The Most Efficient Way to Visit the 52 National Parks in the 48 Contiguous States
The Best Cross-Country Route, According To Science
Randy Olson mapped a 16,178 mile journey connecting every national park in the contiguous United States.
He estimates it would take 272 hours of driving on the fastest possible loop.
Start at whichever stop is closest to home and follow the numbers around until you're back where you began. At 6 hours behind the wheel a day the driving takes about 6.5 weeks.
The longest drive is Cuyahoga Valley to Acadia, 14 h 22 min. The shortest is Carlsbad Caverns to Guadalupe Mountains, 44 min.
Here is a map of the trip:
The map does not tell the whole story. Dry Tortugas, Isle Royale, and Channel Islands cannot be reached entirely by road. Visiting them requires a ferry, boat, seaplane, or another
connection beyond the drive.
Following the map, these are the national parks in order starting at Acadia National Park in Maine:
(I have added pictures of the parks that Gram and Pops have visited)
1. Acadia National Park, ME
2. Shenandoah National Park, VA
3. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, WV
4. Congaree National Park, SC
5. Everglades National Park, FL
6. Dry Tortugas National Park, FL
7. Bicayne National Park, FL
8. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
9. Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
10. Gateway Arch National Park, MO
11. Hot Springs National Park, AR
12. Big Bend National Park, TX
13. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
14. Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX
15. White Sands National Park, NM
16. Chiricahua National Park, AZ
(not visited yet)
17. Saguaro National Park, AZ
18. Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
19. Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
20. Mesa Verde National Park, CO
21. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO
22. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO
