Yosemite National Park

Let’s be honest. Los Angeles has everything you need: Beaches, skyscrapers, desert hikes, a foodie scene; the list goes on. However, sometimes you just need a complete change of scenery. Lucky for us, California is filled with adventurous spots that are only a car ride away. Here is a list of the best road trips to take from Los Angeles.

The United States currently has 63 protected areas known as national parks that are operated by the National Park Service. I’m on a mission to see as many of them as I can. I’ve been to 28 so far. Following is a list of where I’ve been in chronological order. To learn more about my journey, please visit darkskyoverland.com.

Every detail about how I pulled off a trip around the Western United States and saw some of the country's most incredible natural wonders for less than $1,300 total. 🤯 Of course, this is the exact route that we used, but there are plenty of other options to choose from. Keep in mind, this is definitely not the itinerary to follow if you are looking to spend a significant amount of time in one specific area. We intentionally planned to see some major highlights along the trip and knew going into it that we would miss a lot of what these parks have to offer.