better if you had the time and finances.\n\nYou also need to consider that we didn’t visit White Sands, Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, and Indiana Dunes during that 7 month trip (because they weren’t designated national parks at the time). I would also say these 3 parks would have added on around 1.5 weeks to our national parks road trip itinerary.\n\nHow long to spend in each national park?\n\nWe never felt overly rushed during our 7 month national park road trip, but we did have many **long driving days**. For instance, our itinerary typically included 1-2 days in the smaller parks. 3-4 days in the larger and more popular parks, and also a week or more in some of the super remote Alaskan parks.\n\nFor example, we spent 1 day exploring Carlsbad Caverns, 2 days exploring Joshua Tree, 3 days exploring Grand Canyon, 4 days exploring Great Smoky Mountain, 5 days exploring Yosemite, and 9 days exploring Gates of the Arctic. Parks that we planned to extensively hike or backpack in were allotted more days compared to parks that are known for their drive-up lookouts and easy to access views.\n\nPlanning a national parks road trip itinerary will also be **different for everyone**. We met some travelers who were on a mission to visit every national park but were spreading the journey out over multiple years. We have also heard of people doing the same style trip but in only a few months.\n\nYou can make your national park road trip as carefree or as adventurous as you like. We personally opted for somewhere in the middle – slow enough to get a good feel of the parks. But fast enough to finish our trip before winter started. Whether you plan to hike or backpack in the national parks will also help decide what length and style of trip you plan.\n\n[![Plan your trip with our national park book - Roaming America](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Plan-your-trip-with-our-book-1024x896.png)](https:\/\/amzn.to\/3rsdJ6v)\n\n![Joshua Tree van life](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/US-national-park-road-trip-Joshua-Tree-van-life-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Cruising through Joshua Tree National Park, California*\n\nWhat are the best national parks?\n\nDid you know I have a blog post that features every [**national park ranked from best to worst?**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/americas-national-parks\/) My husband and I used a **rating system** that factored in beauty, trails, accessibility, transport, crowds, facilities, and overall how photogenic they were.\n\nHere’s a summary of the parks we found to be the best and worst\\!\n\nBest national parks\n\nThese were the **10 best US national parks** based on our ranking system:\n\n1. **[Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/grand-teton-national-park-guide\/)**\n2. [**Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/the-ultimate-guide-to-exploring-kenai-fjords-national-park\/)\n3. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska\n4. Denali National Park, Alaska\n5. **[Mount Rainier National Park, Washington](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/mount-rainier-national-park-guide\/)**\n6. [**Yosemite National Park, California**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/yosemite-national-park-guide\/)\n7. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska\n8. Glacier National Park, Montana\n9. **[Katmai National Park, Alaska](https:\/\/www.reneeroaming.com\/how-to-visit-katmai-national-park-a-comprehensive-park-guide\/)**\n10. **[Lake Clark National Park, Alaska](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/lake-clark-national-park-guide\/)**\n\nWorst national parks\n\nThese were the **10 worst US national parks** based on our ranking system. But keep in mind that all the parks are amazing and I am not saying these aren’t worth visiting. They just don’t have the same “wow” factor. Also keep in mind that the 4 new national parks were not considered when making this list (Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, White Sands, Indiana Dunes):\n\n1. Congaree National Park, South Carolina\n2. Biscayne National Park, Florida\n3. Pinnacles National Park, California\n4. Channel Islands National Park, California\n5. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska\n6. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio\n7. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota\n8. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota\n9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida\n10. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas\n11. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado\n\n![Van Life Couple](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Road-Trip-to-Visit-All-the-National-Parks-Van-Life-Couple-819x1024.jpg)\n\n*Side trip to the Alabama Hills of California*\n\nPlanning your national parks trip\n\nI have an entire blog post about [**how to best plan your national park visits**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/plan-a-national-parks-trip\/). It goes into detail on when to start planning, how to write out an itinerary, how to create your own map, what to pack, how to buy a national park pass, and more! [**Check it out here**](http:\/\/reneeroaming.com\/plan-a-national-parks-trip\/).\n\nPIN to refer to later\\!","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	In 2017 I traveled to every single US national park with my husband. During the planning stages we very quickly realized there wasn’t much online to help us plan our itinerary. Of course there were blog posts listing all the national parks and plenty of people saying how they would hypothetically road trip to all of them… but we couldn’t find any maps or itineraries from someone who had firsthand taken a United States national park road trip to ALL of them in one consecutive trip . Keep reading to find out how we came up with our itinerary , whether or not the trip was a success, and if in retrospect we would make any changes. I will also do my best to share all the insiders secrets on how you can see every US national park in one life-changing road trip! Disclaimer : This blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers. Learn more about my affiliate policy here . Thank you for the support! Road Trip to Visit All the National Parks There are currently 63 national parks in America, 51 in the lower 48 states, 8 in Alaska, 2 in Hawaii, and 2 in American territories (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa). In this blog post, I will share an itinerary to visit EVERY national park, not just those in the 48 contiguous states. Note: In 2017 there were 59 national parks and 4 more have been added since our road trip. So I have gone ahead and included them in this US national parks road trip itinerary in the order we would have visited them. besides New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia . I put together a checklist of all the national parks , so you can mark each off as you visit them! In addition, it’s free to download via my travel resource library ! Click the image below. Outside of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary I frequently get asked what the ultimate national park road trip would be. