Putting Our Recommendations to the Test

If you read through these forums with any regularity, you'll recognize some of the following recurring themes:

* Eat out of a cooler. It's healthier and cheaper.
* Take frequent short breaks from driving to remain rested and alert.
* There are many more things to experience than just a few 'must see' places.
* Get off the Interstates and experience local America.

Well, it's easy enough to talk in such generalities, but is it really possible? So, I decided to set myself a challenge. I would assume that I was going to drive each of the major cross-country Interstates from end to end and that I would want to stop every 2-3 hours at a venue that would offer the opportunity to have a picnic lunch from a cooler, take an invigorating hike, and experience some refreshing scenery. Furthermore, each stop would have to be within just a few miles of an exit so as not to just add miles to the trip and wear me out in my quest for rest. And, if at all possible, they should be free.

It turned out that it was a painfully easy challenge. There are just so many resources out there: National, state and local parks; Wildlife refuges and forests; Historic sites and museums. There's nothing magical or unique about the lists that follow. It would be easy enough to find similar venues along all the other Interstates as well, or to find different sites along these routes that better met you own timing or interests. The real point is that any trip can be a series of pleasant 'Sunday' drives, rather than just a marathon slog down the highway with stops only to speak into the mouth of a clown.

The stops are in west to east or north to south order as appropriate.

N.B.: These lists are not meant to be exhaustive, exclusive, or eternal. While they get updated periodically, parks do close, websites are discontinued, and these particular sites may not fit with your tempo or interests. Most importantly, they show how easy it is to find something quite near to each and every Interstate pretty much every half hour or so along it. The ones listed here were each found with nothing more than a good atlas and/or a few minutes search on the web. Use them, but they should encourage you to find your own.

