{"id":137647,"date":"2020-06-09T13:25:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T20:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=137647"},"modified":"2024-03-28T11:29:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T18:29:38","slug":"best-national-park-road-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/best-national-park-road-trips","title":{"rendered":"Best National Park Road Trips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our national parks offer an unparalleled opportunity to explore extraordinary places, discover stories of history and culture, and help out. We\u2019ve created a few road trip itineraries that mix all three activities. We hope these routes spark inspiration for future adventures or your own close-to-home road trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you go: Be sure to follow local orders and recreation guidelines, and check access to parks and sites before visiting.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to camp: In addition to checking sites in the parks you plan to visit, also check out Hipcamp,<\/a> a great resource for finding and reserving nearby campsites on private lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Ridge Parkway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

590 miles, three parks, a mile-high bridge and exotic squirrels<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Road<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park <\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Smokies\u2019 menagerie of black bears, birds and endemic salamanders is a bounty for wildlife lovers. Enter the lottery in April for free passes in late May or early June each year and a chance to be one of the lucky few to catch the bioluminescent mating dance of synchronous fireflies<\/a>\u2014the only species in America whose individuals harmonize their flash patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. White Squirrels<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Just south of Asheville, the town of Brevard is home to rare white squirrels. (Rumor has it that the population derives from an escaped carnival squirrel.) Help out by \u201cadopting\u201d a squirrel through the White Squirrel Institute, with your contribution going toward the preservation of the animal\u2014plus, you get a certificate and a photo of a white squirrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Biltmore Estate<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The largest privately owned house in the U.S., the Biltmore is famous for its 250-room French Renaissance ch\u00e2teau and luxurious gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Asheville River Arts District<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Visit the studios and galleries of hundreds of artists, ranging from jewelry to pottery to painting. Plus, there\u2019s food for every palate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Grandfather Mountain<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A walk across the Mile High Swinging Bridge gives an exhilarating perspective on Appalachia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Coyote Kitchen<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A hole-in-the-wall with great Southwest Caribbean soul food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Appomattox Court House National Historical Park<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The site where the Civil War came to an end. Give yourself at least two hours to tour the dozen-plus restored buildings on-site, including a county jail, a tavern and the McLean House where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Daedalus Bookshop<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This three-story shop of out-of-print books is a great place to pick up a good read for the campfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Shenandoah National Park<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Just 75 miles west of\u00a0Washington, D.C.,\u00a0Shenandoah is a place where\u00a0you can trade in traffic\u00a0and cityscapes for\u00a0waterfalls and wooded\u00a0hollows. Human\u00a0history in the region\u00a0encompasses nearly\u00a09,000 years of hunting,\u00a0gathering, farming\u00a0and homesteading.\u00a0Now is your chance\u00a0to protect the land by\u00a0becoming a Habitat\u00a0Defender<\/a>. You can join\u00a0the park\u2019s restoration\u00a0team, salvaging native\u00a0plants, transplanting\u00a0seedlings and handpulling\u00a0invasive weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Illustration
Shenandoah National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Midwest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

435 miles from arch to dunes, seven parks and historic sites and pre-Columbian burial mounds<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Midwest<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Twelve miles from Missouri\u2019s Gateway Arch, Ulysses S. Grant NHS preserves five historic structures on 10 acres of the original estate, including the 18th president\u2019s home (with garish green paint job). After taking a guided tour, walk or cycle along Grant\u2019s Trail, an 8-mile pathway that leads you by Grant\u2019s Farm, one of the homes of the Budweiser Clydesdale horses, and Father Dickson Cemetery, one of the first public cemeteries for African Americans in the St. Louis area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Gateway Arch National Park<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This national park, which celebrates the iconic 630-foot steel arch, is the system\u2019s smallest and most urban\u2014marking a growing trend to bring access to public lands to city dwellers. Spend hours here analyzing terrazzo maps, artifacts and dioramas that take you through two centuries of American history. The beautifully renovated museum is free to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Granite City Art and Design District<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In a postindustrial landscape, this district of Granite City, Illinois, is repurposing the land for innovative gardens, interactive exhibitions and gritty art shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ten miles across the Mississippi River in Illinois is the largest pre-Columbian earthen construction in the Americas north of Mexico. These burial-mound structures represent the Indigenous history of the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. D\u2019Arcy\u2019s Pint<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This pub\u2019s locally famous \u201chorseshoe\u201d meal of Texas toast, meat and fries smothered in cheese sauce is perhaps America\u2019s best answer to Canada\u2019s poutine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Lincoln Home National Historic Site<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Get your free ticket and take a tour of the Springfield home Abraham Lincoln lived in for 17 years. Tours are temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Allerton Park & Retreat Center<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the \u201cseven wonders of Illinois,\u201d this Georgian-style mansion is an extravagance of expansive windows, marble fireplaces and elegant decor on 1,500 acres of woodlands, prairie, sculpture gardens and hiking trails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Turkey Run State Park<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Stretch your legs in this state park that offers hiking through ravines and gorges, horseback riding, canoeing, fishing, swimming and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Illustration
Turkey Run State Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