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know a lot about our own itinerary to see all the national parks and looking back I think it was almost perfect! Planning such an extensive trip So how did we decide on our optimal US national parks road trip? Let me tell you, it was A LOT of work to logistically map out such an extensive trip. We spent many hours (who am I kidding… we spent DAYS) researching, plotting directions into Google Maps, and also making spreadsheets. Our goal was to see every US national park with minimal backtracking and to arrive in each park during an ideal season. Our cross country national park road trip started on April 1st and finished on October 31st, spanning 7 months total. That included traveling to all the national parks in the contiguous United States, plus the other 12. We ended up driving over 25,000 miles, taking 26 flights, and visiting 39 states + 2 US territories. We skipped out on winter conditions in most parks and visited many of the tropical parks before peak summer temperatures hit. I think we timed it perfectly to visit many of the most beautiful parks during the height of hiking season. Driving into the Yosemite Valley, California Would we do it differently? Overall we were happy with the itinerary we created to see the US national parks on one road trip. We wouldn’t make any major changes but these are some things we may have adjusted in hindsight: If it had of been an option to start earlier in the year then we may have chosen to visit the Florida parks and USVI during winter. Rocky Mountain National Park is best experienced during summer, so we may have opted to include that before or after Grand Teton National Park if we had the time for extra driving. I do want to mention that it looks like we went FAR out of the way to visit Great Basin National Park . Well that’s because we did 😂, it really is in the middle of nowhere! We could have technically visited between our Zion and Bryce Canyon stops (adding about 5 hours of driving), but visiting during April wasn’t an option for us. We knew the park can get very snowy in winter and spring and some sections are closed to visitors. Instead we visited in early October and the fall conditions were beautiful! Keep in mind that the best national park road trip route for your family may look different to ours. You could technically hop on the route at whatever point was closest to your own… you’ll see what I mean when you view the map below! Map to visit every national park Here is our exact itinerary to see all the US national parks, plus the inclusion of the 3 newly added parks. If you’re viewing on desktop and want to see this US national parks map in more detail then click here for a full page version . This interactive map of our national parks road trip shows the order we visited each park, our “as the crow flies” route, plus links to detailed guides for each national park . I will also link to these guides further down the blog post. best viewed on desktop You can zoom in and see the route closer or if you’re on desktop I recommend clicking here for a full page version . Exploring Capitol Reef National Park, Utah How long would it take to visit all the national parks? I briefly mentioned earlier that our national parks trip took us 7 months (April – November) . In saying that, I don’t want you to think that this is the only time frame to see all the US national parks. In fact, taking 10-12 months would be even better if you had the time and finances. You also need to consider that we didn’t visit White Sands, Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, and Indiana Dunes during that 7 month trip (because they weren’t designated national parks at the time). I would also say these 3 parks would have added on around 1.5 weeks to our national parks road trip itinerary. How long to spend in each national park? We never felt overly rushed during our 7 month national park road trip, but we did have many long driving days . For instance, our itinerary typically included 1-2 days in the smaller parks. 3-4 days in the larger and more popular parks, and also a week or more in some of the super remote Alaskan parks. For example, we spent 1 day exploring Carlsbad Caverns, 2 days exploring Joshua Tree, 3 days exploring Grand Canyon, 4 days exploring Great Smoky Mountain, 5 days exploring Yosemite, and 9 days exploring Gates of the Arctic. Parks that we planned to extensively hike or backpack in were allotted more days compared to parks that are known for their drive-up lookouts and easy to access views. Planning a national parks road trip itinerary will also be different for everyone . We met some travelers who were on a mission to visit every national park but were spreading the journey out over multiple years. We have also heard of people doing the same style trip but in only a few months. You can make your national park road trip as carefree or as adventurous as you like. We personally opted for somewhere in the middle – slow enough to get a good feel of the parks. But fast enough to finish our trip before winter started. Whether you plan to hike or backpack in the national parks will also help decide what length and style of trip you plan. Cruising through Joshua Tree National Park, California What are the best national parks? Did you know I have a blog post that features every national park ranked from best to worst? My husband and I used a rating system that factored in beauty, trails, accessibility, transport, crowds, facilities, and overall how photogenic they were. Here’s a summary of the parks we found to be the best and worst! Best national parks These were the 10 best US national parks based on our ranking system: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska Denali National Park, Alaska Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Yosemite National Park, California Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska Glacier National Park, Montana Katmai National Park, Alaska Lake Clark National Park, Alaska Worst national parks These were the 10 worst US national parks based on our ranking system. But keep in mind that all the parks are amazing and I am not saying these aren’t worth visiting. They just don’t have the same “wow” factor. Also keep in mind that the 4 new national parks were not considered when making this list (Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, White Sands, Indiana Dunes): Congaree National Park, South Carolina Biscayne National Park, Florida Pinnacles National Park, California Channel Islands National Park, California Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado Side trip to the Alabama Hills of California Planning your national parks trip I have an entire blog post about how to best plan your national park visits . It goes into detail on when to start planning, how to write out an itinerary, how to create your own map, what to pack, how to buy a national park pass, and more! Check it out here . PIN to refer to later!
