Plan a Spring National Park Road Trip

As Spring arrives, plan a life-altering road trip with your family to one of the nation's 59 National Parks and more than 100 National Monuments and Historic Sites. With so many to choose from, at least a handful are within driving distance from anywhere in the United States, including in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and other territories.

How to plan

• To find parks in your area, visit the National Park Services website and click on your state and surrounding areas. A list and description of each park, memorial, or recreation area will reveal alerts and conditions, basic information, maps, and a schedule of events. While some parks remain closed in the Spring due to inclement weather, many are open and available year-round or at least portions of most months.
• Search on “junior ranger” to find events specifically geared toward kids ages seven through thirteen, and the “little cub” program for kids ages three to six throughout the parks.
• Prepare your kids by having them complete activities ahead of the trip at the WebRangers portal then visit the online calendar for events happening the parks within your driving reach.

Where to go

From Southern California plan a visit to Yosemite or Sequoia & Kings Canyon and shorter drives to the Castle Mountains near Barstow. Northern California road trips to Alcatraz Island or Lassen Volcanic Park. If you’re in Florida, spend some time at the Big Cypress Swamp National Preserve’s nearly 730,000 acres filled with diverse wildlife, including the “elusive Florida panther,” or visit one of the last coastal wetlands unspoiled by urban sprawl at the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve.

An easy drive from the mid-Atlantic Coast, the Appalachian Trail, a National Scenic Trail, runs from Georgia to Maine with its 2,180-plus mile long footpath crossing pastoral, wooded, and wildlands. Or honor both enslaved and free Africans with a respectful visit to the African Burial Ground, the oldest and largest verified excavated burial site in North American, in New York City.

Mid-Western states have easy access to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis that commemorates the historic start of the Lewis and Clark explorations and the George Washington Carver National Monument honoring his contribution as scientist, educator, and humanitarian with a one-mile self-guided walkway across streams, into woodlands, and a tallgrass prairie restoration area. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, near Springfield, Missouri encapsulates the first major Civil War battle that took place west of the Mississippi River in 1861. Follow the National Historic Oregon Trail across seven states where 2,000 miles of ruts from covered wagons remain visible.

No matter where you live in this country, make the most of the parks owned by every citizen. If you're new to an area, ask your realtor if there are parks or monuments to visit in your new home town.