About this Adventure Road Trip Itinerary
This past summer (2023), Tyler and I embarked on another cross country road trip! We have shared it here with you–with a few small tweaks*–to provide an example adventure road trip itinerary for your next road trip. I followed our tried and true road trip planning steps to create a rough outline for this 40ish day trip. For this trip, we had a handful of “must-visit” locations such as: Colorado, Olympic National Park, Banff National Park, and Moab.
Starting there, we began to form the trip around these goals. Don’t be afraid to change a lot when you are first planning your trips! We cut out and entire 3 day leg of Indiana Sand Dunes National Park after deciding that we would prefer to spend more time in North Dakota mountain biking. Oftentimes, when I am struggling with a particular section of trip planning, I find that I am trying to do too much and I need to cut back.
Just like my houseplants, when I cut out a few wonky sections of the adventure road trip itinerary, it allows more “growth” in my established days of the trip. Adding an additional day or two in parks or cities that are worthy of extra exploration!
*To note: before uploading this here, we removed a few important items for privacy. Things such as the calendar date for each “day” and reservation numbers for campsites should be listed on your paper itinerary.
Quick Reference Guide
Days 1-3: Wisconsin
Days 3-6: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Days 6-8: Dinosaurs Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
Days 8-14: Banff and Jasper National Parks, Alberta, Canada
Days 14-17: Whistler Mountain Bike Park. British Columbia, Canada
Days 17-22: Olympic National Park, Washington
Days 23-27: Moab, Utah
Days 27-31: Western Colorado & Colorado Springs
Days 31-34: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Days 34-36: Bentonville, Arkansa
Day 36-40: Southern West Virginia
Being that we are from West Virginia, I’ll be honest that the West Virginia portion of this is a lie.
Along with a few other days of the trip, we were camping and adventuring with friends and family from day 36 onward. However, for the sake of sharing the adventure road trip itinerary, we have included some of our favorite activities in the area so it reads like a full 40-day trip (not relying on sleeping at other people’s houses or “hangout with Cat” as an activity).
How to UseÂ
3-Ring Binder
For our longer road trips, we like to bring along a 3-ring binder to store important paperwork such as printed reservations, passes, and notes about trail systems.
We keep our printed adventure road trip itinerary in the front of the binder for quick reference throughout the trip. Always assume you will have no service on the road and take the time to print out what you need!
Additionally, the binder is nice to store paper momentos such as park maps and post-cards. Having the itinerary to reference throughout the trip acts like an anchor throughout all the chaos of living out of a car, pushing your body to extremes, and being in unfamiliar locations.
Layout of “Days”
For each day, I include the day number of the trip, the calendar date (removed), where we will be waking up, and where we will be ending the day. On days that require travel from one campground or lodging to another, I include the travel time and lodging information (campsites, reservation #, etc). When staying on BLM or FS land I like to include the GPS coordinates, being that these dispersed campsites often do not populate on navigation apps.
Most days I include only a handful of “must-do” activities, providing room for exploration throughout the area. The exception being National Parks. I tend to plan these days out more thoroughly in order to maximize our time. The more popular the park, the more planning needed!
Never Forget Lodging!
In past road trips, I found that finding a place to stay for the night can be the most stressful portion of a trip. Sometimes even taking up huge sections of a day. This is why I always at least have a “back-up” sleeping location listed for the day–even if it is just a side of the road pull-off for the van and I know we will look for better camping upon arrival.
I would MUCH rather spend a few extra minutes finding a solid (read: legal) place to camp before I leave, then have to eat into our adventure time on the road, stopped at a McDonalds or Visitor Center, trying to access WiFi and figure out where we are sleeping!
We hope sharing our adventure road trip itinerary with you inspires you to create your own adventures…or rip off ours completely, who cares!!
40 Day North American Adventure Road Trip Itinerary
DAY 1: Martinsburg, WV → Rocky Arbor State Park, WI
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 13 hours / 838 miles | Rocky Arbor SP | N101 US Hwy. 12 and 16, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, 53965 |
DRIVE DAY!
