See 28 National Parks for Less Time + Money Than You Think

Check out these incredible park-packed travel routes from coast to coast.

By: Kayla Kitts

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It may be August, but summer's not over yet. You still have plenty of time to knock a few more places off your travel bucket list. Maybe you're dying to scope out the trails at a few of our beloved national parks?

Over the past few years, the number of visitors traveling to national parks for vacation has increased dramatically. To help outdoor enthusiasts save time and money during their travels, our friends at liligo.com have calculated the estimated travel time and costs associated with visiting the greatest number of national parks possible before summer ends.

Check out these incredible park-packed travel routes from coast to coast.

California Dreamin' Route

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite National Park

Photo by: Thinkstock

Thinkstock

Yosemite National Park

If you have 18 days to spare, try visiting these nine national parks in or near California:

Channel Islands
Joshua Tree
Death Valley
Sequoia
Kings Canyon

Yosemite
Pinnacles
Lassen Volcanic
Redwood

Example Route: Using New York as the city of origin, fly to Los Angeles and rent a car to travel between most of the parks above for the fastest travel time — 46 hours and 22 minutes in total. This itinerary also includes one additional flight and one train ride.

Example Cost: The cheapest route to see each of these parks is approximately $535 and involves renting a car for the majority of travel, although a bus and a train ride are also included in the itinerary.

National Parks in California

From Joshua Tree to the peaks of Yosemite, California's National Parks are some of the most iconic and beautiful in the world.

East Coast Route

acadia national park, thunder hole, rocks, mountain, water

Acadia National Park

Photo by: By Kim Carpenter (Near Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park 8911) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons>

By Kim Carpenter (Near Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park 8911) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons>

Acadia National Park

In just two weeks, you can visit every national park on the East Coast.

Acadia
Shenandoah
Great Smoky Mountains
Congaree

Biscayne
Everglades
Dry Tortugas

Example Route: The fastest route is 26 hours and 54 minutes and involves four flights between parks, as well as a rental car.

Example Cost: The cheapest route is approximately $406 and includes two bus trips and three flights to travel from one park to another.

Traveling North to the Future

Denali National Park, mountains, Alaska

Denali National Park

Photo by: National Park Service/Tim Rains

National Park Service/Tim Rains

Denali National Park

It’s possible to visit Alaska’s eight national parks in less than three weeks:

Denali
Gates of the Arctic
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark

Katmai
Kenai Fjords
Wrangell-St. Elias
Glacier Bay

Example Route: The fastest route is 57 hours and 19 minutes, and in addition to renting a car for part of the trip, it also necessitates three flights when traveling between parks.

Example Cost: The cheapest route from New York is $1,693 and also involves car rental and air transportation.

National Parks in Alaska

Explore a world of wild beauty and pure adventure in the country's largest state.

Pacific Northwest Route

Glacier National Park

Mount Ranier

Photo by: Matt Koher

Matt Koher

Mount Ranier

You only really need eight days to see the four national parks in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon:

Crater Lake
North Cascades

Mount Rainier
Olympic

Example Route: The fastest route is 26 hours and 55 minutes.

Example Cost: The cheapest route from New York is approximately $613 and includes one flight in addition to car rental.

National Parks Near Seattle

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San Juan Islands National Monument

The San Juan Islands is an archipelago located between the Washington mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Photo By: Addie Navarro

Getting to the San Juans

To reach the San Juan Islands, travelers can take the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes, WA, or fly to any of small airports located on one of the four major islands: Lopez, Orcas, Shaw, or San Juan.

Photo By: David Hollerith

Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park protects 73 miles of wild Pacific coast located on the Olympic Peninsula. Further inland, the land extends out into temperate rainforests and the towering glacier-capped Olympic mountains.

Photo By: Andrew Carey

Check Out the View

At an elevation of 5,242 feet, Hurricane Ridge holds spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains leads to hiking trails that traverse mountain ridges and descend into the subalpine valleys full of lush forests.

Photo By: Andrew Carey

North Cascades National Park

Known for its wild snow-capped peaks and the countless waterfalls that spill down the sides of the mountains, the Cascade Mountain Range is often called the "American Alps."

Photo By: David Hollerith

The American Alps

Ross Lake in North Cascades is a major travel destination that offers tons of opportunities for fishing, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking and camping.

Photo By: Addie Navarro

Find Your Way

Though North Cascade National Park Highway provides an adequate way to see the park's rugged beauty, visitors who want to explore the park’s alpine wilderness can plan their route at one of the park’s eight visitor centers.

Photo By: John Mulloy

Crater Lake National Park

Over the dormant volcano Mount Mazama, Crater Lake is 21 square miles of intensely blue water and the deepest lake in America.

Photo By: Jarrod Clift

Mount Rainier National Park

Less than 90 miles southeast of Seattle, Mount Rainier National Park has everything from wildflower-filled day hikes to summiting the iconic 14,409-foot peak.

Photo By: Matt Koher

Glacier National Park

Though it’s a long car ride from Seattle, Glacier National Park is well worth the journey. Naturalist John Muir, also known as the Father of the National Parks, referred to the Glacier landscape as "the best care-killing scenery on the continent."