Every National Park in the Lower 48, in One Long Drive.
51 parks, 16,303 road miles and about 4 months on the road, starting and finishing in Atlanta, Georgia. Here is the whole route, leg by leg, with what it costs.
Read the Roadbook Estimate Your Budget
From Atlanta, Georgia: leave around April 1, start at Congaree and finish at Great Smoky Mountains.
Pick your city: you join the loop at the park nearest home and drive the same direction around.
- national parks
- 51
- road miles
- 16,303
- months on the road
- ~4
- planning budget
- $64,779
Nine Segments, One Loop
The loop follows the seasons: deserts in spring, high mountain roads once the snow clears, the Great Lakes and New England in late summer.
- 1
The Southeast and the Keys
Congaree, Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas
April
1,007 mi - 2
Heartland to the Chihuahuan Desert
Gateway Arch, Hot Springs, Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands
April
3,050 mi - 3
Arizona and the Utah Canyons
Saguaro, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands
April–May
1,360 mi - 4
Colorado and the Great Basin
Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Great Basin
May
1,072 mi - 5
California
Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Channel Islands, Pinnacles, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, Redwood
May–June
2,038 mi - 6
The Pacific Northwest
Crater Lake, Olympic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades
June
1,092 mi - 7
The Northern Rockies
Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain
June
1,486 mi - 8
The Plains and the Great Lakes
Wind Cave, Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt, Voyageurs, Isle Royale, Indiana Dunes, Cuyahoga Valley
June–July
2,542 mi - 9
New England and Appalachia
Acadia, Shenandoah, New River Gorge, Mammoth Cave, Great Smoky Mountains
July
2,465 mi
How the Roadbook Reads
Each leg shows the running odometer, the drive to the next lodging base, the trip day you arrive, and anything that changes the plan: ferries, seasonal road closures, and long days that need an overnight stop.
- 212 +212 mi
Congaree stay in Columbia SC
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 56 min of driving a day).
- 880 +667 mi
Everglades stay in Homestead FL
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 8 min of driving a day).
- 880 same base
Biscayne stay in Homestead FL
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 0 h of driving a day).
Mostly water; tours from Convoy Point
- 1,007 +128 mi
Dry Tortugas stay in Key West FL
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 20 min of driving a day).
Boat or seaplane; car remains in Key West
- 2,381 +1,374 mi
Gateway Arch stay in St Louis MO
Plan 3 overnight stops on the way (about 6 h 32 min of driving a day).
- 2,779 +398 mi
Hot Springs stay in Hot Springs AR
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 7 h 29 min of driving a day).
- 3,641 +863 mi
Big Bend stay in Terlingua TX
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 8 h of driving a day).
- 3,911 +270 mi
Guadalupe Mountains stay in Carlsbad NM
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 41 min of driving a day).
- 3,911 same base
Carlsbad Caverns stay in Carlsbad NM
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 0 h of driving a day).
- 4,057 +146 mi
White Sands stay in Alamogordo NM
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 15 min of driving a day).
- 4,399 +342 mi
Saguaro stay in Tucson AZ
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 5 min of driving a day).
- 4,634 +235 mi
Petrified Forest stay in Holbrook AZ
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 7 min of driving a day).
- 4,811 +177 mi
Grand Canyon stay in Grand Canyon Village AZ
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 19 min of driving a day).
- 5,065 +254 mi
Zion stay in Springdale UT
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 44 min of driving a day).
- 5,149 +84 mi
Bryce Canyon stay in Bryce Canyon City UT
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 2 h 7 min of driving a day).
- 5,260 +112 mi
Capitol Reef stay in Torrey UT
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 2 h 47 min of driving a day).
- 5,417 +156 mi
Arches stay in Moab UT
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 10 min of driving a day).
- 5,417 same base
Canyonlands stay in Moab UT
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 0 h of driving a day).
- 5,531 +114 mi
Mesa Verde stay in Cortez CO
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 2 h 21 min of driving a day).
- 5,683 +152 mi
Black Canyon of the Gunnison stay in Montrose CO
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 37 min of driving a day).
- 5,869 +187 mi
Great Sand Dunes stay in Alamosa CO
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 9 min of driving a day).
- 6,489 +620 mi
Great Basin stay in Baker NV
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 8 min of driving a day).
