The Roadbook
52 legs from Atlanta, Georgia and back: 16,303 road miles and 332 hours behind the wheel, spread over about 121 days. The odometer on the left runs from home.
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.
Leave around April 1: that date keeps the most parks in their best month. Rust notes mark legs over 8 hours that need overnight stops (12 legs, 16 nights in total). The budget adds 2 spare nights for weather and rest. Each park gets 2 nights: arrive, one full day, leave the next morning.
-
The Southeast and the Keys
4 parks in April, 1,007 miles of driving
- 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
-
Heartland to the Chihuahuan Desert
6 parks in April, 3,050 miles of driving
- 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).
-
Arizona and the Utah Canyons
8 parks in April–May, 1,360 miles of driving
- 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).
-
Colorado and the Great Basin
4 parks in May, 1,072 miles of driving
- 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
-
California
9 parks in May–June, 2,038 miles of driving
- 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).
-
The Pacific Northwest
4 parks in June, 1,092 miles of driving
- 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).
-
The Northern Rockies
4 parks in June, 1,486 miles of driving
- 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).
-
The Plains and the Great Lakes
7 parks in June–July, 2,542 miles of driving
- 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).
-
New England and Appalachia
5 parks in July, 2,465 miles of driving
- 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).