DAY 2: Rocky Arbor State Park/Wisconsin Dells
ACTIVITIES:
- Hike at Rocky Arbor
- Explore Town
- Wizard Quest!!
DAY 3: Rocky Arbor SP, WI → Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (South Unit)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 11.5 hours / 775 miles | Scoria Pit Dispersed Camping | 46°56’43.4″N 103°35’19.0″W |
DRIVE DAY!
DAY 4: Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)
ACTIVITIES:
- “Petrified forest loop – North Trail
- Drive Scenic Loop – multiple stop options
- Painted Canyon Trail (4.3 mi out & back)
DAY 5: Theodore Roosevelt National Park (Maah Daah Hey Trail)
ACTIVITIES:
- Bike Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Explore Medora
DAY 6: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND → Tillebrook Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 9.5 hours | Tillebrook Provincial Park Camping |
DRIVE DAY!
DAY 7: Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta Canada
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 40 mins | Dinosaurs Campground |
ACTIVITIES:
- Scenic Road
- Climb to top of Badlands
- Dinosaur Bone sites
- Laundry at Cafe!!!
DAY 8: Dinosaur Provincial Park → Banff 1 (Banff Day 1)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 3.75 hours | Tunnel Mountain Village 1 – C50 |
Leave DPP Early to head for Banff. Cory Pass loop in AM. Maybe check in campsite then go to caves? Or Swap Caves → Campsite
ACTIVITIES:
- Cory Pass Loop HARD (do it clockwise) not busy trail
- After Hike Cave & Basin Historic Sight (can bike to C&BHS from town)
- Explore Town of Banff and river via bike
DAY 9: Banff 2Â (Banff Day 2)
ACTIVITIES:
- Johnston Canyon to Ink Pots Moderate (arrive early or late due to popularity)
- Sulphur Mountain 1.5 hours to top (take Gondola Down!)
- Upper Hot Springs after Sulphur Mountain (next to one another)
DAY 10: Banff 3Â (Lake Louise)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 40 minutes / 25 miles | Tunnel Mountain Village 1 – C50 |
Leave Banff area for Lake Louise in AM (take ROAM Bus) Get to Shuttle Early.Â
ACTIVITIES:
- Trail of Six Glaciers to Tea House –> Devil’s Thumb –> Big Beehive –> Lake Louise
DAY 11: Banff, Canada → Jasper, Canada (Icefield Parkway)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 2 hours / 116 miles | Whistlers – C26 | 52°51’01.0″N 118°04’38.0″W |
ACTIVITIES ALONG ICEFIELD PARKWAY:
- Peyto Lake Viewpoint (Bow Lake?)
- Waterfowl Lake Viewpoint
- Parker Ridge Trail
- Wilcox Pass Hike
- Beauty Creek Trail
- Tangle Creek falls
- Sunwapta Falls (end of day)
- Stop: Big Hill & Big Bend
DAY 12: Jasper National Park 1
ACTIVITIES:
- Edith Cavell Meadows -> Angel Glacier (Path of the Glacier [short] or Cavell Meadows [long])Â
- Athabasca Falls
- Maligne Canyon
- Bike around Jasper lake connector trails
DAY 13: Jasper National Park 2
ACTIVITIES:
- Opal Hills (if feeling up to it) or just hike around lake
- The Sulphur Skyline → ​​Miette Hot Springs
- Laundry in town!
DAY 14: Jasper NP → Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 8.5 hours / 444 miles | Cal-Cheak (Whistler) FCFS | 50°03’39.6″N 123°06’00.8″W |
DRIVE DAY!
Optional: Explore lake and suspension bridge around Cal-Cheak Campground.
DAY 15: Whistler 1
ACTIVITIES:
- Downhill Mountain bike at Whistler
- Check out shops! Some great deals on gear and cool coffee shops!
