# This Data Scientist Has Mapped the Ultimate National Parks Road Trip



## MULTIZ321 (Aug 14, 2016)

This Data Scientist Has Mapped the Ultimate National Parks Road Trip - by Jessica Mattern/ Adventure/ Outdoors/ PM/ popularmechanics.com


"We already know the most efficient and sight-packed route to drive to see all the continental states, but what if you only wanted to focus on seeing the most beautiful nature in America? A map for that exists now too.

Randy Olson, senior data scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, who previously figured out the best road-trip route in America, has now determined the best path to see all 47 national parks in the continental U.S., according to Inverse. Making your way from coast to coast to see everything from the stunning Olympic National Park mountains in Washington to the wildlife-packed Everglades in Florida has never been more simple..."





Just in time for the National Park Service's 100th anniversary.


Richard


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## clifffaith (Aug 14, 2016)

Just wanted to be sure everyone knows there is a national park senior entry card for US residents 62 years and older. I think we paid a small fee, maybe $5 or $10 for the lifetime pass, and we made our purchase at a national park.  Covers everyone in your car.  It's called a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.  We finally just left one in the glove compartment in the car because certain parties like to lighten the load in their wallet and then end up sans card on the next trip.


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## silentg (Aug 14, 2016)

This is cool thank you for posting!
Silentg


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## MuranoJo (Aug 15, 2016)

I really like the map & info. as well, so thanks.
Would be fun to take a ~3-year road trip to see all of these, but I'm pretty sure  we wouldn't want to be in an RV that long.  Unfortunately, timeshares are non-existent or minimal in many of these areas. (Or perhaps that's fortunate.  )


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## Janette (Aug 17, 2016)

We are in the process of doing some of the western parks in a 50 day period. We have done the Grand Canyon in the past  so we flew from Savannah to Seattle and did Mt. Rainier. We then did the Olympic Pennisula, stopped in Astoria to check out Lewis and Clark, went to Hood River Or to do Mt. Hood. We are now at Crater Lake and will head to Yosemite, King's Canyon, Sequoia, Zion, Bryce, Moab, Tetons Yellowstone, Cody, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore , Badlands and fly home Sept 23 from Rapid City. We are staying in B&B's most of the time. We are spending three nights at TImber Lodge as I have relatives near Tahoe and we are staying a week at Summit Watch to get a little rest. We stayed 5 nights in Seattle on points so Marriott is helping with the trip. We just returned from Crater Lake and you might be able to hear cows mooing in the background. We also stopped by lava forest today. We traveled 9 miles down a dirt road and then walked a two mile loop to see lava that formed around tree trunks as the trees burned 7000 years ago. After I finished the walk and got in the air conditioned car, I thought they were pretty neat, but during the walk through the lava field in the middle of the warm day, I was not amused. We are celebrating 50!years of marriage in 50 days. Wish you could see the pink sky over the mountains. We live in a beautiful land. There is also a passport book you can get stamped at each park. I wish I had owned ones years ago.


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## MuranoJo (Aug 18, 2016)

Janette said:


> We are in the process of doing some of the western parks in a 50 day period. We have done the Grand Canyon in the past  so we flew from Savannah to Seattle and did Mt. Rainier. We then did the Olympic Pennisula, stopped in Astoria to check out Lewis and Clark, went to Hood River Or to do Mt. Hood. We are now at Crater Lake and will head to Yosemite, King's Canyon, Sequoia, Zion, Bryce, Moab, Tetons Yellowstone, Cody, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore , Badlands and fly home Sept 23 from Rapid City. We are staying in B&B's most of the time. We are spending three nights at TImber Lodge as I have relatives near Tahoe and we are staying a week at Summit Watch to get a little rest. We stayed 5 nights in Seattle on points so Marriott is helping with the trip. We just returned from Crater Lake and you might be able to hear cows mooing in the background. We also stopped by lava forest today. We traveled 9 miles down a dirt road and then walked a two mile loop to see lava that formed around tree trunks as the trees burned 7000 years ago. After I finished the walk and got in the air conditioned car, I thought they were pretty neat, but during the walk through the lava field in the middle of the warm day, I was not amused. We are celebrating 50!years of marriage in 50 days. Wish you could see the pink sky over the mountains. We live in a beautiful land. There is also a passport book you can get stamped at each park. I wish I had owned ones years ago.