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#primary) - [Contact](https://www.reneeroaming.com/contact/) - [Resources](https://www.reneeroaming.com/resources/) - [About](https://www.reneeroaming.com/about/) - [Work With Me](https://www.reneeroaming.com/work-with-me/) [![Renee Roaming](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/reneeroaming.svg)](https://www.reneeroaming.com/) ☰ - [Home](https://www.reneeroaming.com/) - [Destinations](https://www.reneeroaming.com/travel-destinations/) - [National Parks](https://www.reneeroaming.com/national-parks/) - [Hiking](https://www.reneeroaming.com/hiking-guides/) - [Camping](https://www.reneeroaming.com/camping-backpacking/) - [Road Trips](https://www.reneeroaming.com/road-trips/) - [Photography](https://www.reneeroaming.com/photography/) - [Photo Presets](https://reneeroaming.shop/) - [Contact](https://www.reneeroaming.com/contact/) - [Resources](https://www.reneeroaming.com/resources/) - [About](https://www.reneeroaming.com/about/) - [Work With Me](https://www.reneeroaming.com/work-with-me/) [Home](https://www.reneeroaming.com/) » [Blog](https://www.reneeroaming.com/blog/) » See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip # See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip Posted on [August 16, 2020](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/) by [Renee Hahnel](https://www.reneeroaming.com/author/renee-hahnel/) ![Road Trip to all of the US National Parks - Itinerary to see every national park](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Road-Trip-to-all-of-the-US-National-Parks-Itinerary-to-see-every-national-park.jpg) In 2017 I traveled to every single US national park with my husband. During the planning stages we very quickly realized there wasn’t much online to help us plan our itinerary. Of course there were blog posts listing all the national parks and plenty of people saying how they would hypothetically road trip to all of them… but we couldn’t find any maps or itineraries from someone who had firsthand taken a United States national park road trip to ALL of them in one consecutive trip. Keep reading to find out how we came up with our itinerary, whether or not the trip was a success, and if in retrospect we would make any changes. I will also do my best to share all the insiders secrets on how you can see every US national park in one life-changing road trip\! *Disclaimer: This blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers. Learn more about my affiliate policy [here](http://reneeroaming.com/policies/). Thank you for the support\!* ## US National Park Road Trip ### Road Trip to Visit All the National Parks There are currently 63 national parks in America, 51 in the lower 48 states, 8 in Alaska, 2 in Hawaii, and 2 in American territories (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa). In this blog post, I will share an itinerary to visit EVERY national park, not just those in the 48 contiguous states. Note: In 2017 there were 59 national parks and 4 more have been added since our road trip. So I have gone ahead and included them in this US national parks road trip itinerary in the order we would have visited them. \besides New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. I put together a checklist of all the national parks, so you can mark each off as you visit them! In addition, it’s free to download via my [travel resource library](https://www.reneeroaming.com/resources/)! Click the image below. [![National Park Checklist Free Printable Download - Renee Roaming](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/National-Park-Checklist-Free-Printable-Download-Renee-Roaming.png)](http://reneeroaming.com/resources) ![Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary - Grand Teton National Park Van Life](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Best-National-Park-Road-Trip-Itinerary-Grand-Teton-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg) Outside of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming* ### Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary I frequently get asked what the ultimate national park road trip would be. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know a lot about our own itinerary to see all the national parks and looking back I think it was almost perfect\! #### Planning such an extensive trip So how did we decide on our optimal US national parks road trip? Let me tell you, it was A LOT of work to logistically map out such an extensive trip. We spent many hours (who am I kidding… we spent DAYS) researching, plotting directions into Google Maps, and also making spreadsheets. Our goal was to see every US national park with minimal backtracking and to arrive in each park during an ideal season. Our cross country national park road trip started on April 1st and finished on October 31st, spanning 7 months total. That included traveling to all the national parks in the contiguous United States, plus the other 12. We ended up driving over 25,000 miles, taking 26 flights, and visiting 39 states + 2 US territories. We skipped out on winter conditions in most parks and visited many of the tropical parks before peak summer temperatures hit. I think we timed it perfectly to visit many of the most beautiful parks during the height of hiking season. [READ: How To Plan the Perfect National Parks Visit](http://reneeroaming.com/plan-a-national-parks-trip/) ![See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip - Yosemite National Park Van Life](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/See-Every-US-National-Park-on-this-EPIC-Cross-Country-Road-Trip-Yosemite-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg) Driving into the Yosemite Valley, California #### Would we do it differently? Overall we were happy with the itinerary we created to see the US national parks on one road trip. We wouldn’t make any major changes but these are some things we may have adjusted in hindsight: - If it had of been an option to start earlier in the year then we may have chosen to visit the Florida parks and USVI during winter. - Rocky Mountain National Park is best experienced during summer, so we may have opted to include that before or after [Grand Teton National Park](https://www.reneeroaming.com/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton/) if we had the time for extra driving. I do want to mention that it looks like we went FAR out of the way to visit Great Basin National Park. Well that’s because we did 😂, it really is in the middle of nowhere! We could have technically visited between