24 Adventures for Your 2024 Summer Calendar

With 3.1 million square miles to roam, America’s Lower 48 has more than its fair share of adventure. At least, it does if you have the right wheels. In the Jeep_® Wrangler 4xe — America’s best-selling plug-in hybrid¹ — there’s almost nowhere you can’t go. From off-roading on mountaintops to zooming down sandy beaches to tracing the edges of the continent, it’s all possible. When you’re ready to forge a path toward an epic summer 2024, roll the top down and roam the road on one of these 24 adventures.

BUILD YOUR WRANGLER 4xe for a 2024 summer adventure.

1. Drive off-highway to the largest alpine lake in America.

Due west of Lake Tahoe, the country’s best OHV route rises through the trees: the Rubicon Trail. It’s 22 miles of dense Sierra Nevada forest, granite boulders, water crossings, and segments with names like “Granite Slab” and “Big Sluice.” Ending at Tahoe’s shores, it’s a trip only for those with a suitable off-road vehicle — and plenty of off-road know-how.

2. Experience the Great River Road, Southern-style.

Coursing for some 3,000 miles down the Mississippi River, only the Great River Road rivals Route 66 in terms of historic towns and endless Americana. For a shorter stretch, we recommend Memphis to Vicksburg — you’ll get Civil Rights history and museums, plenty of blues and barbecue, and Southern soul food paper-plated and served riverside.

3. Wind down the longest drivable beach in the US.

For Maine-esque charm on the West Coast, head to Long Beach Peninsula, WA. And long it is: The 28-mile beach is a national highway and the longest drivable beach in the US. Its sands connect five state parks, two lighthouses, a historic fort, and lush hiking trails. One of the spots to check out is Cape Disappointment — but rest assured it’s nearly impossible to be disappointed here.

4. Take to the skies in southeastern Oregon.

At 2.5 million acres, the newly minted Oregon Outback Dark Sky Sanctuary is the largest dark sky sanctuary in the world. Sleep under the stars at a campground in Fremont National Forest or plan it as a day trip from nearby Klamath Falls. In town, trade the telescope for the binoculars: Klamath Falls has a bird count above 350 species, making this one adventure where things are “looking up.”

5. Search for wild horses on North Carolina’s barrier islands.

North Carolina’s Outer Banks has some famously wild residents: the Corolla Wild Horses. Descended from Spanish mustangs, these stocky creatures are a sight to behold. To see them on your own, you’ll need the 4WD capability of something like the Jeep Wrangler 4xe to navigate the northern beaches of Corolla and Carova. If you spot them, treat them like grizzly bears, and don’t get too close!

6. Drive back to 1969 in New York’s Catskills.

The Sullivan Catskills, just 90 minutes from Manhattan, are pretty legendary. Here, you can throw it back to the golden age of full-service resorts, the birth of American dry fly fishing, and the advent of the modern music festival — yep, this is where Woodstock took place in 1969, and you can tour the site today.

7. Go on a lesser-traveled Yellowstone adventure.

Largely thanks to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, it’s nearly impossible to score a summer hotel reservation or dinner table in Jackson, WY, the parks’ popular basecamp. Instead, head across the Idaho border to Driggs, a 2,000-person town deep in the Teton, Big Hole, and Snake River mountain ranges. You’ll get all the grandeur of the Teton–Yellowstone corridor without sacrificing lodging options, things to do, and elbow room.

8. Uncover Wisconsin’s architectural delights.

An hour from Madison, WI, an inexplicable sea of world-class culture has coalesced in the hamlet of Spring Green (pop: 1,500). Once in town, explore Taliesin, the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright; American Players Theatre, the premier classical theatre in the nation; and House on the Rock, a pseudo-Frank Lloyd Wright hallucination and Meow Wolf-like experience.

9. Get to know Colorado’s “other” national park site.

Drive five minutes west of Grand Junction and you’ll begin scaling the walls of Colorado National Monument. It’s got all the red-rock splendor of well-known sites like Zion but without the crowds and waiting lines. The 23-mile Rim Rock Drive is one of the American West’s grandest, and that’s saying something.

10. See Oklahoma’s mountains and deserts.

Oklahoma doesn’t get the credit it’s due: The Sooner State has 10 distinct ecological regions, from Rocky Mountain foothills to desert to Great Plains and more. Black Mesa, the state’s highest point at 4,974 feet, is the trail to take it all in. At 8.4 miles out and back, you’ll move from shortgrass prairie and fields of cacti to juniper-covered hills leading to views of Colorado and New Mexico.

11. Find your track on California’s Lost Coast.

When surveyors were mapping out California roads, one chunk of land was so rugged they skipped it. Now known as the “Lost Coast,” this area — 3.5 hours north of San Francisco — is largely unpopulated, undeveloped, and unbelievably scenic. From Humboldt County’s Mattole Beach, stretch your legs on the renowned Lost Coast Trail and see this uncharted region for yourself.