That sounds like a great trip!
I agree, the passport book would have been fun years ago, as we've been to quite a few parks already.  We didn't hear about them until about 5 years ago while in HI, though.  (Might be a neat gift to give to grandchildren.)


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## MULTIZ321 (Aug 27, 2016)

See Breathtaking Views of the National Parks From Space on Their 100th Birthday - by Marisa Gertz/ Science/ Nature/ Time/ time.com

"America’s National Park Service (NPS) celebrates its 100th birthday on Aug. 25. From Aug. 25 to Aug. 28, parks across the country will be offering free entry, along with everything from solar-powered vehicle races to classical music performances to outdoor naturalization ceremonies.

Famously called “the best idea we ever had” by writer Wallace Stegner, the NPS was founded in 1916 by an act of Congress in order to conserve and protect America’s natural wonders. Today, the NPS oversees over 84 million acres, which were visited by over 300 million people last year.

NASA’s Earth Observatory has been collecting satellite images of these national treasures for years, as part of its earth science mission. NASA has established the Landscape Climate Change Vulnerability Project as a way to use the data being collected by satellites to help the parks adapt to climate change...."





Yellowstone National Park, June 9, 2013
Jesse Allen—NASA


Richard


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## uop1497 (Aug 27, 2016)

Very good information. I hope someday, I am able to do the road trip thru many national parks


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## MULTIZ321 (Sep 4, 2016)

You Can Thank Scientists for the National Park System - by Menachem Wecker/ At the Smithsonian/ SmithsonianMag.com

"Early conservation research and scientific expeditions laid the groundwork and helped to convince the public national parks were a good idea.

The two volcanic rocks couldn’t be more different at first glance. The hyalo-liparite obsidian could be mistaken for a candy bar with large chocolate chips, while beside it inside the glass case, the geyserite more closely resembles white sidewalk chalk.

The rocks were collected on the expedition of scientists, photographers and painters that geologist Ferdinand Hayden led in 1871, the first federally-funded survey of the American west. They are on view in a new exhibition “100 Years of America’s National Park Service” at the National Museum of Natural History. They are examples of the many specimens that scientists, exploring the American West, sent back to the early Smithsonian Institution.

The show honors the scientific collecting that helped to lay the groundwork for the creation of the national park system one hundred years ago this summer.







The geologic deposits in Badlands National Park in South Dakota contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds with such ancient mammals as the hornless rhino, the three-toed horse and a cat-like saber-toothed animal. (Stan Jorstad)


Richard


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## deemarket (Sep 6, 2016)

I thank you for the link to the route to the National Parks.  It is very appropriate for us since we are flying to San Francisco tomorrow, in fact, to drive up route 1 and 101 to see some of the sights and some of the National Parks in the area. We will be gone for a week with a tentative plan.   This map only hits some of the National Parks on our radar in the area.  We also want to see Point Reyes, Oregon Caves, and the Lava Beds besides the ones listed: Lassen, Redwoods and Crater Lake. We are not going to push our selves to see all these as we want to experience the area and not just drive through.

We did buy a Passport book some years ago and it was the smaller one which is getting filled up with stamps.  Actually thinking of buying the larger one because we really enjoy seeing our wonderful National Parks and the areas around them.  It is a great way to record and recall the experiences we have had on our trips.  Highly recommend one.

Any suggestions for our trip are appreciated.