our Zion and Bryce Canyon stops (adding about 5 hours of driving), but visiting during April wasn’t an option for us. We knew the park can get very snowy in winter and spring and some sections are closed to visitors. Instead we visited in early October and the fall conditions were beautiful\! Keep in mind that the best national park road trip route for your family may look different to ours. You could technically hop on the route at whatever point was closest to your own… you’ll see what I mean when you view the map below\! [![Map to visit every national park](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Map-to-visit-every-national-park-1024x711.png)](http://reneeroaming.com/route-to-all-us-national-parks/) #### Map to visit every national park Here is our exact itinerary to see all the US national parks, plus the inclusion of the 3 newly added parks. If you’re viewing on desktop and want to see this US national parks map in more detail then [click here for a full page version](http://reneeroaming.com/route-to-all-us-national-parks/). This interactive map of our national parks road trip shows the order we visited each park, our “as the crow flies” route, plus links to detailed guides for each national park. I will also link to these guides further down the blog post. \best viewed on desktop* **You can zoom in and see the route closer or if you’re on desktop I recommend [clicking here for a full page version](http://reneeroaming.com/route-to-all-us-national-parks/).** ![Van life in Capitol Reef ](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Best-national-park-road-trip-itinerary-Van-life-in-Capitol-Reef-National-Park-819x1024.jpg) Exploring Capitol Reef National Park, Utah #### How long would it take to visit all the national parks? I briefly mentioned earlier that our national parks trip took us 7 months (April – November). In saying that, I don’t want you to think that this is the only time frame to see all the US national parks. In fact, taking 10-12 months would be even better if you had the time and finances. You also need to consider that we didn’t visit White Sands, Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, and Indiana Dunes during that 7 month trip (because they weren’t designated national parks at the time). I would also say these 3 parks would have added on around 1.5 weeks to our national parks road trip itinerary. [READ: 12 Best National Parks to Visit in Fall](http://reneeroaming.com/national-parks-to-visit-in-fall/) #### How long to spend in each national park? We never felt overly rushed during our 7 month national park road trip, but we did have many long driving days. For instance, our itinerary typically included 1-2 days in the smaller parks. 3-4 days in the larger and more popular parks, and also a week or more in some of the super remote Alaskan parks. For example, we spent 1 day exploring Carlsbad Caverns, 2 days exploring Joshua Tree, 3 days exploring Grand Canyon, 4 days exploring Great Smoky Mountain, 5 days exploring Yosemite, and 9 days exploring Gates of the Arctic. Parks that we planned to extensively hike or backpack in were allotted more days compared to parks that are known for their drive-up lookouts and easy to access views. Planning a national parks road trip itinerary will also be different for everyone. We met some travelers who were on a mission to visit every national park but were spreading the journey out over multiple years. We have also heard of people doing the same style trip but in only a few months. You can make your national park road trip as carefree or as adventurous as you like. We personally opted for somewhere in the middle – slow enough to get a good feel of the parks. But fast enough to finish our trip before winter started. Whether you plan to hike or backpack in the national parks will also help decide what length and style of trip you plan. [READ: 15 Least Crowded US National Parks](http://reneeroaming.com/least-crowded-national-parks/) [![Plan your trip with our national park book - Roaming America](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Plan-your-trip-with-our-book-1024x896.png)](https://amzn.to/3rsdJ6v) ![Joshua Tree van life](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/US-national-park-road-trip-Joshua-Tree-van-life-819x1024.jpg) Cruising through Joshua Tree National Park, California #### What are the best national parks? Did you know I have a blog post that features every [national park ranked from best to worst?](http://reneeroaming.com/americas-national-parks/) My husband and I used a rating system that factored in beauty, trails, accessibility, transport, crowds, facilities, and overall how photogenic they were. Here’s a summary of the parks we found to be the best and worst\! ##### Best national parks These were the 10 best US national parks based on our ranking system: 1. [Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming](http://reneeroaming.com/grand-teton-national-park-guide/) 2. [Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska](http://reneeroaming.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-exploring-kenai-fjords-national-park/) 3. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska 4. Denali National Park, Alaska 5. [Mount Rainier National Park, Washington](http://reneeroaming.com/mount-rainier-national-park-guide/) 6. [Yosemite National Park, California](http://reneeroaming.com/yosemite-national-park-guide/) 7. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska 8. Glacier National Park, Montana 9. [Katmai National Park, Alaska](https://www.reneeroaming.com/how-to-visit-katmai-national-park-a-comprehensive-park-guide/) 10. [Lake Clark National Park, Alaska](http://reneeroaming.com/lake-clark-national-park-guide/) ##### Worst national parks These were the 10 worst US national parks based on our ranking system. But keep in mind that all the parks are amazing and I am not saying these aren’t worth visiting. They just don’t have the same “wow” factor. Also keep in mind that the 4 new national parks were not considered when making this list (Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, White Sands, Indiana Dunes): 1. Congaree National Park, South Carolina 2. Biscayne National Park, Florida 3. Pinnacles National Park, California 4. Channel Islands National Park, California 5. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska 6. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio 7. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota 8. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota 9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida 10. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas 11. