Rippin' Road Trips
If you crave variety but don’t have much time, try one of our multi-park road trips.
Looking to make the most of your limited vacation time? Consider taking one of our road trips of the national parks. These tours take advantage of clusters of national parks to deliver a variety of destinations in as little as a couple of weeks.
Arches to Zion
Edward Abbey immortalized the locale of Arches National Park in his environmentalist classic Desert Solitaire. But the place probably didn’t need any help—with more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, as well as many other unique rock formations, it would have become famous in its own right anyway. From there, you won’t have to go far to Capitol Reef National Park, a nearly 100-mile-long fold in the Earth’s surface. The park has 378 square miles of buttes, canyons, and monoliths to explore. Next is the legendary Bryce Canyon National Park, which rises above 2,000 feet in elevation, giving the park several climate zones and varieties of forest. The park’s unique geology, a series of horseshoe-shaped spaces carved into the edge of a plateau, creates a stunning backdrop for your adventures. End your trip at Zion National Park, where the sandstone cliffs are cream, red, and pink. Tackle some of the trails that led to the clifftops, and be sure to experience the sensation of traveling along the floor of a narrow, cracklike canyon. Best of all, you can visit all of these places without ever leaving the state of Utah.
Death Valley to Yosemite
You don’t have to run in the Badwater Marathon to experience one of the most extreme places on Earth. Simply put, Death Valley National Park is the hottest, the driest, and the lowest spot around. But deserts have their charms too, such as streaming sand dunes and unique plants and animals. And you’ll appreciate the contrast all the more when you head north to Sequoia & Kings Canyon national parks, where you’ll find the world’s largest trees and enough backcountry to ensure that you can get away from the crowds. There’s terrain ranging from dry chaparral in the foothills to altitudes where snow is on the ground year-round. While it also attracts crowds, Yosemite National Park has almost 1,200 square miles to find a little privacy in. People come to see the waterfalls, the expansive meadows, deep valleys, and sheer granite rock faces—you should too.
For a great look at what you can see in and around Yosemite, click here.
Olympic to Mount Rainier
Seattle makes a great base of operations to begin your tour of three national parks in Washington state. To the west lies Olympic National Park, where you can experience a lush rainforest. Approximately 12 feet of rain falls each year in the west-facing valleys, so be sure to pack your rain jacket. But the thought of a little discomfort may be a little easier to contemplate when you realize that 95 percent of the park is wilderness area, and that there are plenty of spectacular, old-growth trees. To the northeast of Seattle, you can find North Cascades National Park Service Complex, which includes North Cascades National Park, and Ross Lake and Lake Chelan national recreational areas. This area has nearly 400 miles of trails and more than 300 glaciers. Be prepared for snow—the western sides of the mountains are among the snowiest places on Earth. More snow is in store when you go to Mount Rainier National Park. If you don’t have the time or ambition to go to the top, consider hiking some of the 93-mile Wonderland Trail (wiki), which encircles the mountain through subalpine meadows and old-growth forest, and offers frequent views of Mount Rainier.
Yellowstone to Grand Tetons
Besides its famous geysers and hot springs, Yellowstone National Park, America’s oldest national park, is home to an ecosystem that includes plenty of large animals, such as grizzly bears, wolves, elk, and bison. The Lamar and Hayden valleys are prime animal-viewing spots. Yellowstone also has a large backcountry, which means with a little effort you can leave the crowds behind. When you’re ready, it’s not a long trip to Grand Teton National Park. The jagged Tetons are some of the most-photographed mountains in the world, but to get the full effect, you need to see them in person as they tower above the sage-covered valley below. Take a hike to a glacial lake, through one of the many canyons, or to get an awe-inspiring view of the valley from above.
Yellowstone day hikes
Grand Teton hiking trails
Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains
Most parks are places to go and pretty much park—to camp, hike, climb, stay. But one of the United States’ rarest national park experiences is also about getting there, not just arriving.
Link together the Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park and you have a globally significant meander into the heart of one of America’s most scenic, storied mountain ranges. It’s like a motor trail equivalent of the Appalachian Trail.
It's also much more than just a physical journey. This is a road trip tour that could gobble up a month or more of vacation and actually end up transforming you as much as it does your odometer.
The 100 miles of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, and the 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Smokies, pass campground after campground, historic lodges, visitor centers, log cabins in the mist, and hundreds of trailheads. Among the latter are easy “leg-stretcher” hikes perfect for the fast sunset vista (if the road itself isn’t spectacular enough).
Blue Ridge Parkway "leg-stretcher" hikes
But there’s more than the arguably great trails alongside these roads. The backcountry of Shenandoah National Park, and the national forests, state parks, wilderness areas, and even private parcels that line the Blue Ridge Parkway, present a Who’s Who of the best mountains in the South. It’s one-stop shopping for an introduction to everything from the East’s highest mountains to great climbing sites, wonderful whitewater—and even cool mountain towns like Asheville. Everybody needs a few brews and a great weekend—even in the middle of a bona fide backcountry trip of a lifetime.
Oh, yes, the Smokies. Besides many more miles of awesome driving, there’s 500 miles of trails, a big bear population, and one of the South’s only “hut hiking” experiences at LeConte Lodge. Better leave now. You’ll need some time to do this one justice. Check out the Falcon Guide Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Everglades to Dry Tortugas
Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, is a haven for several endangered species, including the West Indian manatee, American crocodile, and Florida panther. One of the best ways to get around—and find a little solitude to boot—is by canoe or kayak. The park offers 156 miles of canoe/kayak trails and 47 designated wilderness campsites. Next, head over to Biscayne National Park, where you can snorkel or scuba along the world’s third-largest coral reef. Even though you are within sight of downtown Miami, you will find yourself a world away. To reach your final park will take a bit of effort, but Dry Tortugas National Park—a remote cluster of seven islands 70 miles west of Key West—is worth the trouble. Once a hideout for pirates and the site of an old military fort, the area today’s home for the endangered green sea and loggerhead turtles. Plan to do some snorkeling or diving while you’re there, and keep in mind that part of the fun of the Dry Tortugas is getting there. Be sure to make reservations in advance for the four-hour boat ride from Key West.
For more information on these parks or to discover your own grand tours, visit http://www.nps.gov/.
Posted on July 19, 2007