AZBuck


I-5
Millersylvania State Park
Molalla River State Park
Stewart State Recreational Area
North Mountain Park
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Pacheco State Park
Tule Elk State Natural Reserve
Griffith Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-10
Cibola National Wildlife Refuge
South Mountain Park
Saguaro National Park
Shakespeare Ghost Town
Franklin Mountains State Park
Van Horn city park
James Rooney Park
Eaton Hill Nature Center & Preserve
Friedrich Wilderness Park
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Reserve
Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge
Blackwater River State Park
Lake Talquin State Park
Osceola National Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-15
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Fleecer Mountain Wildlife Management Area (video)
Camas National Wildlife Refuge
Caribou National Forest
Utah Lake State Park
Fremont Indian State Park
Quail Creek State Park
City View Park
Mojave National Preserve
San Bernardino National Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-20
Monahans Sandhills State Park
Lake Colorado City State Park
Lake Mineral Wells State Park
Purtis Creek State Park
Lake Bistineau State Park
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge
Okatibbee State Wildlife Area
Oak Mountain State Park
Sweetwater Creek State Park
Sumter National Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-24
Ferne Clyffe State Park
Dunbar Cave State Park
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-25
Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens
Castlewood Canyon State Park
Trinidad Lake State Park
Fort Union National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument
Elephant Butte Lake State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-30
Atlanta State Park
Lake Catherine State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-35
Fort Snelling State Park
Beeds Lake State Park
Nine Eagles State Park
Ernie Miller Nature Center
El Dorado State Park
Arcadia Lake Parks
Ray Roberts Lake State Park
Waco Riverwalk
Landa Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-40
Mojave National Preserve
Kingman City Parks
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Petrified Forest National Park
Bluewater Lake State Park
Villanueva State Park
Glenrio Historic District
McClellan Creek National Grassland
Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park
Lake Eufaula State Park
Lake Dardanelle State Park
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
Long Hunter State Park
Chilhowee Park
Lake James State Park
Alamance Battleground
Bentonville Battlefield
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-44
Twin Bridges State Park
Mark Twain National Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-55
Edward R. Madigan State Fish & Wildlife Area
Mastodon State Historic Site
Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
George P Cossar State Park
Homochitto National Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-64
New Harmony State Historic Site
Falls of the Ohio State Park
Daniel Boone National Forest
New River Gorge
Riverview Park / Rivanna Trail
York River State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-65
Tippecanoe Battlefield Memorial
Falls of the Ohio State Park
Radnor Lake Natural Area and Wildlife Refuge
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Blount Cultural Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-70
Green River State Park
James M. Robb Colorado River State Park
Loveland Pass
Limon Wetlands
Sherman Wildlife Area
Wilson State Park
Crestview Park - Shunga Trail
Perry Memorial Conservation Area
Reifsnider State Forest
Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
Glenns Valley Nature Park
Buck Creek State Park
Salt Fork State Park
Laurel Hill State Park
Greenbrier State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-75
South Higgins Lake State Park
Seven Lakes State Park
Van Buren State Park
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site
Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park
Harrison Bay State Park
Panola Mountain State Park
Reed Bingham State Park
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
Hillsborough River State Park
Big Cypress National Preserve
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-77
Wolf Run State Park
Camp Creek State Park
Stone Mountain State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-79
Washington Park
Stonewall Resort State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-80
Folsom Lake State Recreation Area
Tahoe National Forest
Lake Tahoe State Park
Rye Patch State Recreation Area
Humboldt National Forest
Timpie Springs Waterfowl Management Area
Wasatch National Forest
Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge
Medicine Bow National Forest
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Lake Anita State Park
Rock Creek State Park
Lake Macbride State Park
Matthiessen State Park and Starved Rock State Park
Goose Lake Prairie State Park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Pokagon State Park
Resthaven Wildlife Area
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Bald Eagle State Park
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-81
Chenango Valley State Park
Locust Lake State Park
Antietam National Battlefield
Lexington
Hungry Mother State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-84
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge
Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Lucky Peak State Park
Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge
Hyrum State Park
***
Fahnestock State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-85
Eno River State Park
Crowders Mountain State Park
Victoria Bryant State Park
Tuskegee National Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-90
Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreational Area
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Idaho Panhandle National Forests
Beavertail Hill State Park
Missouri Headwaters State Park
Lake Elmo State Park
Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site
Keyhole State Park
Badlands National Park
Ft. Pierre National Grassland
Lake Vermillion Recreation Area
Kilen Woods State Park
Great River Bluffs State Park
Governor Nelson State Park
Grant Park
Pokagon State Park
Resthaven Wildlife Area
Presque Isle State Park
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
Old Erie Canal State Historic Park
October Mountain State Forest
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-94
Lake Elmo State Park
Pirogue Island State Park
Theodore Roosevelt National park (South Unt)
Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Buffalo River State Park
Birch Lakes State Forest
Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area
Rocky Arbor State Park
Illinois Beach State Park
Grand Mere State Park
Waterloo Recreation Area
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

I-95
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Ferry Beach State Park
Borderland State Park
Sherwood Island State Park
Independence National Historical Park
National Mall
Petersburg National Battlefield
Raven Rock State Park
Santee National Wildlife Refuge
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
Timucuan Ecological Preserve and Fort Caroline
Canaveral National Seashore
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

Trans-Canada Highway
Paul Lake Provincial Park
Mount Revelstoke National Park
Yoho National Park
Fish Creek Provincial Park
Tillebrook Provincial Park
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Shamrock Regional Park
Wascana Centre
Moosomin Regional Park
Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Birds Hill Provincial Park
Rushing River Provincial Park
Aaron Provincial Park
Sandbar Lake Provincial Park
Silver Lake Provincial Park
Kama Hills Nature Reserve
Red Sucker Point Nature Reserve
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Batchawana Bay Provincial Park
Chutes Provincial Park
Mashkinonje Provincial Park
Driftwood Provincial Park
Gatineau Provincial Park
Voyageur Provincial Park
Yamaska Provincial Park
Riviere-du-Loup Waterfall Park
Grand Falls Gorge
Mactaquac Provincial Park
Tidal Bore Park
Caribou Provincial Park
Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
For campsites along this highway check HERE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AZBuck

Well, it's easy enough to talk in such generalities, but is it really possible?

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Rather an impressive list -- it is a good thing you have high-speed Internet or the acquisition of this list wouldn't have been that easy. Great resource listing! This is going into our "All Time" resources list.

Mark

That's a great list, and the best part is that even that doesn't even start to scratch the surface. This list looks mostly at larger parks - or at least ones that are big enough to have a website.