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado [READ: 15 Most Underrated US National Parks](http://reneeroaming.com/most-underrated-national-parks/) ![Van Life Couple](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Road-Trip-to-Visit-All-the-National-Parks-Van-Life-Couple-819x1024.jpg) Side trip to the Alabama Hills of California #### Planning your national parks trip I have an entire blog post about [how to best plan your national park visits](http://reneeroaming.com/plan-a-national-parks-trip/). It goes into detail on when to start planning, how to write out an itinerary, how to create your own map, what to pack, how to buy a national park pass, and more! [Check it out here](http://reneeroaming.com/plan-a-national-parks-trip/). #### PIN to refer to later\! ![Best Route to Visit Every Single US National Park - Renee Roaming](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Best-Route-to-Visit-Every-Single-US-National-Park-Renee-Roaming-683x1024.png) ![Road Trip to Every Single US National Park - Renee Roaming](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Road-Trip-to-Every-Single-US-National-Park-Renee-Roaming-683x1024.png) Posted in [National Parks](https://www.reneeroaming.com/destinations/national-parks/), [Road Trips](https://www.reneeroaming.com/travel/road-trips/), [United States](https://www.reneeroaming.com/destinations/united-states/)Tagged [national parks](https://www.reneeroaming.com/tag/national-parks/), [road trips](https://www.reneeroaming.com/tag/road-trips/), [usa](https://www.reneeroaming.com/tag/usa/) ##### Related Guides - [![Best Things To Do in Indiana Dunes National Park - Mount Baldy hike at sunrise](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Best-Things-To-Do-in-Indiana-Dunes-National-Park-Mount-Baldy-hike-at-sunrise.jpg)Best Things To Do In Indiana Dunes National Park](https://www.reneeroaming.com/best-things-to-do-in-indiana-dunes-national-park/) - [![How To Visit Katmai National Park - A Comprehensive Park Guide - Brooks Falls Platform Brown Bear](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/How-To-Visit-Katmai-National-Park-A-Comprehensive-Park-Guide-Brooks-Falls-Platform-Brown-Bear.jpg)How To Visit Katmai National Park – A Comprehensive Park Guide](https://www.reneeroaming.com/how-to-visit-katmai-national-park-a-comprehensive-park-guide/) - [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/White-Sands-National-Park-Itinerary.jpg)Best Things To Do In White Sands National Park: Epic 1 Day Itinerary](https://www.reneeroaming.com/best-things-to-do-in-white-sands-national-park/) ### JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR EXCLUSIVE RESOURCES, EVENTS, AND MORE\! ![](https://t.flodesk.com/utm.gif?r=5ec6da60d832e40026fdad3b) ## 18 comments 1. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8de37d0d2acc5c5945f8c32777812026194ce8d0e6f78d9aab6de73552593215?s=32&d=mm&r=g) [grymahjong](https://grymahjong.com/) says: [December 25, 2025 at 5:56 pm](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-133533) An epic road trip dream This is the ultimate way to experience every US national park in one unforgettable adventure [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-133533) 2. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c138484abaa92572d4e5395277f23c44142847570848384f18e594a10373b197?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Jonathan Edward Allen Malone says: [December 4, 2025 at 11:27 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-130585) I would love to travel to every national park in one trip [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-130585) 3. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5127f57de0ddac30d7ea3b2a637bfd84370bd0efbc8667f2815bf17ea10fe59c?s=32&d=mm&r=g) [Blog lifestyle beauté](https://journaldesmuses.fr/) says: [August 17, 2025 at 5:35 pm](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-110937) This is an absolutely epic undertaking! The amount of planning and detail you’ve shared is incredible and makes such a monumental trip feel achievable. Your photos are breathtaking and truly capture the magic of each park. Thank you for creating such an inspiring and invaluable resource for the travel community\! [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-110937) 4. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1bbcb67e60deff8a9d00bef6b6f294e3c60c2c99757b0f5c7e33c8a426277c5e?s=32&d=mm&r=g) [Habitat-Magazine](https://www.habitat-magazine.com/) says: [July 22, 2025 at 3:52 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-106304) C’est exactement le genre de projet qui fait rêver ! Bravo pour ce défi fou et inspirant. On sent que tout a été pensé avec passion et vécu intensément. Merci pour ce partage très concret – on sent que c’est du vécu, pas juste un itinéraire théorique. Ça donne envie de prendre le volant, la carte et de partir à l’aventure [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-106304) 5. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f535f583e5bb050a74935e127272eb096e3e5315f3f1cccdb7779bed629df150?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Brian Hall says: [July 7, 2025 at 2:17 pm](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-102995) Just stumbled across this as I’m trying to plan a month long sabbatical in a couple years. I’d like to do something similar in my rig that has an RTT and bring my pups. Currently we are based out of Oregon, but if we move back to Austin by then I’d love to go from there. [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-102995) 6. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cb2ed4b1791d5b59158fe7e0b31f27bc8950ffb5841591060b056372b6a025ea?s=32&d=mm&r=g) [11 Winner](https://11winner.dev/) says: [March 24, 2025 at 12:14 pm](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-91081) What an incredible adventure! I’ve always dreamed of visiting all the national parks, and your detailed itinerary and tips are super helpful. Can’t wait to start planning my own road trip! Thank you for sharing your experiences\! [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-91081) 7. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2a73cec9ca016aa65c32f09617b8284cd814e6c06cafa436fb8ba035cdc6e3a3?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Shandel Panneton says: [March 2, 2025 at 11:42 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-89352) Looking to plan a 2 week trip and I couldn’t get pins 11 – 16 to work. I kept getting an error saying the page was unavailable. Love the guide for the other parks you have posted\! [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-89352) 8. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/84665ab5ee6b4981b845b801b78e645c2147a6ace25ed95d91c6dd47c39d68b6?s=32&d=mm&r=g) [park classic](https://theparkclassicudaipur.com/) says: [December 31, 2024 at 1:48 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-84644) nice post , thanks for sharing [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-84644) 9. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6ba5aff39c33e3ad09c89fbb4f937f970b6556539b2ed190d7c6f837ded982f3?