The National Park-to-Park Highway, launched in the early 1900s to promote national parks in the West, was not a weekend drive.
In the early 1900s, some national parks existed, but getting to them was problematic. Then was born the idea -- with the help of Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service -- to develop a "National Park-to-Park Highway," one that would run through 11 states and connect 13 national parks.
It was a bold, even audacious, plan, as there were no paved roads, no gas stations, no mechanics. Those who were first to navigate it had no one to rely on but themselves, and so they had to be sure they hauled plenty of tools, parts, and fuel.
The route was one huge loop, leading from Denver to Rocky Mountain National Park, through Wyoming to Yellowstone, north through Montana to Glacier National Park, then west to Mount Rainier, south to Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, General Grant and Sequoia national parks, then east to Zion, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Mesa Verde, and back to Denver. Definitely not a weekend road trip.
While you can now travel paved highways to all these parks, and no doubt make better time than those early road warriors did, getting a glimpse of the development of the National Park-to-Park Highway is not easily accomplished without a time machine.
Fortunately, someone made a documentary about it. That would be director Brandon Wade who, with a strong, but small, supporting cast created Paving the Way, the National Park-to-Park Highway.
On the clear, cloudless morning of August 26th, 1920, in the city of Denver, Colorado, twelve American motorists set out on a 5,000 mile, 76-day pilgrimage to all twelve National Parks. This Park-to-Park Highway was the longest motor route to date—and its roads were not even paved.
PAVING THE WAY: The National Park-to-Park Highway begins with a brief history of the automobile, from its status as a rich man’s toy to its remarkable affordability with the invention of Henry Ford’s assembly line. Once the average American is able to travel, civic movements such as “See America First” begin to promote tourism within the National Parks, shifting from the railroad to the automobile. The decimation of World War I and the flu pandemic of 1918 hindered this movement, but by 1920, the American public was ready to get out and explore the West.
However, roads for automobiles were crude at best. There were no reliable maps, gas stations, or convenience stores. Accommodations were few, far between, and expensive. Because of this, the newly established National Park Service decided to promote both tourism to the National Parks and the good roads to get there with the National Park-to-Park Highway.
Two characters played major roles in organizing the inaugural tour of this highway. Stephen Mather, the director of the National Park Service, was the major advocate for the highway linking the National Parks. However, Anton Westgard, a pathfinder for AAA, was the one who mapped the route through the parks and led the motorists on the tour. One provided the idea, the other provided the manpower.
You can learn more about the production, and buy a copy, from this website. In the meantime, here's the trailer:
PAVING THE WAY: The National Park-to-Park Highway - HD Trailer from Brandon Wade on Vimeo.
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Comments
I watched this documentary recently on PBS and it was very interesting to learn about how few roads existed especially in National Parks. It was also interesting how the idea for this "highway" took shape and the people who made it a reality. If you are interested in the western National Parks at all this is a must see!
One of the best documentaries i have ever wached. I believe i could live my whole life & never leave the United States & still not see everything this country has to offer
Watching the show right now and loving it. I'm 5 years from retirement and this looks like 3 months of my retirement accounted for. Maybe longer. I have visited many of these parks. But never had the time to stop for more than a few days at any of them.
Within the past few years I've been fortunate enough to drive some of these roads. Magnificent! See America First!
This documentary ran again yesterday afternoon and I was facinated by how so many wonderful things can happen with the insight of just a few people. The fun part of this program was trying to determine which of the roads I traveled to see the parks were part of the ones they were paving anew. If you have not had the opportunity to go west and see the wonders of our national parks it should be placed at the top of your to do list, they are Magnificent!!
I watched all week the special on PBS about the National Parks it was wonderful. American is so beautiful, I thank everyone that made the shows, the past presidents that made the National parks happen. It is a great place to take children, grandchildren just to sit and be amazed at all what God has created. John Meir how he traveled by foot to see all these wonderful places before cars and all the visitor centers roads were build is so unbelievable. We don't have go far to see so of the most beautiful places in the world, they are here in American.
My wife and I are thinking of driving this same route in a six-week road trip this fall. Has anyone else tried this? Would it be possible to link in all the newer national parks on the same trip?
It was done in 2010. Here is the first page of the blog, a very interesting read ... http://nationalpark-to-parkhighwaytour2010.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html
Is there a current map of this trip? is it possible to re-drive this tour? i would love to take some time and do it.
I was also wondering if there is a current Day map of the still existing roads
My husband and I have just watched the PBS documentary and would love to drive this route. We feel it would an awesome experience.
My husband and I just watched the documentary. Having lived out there in
Colorado and only visiting the Rocky Mountain Nt'l park, we would love
to take the road trip and explore the whole loop. We feel it would be an
awesome adventure. Anyone wanna set up an organized caravan?????
Would like to take same trip around the park to park highway.
I plan on making this ride on motorcycles with two friends. Just as soon as we retire next year. I can't wait.
need a map of the current road park to park, who do I call ??
I am just so glad that when our children were little we circumscribed the Park to park Highway multiple times during different summer road trips.
It is a must while children are still little. And then it would be very difficult to gather them when grown.
We would like to take this trip starting the third week in auguest 2013. Where can we find a map of this route. We plan on 6 weeks for this trip. could weather be a problem on the side of this route. Thanks
Jeremy, there is no official map of this route that we know of. You'll need to study your atlas and choose the roads accordingly. Whether weather is a problem depends on where you start the trip. Obviously, the northern end could feature a snowstorm in September, though that would be unusual.
