The Trip Starts Soon

Summer number two of our three-summer road trip kicks off in July, and we couldn’t be more excited.

We are picking up right were we left on following the route of the 1920 Park-to-Park Highway Tour. Last summer begin in Denver, just like they did in 1920, and concluded in Seattle after 31-days of travel. (Check out our 2021 route.) This year we are beginning in Seattle and heading south.

First thing’s first, we need a van. We are really pleased with our 2002 Volkswagon Eurovan from Rocky Mountain Campervans. It was a Weekender with a Westfalia pop-top. This year we’re going a little more modern — Peace Vans Modern, to be exact.

Peace Vans is a Seattle institution that has been working on Volkswagen vans for years. Their newest innovation is a 2020s version of these iconic camper vans — in the form of a Mercedes Metris. We’re super stoked to be able to work with Peace Vans and to spend a month inside a Metis full camper. If you’re looking for a camper van rental in the Pacific Northwest, look no farther than Peace Vans Rentals.

We hit the three major national parks in Washington State last summer, ending at Mount Rainer. So, once we’re settled into the van this summer, we’re off to Crater Lake — with a few stops in Oregon along the way. After that we head to California. A couple days at Redwoods, then Lassen Volcanic, and we arrive at Yosemite.

We’ve planned eight days at Yosemite to try to get as much out of the park as we can. Then we continue in the High Sierras to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We conclude with Pinnacles, which — from everything we’ve heard — is highly underrated.

We’re returning the van all the way back to Seattle, and we’re going to stay a few extras nights on the Oregon Coast on the way up, because why wouldn’t we want to drive a camper van up the Oregon Coast? (We’ll be on the lookout for the Goonies pirate ship too!)

All in all, we have the van for 30 days, 25 of which we’ll be inside a national park. Most of our accommodations are campgrounds — booked six months to the day of our arrival (at 4am HST, typically!) Though, we are planning to spend a few nights in national parks lodges, specifically in Yosemite and Kings Canyon.

We have 108 miles of planned hiking. It’s likely we won’t hit all of that, but we’ll get through a good chunk of it. We’re also planning some horseback riding, cultural and historical exploration, some paddling, and a few other select adventures.

Through each park, we’ll be working with the National Parks Conservation Association to highlight some of the priorities issues that the parks face. This will include climate change, visitation, wildlife, and park maintenance, we well as some issue that are specific to each park.

Along with NPCA and Peace Vans, we’re also proud to be working with Kodiak Cakes and Blue Star Families this year. We’re ecstatic to have the support of such amazing organizations and brands.

Follow our journey on Instagam @parktoparktour. And stay tuned for blog updates on each park, including how our itinerary changed along the way and why. (No promise that the blogs will be posted in real time, but we’ll get to them!)