DAY 16: Whistler 2
ACTIVITIES:
- Downhill Mountain bike at Whistler
- Check out shops! Some great deals on gear and cool coffee shops!
DAY 17: Whistler → Olympic National Park 1, WA (Staircase)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 6 hours / 330 miles | NF Road-2419 | 47°30’28.7″N 123°13’10.8″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Stop in Seattle for lunch possible MTB
- Staircase Falls (if time allows) Hike takes about 50 mins
DAY 18: Olympic National Park 2Â (Staircase & Hurricane Ridge)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 2.5 hours / 140 miles | Forest Road 29 Dispersed Camping | 48°02’56.0″N 124°06’40.7″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Staircase Falls (if not completed yesterday)
- Hurricane Ridge: Obstruction point trail (or just the gravel drive to it)
- Hurricane Hill (1.6 miles)
- Marymere Falls to Moment in Time Trail
DAY 19: Olympic National Park 3 (Sol Duc & La Push)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 1.5 hours | Hoh Ox Bow (Check First) Minnie Peterson (Check Second) |
HOB – 47°48’34.8″N 124°14’59.9″W MP – 47°49’07.8″N 124°10’26.9″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Sol Duc Falls to lover’s lane in the morningÂ
- Ancient Grove Nature Trail (when leaving Sol Duc Falls)
- La Push: Rialto Beach and the walk to Hole-in-the-Wall.
DAY 20: Olympic National Park 4 (Hoh & Kalaloch)
ACTIVITIES:
- Hoh Rain Forest: Hall of mosses/spruce nature trail
- Forks?
DAY 21: Olympic National Park 5 (Quinault)
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 1.5 hours | Quinault Ridge Rd Dispersed Camping | 47°20’53.0″N 123°54’19.6″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Tree of life at Kalaoch beach (leave early so time for Quinault in afternoon!)
- Big cedar tree?
- Quinault:
- Quinault River Pony Bridge Trail (Grave’s Creek Trailhead)
- Rainforest Trail
- Merriman Falls
- World’s Largest Sitka Spruce
DAY 22: Olympic National Park, WA → Boise, ID
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 10 hours / 630 miles | Indian Creek Reservoir | 43°14’50.4″N 111°06’17.5″W |
| 8 hours 51 min | Burnt River Canyon | 44°34’32.6″N 117°32’21.4″W |
DRIVE DAY!
Stop at Columbia River Gorge just east of Portland
DAY 23: Boise, ID → Near Goblin Valley, UT
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 8 hours **Closer to Moab camping | South Temple Wash Dispersed Camping | 38°39’17.3″N 110°39’30.6″W |
| Closer to the road | Buckhorn Draw | 38°53’33.9″N 110°39’07.0″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Shosone park falls
- Great Salt Lake
DAY 24: Goblin Valley State Park, UT → Moab, UT
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| About 1.5 hours | North Klondike Campground | 38°49’23.8″N 109°45’58.8″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Near Goblin Valley SP
- Little Wild Horse Canyon (cool out and back slot canyon! LWH route on right is better than Bell Canyon) GPS: 38°34’57.5″N 110°48’10.4″W
- Goblin Valley state ParkÂ
- Goblin’s Lair!! (Nice place to cool off)Â
- MTB in State Park
- Head to Moab after Goblin Valley (Stop at Moab Information Center to get a free Adventure Guide!!! Helpful for trails)
DAY 25: Moab 1 (Arches)
Try to get to Arches before 7 AM… if miss this time, use timed entry pass from 8 AM – 9 AMÂ
ACTIVITIES @ ARCHES:
- Delicate Arch (visit EARLY) 3 Miles – Hard
- Devil’s Garden – 8 mile hike – hard (takes 4 hours, starts near landscape)
- Visit after delicate arch – don’t have to hike whole thing to see multiple arches
- Drive scenic road
- Lunch @ Panorama Point
- Window’s Section 1 mile – easy
- Balanced Rock (driveby or 15 minutes walk)
- Park Avenue (anytime) 2 miles – moderate
- Sand Dune Arch + scramble. 0.3 miles (do midday to beat heat)
- Broken Arch (after 5 PM) 1.3 miles – Easy
- Double Arches (at sunset) 0.5 miles – easy
DAY 26: Moab 2 (Canyonlands)
ACTIVITIES @ Canyonlands National Park:
- Mesa Arch
- Grand View Point (best views if you hike to the end)
- Aztec Butte
- Green River Overlook
Swim at Mills Creek (hike to waterfall) – when it is too hot to function!