12. Paddle glow-in-the-dark waters in Florida.

On the coast east of Orlando, the rockets of Kennedy Space Center light up the sky by day; by night, bioluminescence lights up the water. Kayakers can paddle Merritt Island’s glowing, neon-blue waters come summer — the lucky ones will see a manatee or dolphin breaking the surface, causing glowing “sparks” to fly.

13. Drive across the “Switzerland of America.”

Colorado’s US-550 between Ouray and Silverton is nicknamed the “Million Dollar Highway,” and if it cost a million dollars to drive, it’d still be worth it. Slicing through the San Juan Mountains, you’ll land in Ouray — aka the “Switzerland of America” — a rugged playground of waterfalls, hiking trails, mountain biking, and off-roading adventure you’ll definitely want a Jeep Wrangler for.

14. Hit the white-sand beaches of Alabama.

Nope, no need to reach for the passport — Alabama’s white-sand beaches are zero flights and four wheels away. Set up somewhere like Gulf Shores, where 15 public beaches mean it’s dealer’s choice for fun in the sun. Once it gets dark, hit the legendary Flora-Bama, situated on the state line, to revel amongst a different kind of sea: one of country jams and cowboy hats.

15. Chase wild waterfalls on Minnesota’s North Shore.

Highway 61 out of Duluth follows Minnesota’s North Shore, aka the edges of Lake Superior. An ancient sea of lava has left behind countless raging waterfalls, epic river gorges, towering sea cliffs, and more — all right off the road. This one’s a stunner any time of year, but fall color makes it a real treat.

16. Hunt for caves and springs in the Ozarks.

Missouri’s Ozarks are great from above ground…and below. Over 300 caves exist within the boundaries of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, including many that have filled with water, called springs. The 310-foot-deep Blue Spring — accessible only via steep dirt road fit for the Wrangler 4xe — is the granddaddy of them all. The National Park Service calls it “one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever find, anywhere.”

17. Find out if you can hack the “Loneliest Road.”

Looking for solitude? You’ve found it: Nevada’s Highway 50 is “The Loneliest Road in America.” Despite the lack of traffic and services — you’ll be happy for the 4xe’s 370-mile range — the attractions are plenty: ghost towns, fabulous state parks, old-school saloons, dark skies, and views of the Silver State’s mountain horizons.

18. Drive to the edge of America.

The final fringe of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Drummond Island sits on the northern shores of Lake Huron, glancing at the Canadian border. After the car ferry from DeTour, dirt roads wind into the forest and to the island’s edges at Marblehead, where the nation’s last cliffs rise out of panoramic waters. Get there, and then it’s up to you: Drop a line, tie up your boots, or test out those all-terrain tires on the island’s rugged ORV trails.

19. Dig into the beauty of New York’s Finger Lakes.

Like a bear clawed at the map of upstate New York, the Finger Lakes are long, narrow, and fjord-like — not to mention lined with vineyards and full of history. A lot is possible here, from scuba diving and hiking the “Grand Canyon of the East” (that’s Letchworth State Park) to witnessing Seneca Falls’ suffragette history and sipping slowly on the local tonic: ice wine.

20. Learn about New Orleans’ wild, disappearing biodiversity.

While New Orleans is always worth a stop, its environs offer temporary adventure: South Louisiana contains around half of the country’s wetlands, and they’re disappearing at an alarming rate. Hear the story via swamp tours through Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, visit threatened coastal communities like Shell Beach, and tour the Bayou Bienvenue Wetlands Triangle, a ghost marsh just a few miles from the French Quarter.

21. See Big Bend how it’s meant to be seen.

Texas’ Big Bend National Park is fabulous in the frontcountry, but those with street-legal off-roading vehicles like the Wrangler 4xe get access to the park’s quietest, most scenic vistas. With 100+ miles of backroads that vary in difficulty — from the rough River Road, the park’s most remote, to the extremely challenging Black Gap Road — Big Bend can be all yours to explore.

22. Witness a migration of epic proportions.

Possibly the most famous migration in the country, more than half a million sandhill cranes take to Nebraska’s Platte River every spring. Picture blackened, bugling skies. I-80 follows the gentle river, making the experience ultra-accessible to anyone on four wheels. Set up in Kearney in March, and you’ll inevitably witness the wild annual scene.

23. Go out-of-this-world in New Mexico.

While you could take New Mexico’s Breakfast Burrito Byway with no regrets — yes, that’s a real thing — a different New Mexico route gets you more R&R: Ruidoso to Roswell. High in the Sierra Blanca Mountains, Ruidoso has some of the country’s southernmost skiing. An hour east lies Roswell, site of the famed UFO crash, where answers to your questions can be found at the International UFO Museum and Research Center.

24. Take it easy on Lover’s Key.

This has been a big summer. For some actual R&R, head down to Southwest Florida and Lover’s Key State Park, in Fort Myers Beach. Take the tram or head on foot into the park, where you’ll emerge onto a 2-mile sugar-sand beach famous for seashells and sunsets. Your summer 2024 is sunsetting too, but one question remains: Where will your Wrangler 4xe take you come fall?

^{1 Based on 2022CY Q4 Sales, JD Power Retail Sales Data (4xe trim claim only)}