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## Janette (Sep 7, 2016)

We loved Crater lake but the valley was really hot when we were there. We sat by the fire in the lodge and then when down to the Crater Lake B&ab to find our room about 95 degrees. We had trouble sleeping the first night and decided to leave the second night. Kamalt falls has some hotels so I would suggest spending one day at the lake and moving on. There is a neat lava forest north of Crater lake. The trees caused the lava to cool and then deteriorated. There are lots of lava stumps. We started in Seattle and have made it to Park City. We head to Tetons Sat. Two and a half full weeks before finishing our 50 days for 50 years tour.


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## RDB (Sep 10, 2016)

*List of (continental) national parks in order.*

Here’s the list in order.  Those with asterisk, I've visited:

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 *


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## Sandy VDH (Sep 10, 2016)

I did the Yellowstone to Grand Canyon trip with my Dad.  We did Yellowstone, Canyonland, Arches, Capital Reef, Navajo National Monument, Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon, and Cedar Breaks National Monument.  

We missed Tetons, as the road from Yellowstone had not yet opened in early May.  It would take too much time to go around and enter from the south. 

Turns out it was exactly one year later, to the day, that my Dad suddenly passed away. 

It was a great trip and Dad enjoyed it immensely, it will be a trip I will cherish forever.


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## Larry M (Sep 10, 2016)

*Not sure about your history*



MULTIZ321 said:


> The rocks were collected on the expedition of scientists, photographers and painters that geologist Ferdinand Hayden led in 1871, the first federally-funded survey of the American west.



Hmm. I would argue that the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1804-1806, ordered by President Thomas Jefferson and funded by the US government was the first federally-funded survey of the American west. Lewis trained under Jefferson's tutelage for a year or two before the expedition on botany, biology, geography, and geology, and the surviving reports and papers include detailed drawings and descriptions of all these sciences and more.

_Undaunted Courage_ by Stephen E. Ambrose is a wonderful and readable description of the entire expedition as well as what was recorded.

Larry M


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## MULTIZ321 (Sep 10, 2016)

Larry M said:


> Hmm. I would argue that the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1804-1806, ordered by President Thomas Jefferson and funded by the US government was the first federally-funded survey of the American west. Lewis trained under Jefferson's tutelage for a year or two before the expedition on botany, biology, geography, and geology, and the surviving reports and papers include detailed drawings and descriptions of all these sciences and more.
> 
> _Undaunted Courage_ by Stephen E. Ambrose is a wonderful and readable description of the entire expedition as well as what was recorded.
> 
> Larry M



+1 for Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose

Your point is well taken and I don't disagree with you.  The author of the article would probably quibble with the term "survey" and claim that Jefferson did not send Lewis and Clark on a "survey". That would be splitting hairs.  

Thanks for reminding us of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Best regards,

Richard


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## WalnutBaron (Sep 10, 2016)

Larry M said:


> Hmm. I would argue that the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1804-1806, ordered by President Thomas Jefferson and funded by the US government was the first federally-funded survey of the American west. Lewis trained under Jefferson's tutelage for a year or two before the expedition on botany, biology, geography, and geology, and the surviving reports and papers include detailed drawings and descriptions of all these sciences and more.
> 
> _Undaunted Courage_ by Stephen E. Ambrose is a wonderful and readable description of the entire expedition as well as what was recorded.
> 
> Larry M



+Another 1 for Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. The Lewis & Clark Expedition is truly one of the greatest adventures in American history. What's amazing is that--in spite of the incredible dangers posed by grizzly bears, near-starvation in the Bitterroot Mountains, hostile Native American tribes, and the extreme elements during the 28-month expedition--only one man was lost. Sergeant Charles Floyd died of what is believed to have been a ruptured appendix--not due to injury. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a passing interest.


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## sue1947 (Sep 10, 2016)

Beach Star said:


> I thank you for the link to the route to the National Parks.  It is very appropriate for us since we are flying to San Francisco tomorrow, in fact, to drive up route 1 and 101 to see some of the sights and some of the National Parks in the area. We will be gone for a week with a tentative plan.   This map only hits some of the National Parks on our radar in the area.  We also want to see Point Reyes, Oregon Caves, and the Lava Beds besides the ones listed: Lassen, Redwoods and Crater Lake. We are not going to push our selves to see all these as we want to experience the area and not just drive through.
> 
> Any suggestions for our trip are appreciated.