Almost every town, even small towns has a park where you can stop have a lunch and move around for a while. I've even found some Interstate Rest Areas that could easily be classified as Landmarks themselves. And of course the only way to find those hidden gems is just to get out there and look!

This is a great list, AZBuck. Kudos for posting it.

That is a cool list. Thanks for putting that together.

Laura

Nice list...

Hmm.. want some more to add? I'm pretty familiar with I-5 and I-10 (the western part).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Larrison

Hmm.. want some more to add? I'm pretty familiar with I-5 and I-10 (the western part).

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You can post 'em here and I will move them into Buck's list or...

Mark

I'll be using this list soon on my summer trip.

The only suggestion- put the area where each road is-- mid west, CA, FL, etc. I'm doing 10,000 miles and don't have memorized where each highway is.

Thanks again!!!!

Buck used the "major cross country" Interstates, which end in the number 0 or 5. On the Interstate Numbering system, even numbered routes go east to west, with small numbers in the south and larger numbers in the north. Odd numbered routes run north and south, with smaller numbers starting in the west. For example, I-5 runs from Washington to California, while I-10 runs from Southern California to Florida. Interstates ending in 5 or 0, like the ones buck used, theoretically run from border to border or from coast to coast - although most of them actually fall a little short of those goals.

You really ought to do an I-81 list. It's a huge stretch of interstate with some gorgeous scenery and great places to stop.

I've already driven the Natchez Trace Parkway (well, from Tupelo to just near Nashville). Now, there's the Blue Ridge Parkway I see.

Any more NPS roads out there? Or just purely scenic non-commercial roadways to drive?

Sykotyk

National Scenic Byways are probably what you are looking for. This is a designation program run by the US Department of Transportation and does a nice job of highlighting some pretty cool scenic roads and detours throughout the country.

There's the Rockefeller Memorial Parkway between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, the Colonial National Historical Parkway connecting Yorktown, Williamsburg and Jamestown, and while I wouldn't class them with the other scenic, relaxing roads we've been talking about, technically the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the George Washington Memorial Parkway are NPS roads.

AZBuck

Looks like it already is a stick. I don't know why I didn't see it before.
Thanks.

I am new on this life. a list like that is all i need to keep myself updated. nice work

Great list!

I imagine adding US Highways (especially US 395) would make for abundant interesting stops.

Hello everybody! Love this website and my first post here.
I travel I-65 in north Alabama almost everyday and wanted to share that the
Alabama Space Rocket Center is located approx. 20-30 minutes off I-65 Exit 340 onto I-565 carries you right to it.

Wow. Thanks. Your I-10 suggestions will certainly help to get my FL to LA trip planning started. Of course,when we get to CA we have to start calling it "the 10" or we'll be branded as outsiders.

I heartily endorsed this thread in my facebook account. Giving the guru a solid 10 of 10 for the information provided in the WANELO litmus test. (WANELO while a web site of its own also stands for WANT, NEED, LOVE) - Leigh

You might want to add Lake Redding Park in Redding, CA off of I-5. There are a couple of playgrounds, lots of room to picnic and run for kids, a swimming pool (in the summer), walking trails, and it is right on the Sacramento River. There is even a fish ladder and if the Salmon happen to be heading to their spawning grounds, you can watch them through a glass window below water level. Pizza Parlor on the left before turning into the park. Awesome stop on the very long I-5 corridor.

Reading this older thread, I discovered one link that no longer works. (I haven't tried all of them, just a few.)

National Scenic Byways is the new link.


Donna

My daughter and her family just made a fun discovery: the Texas Welcome Center, on I-40 as you are heading west, has a playground! I also note that Texas rest areas often have huge grassy areas just begging for a game of Frisbee or a little bit of child's play.


Donna

Sounds great. Thanks for this update.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

As the note in red print right above the list indicates, this list is not at all designed to be an exhaustive list of every thing you could stop and see. It's simply a list of places very easy to access every few hours apart, and provides a starting point for the kinds of places you can stop and see even without any significant detours. Thus there are "only" 5 stops along I-5 in California.

Looks like it already is a stick. I don't know why I didn't see it before.