In 2017, my husband and I road tripped to all 59 US National Parks with Evolve and GoWesty. It took us 7 months, 25,000+ miles of driving, 26 flights, and countless trails hiked. Along the way we passed through 39 U.S. States, 2 U.S. Territories, and drove some of the most beautiful roads in the country.
Our road trip started in April and finished in late October. I have had so many of you ask about our route so I thought I would share some detailed maps (see below).
In brief, we started in Zion > explored the southwest > headed east > south to Florida > onto the US Virgin Islands > up the east coast > across the northwest > down into the Rockies > northwest to Alaska > down the west coast > Hawaii > and lastly ended in American Samoa.
Note – since our trip, another national park was added to the list – Gateway National Park in St. Louis, Missouri – making 60 total We will update our park blog posts once we get a chance to visit, but for now this is based on the 59 National Parks that were designated as of 2017.
Our Route To All 59 US National Parks In 7 Months
Click on the maps for an enlarged view!
LOWER 48 PARKS
SOUTHWEST PARKS – IN DEPTH
VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
East COAST PARKS – IN DEPTH
ALASKA PARKS
WEST COAST PARKS – IN DEPTH
Hawaii & American SAmoa PARKS
More National Park Posts
America’s National Parks – Ranked Best to Worst
15 Least Crowded National Parks & Why You Need To Visit Them
The 15 Most Underrated National Parks in America
The Best National Park in America? A Guide to Lake Clark National Park
Olympic National Park Adventure: 24 Hour Getaway from Seattle
Guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Maps courtesy of the amazing Kayleigh Rust. Check out her work here
Disclaimer – Matthew and I partnered with Drink Evolve and GoWesty for this road trip. All opinions are of course unbiased and honest. All photographs owned and taken by Renee and Matthew Hahnel.
As ad adventurous hiker and kayaker who also loves fishing, East Coast parks are the best for me. There are lots of small, less knows parks which are great for for those who likes being alone in the nature. Thanks for sharing your amazing experience. I loved reading it.
Dear Renee, I have been following your blog for a very long time and I should say your travel stories are not only inspirational but also gives us readers a great treat for our eyes through such amazing captures through your lens. This article on your adventurous journey not only highlights the beauty of all the different National parks around US but also showcases your love for travel as a couple.
You are truly talented Renee, your photographs are so inspiring. I’ve been following you on instagram for a while but have just discovered your blog! I’m thinking of visiting some of the south-west parks next Spring. Apologies if you have covered this question somewhere else, but do you pre-book the campsites you plan to stay in? Thank you 🙂
Hi Ishia, thanks so much! Sorry I only just saw your comment. We pre-booked our campsites for the more popular parks like Yosemite etc. but just did walk-in sites for the quiet parks. I think if you can pre-booking is always best! 🙂
I would love to do this road trip soon, Renee! Your post was so motivational!
I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Such an amazing post and what a great way to discover the US! I’m glad you decided to start with Southern Utah, because it tends to get SUPER hot during the summer months! I love the Virgin Islands National Park, so I hope you will too! Can’t wait to read your review!
Thanks so much Rachelle! Virgin Islands National Park was insane! I definitely rate it super highly 🙂
Oh my gosh, this is seriously epic! I can’t wait to see all of the photos from every. single. park. We want to (eventually) get around more of the US – when we have a chunk of time we can take off so we can truly explore – and this is serious US dreams! I’ll definitely be checking out your mini guides!
I really hope you can make that happen Kelly 🙂
Oh wow, this sounds like so much fun! I would love to do a road trip like this one day!
Thank you Cynthia!
What a dream of a trip! I love the national parks, and you’re in for an adventure 🙂
Thank you Angela! It sure has been an adventure so far 🙂
Damnit Renee this is gorgeous! Makes me so itchy right now haha. My big vanlife trip is planned for next year, including the US, so this is really helpful for some route planning – thanks 🙂
Thanks Christina! How exciting – good luck on your vanlife adventures!
This is such a GRAND road trip!!!!! I’m planning one for September as well – maybe not to all 59 parks – but definitely keeping this in my bookmarks. BTW, love your photos! Recently stumbled across your page on Instagram and was in awe. Glad I checked out your blog and thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much Jas! Good luck with your September road trip!
This is such an epic adventures! I really enjoyed seeing your route, it looks like you are covering tons of ground during the months on the road.
Thanks Sara! We are definitely trying to :p
This is amazing! I would love to do something like this. I’m from the US originally (I’ve been living abroad for a few years), and I have travelled to about half the states. Somehow I have only been to 2 of the national parks though which surprised me! Just the Grand Canyon and Zion. I will be back in the Boston area next month to visit my family, so I definitely want to try and visit a couple of the northeast national parks!
Thanks Christie! I hope it inspired you to see some more parks – they are so worth it!
Wow, this sounds like such a rad adventure! My bf and I have a camper that we plan to travel our little corner of the US in (the Pacific Northwest) but eventually, we’d like to upgrade to a van. Something about that van life…
Thanks Leah! I hope you guys can make it happen 🙂 Great blog post by the way, I can totally resonate with it!
Wow what an epic adventure. Perfect time to see these wonderful national parks before they are gone.
I couldn’t agree more Jean. Another reason to protect them as much as possible!
What an amazing itinerary. This trip sounds wonderful!
Thanks Tracy!
Oh my God. This is epic. Thank you for such an excellent resource. My dream is to visit as many National Parks as possible. I look forward to following along with your journey!
Thank you Cali! I am so glad you found it useful!
This is AWESOME!!! We love road trips. You are literally doing it all. I love how you have broke down your trip. I look forward to following your adventure!
Cheers Christina! It’s definitely a busy trip but also a lot of fun!
I have been following your roadtrip on Instagram and I love your photos so much. The editing is flawless and you are so talented! I am heading to Lake Tahoe in a couple of weeks and I am so excited as it is supposed to be beautiful.
Thank you so much for following along Julie! You will love Lake Tahoe, I can’t wait to get back!
This is so epic. I’m so jealous of those Alaska NP visits.
Thank you! I think they are going to be some of the best parks!
Can you please do Alaska in depth? Love your posts and your travels xx
Hi Mindy! The map does show all the Alaska National Parks. Try clicking on it and you should be able to zoom in a little more. I will be posting about my experience in Alaska so stay tuned!
I’ve been following your adventures since earlier this year (I discovered you through suggested users on Instagram!), and I’m so excited to hear that you plan on visiting all 59 National Parks here in the US! My husband and I have been to a few, and visiting as much as many National Parks whenever we travel is always on top of our itinerary! I cannot thank you enough for sharing this! Cheering you on as you complete all 59 National Parks! 🙂
Thanks so much for following our journey 🙂
Wow! What an intense itinerary! It looks like both a ton of fun and a ton of work. I hope you guys are keeping in good spirits. 🙂 I live in northern AZ and seeing that crazy squiggle around the SW really drives home just how many parks I live near–many of which I still need to go to! <3
I can't wait to see your pics from Shenandoah–my old stomping grounds. :')
Thanks Suzanne! The SW was such a blast – you are very lucky to live so close to such natural beauty!
So amazing Renee! Love waking up in the morning to see what incredible place you guys have been checking out. Although, it does make it tough to head into work and focus on super fun stuff like assessment, marking & report cards when I see where you are – especially when you visited the Dry Tortugas. Enjoy it and keep the posts coming xx
Thank you lovely 🙂 x