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Anonymous says: [April 19, 2024 at 6:47 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-62368) Just curious how much a trip like this cost. Did you stay in annRV, hotels, or Air BNB’s [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-62368) 10. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2718a86b00b78b93664bb2b55b04cdd9e4e366e799855c3bb411fc6bb28c73b2?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Susanne Holste says: [March 24, 2024 at 11:57 pm](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-58993) Hello, wow this will be such a great resource to plan my journey to the parks! I’m starting with American Samoa and I’m on my way there now. I’d be grateful if you could send me your impressions on that park. I’m on a very slow internet connection and couldn’t open all the links in your blog. Thanks so much! Susanne [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-58993) 11. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Anonymous says: [December 9, 2023 at 11:03 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-47087) I disagree with your best and worst list. We’ve only been to around 30 so far, but Yosemite was so crowded I’d put it on the worst list. Joshua Tree we found anti climactic and would put on the worst list also. Voyager however was one of our favorites. We rented a canoe and camped out on an island there. I also think Black Canyon of the Gunnison should not be on the worst list. [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-47087) 1. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/65606b13f09e1555f0178cc28bdd0ca3a8c4ad8eaa717ef640f74fd55a71e7e2?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Miki says: [March 12, 2024 at 4:26 pm](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-57327) I agree with Yosemite being crowded, but how beautiful the scenery and the hikes kinda makes up for it…. kinda. Living nearby, I never go unless it’s for hiking Half Dome or something specific. I would not put Pinnacles in the worst list. One full day there is enough, though, and the weather is oh-so-important. It’s blazing hot a lot of the time, but if timed right (like directly after a rain) and if hiking is important in the ranking, then Pinnacles is definitely better than the worst. There is a cave to hike through with water running down the rocks, a long hiking loop to explore with steps carved into the rock to walk up/down, super scenic photo ops, California Condors to see, rock climbers to watch sometimes, electrical sites in the campground, and there aren’t many people 🙂 [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-57327) 12. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/23a50bfeb554d5da847261f12c8674ea97967a9428dc41ba2e98d0e77d249231?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Frederick Williams says: [May 21, 2023 at 11:06 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-38927) That is some walkabout. You are living the dream while you’re still young. Outstanding. [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-38927) 13. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e98f4dc8ef6aa33254e6a76055bd4db79d560d54faa205c72bf7cfa699d16d5f?s=32&d=mm&r=g) [Jen](http://www.schoandjo.com/) says: [March 15, 2023 at 8:36 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-36167) I bought your Roaming America book and love it! I’m using it for inspiration as I create a similar book for America’s Great Loop. Thank you for sharing your epic journey to all of the US National Parks with us\! [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-36167) 14. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Nick says: [January 29, 2023 at 10:23 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-34423) Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is among the worst national parks? You got to be kidding [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-34423) 15. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/751ae21e2a5bc319339eca61e02734fe55c28abbe808d07b15cec7d22c5f9df7?s=32&d=mm&r=g) gary stanyer says: [November 21, 2022 at 7:19 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-31538) hi there I amApril 2023 How do I sign up to get tips ?Cheers [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-31538) 16. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e192d8f92083bf1f3aae14506a712140c1d937f408d2a402811604a18fe325f8?s=32&d=mm&r=g) Jawana Watson says: [June 15, 2021 at 12:12 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-8610) Could you share what this trip cost you guys? [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-8610) 17. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/836495e49572b250216d1de1a21c4f28b9ad13709d5ee609e9b50391c97477a0?s=32&d=mm&r=g) JACKIE says: [August 17, 2020 at 1:30 am](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-7523) WOW so much helpful planning info in this blogpost. Thanks Renee for generously sharing your journey, maps, ideas and recommendations. [Reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#comment-7523) ### Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](https://www.reneeroaming.com/us-national-park-road-trip/#respond) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [Learn how your comment data is processed.](https://akismet.com/privacy/) ![Renee-Roaming-Profile-Photo](https://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Renee-Roaming-Profile-Photo.jpg) Hi! My name is Renee and I’m an Australian photographer, blogger & travel addict. I now call the U.S. home but you can usually find me wandering the globe with a camera in hand. Let’s get lost\! [About Me](https://reneeroaming.com/about/) [![Ultimate Yellowstone To Grand Teton Road Trip Itinerary](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Ultimate-Yellowstone-To-Grand-Teton-Road-Trip-Itinerary.jpg)](https://www.reneeroaming.com/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton/) #### [Ultimate Yellowstone To Grand Teton Road Trip Itinerary](https://www.reneeroaming.com/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton/) [![12 Best National Parks To Visit In The Fall - Grand Teton National Park Oxbow Bend](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/12-Best-National-Parks-To-Visit-In-The-Fall-Grand-Teton-National-Park-Oxbow-Bend.jpg)](https://www.reneeroaming.com/national-parks-to-visit-in-fall/) #### [12 Best National Parks To Visit In The Fall](https://www.reneeroaming.com/national-parks-to-visit-in-fall/) [![Incredible Iceland Road Trip Itinerary and Planning Guide - Dyrholaey Lighthouse](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Incredible-Iceland-Road-Trip-Itinerary-and-Planning-Guide-Dyrholaey-Lighthouse.jpg)](https://www.reneeroaming.com/iceland-road-trip-itinerary/) #### [Incredible Iceland Road Trip Itinerary and Planning Guide](https://www.reneeroaming.com/iceland-road-trip-itinerary/) [![Get-Outside-Beginners-Guide-to-Hiking-MtRainier](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Get-Outside-Beginners-Guide-to-Hiking-MtRainier.jpg)](https://www.reneeroaming.com/beginners-hiking-guide/) #### [Beginner