9. Indiana Dunes National Park<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Finish the road trip\u00a0at one of America\u2019s\u00a0newest national parks<\/a>,\u00a0exploring the dunes,\u00a0wetlands, prairies,\u00a0rivers and woods. And\u00a0if you happen to live\u00a0nearby, think about\u00a0becoming a railroad\u00a0crew volunteer<\/a> with the\u00a0Trails & Rails program,\u00a0helping to educate the\u00a0public on the National\u00a0Park Service\u2019s history\u00a0with railways and\u00a0to encourage the use of\u00a0public transportation\u00a0into parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

California<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

766 miles of the state\u2019s less-trafficked parks, plus kringle and roaming zebras<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"California<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Parks Project<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Based in Los Angeles, the Parks Project collaborates with land managers to connect volunteers to projects, which include trail restoration, planting events and cleanups\u2014they\u2019ve logged more than 2,000 volunteer hours to date. Sign up for a stewardship project<\/a> and start o\ufb00 your road trip with a little dirt under your nails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Solvang<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Heading up the coast, stop in this historic Danish town to see the wooden windmills and munch on dark limpa bread, kringle and strudel delicacies at Olsen\u2019s Danish Village Bakery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Great American Melodrama <\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before finding a campsite for the night, stop by Oceano for a vaudeville show that includes song, dance and comedy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater has temporarily suspended ticket sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Madonna Inn<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Need a restroom break? Stop here to see their famous motion-activated waterfall urinal (which looks more like an Alice in Wonderland grotto).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Hearst Castle<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A typical tour of one of the most lavish estates in California includes sights of the outdoor Neptune Pool and indoor Roman Pool, a wine cellar built during Prohibition, 127 acres of gardens\u2014and even a herd of zebras roaming the property. Tours are temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, but you can check their website for updates on when they’ll be offered again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Pinnacles National Park<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This newest edition to the California national parks is the least visited of the state\u2019s nine. You\u2019ll find terrain split by the San Andreas Fault and an opportunity to see the rare and critically endangered California condor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Blossom Trail<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Central California erupts in the spring with tree blossoms, from almond to orange to apple. Take a back-road drive to Fresno and be astonished by the endless fields of fruiting life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Fossil Falls <\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This place has neither fossils nor waterfalls, but it does o\ufb00er an eroded lava chasm that looks like a pitfall into the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Manzanar National Historic Site <\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

End your trip at Manzanar, touring one of the 10 camps where Japanese American citizens were incarcerated during World War II and learning about this somber period in American history. The visitor center and Block 14 exhibits are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but outdoor exhibits such as the Japanese gardens and cemetery remain open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Illustration
Sierra Nevada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustrations by Todd Detwiler<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our national parks offer an unparalleled opportunity to explore extraordinary places, discover stories of history and culture, and help out. We\u2019ve created a few road trip itineraries that mix all three activities. We hope these routes spark inspiration for future adventures or your own close-to-home road trip. Before you go: Be sure to follow local […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":167453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[388],"tags":[758,2006,113,843,1934,2024],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-137647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-how-to","tag-issue-3","tag-national-park","tag-road-trip","tag-uncommon-path","tag-uncommon-path-issues"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/travel\/best-national-park-road-trips","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Best National Park Road Trips","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/best-national-park-road-trips","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/travel\/best-national-park-road-trips"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/Harnois_102517_1812_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/06\/Harnois_102517_1812_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Travel","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["how to","issue 3","national parks","road trip","uncommon path","uncommon path issues"],"dateCreated":"2020-06-09T20:25:15Z","datePublished":"2020-06-09T20:25:15Z","dateModified":"2024-03-28T18:29:38Z"},"rendered":"