> We loved Crater lake but the valley was really hot when we were there. We sat by the fire in the lodge and then when down to the Crater Lake B&ab to find our room about 95 degrees. We had trouble sleeping the first night and decided to leave the second night. Kamalt falls has some hotels so I would suggest spending one day at the lake and moving on. There is a neat lava forest north of Crater lake. The trees caused the lava to cool and then deteriorated. There are lots of lava stumps. We started in Seattle and have made it to Park City. We head to Tetons Sat. Two and a half full weeks before finishing our 50 days for 50 years tour.



Lava Beds National Monument is close to KLAMATH Falls which has a variety of motels.  Just NW of town is Running Y Ranch with a motel and some Worldmark timeshare units which is a lovely spot to spend a few days.  It's at 4000' so will be cooler than the west side closer to Medford (which can be very hot).  It's a resort community so you can book at the lodge (run by Holiday inn but much nicer), at the Worldmark units or vrbo etc renting a house or condo from a private owner.  
 One of the main attractions at Lava Beds are the caves.  You can choose from easy (stand up in) to difficult where you crawl around.  They have lots of info on their website.   Other than that, i would be sure to do the short hike to the lookout on Schonchin Butte for the view and the walk through Captain Jacks Stronghold for the history.  

Crater Lk is about an hour from Klamath Falls so if you stay at Running Y, it will be a great base for both Lava Beds and Crater Lake.  

Redwood NP is a collection of National and the State Parks.  Expand past the official National park to include Humboldt Redwoods SP south of Eureka.  Do the Avenue of the Giants drive and stop at the visitor center and walk the trails across the road through some spectacular groves of trees.  Do the same thing further north on the Newton P Drury road through Prairie Creek State Park.  Make sure to pull over and do many of the walks along the way.  I also like the Kuchel Visitor Center north of Eureka/Arcata for a walk on the beach.  Just north of that is Elk Meadow with its huge herd of elk and there are some houses to rent in there if you can get one.   Further north out of Crescent City is Jedediah Smith SP; I especially like the Simpson Reed grove walk.  
I was last at the Oregon Caves in the mid-70s when a friend worked there.  I remember the cave formations as being spectacular.  The lodge there was rustic then so will be extra rustic now but is worth a visit at least for lunch. 

You need more than a week.  

Sue


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## Janette (Sep 29, 2016)

Just returned from our 50 day trip. I would agree that staying at Klamath Falls or near lava fields is great for Crater Lake. We stayed at a B&B in Gardiner Montana for two nights and Old Faithful Inn for one night to experience Yellowstone. They are building a lot of what appears to be condos at Canyon junction which would be in a central location. I should be doing other things but I keep looking at our pictures and dreaming. If you go to Devil's Tower, don't just take a picture. Stay at the B&B with climbing guides for a wonderful experience. SUnflower Fields in Moab was the best B&B we have ever experienced.


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## WinniWoman (Sep 29, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Very good information. I hope someday, I am able to do the road trip thru many national parks



Don't put it off too much. Since we are not retired and we are not employed in education with a couple of months off, we decided to do the best we can with visiting National Parks and do it a year at a time- one week one year. Another week another year. Yes, we have to pay airfare and car rental since we go for a week at a time. But worth it. And I don't think we would really like driving endlessly. We like to get where we want to be and then drive and explore the area. We don't like driving more than 8 hours to get somewhere by car.

Have been to many of them. Usually plan all our extra vacations outside of our home resorts around National Parks..

Been to the 2 in Hawaii (Volcanoes and the one on Maui)
Denali
Redwoods
Grand Canyon
Petrified Forest
Acadia
Everglades
Biscayne 
Yellowstone
Teton

Planning Mesa Verde for next spring.


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