Hiking Guide: Essential Tips for New Hikers](https://www.reneeroaming.com/beginners-hiking-guide/) [Destinations](https://reneeroaming.com/destinations/) [National Parks](https://reneeroaming.com/national-parks/) [Hiking](https://www.reneeroaming.com/hiking-guides/) [Camping](https://www.reneeroaming.com/travel/camping/) [Road Trips](https://reneeroaming.com/road-trips/) [Photography](https://www.reneeroaming.com/travel/photography/) ## Follow along on instagram [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.03@2x-300x400.png)](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.15@2x-300x396.png)](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.31@2x-300x400.png)](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.57.43@2x-300x400.png)](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.58.09@2x-300x399.png)](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [![](https://www.reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CleanShot-2025-12-23-at-12.58.17@2x-300x397.png)](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/reneeroaming/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/reneeroaming) [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reneeroaming/) [pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/reneeroaming/) [youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ufpzixKs1AL2VRIAHNyaA) ### Let's Connect - [Contact](https://www.reneeroaming.com/contact/) - [About](https://www.reneeroaming.com/about/) - [Work With Me](https://www.reneeroaming.com/work-with-me/) ### Subscribe ![](https://t.flodesk.com/utm.gif?r=5ec6da60d832e40026fdad3b) ### More Info - [FAQs](https://www.reneeroaming.com/faqs/) - [Resources](https://www.reneeroaming.com/resources/) - [Privacy + Policies](https://www.reneeroaming.com/policies/) © 2026 Renee Roaming
Readable Markdown	In 2017 I traveled to every single US national park with my husband. During the planning stages we very quickly realized there wasn’t much online to help us plan our itinerary. Of course there were blog posts listing all the national parks and plenty of people saying how they would hypothetically road trip to all of them… but we couldn’t find any maps or itineraries from someone who had firsthand taken a United States national park road trip to ALL of them in one consecutive trip. Keep reading to find out how we came up with our itinerary, whether or not the trip was a success, and if in retrospect we would make any changes. I will also do my best to share all the insiders secrets on how you can see every US national park in one life-changing road trip\! *Disclaimer: This blog post may feature some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). It’s one of the ways I can keep producing free guides and resources for my readers. Learn more about my affiliate policy [here](http://reneeroaming.com/policies/). Thank you for the support\!* Road Trip to Visit All the National Parks There are currently 63 national parks in America, 51 in the lower 48 states, 8 in Alaska, 2 in Hawaii, and 2 in American territories (US Virgin Islands, American Samoa). In this blog post, I will share an itinerary to visit EVERY national park, not just those in the 48 contiguous states. Note: In 2017 there were 59 national parks and 4 more have been added since our road trip. So I have gone ahead and included them in this US national parks road trip itinerary in the order we would have visited them. \besides New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. I put together a checklist of all the national parks, so you can mark each off as you visit them! In addition, it’s free to download via my [travel resource library](https://www.reneeroaming.com/resources/)! Click the image below. [![National Park Checklist Free Printable Download - Renee Roaming](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/National-Park-Checklist-Free-Printable-Download-Renee-Roaming.png)](http://reneeroaming.com/resources) ![Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary - Grand Teton National Park Van Life](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Best-National-Park-Road-Trip-Itinerary-Grand-Teton-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg) Outside of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming* Best National Park Road Trip Itinerary I frequently get asked what the ultimate national park road trip would be. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know a lot about our own itinerary to see all the national parks and looking back I think it was almost perfect\! Planning such an extensive trip So how did we decide on our optimal US national parks road trip? Let me tell you, it was A LOT of work to logistically map out such an extensive trip. We spent many hours (who am I kidding… we spent DAYS) researching, plotting directions into Google Maps, and also making spreadsheets. Our goal was to see every US national park with minimal backtracking and to arrive in each park during an ideal season. Our cross country national park road trip started on April 1st and finished on October 31st, spanning 7 months total. That included traveling to all the national parks in the contiguous United States, plus the other 12. We ended up driving over 25,000 miles, taking 26 flights, and visiting 39 states + 2 US territories. We skipped out on winter conditions in most parks and visited many of the tropical parks before peak summer temperatures hit. I think we timed it perfectly to visit many of the most beautiful parks during the height of hiking season. ![See Every US National Park on this EPIC Cross-Country Road Trip - Yosemite National Park Van Life](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/See-Every-US-National-Park-on-this-EPIC-Cross-Country-Road-Trip-Yosemite-National-Park-Van-Life-819x1024.jpg) Driving into the Yosemite Valley, California Would we do it differently? Overall we were happy with the itinerary we created to see the US national parks on one road trip. We wouldn’t make any major changes but these are some things we may have adjusted in hindsight: - If it had of been an option to start earlier in the year then we may have chosen to visit the Florida parks and USVI during winter. - Rocky Mountain National Park is best experienced during summer, so we may have opted to include that before or after [Grand Teton National Park](https://www.reneeroaming.com/road-trip-yellowstone-grand-teton/) if we had the time for extra driving. I do want to mention that it looks like we went FAR out of the way to visit Great Basin National Park. Well that’s because we did 😂, it really is in the middle of nowhere! We could have technically visited between our Zion and Bryce Canyon stops (adding about 5 hours of driving), but visiting during April wasn’t an option for us. We knew the park can get very snowy in winter and spring and some sections