Each summer we do an epic National Park Road Trip. Keep reading to see how I plan it.
How I plan our epic National Park Road Trips!
How I got started
My hubby retired 2 years ago and as soon as we decided to retire early, we planned a trip for that summer. We were National Park fans and had a map in our kitchen with all the parks on it. We had about 20 parks already done and wanted to get going on the other 43. I decided to plan a trip for that summer to get a lot of them done. We enjoyed it so much we did it the next year again and now I’m working on trip number 3 for next summer. Keep reading for tips on how to plan your awesome trip.
Initial planning
To plan a huge road trip or a shorter trip requires a bit of advance planning. We are often able to do short trips on the fly but a big National Park Road Trip takes a bit more thought. First, do you know exactly where you want to visit? If you don’t have an exact plan I suggest the Rand McNally Road Atlas and National Park Guide. Check it out in our Amazon Favorites store. This one is a favorite because it has a 2-page spread on each National Park and allows you to have the two page US map to plan your route.
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I’m a bit of a map nerd so I love this atlas for my planning. It’s got 2 pages on each National Park that will help this in your planning. I like to take a highlighter AFTER I have it mapped out so I can see it all lit up. Yep, I’m weird. But, in all seriousness, you do need to start with a great atlas. GPS is great but there are always times when you are glad to have an old-fashioned paper map to actual see the big picture and where you are heading next as you tackle your National Park Road Trip adventure.
How much time do you need to adventure?
Research each park you want to see
First up, how long do you have to travel? You need to pick a few parks in an area you want to see and research them to get an idea about how much time you would like or need in each park. This really is going to depend on what you like to do in the National Parks.
We like to see everything AND do a lot of hiking so we rarely can see a park in a day. But if you just want to visit and see the highlights maybe you can. That’s why you need to have an idea about each park and it’s “must do’s” before you decide to map out the adventure. Check my past blogs on some of the parks for even more info.
When you are researching the parks, see how far the nearest lodging is to the park and how far you will need to drive each day to get into the park. That can make a big difference on your amount of fun each day. If you have to drive 2 hours into and out of the park it can be draining and take away from your enjoyment. Figure out what areas you are going to need to look at for lodging and try and get as close as you can.
In addition to the National Parks I want to see, I also research the surrounding areas to see if there are any other things I want to add to the schedule like state parks, other national lands, and monuments. Often the surrounding areas are just as beautiful or even more beautiful than the National Parks and have way less crowds. Definitely check the atlas, the internet, and with me if you want more information on other things to see on your National Park Road Trip. Also, you may want to add in a little extra time for things you may find along the drive.
Decide how much time you need!
Once you do your research and you can plan how much time you need to do what you want to do you need to map out your travel. Some people like to just wing it but I’m a planner and I at least want to know where we are staying and how far we are driving most days. I recommend that at least for your first National Park Road Trip to make sure you can have a pretty organized schedule.
I usually have my atlas highlighted for our trip travel plan and also a word document with each day outlined. I keep track of accommodations, activities we have planned and ticketed, hikes we are interested in, food ideas we have looked up or heard about. It’s nice to have a hard copy of your tentative plans and also have it on your phone.
I also use the AllTrails app and have all potential trails saved and downloaded because most parks do not have good service. I highly recommend this app. I also use my phone’s notes app to write down ideas people share, things I read about or hear about on a podcast. Then when I get ready to plan my trips, I scroll through to see if there are things I need to add in to our trip
Where do we stay?
Everyone has a different idea of their ideal accommodations. Some want to camp, some are more into glamping or RV’s, some are into renting a VRBO house and others just pick a hotel. Whatever you are you really need to plan this in advance for most National Park Road Trips. It’s not easy to get a reservation last minute. Especially if you want to stay in a National Park.
How to reserve a lodging in a National Park?
This is what you need to plan for the most if you want to stay in the parks. Some parks, like Zion, Yellowstone, or Yosemite really are so much better if you stay in them. Sometimes it means a couple less hours of driving and waiting if you are staying in the park. Sometimes it means you don’t need a park entrance reservation. You are usually going to have the option of camping, a lodge or hotel like accommodation or occasionally a cabin. One of my favorite things about staying in a lodge is that they are almost always quite old and historic.
Cancellations
Always keep in mind that if you didn’t get a reservation in the park you wanted, you can check back every few weeks to see if there are cancellations. Mark it in your phone to continue to check. Also, we have happened into a same day cancellation, so we often check in with the lodges the same day in case someone cancelled last minute.
We aren’t campers so I don’t have experience trying to get those reservations, but I read a lot and know that the big parks camp grounds often sell out FAST. The same applies for most lodges. You have to do your research on your park lodging options way in advance. Like 1 year in advance for most places. Most of the park lodges open for the following years reservations anywhere from 11 to 13 months in advance. That’s why you need to do your research for the parks you are looking at well in advance. Keep notes in your document and set alerts in your phone.
