A journey begins the moment you start dreaming about it: sketching it in your head, putting it on paper or in a spreadsheet. When you start thinking about all the places you'd love to see, and how much time you'll need to truly take them in.
Great Wild Journey
Nature’s perfect route: the itinerary that takes you to all 51 national parks in the lower 48, each at its best, with no wasted miles.
What's inside
Itineraries, distances, maps and season-by-season scenarios, all in one route.
The perfect route
The best order to link every park in the lower 48: fewer miles, less wasted time, more budget for the places themselves. And timed to the right seasons for mountain roads, ferries and fall colors.
Every drive, leg by leg
The roads to take from one park to the next, with the sights and best-loved stops along the way: rating, detour and visit time for each one.
Every park, really lived
Trails, viewpoints, wildlife, safety tips and two plans for every park: the full one, and an essential one for when time is short.
Rent or buy?
RV, SUV, car or motorcycle: which vehicle to choose, when renting makes sense and when buying does, and how to do it as a non-resident.
Entry and visas
ESTA or tourist visa for entering the United States, with real-life scenarios explained.
What to pack, and the practical details
Park passes, timed-entry reservations, campgrounds, connectivity, safety, budget: the things that make the difference once you're on the road.
The route in 13 regions
Clockwise, in the order you meet them on the road.
The 4 off-route regions (Last Frontier and Overseas)
The 12 parks no road on the journey can reach: four trips of their own, by plane, by ferry and partly by car, told in the chapter that bears their name.
The whole loop, or one piece at a time
The route is designed as one great journey, but it works in pieces too: put together just the parks you care about.
All 51 parks in a single trip, with the right season for every stretch.
The route split into several departures, with the best break points already worked out.
Pick an area or a cluster of nearby parks: legs, roads and stops are ready, piece by piece.
The best travel windows were worked out on the full loop, stretch by stretch. That's why they hold when you travel in pieces too: for every region, you know when to go.
Coming soonAn app that starts from the time you have and the areas you want to see, and suggests the best route and the best time to do it.
For those who go, and those who dream of going
You don't need to take the trip to love this guide.
Keep it on your nightstand and travel in your imagination, knowing that on the day you leave, everything is ready: the route, the roads, the places to stop.
Great Wild Journey is the guide for people who love a journey before they even take it.
The reader area
The book travels with you. The reader area completes it online, with content that opens only if you own the guide:
13 region maps with every place in the area, and 148 leg maps, one for each park and each drive. Every leg has its own QR code in the book: scan it and the map opens on your phone.
Places on the map are grouped by type, so you can show only what you need:
- See sights, viewpoints, visitor centers with the Passport stamp, trailheads
- Tours guided tours and excursions to book
- Sleep park campgrounds, state and private campgrounds, lodges and hotels
- Eat restaurants, by price range
- Road ferries and transport
- Services airports and gear stores
Every place has its own card, kept up to date: description, best season, prices and rating. One tap opens directions in Google Maps, the official website or the booking page.
To get in, you sign up once with your email and answer a question about the book.
Your tips from the road, in the guide
Travelers on the route learn things no research can give: the closed trail, the campground worth it, the stop you can't miss. Send them in and your tip is published in the right chapter, right after the general description, with your name if you like.
If they don't change the shape of the itinerary, the new version of the guide with your contribution comes out within a month of your message.
We weigh them carefully: we can't promise the same speed, but we guarantee they'll make it into the next edition.