The Anton Westgard profiled in the film actually has a pass named for him in California's White-Inyo Mountains--Westgard Pass, appropriately enough.
That Westgard Pass region is in fact a world-famous place to examine "Cambrian Explosion" critters some 520 million years old in the rocks. Geologists and paleontologists from all over the world visit Westgard Pass and its immediate environs to study many fossil remains of extinct creatures over a half billion years old.
I have a web page up and running about the Westgard Pass paleontology, as a matter of fact: "Early Cambrian Fossils At Westgard Pass, California" over at http://inyo2.coffeecup.com/westgard/westgardpass.html .
Yes this area is beautiful. Too bad that it will be changing for the worst when Trump and his buddies open it up for oil drilling and mining. Our kids/grandkids will have no idea how beautiful it used to be.
I just finished watching the show on PBS. With this show, I found out how my Dad was able to map out (with the help of AAA) a road triip our family took in 1949. I can remember camping out beside the huge sequoia tree we drove though, camping in Yellowstone, Glacier, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and on and on. Motels, when we stayed in a motel cost one or two dollars for a family of 5. My wife and I have made the same trip on our Harleys. You can see many more sights riding a motorcycle than driving a car. You cannot always pull off the road in a car. You do not get to enjoy the smell of the country in a car. I have many happy memories of road trips throughout the USA. A very beautiful land!!!
Hard to tell on the little map illustration with the article, but on Google Maps I just figured out that if you head northwest from Spokane instead of southwest, you can add North Cascades National Park, only adding about half an hour to the trip.
planning on doing it on my motorcycle this July. Starting in Washington. Just can't decide to go Widdershins or not.
I would be FUN to see what road's this made Up. I have traveled threw most of the Parks on ROAD TRIP's.Except Calaforna.GREAT.In the West put on about 20,000 miles on Back road's. Great Photo's to. And the rest of the Nation to is Great.[Smokie's,Az,Utah,ect,ect.]
My wife and I are planning to drive the Park-to-Park Highway in late Spring or early Fall in 2020 as a Centennial Tour in our 1929 Model A Ford. We think it will be about a 60 day drive. I expect that there may be others in the Model T or Model A hobby who may join us.
I have been to about half of these parks but look forward to seeing them all next year! I've driven over 100,000 miles in Model T's and made two round trips from Texas to Alaska and back. Road trips are more fun in a 90 year old car than your modern car.
Agreed, Ben, but unfortunately, you will a few bumps in the road. California (San Bernardino County) STILL has not repaired historic Route 66. It is still washed out east of Amboy, which forces you on to Interstate 40. The big trucks will turn your Model T into a tin can! Seriously, and don't think the Mojave National Preserve is any different. The cars come flying through there at 100 mph. It's the shortcut between Las Vegas and the Marine Corps base at Twenty-Nine Palms. Stay out of their way. People die on those roads (along with desert tortoises).
Simply, California has lost its mojo. It is all about "modern cars" now. On that, here is another link from The Traveler you might enjoy.
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2015/07/lost-desert-proposed-mojav...
Alfred – I do not plan on driving the exact same roadway in all locations as the original drivers did in 1920. Lee Whiteley, author of “Paving The Way,” has told me that some of the original path has actually been abandoned and/or is now a hiking trail. I plan to take the general pathway and drive through most of the same towns as the 1920 drivers.
There were almost no paved roads when Model T’s and Model A’s were manufactured. The cars do break down occasionally, but we just fix them. I’ve replaced broken crankshafts on the road twice, but I fully understand that someday, I may have to give up and haul a car home.
As far as “a few bumps in the road,” I fully expect that. If you’ve viewed the photographs of the original Park-to-Park Highway, there was nothing but bumps. Also, I have driven my Model T to Prudhoe Bay, AK along the Dalton Highway in 2001. That is 500 miles of bumps (each way) and what they called gravel was a generous term. It was 2” and 3” rocks. The whole trip was 12,000 miles from Bryan, Texas, and back and included modern traffic much of the time.
You are correct, the most dangerous issue with next year’s drive will be the modern car drivers. I have had one of my cars totaled by a modern driver a few years back. I plan on driving a Model A on this trip and it will drive 55mph routinely. We will try to avoid interstate highways and don’t plan on driving the original route on the portion which went into both San Francisco and Los Angles. We do now have amber LED strobes on the back of our car which we turn on when the traffic is heavy and/or fast.
All that being said, we recognize that we would be safer in a modern car. However, there is no comparison to the countryside that we see driving our Model T and Model A and the countryside we see driving our modern vehicles. And, in the National Parks, real rewards come from sites we see and the people we meet that we would not experience if we were driving a fast modern car!
1n 2013 my wife and I traveled the complete Park to Park route in our 1950 Willys Jeep Station Wagon. Feel free to visit our blog at www.ati-engineers.com/blog.
I've been plotting my vacation before the virus ruined my plans. Since then I've watched PBS and have decided it fits in with my original plans nicely. I may add onto the original but I had figured two weeks to teo months on the road. I may put the p2p on my escape and post pics of all parks I visit. Could be worth sharing.
How many miles is this route