National Parks – Wandering Welsh Girl

A photographic tour across America to inspire your very own Great American Road Trip! I recently read an article by a doctor who had plotted the most optimal route for a road trip to visit all of the USA's lower 48 National Parks. I thought it was an intriguing proposition. I've done quite a few road trips around the US trying to visit them all, but I've only managed to see half. The route creator claims you could do this US road trip in 2 months if you put your foot down, but I'm not sure you would enjoy them at that speed. However, as a visitor to the USA on the visa waiver programme you are entitled to 90 days, so I think this route could be an awesome adventure if you're up for a 3 month trip across America! Crater Lake, Oregon The perfect US road trip There are many adventures to be had in the US, so even though it might not fall into my category of off the beaten path destinations, it still deserves a place on this blog. In the National Parks there are a ton of hikes to enjoy and plenty of amazing photography locations to revel in. So, in this post I'm reminiscing with a photo journey around some of the USA's best National Parks. If you want to know the best national parks on the west coast, check out this guide! If we were being nostalgic it would be great to start this trip at Yellowstone, as this was the first National Park to be created in the USA, the world even. It's also the home of Yogi Bear :) However, given the geographical location, it wouldn't be the most practical place to start a trip as a visitor. Since LAX is a big airport with flights to most places, I'd suggest LA is the most logical place to start a USA road trip itinerary. For reference, here is a list of all 47 National Parks that you could potentially visit on this continental American road trip, in the order provided by the route planner. The ones I've visited are highlighted in blue. Note that these are National Parks only so doesn't include State Parks, National Monuments or Tribal Lands. To visit the full article, complete with interactive maps, click here. If you have only two weeks for your trip, check out this two week southwestern road trip itinerary! Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona Saguaro National Park, Arizona Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico Big Bend National Park, Texas Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee Everglades National Park, Florida Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Biscayne National Park, Florida Congaree National Park, South Carolina Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Acadia National Park, Maine Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Isle Royale National Park, Michigan Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Badlands National Park, South Dakota Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Canyonlands National Park, Utah Arches National Park, Utah Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah Zion National Park, Utah Great Basin National Park, Nevada Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Glacier National Park, Montana North Cascades National Park, Washington Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Olympic National Park, Washington Crater Lake National Park, Oregon Redwood National and State Parks, California Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Yosemite National Park, California Kings Canyon National Park, California Sequoia National Park, California Pinnacles National Park, California Channel Islands National Park, California Joshua Tree National Park, California Death Valley National Park, California The Great American Road Trip - A tour of US National Parks The Grand Canyon NP: A view from Plateau point. I captured this photo whilst hiking from the North Rim to the South Rim. Read about my Grand Canyon adventure here! Petrified Forest NP: The colourful Badlands are just one type of landscape on display in this under rated park. Saguaro NP: A funky Saguaro cactus endemic to the Sonoran Desert. Great Smoky Mountains NP: Ridge upon ridge of forests for as far as the eye can see. Shenandoah NP: A section of the Appalachian Trail which is 2200m in length! Badlands NP: These colourful wastelands are fabulous for hiking. Rocky Mountain NP: A National Park that spans the continental divide. Great Sand Dunes NP: The unique combination of sand and snow. Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP: A rarely visited and often overlooked gem of a National Park! Mesa Verde NP: Cliff Palace - the largest cliff dwelling at Mesa Verde. Canyonlands NP: This large National Park is divided into several districts. This is my favourite view point which is located in the Islands in the Sky section of this fabulous park. Arches NP: The iconic Delicate Arch near Moab in Utah Capitol Reef NP: Grand Wash trail Bryce Canyon NP: Famed for it's hoodoo towers Zion NP: A view overlooking Angel's Landing - one of the park's most popular and daring hikes. Click here for a guide to hiking Angel's Landing. Grand Teton NP: Classic view of the Teton Range Yellowstone NP: Grand Prismatic Spring. Yellowstone was the USA's first National Park, established in 1872. Glacier NP: The iconic St. Mary's lake. Mount Rainier NP: The first time I sprinted off a mountain because of a thunderstorm was during a hike on Mt Rainier! Crater Lake NP: Probably the bluest lake you'll ever see - fact! Redwoods NP: Tree hugging time! If you can spot me you will appreciate just how massive these Redwood trees are. Absolutely spectacular! Yosemite NP: Oh Yosemite valley with El Capitan and Half Dome clear to see. Yosemite holds a special place for me as the first National Park I ever visited. Death Valley NP: It has the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth - a scorching 56.7C! I hope you enjoyed this photo journey across America's National Parks. Which parks would you most like to visit? I'd love to hear your thoughts below. Looking for more inspiration? Read about the time I drove from Alaska to Panama in an old American School Bus! Like it? Pin it for later! Join my newsletter to stay updated with the latest posts!