Table of Contents
Methodology
- This study is based on a survey of 3,002 U.S. families conducted in May 2026.
- Respondents were asked to identify the best family-friendly budget road trips within their own state, taking into account factors such as affordability, scenery, family activities, driving distance, and overall summer appeal.
- Respondents were also asked how much gas prices would have to rise before they'd consider cancelling their travel plans, plus some additional questions about affordability.
- The survey was carried out online using a geographically representative panel, balanced by age, gender, household income, and region.
- Results were weighted where necessary to reflect U.S. population benchmarks.
- Data quality checks included bot detection, geo-verification, speeding checks, and manual review of responses.
Overall Roadtrip Ranking
Ranking
Road Trip
State
1
Tucson to Grand Canyon South Rim via Sedona
Arizona
2
Nashville to Gatlinburg via Chattanooga
Tennessee
3
San Francisco to Eureka / Avenue of the Giants via Mendocino
California
4
Charlotte to Asheville via Boone
North Carolina
5
Salt Lake City to Moab via Price and Green River
Utah
6
Phoenix / Scottsdale to Monument Valley via Flagstaff
Arizona
7
Jacksonville to Orlando via St. Augustine
Florida
8
Albuquerque to Taos via Santa Fe
New Mexico
9
Portland to Bend via Hood River
Oregon
10
Portland to Bar Harbor / Acadia via Camden
Maine
11
New York City to Lake Placid via Saratoga Springs
New York
12
Tampa to Everglades City via Sarasota
Florida
13
Cheyenne to Yellowstone via Cody
Wyoming
14
Denver to Durango via Gunnison / Black Canyon
Colorado
15
Richmond to Virginia Beach via Williamsburg
Virginia
16
San Diego to Big Bear Lake via Julian
California
17
Billings to Glacier National Park via Great Falls
Montana
18
Hilo to Kona via Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii
19
Minneapolis / St. Paul to Ely via Duluth
Minnesota
20
Rapid City to Custer State Park via Spearfish
South Dakota
21
Casper to Jackson via Riverton
Wyoming
22
Outer Banks to New Bern via Washington
North Carolina
23
St. George to Park City via Capitol Reef
Utah
24
Grand Rapids to Sleeping Bear Dunes via Ludington
Michigan
25
Tacoma to Olympic National Park via Port Townsend
Washington
26
Anchorage to Seward via Girdwood
Alaska
27
Traverse City to Mackinaw City via Petoskey
Michigan
28
Burlington to Brattleboro via Woodstock
Vermont
29
Louisville to Mammoth Cave via Bardstown
Kentucky
30
Boston to Provincetown via Plymouth
Massachusetts
31
Savannah to Dahlonega via Macon
Georgia
32
Colorado Springs to Mesa Verde via Great Sand Dunes
Colorado
33
Astoria to Crater Lake via Eugene
Oregon
34
Knoxville to Bristol via Johnson City
Tennessee
35
Las Vegas to Mt. Charleston via Valley of Fire
Nevada
36
Lexington to Natural Bridge / Red River Gorge via Berea
Kentucky
37
San Antonio to Garner State Park via Fredericksburg
Texas
38
Houston to Fredericksburg via Austin
Texas
39
Charleston to Greenville via Columbia
South Carolina
40
Twin Falls to Stanley via Ketchum / Sun Valley
Idaho
41
Myrtle Beach to Beaufort via Georgetown
South Carolina
42
Milwaukee to Bayfield via Green Bay
Wisconsin
43
Seattle to Spokane via Leavenworth
Washington
44
Stowe to Bennington via Manchester
Vermont
45
Indianapolis to Indiana Dunes National Park via South Bend
Indiana
46
Roanoke to Chincoteague via Charlottesville
Virginia
47
Morgantown to Lewisburg via New River Gorge
West Virginia
48
Buffalo to Thousand Islands via Rochester
New York
49
Sioux Falls to Deadwood via Pierre
South Dakota
50
Grand Junction to Grand Lake via Steamboat Springs
Colorado
51
Lihue to Hanalei via Kapaʻa
Hawaii
52
Fort Smith to Harrison via Eureka Springs
Arkansas
53
Pensacola to Apalachicola via Panama City Beach
Florida
54
Chicago to Galena via Rockford
