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Here is the most efficient way to see all 47 national parks in the country

Anna Rahmanan
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Anna Rahmanan
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It'll take you two months and 14,498 miles, but you'll be able to visit all 47 national parks in the contiguous United States if you follow data scientist Randy Olson's plan.

You won't hit Hawaii and Alaska ("unless you have a flying car," jokes Olson), but you will visit Yosemite National Park in California, Hot Spring National Park in Arkansas, Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley National Park and even Texas' very own Big Bend National Park, amongst others, if able to commit to this super exciting road trip (and can afford the gas that your car will undoubtedly need).

Check out the interactive version of the map that Olson created right here and notice how the stops form a circle around the country, so you'll be able to hop on at any point and seamlessly move along the route expecting to reach the starting point about two months later if proceeding at breakneck speed.

Olson, who works at the University of Pennsylvania, also tells us how to make our our road trip map (how about a stop at each diner in the country?), but you'll have to be pretty computer savvy to decipher his lingo, so you'll likely want to stick to this national parks discovery car ride instead.

This past August, the National Park Service celebrated its 100th year of managing the United States' national park system, so this might truly be the most opportune time to pack your bags, load up your iPod and embark on an exciting cross-country adventure.

  

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