In 50 weeks, we’ll be visiting 50 National Parks.
There are 59 National Parks in total, and one day hopefully we shall see them all, but ambitious as our agenda may be, we’re not nutty enough to think we can see all parks in the continental US (plus 2 in Hawaii and one in the Virgin Islands) and then still have time to dash up to Alaska in the Whale to see the remaining 8 parks. Not to mention flying across the world for the final park in American Samoa. We’re very happy to zip around the continental US in our silver buggy, and then capping off our adventures by abandoning the Whale in the winter for some time in Hawaii. Besides, isn’t 50 just a nice, round number?
Here is our journey thus far, showing both the parks and the various cities we’ve stopped in to explore for one reason or another (usually because some kind of good eats is calling).
We were inspired by the NPS Centennial in 2016, and in particular one amazing road map created by Randy Olson, data scientist extraordinaire, that calculated the best route (well, most efficient) to all 47 parks in the continental US. This route covers almost 15,000 miles, and if you dedicate yourself to speed and just a glimpse of each park, this road trip would take about 2 months. (Interactive map: HERE)
Here’s another article about the proposed road trip, and while it notes that it’s highly improbable anyone would try this insanity… apparently there were at least 2 people crazy enough to try.
List of the National Parks we will be visiting, in order:
- Pinnacles CA
- Channel Islands CA
- Joshua Tree CA
- Death Valley CA
- Grand Canyon AZ
- Petrified Forest AZ
- Saguaro AZ
- Guadalupe Mountains NM
- Carlsbad Caverns NM
- Big Bend TX
- Hot Springs AK
- Mammoth Cave KT
- Great Smoky Mountains TN
- Everglades FL
- Dry Tortugas FL
- Biscayne FL
- Congaree SC
- Shenandoah VA
- Acadia ME
- Cuyahoga OH
- Isle Royale MI
- Voyageurs MN
- Theodore Roosevelt ND
- Badlands National Park SD
- Wind Cave SD
- Rocky Mountain CO
- Great Sand Dunes CO
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison CO
- Mesa Verde CO
- Grand Teton WY
- Yellowstone WY
- Glacier MT
- North Cascades National Park WA
- Mount Rainier National Park WA
- Olympic National Park WA
- Crater Lake OR
- Redwoods CA
- Lassen Volcanic National Park CA
- Yosemite CA
- Kings Canyon CA
- Sequoia CA
- Great Basin NV
- Zion UT
- Bryce Canyon UT
- Capital Reef UT
- Arches UT
- Canyonlands UT
- Haleakala HI
- Hawai’i Volcanoes HI
- Virgin Islands