A two-lane road cutting through the red rock canyon country of the American Southwest at dusk
Plan · Public Lands Road Trips

Drive the wild heart
of America

Field-tested national park road trips, mapped mile by mile. Where to stay, when to go, and how to do it right, from the brothers who've filmed across America's public lands.

17 road trip guides Field-tested routes Mapped by the Pattiz brothers

Find your road trip

Filter 17 field-tested routes by park, state, or route name.

17 routes match
The signature loop

Utah's Mighty 5, end to end

Five national parks. Roughly 400 miles of red rock, slot canyons and high desert. Our most-driven route, mapped stop by stop with where to sleep each night.

Driving route · ~400 mi
Gateway towns & overnight stops
Start / end · Salt Lake City or Las Vegas
Open the full itinerary
Las Vegas / SLC Zion Bryce Canyon Capitol Reef Arches + Canyonlands
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The routes

Each one is a real drive we've done, not a list of pins. Full guides with where to stay and when to go.

15 Best USA Road Trips of a Lifetime

We've traveled thousands of miles across America - here are the best road trips USA has to offer including photos, maps, &…

Sep 11, 2024 5 min read
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15 Best Free Road Trip Planning Tools and Apps

We've ranked all of the best road trip planning tools (mostly free) including planners, mappers, apps, websites, resources, and more.

Sep 11, 2024 8 min read
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Signature

5 Utah National Parks Road Trip: The Mighty 5 Loop

Utah is home to the best national parks road trip in the world – Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, & Zion.

Sep 11, 2024 5 min read
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35+ Road Trip Essentials (Packing List)

I spend 100+ days each year on the beautiful open road for my "work" – these are the top road trip essentials,…

Sep 10, 2024 13 min read
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The Arizona Road Trip: Seeing the Best of Arizona

While Arizona is known as the Grand Canyon State, there's so much more incredible scenery spread throughout the state. We've got everywhere…

Sep 10, 2024 16 min read
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Grand Teton

Grand Teton to Yellowstone Planning Guide

Visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park seems easy enough looking at a map, with a 17-mile road connecting the two. However,…

Apr 30, 2024 10 min read
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Yosemite

Yosemite to Sequoia National Park Road Trip

We’ve filmed and hiked throughout Yosemite National Park and come back again and again because the valley genuinely never stops delivering. El…

Apr 20, 2024 11 min read
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5 East Coast National Park Road Trips

From our years filming and traveling across the country, we’ve driven just about every major scenic route in the national park system.…

Apr 1, 2024 13 min read
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The Oregon Road Trip: Seeing the Best of Oregon

Oregon is unquestionably one of the most beautiful states in the United States with miles of rugged coast, the snow-capped Cascade Mountain…

Feb 3, 2024 27 min read
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Stargazing Road Trip: Las Vegas to 2 Dark Sky Parks

The BEST Dark Sky Park road trip connects Death Valley to Great Basin National Park, through 300 miles of open road near…

Jan 24, 2024 11 min read
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10 Best National Park Road Trips Across America (2026)

Planning a national parks road trip are we? We've spent the past decade in the parks doing nearly every national park road…

Nov 10, 2023 6 min read
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Signature

The Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

The ONLY Pacific Coast Hwy West Coast road trip guide you'll need, with money-saving tips, photos and state-by-state side trip options.

Oct 26, 2023 27 min read
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16 California Road Trips (by Region)

Looking for California road trips? Here's the ULTIMATE guide to exploring the Golden State with travel tips, scenic routes, and top stops.

Oct 7, 2023 17 min read
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5 National Park Sites for a New England Road Trip Through Maine (A Realistic Guide)

National Parks Near Portland Maine includes beautiful fall foliage, breathtaking woods, amazing monuments, incredible scenery and more.

Oct 4, 2023 10 min read
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Miami to Key West Drive Guide (Overseas Highway Stops)

The Miami to Key West drive via the Overseas Highway is one of the great American road trips and one of the…

Oct 4, 2023 5 min read
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The Colorado Road Trip (+ 26 Scenic Byways)

Planning a Colorado road trip and need some help? This updated guide includes all 26 scenic byways and four seasons, from plains…

Oct 4, 2023 25 min read
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Yellowstone

Driving Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone (Road Trip)

Driving from Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone is one of the best and most scenic road trips in America featuring a wealth of…

Oct 4, 2023 12 min read
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How we build a route

Every itinerary on this site follows the same field-tested logic, so you can trust the drive times and skip the tourist traps.

01

Drive the real miles

Times are door to door with stops, not Google's empty-road estimate. We've driven every leg.

02

Sleep where it counts

Gateway-town lodging that cuts your morning drive so you hit the trailhead before the crowds.

03

Time it to the light

When to be where for the best light, fewest people and open roads, by season.

04

Plan around access

Permits, timed entry and closures flagged up front so 2026's rules don't ambush you.

Worth protecting

Every route on this page runs through land that belongs to all of us.

The roads stay open because people keep fighting for them.

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