DAY 27: Moab → Grand Junction, CO
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 2 hours/139 miles | Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area |
38°46’57.1″N 108°14’56.3″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Slick Rock Bike Trails
- Swim at Lake Ken
DAY 28: Grand Junction, CO → Gunnison, CO
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 2 hours/96 miles | Hartman Rocks | 38°29’59.4″N 106°57’01.5″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Explore Black Canyon of the Gunnison during day
- Bike/hike Hartman Rocks in the evening
DAY 29: Gunnison, CO → Pike-San Isabel National Forest, CO (Red Rocks Concert)Â
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 3.5 hours/183 miles | Dispersed Camping in Pike-San Isabel National Forest | 39°20’36.8″N 105°15’28.3″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Bike at Hartman Rocks
- Red Rocks Show
*****I do not recommend going to Red Rocks this day. We went a few hours out of the way simply because there was a show this night we wanted to see****
DAY 30: Pike-San Isabel NF, CO → Colorado Spring, CO
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 3 hr 40 min | AirBNB in CS |
ACTIVITIES:
- Drive to Pikes PeakÂ
- Garden of Gods
- COATI Food Court
- Explore parks around CS
- REST AT AIRBNB
DAY 31: Colorado Springs, CO → Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 2.5 hours | Longs Peak FCFS Campground | 40°16’30.2″N 105°33’30.6″W |
ACTIVITIES:
- Stop in Denver or Boulder to explore
- Picnic at Beaver Meadows
DAY 32: Rocky Mountain National Park (Bear Lake)
ACTIVITIES:
- Sky Pond from Glacier Basin Shuttle Stop
- Explore Estes Park
DAY 33: Rocky Mountain National Park (Alpine Ridge)
ACTIVITIES:
- Hike Alpine Ridge Section
- Mt. Ida
- Explore Alpine Ridge Visitor Center and Gift Shop/Cafe
DAY 34: RMNP → Bentonville, AR
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 11.5 hours / 760 miles | Cooler Mountain Bike Preserve | 2003 NW Homestead Ln, Bentonville, AR 72712 |
DRIVE DAY!
DAY 35: Bentonville 1
ACTIVITIES:
- Bike Bentonville Trails!
- Explore Downtown/Cafes
- Crystal Bridges Museum (Free)
DAY 36: Bentonville 2
ACTIVITIES:
- Bike Bentonville Trails!
- Swim in Elk River
DAY 37: Bentonville, AR → Huntington, WV
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 11.5 hours | Beech Fork State Park |
DRIVE DAY!
DAY 38: Huntington, WV → Fayetteville, WV
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 2 hrs | ACE Adventure Resort |
ACTIVITIES:
- Stop in Charleston, WV to visit Taylor Books and Capitol Market
- Explore small businesses in Fayetteville, WV
- Sunset at Long Point Trail or Endless Wall
DAY 39: Fayetteville, WV
ACTIVITIES:
- Bike Arrowhead and Wolf Creek trail systems
- Eat at Arrowhead bike farm
DAY 40: Hinton, WV
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 1 hr | Bluestone or Pipestem State Park |
ACTIVITIES:
- Raft New River
- Paddleboard Bluestone Lake
- Eat at Lucky Rivers Cafe
DAY 41: Hinton, WV → Martinsburg, WV
| Drive Time/Miles | Lodging | Coordinantes |
| 4 hours |