Traveling while still enjoying the beautiful scenery of the surrounding is an underrated experience that every vacationer needs to explore. When most people hear of national park trips, all they think about is the West Coast. While the west coast is decorated with the world’s best parks, the East Coast, too, isn’t any lesser.
Although the East Coast doesn’t have a Yellowstone or Yosemite in it, it still has beautiful sceneries to warrant a drive-through. From its tropical kayaking havens to incredible underground caves, there is a lot to explore from the East.
The ultimate East Coast national parks road trip doesn’t mean seeing them all. Here are four national parks not to miss on an East Coast trip.
Shenandoah National Park
The Shenandoah National Park is a great way to kickstart the East Coast experience. People who like hitting the road and enjoying beautiful sceneries are treated to a good one here.
Skyline Drive is a dominant mention when pursuing the Shenandoah National Park. Being largely a mountainous area, the drive runs a whooping 105 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Visiting national parks doesn’t have to be accompanied by large financial requirements. With the Skyline Drive being free to the public, travelers have the perfect opportunity to access Shenandoah National Park’s beautiful views for less.
Skyline Drive is not just 105 miles of road linking the park to the other parts of the East Coast. It is a 105-mile range of epic views that are just a preview of what to expect inside the park. The drive takes approximately three hours on a typical day, which only speaks volumes of the sceneries travelers are treated to.
Next to the photogenic scenes are inviting hiking trails. Travelers can try out thrilling trails if there is some time to spare for that.
Acadia National Park
Off the Maine Coast is a national park whose general geography easily catches the eye of a road trip enthusiast. The multiple facts about this park make it a darling to many. It is believed that the park is among the first parts to catch a glimpse of the sun’s rising rays.
The park has 47,000 acres of land, which shows how much tourists have to explore. Described as nature’s playground, the Acadia National Park is the perfect place for adventurers seeking to explore various water activities. With the largest part of the park being on Mount Desert Island, there is a lot of shore and beach space for adventurers to exploit.
The other interesting bit about this park is the 27-mile loop, which makes it a good road trip choice. Throughout the stretch, vacationers are treated to beautiful scenes and photogenic views of what nature has to offer.
Lovers of beach activities have the best time of their lives here. The Sand Beach is a popular spot inside the park where people can dash in to catch a cold splash from the oncoming waves.
Sang Run State Park
The biggest mistake most road trip lovers make is going for the big parks and ignoring the smaller ones. The good thing about the small ones is that they are less frequented, but this doesn’t make them any lesser than the popular ones.
The Sang Run State Park is an excellent example of a small park that easily catches the attention of a traveler. Located deep in Maryland, the park stretches a mere 1.4 miles but with breathtaking sceneries from all sides.
Driving in this park isn’t the easiest thing to do, thanks to the slippery narrow roads. Driving around will be fun.
Besides the wild driving experience associated with this park, the legendary Youghiogheny River passes through it. All year-round, the park is a jam of activities with vacationers trying their luck at fishing. Those not interested in recreational fishing can also have a good time picnicking along the banks of the river.
Mammoth Cave National Park
The best way to sum up a perfect East Coast National Parks road trip is by visiting the Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth is not just any other cave. It is the largest cave in the world, and who wants to miss out on this masterpiece?
Visitors should set aside a full day of traversing through the caves. This further explains why East Coast road trips can’t just be a single-day event.
Stretching over 400 miles, travelers who dare this route are treated to one of the best-caving systems the world has seen. The caves also serve as history classes for the tourists. Native Americans are a prominent mention here and how they used the caves back in the day.
Besides the underground caves systems, the park has incredible hiking trails. From sinkholes to disappearing rivers, there are also multiple avenues for adventurers to kayak their way to the next tourist site.
Although not widely advertised in travel magazines, the East Coast continues to shine in silence. A road trip to the East is a satisfying experience that will perfectly serve its purpose but will require more than one day.