When the time comes to get online or call for your reservation you need to do it right when it opens That may mean getting up in the night depending on where you live and where the location is. This past summer I was looking at reservations in Glacier National Park for NEXT summer and the reservations opened in the middle of night for me. I figured it wouldn’t be sold out if I just waited until the morning. I wasn’t wrong but they only had one TINY not very exciting room left in the morning. If you want something specific, get on it right away.
On each park’s website you will find their lodging options including their campgrounds and the timelines for reserving them. Each National Park does it a little differently as far as reserving, so this is something else to research as far in advance as possible.
Other housing options
If you don’t care if you stay in the park, I always recommend looking for a VRBO housing option. While you are outside of the park, you do have a place with a kitchen and laundry which can come in really handy on a long National Park Road trip when you want to eat a home cooked meal and do your laundry. You can find super options near most National Park entrances. There are some locations that we have gone back to more than once on different National Park road trips.
If we decide to stay in a hotel, we always go for Hilton. They have a great reward plan and you can get that to add up for you and get free rooms and other perks like snacks and drinks when you arrive and food/meal credits when you stay. They even have some parking spot priority for members. You always know what you are going to get with a Hilton. This is usually where we stay when we do long drive days getting to the next location.
Next Steps in your National Park Road Trip Planning
Get your outline started
I’m working on next summer’s National Park Road Trip right now. I’ve got my time planned and the parks I want to see. I made a word outline with all the dates, and I start by figuring out how long it takes to get to each location from the one before it and figure out where we need lodging along the road.
Next you can figure your days IN the parks and secure lodging either in the park or just outside. I had already gotten next summer’s lodging in Glacier and Yellowstone for next summer because you have to do that a year in advance. But yesterday I was able to get lodging in Grand Teton 8 months in advance when we decided to add that park. Just check with each parks website to see what is available.
Add your activities, hikes and adventures
This is my favorite part of National Park Road Trip planning. I’ve gotten my outline set and know where we will be when. Now I can add in all the fun stuff I’ve researched. I go through all my notes and AllTrails to find hikes that were recommended and sites to see in the parks and add them in. I always start with my must dos on each day and then add an extra thing or two IF we find we have time. You always tend to overestimate what you can do for sure.
I check my notes for surrounding areas to see if there are any can’t miss places. Don’t skip this part. Often there are some really great hidden gems just outside the National Parks. I can call it a National Park Road Trip, but it can also have National Monuments and Sites and even some great State Parks. You will love the cool finds you come across as you visit our parks.
Also look for activities nearby like rafting, off roading, helicopter tours and more to help you really dig deep into each park. I also leave a little time to visit each Visitor Center and ask them for their favorite hikes and usually find out about a hike I didn’t even see in my research. There are lots of local concessionaires outside most parks that can help you with just about any activity or rental you need. If you scroll through our past blogs on different adventures, you may even see a park you are heading to where I detail all the things you need.
The week before your road trip
Gearing up
Here are the main things I like to remember to do the week before our National Park Road Trips.
- Make sure your vehicle has been recently serviced.
- Assemble all the gear you want to take. We have a Ford F150, so we have lots of room in the back. We’ve purchased 4 large clear bins to put various gear in, in addition to our suitcases. It makes it easy to hop up into the back to find things.
- Make sure you have your atlas and maps in addition to GPS.
- Have hard copies of your itinerary in case you can’t access your device or don’t have service.
- Make sure you have all your hiking essentials, including first aid kit, light source, emergency food, water filter, maps etc.
- Get your refrigerator in the vehicle if you bring one. We take drinks, some cold foods and my hubby’s eye medicine in ours and are also able to take food from location to location so we aren’t wasting things we don’t use in one place.
- National Park Road Trip SNACKS! This is a must have. My backseat has a basket filled with all the goodies we might want along the way.
- Make sure you have everything covered at home. Mail cancelled or being brought in by friends/family. Plants watered by someone. Pets taken care of. Bills paid or able to be paid online while you are traveling. The bill thing was an eye opener for us the first time we were gone 6 weeks. Not something you necessarily think of in your initial planning.
- Do you have a list of all your contacts you might need to get in touch with on your trip? If it’s not in your phone, grab your address book on the way out. I still send post cards.
- Books to read during your down time at night or just when you are sitting and relaxing in the parks.
- I have a large first aid kit with extra meds we might need like extra toothpaste and toothbrushes etc. under the seat in our car. It comes in handy more than you would think.
- When you are traveling in your own vehicle on a National Park Road Trip go ahead and take hiking and other things you aren’t even sure you will need but MIGHT. You don’t want to have to buy something you have at home when you have t.
So, here you have my National Park Road Trip planning method. It’s really about preparing in advance and being attentive to detail and organized. If I can help you with your planning, please just comment below and I’ll try and help you. Also, I’d love to hear and implement any tips you might have as you plan. I always love to hear new ideas.
I hope this was helpful to you as you plan your own National Park Road Trip. I would love it if you would like, comment, or share this blog or even better do all three. And I hope you will follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and X.
Keep adventuring,
Stephanie
seymoreoftheworldwithme