One park per state
The fastest loop through one National Park Service site in each of the 48 contiguous states plus D.C.
49 stops · 193.1 h · 9,744 miOpen →
Lab · Map gallery
Optitrek
A road-trip optimizer. It picks the stops and the order for the fastest drive through hundreds of national parks, using real road routing (OSRM) and Google's OR-Tools solver. Its first test was Randal Olson's 2015 road trip, and it found a route with 13.8% less driving time and 28.9% fewer miles.
Each map below is a full interactive route. Some are large (up to 16 MB), so give them a moment to load. Source: mapzimus/optitrek.
Drive time per trip, in hours
Every Optitrek route below, longest first. The gray bar is Olson's 2015 trip, which Optitrek's 49-stop loop beats by 31 hours.
Show as a table
| Trip | Stops | Hours | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every national-park state | 27 stops | 228.9 | 11,087 |
| Olson 2015, for comparison | 50 stops | 224 | 13,699 |
| Two stops in California | 50 stops | 203.3 | 10,367 |
| One park per state | 49 stops | 193.1 | 9,744 |
| Extra stops allowed | 49 stops | 193 | 9,756 |
| Civil War battlefields | 13 stops | 101 | 5,222 |
| New York to California | 10 stops | 95.4 | 5,180 |
| Western parks loop | 8 stops | 59.3 | 2,800 |
| Pacific Northwest parks | 4 stops | 47.3 | 1,737 |
| New England loop | 28 sites | 44.9 | 1,895 |
| Southwest parks | 5 stops | 41.6 | 1,431 |
One park per state, extra stops allowed
Same problem, but the solver may add stops if that shortens the loop. It chose the same 49.
49 stops · 193.0 h · 9,756 miOpen →
Two stops in California
Matches the shape of Randal Olson's 2015 trip: 50 stops, with one in northern and one in southern California.
50 stops · 203.3 h · 10,367 miOpen →
Optitrek vs Olson 2015
Olson's genetic-algorithm road trip (red) and Optitrek's loop (blue) on one map, both on real road geometry.
−13.8% driving time, −28.9% milesOpen →
Where the savings come from
Four routes overlaid: Olson's, Olson's own 50 stops re-solved, Optitrek, and Optitrek with two California stops.
Splits the 14% time savings by causeOpen →
Western parks loop
Yellowstone to Yosemite in eight stops. Built to check the road routing before scaling up.
8 stops · 59.3 h · 2,800 miOpen →
New England from Concord, NH
Every National Park Service site in the six New England states, starting and ending at the New Hampshire State House.
28 sites · 44.9 h · 1,895 miOpen →
Southwest national parks
The best five-park loop through New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado.
5 stops · 41.6 h · 1,431 miOpen →
Every state with a national park
One national park in each of the 27 states that have one. The longest trip in the gallery.
27 stops · 228.9 h · 11,087 miOpen →
Civil War battlefields
National battlefields from Gettysburg and Antietam to Shiloh and Vicksburg.
13 stops · 101.0 h · 5,222 miOpen →
Pacific Northwest parks
National parks from Olympic to Glacier and Grand Teton.
4 stops · 47.3 h · 1,737 miOpen →
New York to California, one way
One way, with no return leg. The solver picks the stops and the finish line for the fastest drive across the country.
10 stops · 95.4 h · 5,180 miOpen →