are closed to visitors. Instead we visited in early October and the fall conditions were beautiful\! Keep in mind that the best national park road trip route for your family may look different to ours. You could technically hop on the route at whatever point was closest to your own… you’ll see what I mean when you view the map below\! [![Map to visit every national park](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Map-to-visit-every-national-park-1024x711.png)](http://reneeroaming.com/route-to-all-us-national-parks/) Map to visit every national park Here is our exact itinerary to see all the US national parks, plus the inclusion of the 3 newly added parks. If you’re viewing on desktop and want to see this US national parks map in more detail then [click here for a full page version](http://reneeroaming.com/route-to-all-us-national-parks/). This interactive map of our national parks road trip shows the order we visited each park, our “as the crow flies” route, plus links to detailed guides for each national park. I will also link to these guides further down the blog post. \best viewed on desktop* **You can zoom in and see the route closer or if you’re on desktop I recommend [clicking here for a full page version](http://reneeroaming.com/route-to-all-us-national-parks/).** ![Van life in Capitol Reef ](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Best-national-park-road-trip-itinerary-Van-life-in-Capitol-Reef-National-Park-819x1024.jpg) Exploring Capitol Reef National Park, Utah How long would it take to visit all the national parks? I briefly mentioned earlier that our national parks trip took us 7 months (April – November). In saying that, I don’t want you to think that this is the only time frame to see all the US national parks. In fact, taking 10-12 months would be even better if you had the time and finances. You also need to consider that we didn’t visit White Sands, Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, and Indiana Dunes during that 7 month trip (because they weren’t designated national parks at the time). I would also say these 3 parks would have added on around 1.5 weeks to our national parks road trip itinerary. How long to spend in each national park? We never felt overly rushed during our 7 month national park road trip, but we did have many long driving days. For instance, our itinerary typically included 1-2 days in the smaller parks. 3-4 days in the larger and more popular parks, and also a week or more in some of the super remote Alaskan parks. For example, we spent 1 day exploring Carlsbad Caverns, 2 days exploring Joshua Tree, 3 days exploring Grand Canyon, 4 days exploring Great Smoky Mountain, 5 days exploring Yosemite, and 9 days exploring Gates of the Arctic. Parks that we planned to extensively hike or backpack in were allotted more days compared to parks that are known for their drive-up lookouts and easy to access views. Planning a national parks road trip itinerary will also be different for everyone. We met some travelers who were on a mission to visit every national park but were spreading the journey out over multiple years. We have also heard of people doing the same style trip but in only a few months. You can make your national park road trip as carefree or as adventurous as you like. We personally opted for somewhere in the middle – slow enough to get a good feel of the parks. But fast enough to finish our trip before winter started. Whether you plan to hike or backpack in the national parks will also help decide what length and style of trip you plan. [![Plan your trip with our national park book - Roaming America](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Plan-your-trip-with-our-book-1024x896.png)](https://amzn.to/3rsdJ6v) ![Joshua Tree van life](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/US-national-park-road-trip-Joshua-Tree-van-life-819x1024.jpg) Cruising through Joshua Tree National Park, California What are the best national parks? Did you know I have a blog post that features every [national park ranked from best to worst?](http://reneeroaming.com/americas-national-parks/) My husband and I used a rating system that factored in beauty, trails, accessibility, transport, crowds, facilities, and overall how photogenic they were. Here’s a summary of the parks we found to be the best and worst\! Best national parks These were the 10 best US national parks based on our ranking system: 1. [Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming](http://reneeroaming.com/grand-teton-national-park-guide/) 2. [Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska](http://reneeroaming.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-exploring-kenai-fjords-national-park/) 3. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska 4. Denali National Park, Alaska 5. [Mount Rainier National Park, Washington](http://reneeroaming.com/mount-rainier-national-park-guide/) 6. [Yosemite National Park, California](http://reneeroaming.com/yosemite-national-park-guide/) 7. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska 8. Glacier National Park, Montana 9. [Katmai National Park, Alaska](https://www.reneeroaming.com/how-to-visit-katmai-national-park-a-comprehensive-park-guide/) 10. [Lake Clark National Park, Alaska](http://reneeroaming.com/lake-clark-national-park-guide/) Worst national parks These were the 10 worst US national parks based on our ranking system. But keep in mind that all the parks are amazing and I am not saying these aren’t worth visiting. They just don’t have the same “wow” factor. Also keep in mind that the 4 new national parks were not considered when making this list (Gateway Arch, New River Gorge, White Sands, Indiana Dunes): 1. Congaree National Park, South Carolina 2. Biscayne National Park, Florida 3. Pinnacles National Park, California 4. Channel Islands National Park, California 5. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska 6. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio 7. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota 8. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota 9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida 10. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas 11. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado ![Van Life Couple](http://reneeroaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Road-Trip-to-Visit-All-the-National-Parks-Van-Life-Couple-819x1024.jpg) Side trip to the Alabama Hills of California Planning your national parks trip I have an entire blog post about [how to best plan your national park visits](http://reneeroaming.com/plan-a-national-parks-trip/). It goes into detail on when to start planning, how to write out an itinerary, how to create your own map, what to pack, how to buy a national park pass, and more! [Check it out here](http://reneeroaming.com/plan-a-national-parks-trip/). PIN to refer to later\!
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