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If exploring the breathtaking beauty of the National Park System in one road trip is on your bucket list, this map may be for you. In 2016, celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, blogger Randy Olson devised the best routes to explore some of America’s most spectacular national parks.
The U.S. National Park System technically consists of 59 parks, but 12 of them are located in Alaska, Hawaii, and other U.S. territories. This road trip focuses only on locations within the Continental 48 that can be accessed in a single car trip.
Even with the decline in parks outside of the Lower 48 states, Olson included 47 other parks along the route, stopping in 23 different states. If you’ve never been to Grand He Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Joshua He Tree, and other great national parks, this might be the best way to see them all at once.
Those determined to complete a scenic road trip can do so in about two months. The route covers 14,498 miles. Olson begins his journey at the Grand His Canyon, but he designed the route as a loop so you can start anywhere on the map and go in any direction you like.
Below you will find a complete list of national parks in order and a visual route.
Randy Olson/Google Maps
The Ultimate US National Park Road Trip
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona Saguaro National Park, Arizona Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico Big Bend National Park, Texas Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee Everglades National Park, Florida Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Biscayne National Park, Florida Congaree National Park, South Carolina Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Acadia National Park Parks, Maine Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Isle Royale National Park, Michigan Voyagers National Park, Minnesota Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Badlands National Park, South Dakota Cave of the Winds National Park, Colorado Rocky Mountains National Parks, 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 States 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 Mt. 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, California National Parks Pinnacles National Park, California Channel Islands National Park, California Joshua Tree National Park, California Death Valley National Park, California
This post was originally published on June 16, 2017 and updated on March 9, 2022.
Read more: A map showing the most efficient road trips across the United States