High road may be snowbound
- 6,851 +362 mi
Death Valley stay in Furnace Creek CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 7 h 14 min of driving a day).
- 7,089 +237 mi
Joshua Tree stay in Twentynine Palms CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 40 min of driving a day).
- 7,297 +208 mi
Channel Islands stay in Ventura CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 10 min of driving a day).
Island boat schedule; car remains in Ventura
- 7,524 +227 mi
Pinnacles stay in Soledad CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 34 min of driving a day).
East and west entrances not road-connected
- 7,697 +174 mi
Sequoia stay in Three Rivers CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 49 min of driving a day).
- 7,754 +57 mi
Kings Canyon stay in Grant Grove CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 1 h 35 min of driving a day).
Cedar Grove access seasonally variable
- 7,899 +146 mi
Yosemite stay in Yosemite Valley CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 40 min of driving a day).
Tioga Road may remain closed in June
- 8,214 +314 mi
Lassen Volcanic stay in Chester CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 7 h 8 min of driving a day).
Highway opening varies with snow
- 8,526 +313 mi
Redwood stay in Crescent City CA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 24 min of driving a day).
- 8,706 +179 mi
Crater Lake stay in Fort Klamath OR
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 1 min of driving a day).
Rim Drive may remain partly closed in June
- 9,198 +492 mi
Olympic stay in Port Angeles WA
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 18 min of driving a day).
- 9,353 +155 mi
Mount Rainier stay in Ashford WA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 43 min of driving a day).
High-elevation roads snow-dependent
- 9,618 +265 mi
North Cascades stay in Winthrop WA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 20 min of driving a day).
- 10,073 +455 mi
Glacier stay in West Glacier MT
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 58 min of driving a day).
Going-to-the-Sun Road opening varies
- 10,503 +430 mi
Yellowstone stay in Canyon Village WY
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 12 min of driving a day).
- 10,618 +115 mi
Grand Teton stay in Jackson WY
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 3 h 14 min of driving a day).
- 11,104 +486 mi
Rocky Mountain stay in Estes Park CO
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 41 min of driving a day).
- 11,456 +352 mi
Wind Cave stay in Custer SD
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 50 min of driving a day).
- 11,551 +95 mi
Badlands stay in Wall SD
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 1 h 52 min of driving a day).
- 11,848 +298 mi
Theodore Roosevelt stay in Medora ND
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 39 min of driving a day).
- 12,424 +575 mi
Voyageurs stay in International Falls MN
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 21 min of driving a day).
Water-based park; boat tours from Rainy Lake
- 12,673 +249 mi
Isle Royale stay in Grand Portage MN
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 43 min of driving a day).
Ferry/seaplane schedule and weather; car remains at mainland port
- 13,337 +664 mi
Indiana Dunes stay in Chesterton IN
Plan 1 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 34 min of driving a day).
- 13,647 +310 mi
Cuyahoga Valley stay in Peninsula OH
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 5 h 44 min of driving a day).
- 14,552 +906 mi
Acadia stay in Bar Harbor ME
Plan 2 overnight stops on the way (about 5 h 59 min of driving a day).
- 15,341 +789 mi
Shenandoah stay in Luray VA
Plan 2 overnight stops on the way (about 5 h 31 min of driving a day).
- 15,556 +215 mi
New River Gorge stay in Fayetteville WV
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 17 min of driving a day).
- 15,908 +352 mi
Mammoth Cave stay in Cave City KY
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 6 h 52 min of driving a day).
- 16,111 +203 mi
Great Smoky Mountains stay in Townsend TN
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 14 min of driving a day).
- 16,303 +192 mi
Home: Atlanta GA
Plan 0 overnight stop on the way (about 4 h 10 min of driving a day).
What It Costs
Our planning estimate is $64,779 for 121 days, about $535 a day for one traveler.
Lodging is most of it. Fuel and vehicle wear for 18,728 miles come to $6,555. Change any assumption in the calculator to see your own number.
| Lodging (120 nights) | $36,000 |
|---|---|
| Food | $9,075 |
| Fuel and vehicle wear | $6,555 |
| Park fees, tours, tolls | $4,700 |
| Contingency (15%) | $8,449 |
| Total | $64,779 |
The Road Trip Planning Kit
The spreadsheet behind this site: budget and fuel calculator, park and season checklist, lodging tracker, and vehicle prep list. $29.
Coming soon.