University of Penn data scientist Dr Randal Olson is passionate about researching and optimizing the best road trip routes in the United States. For his pièce de résistance, Dr. Olson created a map of the optimal way to visit all 47 U.S. National Parks in the 48 contiguous states of the mainland United States.
12 of the 59 National Parks are located in Hawaii, Alaska, and other United States territories, for the sake of a single road trip, he left those out. But still, tackling 47 mainland parks over (suggested) two months covering 14,498 miles would be quite the journey.
The full list of National Park included in this trip are as follows:
- 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, Maine
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
- Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
- Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
- Badlands National Park, South Dakota
- Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
- Rocky Mountain National Park, 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
- 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
- Mount 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 National Park, California
- Pinnacles National Park, California
- Channel Islands National Park, California
- Joshua Tree National Park, California
- Death Valley National Park, California
Ready to hit the road?
Read Dr Randal’s original post in celebration of the U.S. National Parks centennial anniversary and find the Google Maps you need for the full trip here: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
Do you know how I can get a copy of that map??
Hi Donna! The full map is a composite of these 5:
1. http://j.ronz.io/everglades-to-badlands
2. http://j.ronz.io/badlands-to-zion
3. http://j.ronz.io/zion-to-mather
4. http://j.ronz.io/lassen-to-mather
5. http://j.ronz.io/mather-to-everglades
You can use those links to pull up the interactive Google Map and send directions to your phone, save, or print your segments!