In 2016, a computer science and engineering Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University named Randy Olson created a road trip itinerary that, at the time, hit every national park in the contiguous United States. There have been a few additions since then: Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri was upgraded from a national historic site in 2018, and New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia switched from a national river to a national park in 2020. Matador added these to Olson’s map for an updated version, and it’s the ultimate road trip for any national parks lover.
Photo: Randy Olson
This Road Trip Takes You to Every National Park in the Contiguous United States
This road trip covers nearly 17,000 miles and, at its fastest, would take about two months to complete. Of course, that would mean not actually taking the time to visit any of the parks. The better way is to take your time to explore what makes these sites so special. Or if you’re part of the overwhelming majority of people who could never build up enough vacation time to hit the road for months on end, the loop route can be broken into segments.
This map just includes national parks, not the entire national park system that includes (national monuments, national forest, and more). If you want to just find the closest national park regardless of where you are, there’s a map for that, too. Just make sure you have the proper entry permits for the type of activities you want to do no matter which park you go to. After all, there’s a national park that’s a good fit for just about every type of traveler.
Here’s a list of all the national parks included in this new itinerary. Note that you can start the trip at any stop in the loop.
- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
- Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
- Saguaro National Park, Arizona
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
- White Sands National Park, New Mexico
- Big Bend National Park, Texas
- Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
- Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
- Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri
- Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
- Everglades National Park, Florida
- Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
- Biscayne National Park, Florida
- Congaree National Park, South Carolina
- Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
- New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia
- Acadia National Park, Maine
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
- Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
- Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
- Badlands National Park, South Dakota
- Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
- Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah
- Arches National Park, Utah
- Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
- Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
- Zion National Park, Utah
- Great Basin National Park, Nevada
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
- Glacier National Park, Montana
- North Cascades National Park, Washington
- Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
- Olympic National Park, Washington
- Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
- Redwood National and State Parks, California
- Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
- Yosemite National Park, California
- Kings Canyon National Park, California
- Sequoia National Park, California
- Pinnacles National Park, California
- Channel Islands National Park, California
- Joshua Tree National Park, California
- Death Valley National Park, California
