Last spring, we shared a blog about National Geographic photographer Jonathan Irish’s epic road trip to visit all 59 U.S. National Parks in one year. Jonathan and his travel partner Stefanie undertook this journey in honor of the National Park Service’s centennial. And they did it all with an Airstream travel trailer named Wally in tow.
At every stop on their route, Jonathan and Stefanie set out to discover the best of what each park has to offer. Hitting all 59 parks in 52 weeks was a challenge, but the duo pulled it off. And it’s all documented on their website, The Greatest American Road Trip: 59 Parks in 52 Weeks. The site is packed full of in-depth reports on each park visit, special behind-the-scenes details about the trip, and more.
Here are some highlights from their trip:
Acadia National Park
Maine’s Acadia National Park was the 21st stop on Jonathan and Stefanie’s trip. It boasts the highest point on the East Coast – Cadillac Mountain – and the entire park offers some truly incredible natural scenery to photograph. The scenery there was so beautiful, in fact, that Jonathan and Stefanie’s recap of their trip to Acadia is about seven great spots to photograph.
Denali National Park
Located in the Alaskan interior, Denali National Park – stop #33 – is home to plenty of beautifully rugged terrain and a whole host of wildlife. At six million acres, Denali is enormous. And because there’s only one driving road in the entire park, it’s not as easy to access as some other parks. In Jonathan and Stefanie’s post about their time in Denali, they offer some suggestions for getting in and getting around, plus which sights to take in while you’re there.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The 47th stop on Jonathan and Stefanie’s trip was Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. The dunes cover 30 square miles and create a unique experience for visitors – “[it’s] one of the few places in this part of the world where you can wander into a scene that might as well be plucked from a day in the life of the Sahara or the Gobi,” writes Jonathan. To see some amazing photographs and learn about how to tell difference between sand dune formations, check out Jonathan and Stefanie’s write-up.
The journey may be over, but The Greatest American Road Trip website is still being updated to reflect the last several park visits.
Photo credit: Jonathan Irish and Stefanie Payne
The Greatest American Road Trip may be over, but Airstream's Endless Caravan continues with new stories each week. Click the button below to follow more stories from the road, this time on the Endless Caravan:
