Are you ready to take a family road trip but not sure where to go or how to plan? This post was originally published in honor of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service, as a way to share several of the big National Park family trips that we have taken over the years. With a renewed interest in road trips for the summer of 2020, I’m spotlighting these 6 road trip suggestions, running in length from 4 days to 3 weeks. Some include urban activities, visiting cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Use the links to find more detailed information, including suggested routes and activities, with itineraries for the longer trips that include multiple national parks. You can also visit the familyTravelsUSA Pinterest boards, filled with thousands of ideas and suggestions, organized by topics including road trips, national parks, road food and many state-specific travel and food boards.
*This post was originally published in April, 2016, and updated June 2020.
Four Corners Southwest Road Trip
The Four Corners Southwest road trip was our first big national park trip, beginning and ending in Albuquerque New Mexico. The nice thing about this area of the country is that many of the parks are close together, so you can easily plan a route that covers most or all of these iconic places. We traveled over 2200 miles, from New Mexico, to Colorado, into Utah and Arizona, and then back to Albuquerque. Along the way, we visited many national parks, rode a narrow gauge train, went horseback riding, took a float trip along the Colorado River and a boat tour on the Lake Powell. I must admit I did make one mistake planning, and that is not including a visit to Canyonlands (back in 2008 I wasn’t as trip savvy as I am now!). But we made up for that by visiting Mesa Verde, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Lake Powell (part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area), the Grand Canyon (both the North and South Rims) and the Petrified Forest. The amazing thing is that each of these parks has something different to offer in the way of scenery, hiking, and general park accessibility.
Pacific Northwest Road Trip
When you live on the east coast, the Pacific Northwest may seem too far to visit. But having family in Seattle inspired us to plan a trip to this scenic part of the country. Like most of our trips, this one offered an awesome mix of urban activities along with gorgeous national parks and stunning coastal scenery. The Pacific Northwest road trip begins and ends in Seattle, covering about 1800 miles in about 19 days. Along the way, we spent plenty of time outdoors exploring the rugged coastlines of Washington and Oregon, and visiting Olympic, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier and Mount. St. Helens National Parks, (where we walked through a rain forest, swam in a collapsed volcano, and spent time exploring colorful tide pools). The trip is filled with activities perfect for teens, such as visiting the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, a jet boat ride on the Rogue River, a sand adventure dune buggy ride in Oregon and for fans of the movie Twilight, visiting movie scene locations in the famous town of Forks and other nearby towns. We also saw plenty of amazing waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge area and rode on a Sternwheeler.
California Road Trip
This memorable California road trip starts and ends in Los Angeles. We spent 17 days, exploring the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, along with smaller towns like Manhattan Beach, Solvang, Monterey and Santa Barbara. National park highlights include hiking in popular Yosemite, along with visiting Point Reyes National Seashore, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and a ferry ride to the unique Channel Islands (where we went snorkeling). It’s another great trip for kids of all ages, who will enjoy hanging out in Hollywood, taking the Universal Studios Tour, beach horseback riding, visiting Alcatraz, riding cable cars, walking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, staring at giant trees in Muir Woods, and strolling the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Of course, any trip to California would not be complete without driving the Pacific Coast Highway, so we experienced that on our drive south from the San Francisco Bay area (heading south you get to hug the coast!)
Boston To Bar Harbor
The trip from Boston to Bar Harbor starts in one of my favorite cities, and from there, it’s a scenic drive north to Maine and the quaint town of Bar Harbor and beautiful Acadia National Park. With so much history in Boston, along with free street performers, local festivals, and delicious Italian food in the North End, summer in Boston is perfect for a family vacation. Kids will love following the red brick Freedom Trail, or taking a ride on the Swan boats. Then head up the coast to Bar Harbor and family-friendly Acadia National Park. Along the way, spend time at any of the quaint New England towns like Kennebunkport or Boothbay Harbor. Don’t forget to get up early to see the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia.
Florida's Gulf Coast
If you live on the east coast, you most likely will drive to Florida at some point in your life. So why not do a mini road trip to explore parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast while you are there. Several years ago we combined a few college tours with a trip to Florida. After visiting Universal Studios in Orlando, we headed west to spend a few days exploring parts of the beautiful west coast. It’s less than 3 hours from Orlando to the highly rated Siesta Key, where you will want to spend a few days enjoying this laid back beach town. Then head up the coast to Crystal River, where you can learn all about the local manatees and try a snorkeling or kayak adventure. It's an adventure you won't soon forget, observing these gentle giants in their natural environment. Finally, spend some time exploring more than a dozen fresh water spring state parks. We enjoyed swimming in Rainbow Springs State Park.
Farm to City Road Trip
A road trip doesn’t always have to be weeks long with miles of travel. If you live near the DC area, here’s a great 4 day road trip from the farm to the city that my daughter and I took when she was younger. The trip includes an overnight farm stay in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, a day in Philadelphia, and a day in New York City. Highlights were milking cows and hanging out with baby goats, taking an Urban Adventure Tour and visiting Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly, and eating lunch at the urban street market and shopping in NYC.
Looking for more travel ideas? From houseboat vacations, to day trip activities in cities around the country, take a minute to browse our blog. And let us know in the comments below about your favorite road trips. Safe travels!
Check out these related posts for tips about planning a road trip: 5 Tips for Planning Your Next Road Trip Adventure 7 Helpful Tips for Your Next Road Trip
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