Illinois
55
Newark to Cape May via Asbury Park
New Jersey
56
Omaha to Scotts Bluff / Chimney Rock via Grand Island
Nebraska
57
Des Moines to Dubuque via Iowa City
Iowa
58
Madison to Door County via Fond du Lac
Wisconsin
59
Kahului to Kula via Paia
Hawaii
60
Reno to Great Basin National Park via Austin
Nevada
61
Bisbee to Page via Holbrook
Arizona
62
Anchorage to Valdez via Palmer
Alaska
63
Brookings to Badlands National Park via Chamberlain
South Dakota
64
Fargo to Medora via Bismarck
North Dakota
65
Bellingham to Walla Walla via Yakima
Washington
66
Bridgeport to Mystic via New Haven
Connecticut
67
Atlanta to Jekyll Island via Waycross
Georgia
68
New Orleans to Natchitoches via Baton Rouge
Louisiana
69
Baltimore to Deep Creek Lake via Frederick
Maryland
70
Annapolis to Ocean City / Assateague via Cambridge
Maryland
71
Providence to Block Island via Newport
Rhode Island
72
Montauk to Woodstock via Hudson
New York
73
Memphis to Lynchburg via Columbia
Tennessee
74
Kansas City to Hannibal via Columbia
Missouri
75
Missoula to Bozeman via Butte
Montana
76
St. Louis to Van Buren via Rolla
Missouri
77
San Antonio to South Padre Island via Corpus Christi
Texas
78
Pittsburgh to Jim Thorpe via Harrisburg
Pennsylvania
79
Philadelphia to Erie via State College
Pennsylvania
80
Concord to Bretton Woods / Mt. Washington via Plymouth
New Hampshire
81
Portsmouth to Pittsburg via North Conway
New Hampshire
82
Charleston to Harpers Ferry via Canaan Valley
West Virginia
83
Cleveland to Hocking Hills via Columbus
Ohio
84
Gulf Shores to Huntsville via Montgomery
Alabama
85
Clarksdale to Biloxi via Jackson
Mississippi
86
Springfield to Gloucester via Worcester
Massachusetts
87
Eau Claire to Lake Geneva via Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin
88
Las Cruces to Ruidoso via Truth or Consequences
New Mexico
89
Pittsfield to Newburyport via Northampton
Massachusetts
90
Mobile to Decatur via Tuscaloosa
Alabama
91
Shreveport to Breaux Bridge via Alexandria
Louisiana
92
Lafayette to Lake Charles via Opelousas
Louisiana
93
Trenton to Batsto Village / Pinelands via Toms River / Island Beach
New Jersey
94
Columbus to Blue Ridge via Rome
Georgia
95
Detroit to Frankenmuth via Bay City
Michigan
96
Sheridan to Devils Tower via Gillette
Wyoming
97
Price to Monument Valley via Blanding
Utah
98
Carson City to Ruby Mountains / Lamoille Canyon via Elko
Nevada
99
Hot Springs to Mena via Mount Ida
Arkansas
100
Fairbanks to Talkeetna via Nenana
Alaska
101
Kittery to Greenville / Moosehead Lake via Augusta
Maine
102
Winona to Bemidji via St. Cloud
Minnesota
103
Medford to Cannon Beach via Salem
Oregon
104
Nashua to Franconia Notch via Meredith
New Hampshire
105
Pocatello to Arco / Craters of the Moon via Blackfoot
Idaho
106
Wheeling to Snowshoe via Elkins
West Virginia
107
Cincinnati to Put-in-Bay via Dayton
Ohio
108
Lawton to Pawhuska via Guthrie
Oklahoma
109
Norman to Beaver's Bend via Ada
Oklahoma
110
Hoboken / Jersey City to Delaware Water Gap via Morristown
New Jersey
111
Selma to Fort Payne via Birmingham
Alabama
112
Corinth to Natchez via Columbus
Mississippi
113
Tupelo to Ocean Springs via Philadelphia / Choctaw
Mississippi
114
Little Rock to Jonesboro via Helena-West Helena
Arkansas
115
Sioux City to Decorah via Storm Lake
Iowa
116
Council Bluffs to Pella via Winterset
Iowa
117
Lawrence to Dodge City via Emporia
Kansas
118
Topeka to Colby via Salina
Kansas
119
Wichita to Manhattan via Cottonwood Falls
Kansas
120
Fort Wayne to Madison via Shipshewana
Indiana
121
Bloomington to New Harmony via Vincennes
Indiana
122
Hagerstown to St. Mary's City via Columbia / Ellicott City
Maryland
123
Westerly to Bristol via Narragansett
Rhode Island
124
Warwick to Little Compton via Tiverton
Rhode Island
125
Spartanburg to Hilton Head via Orangeburg
South Carolina
126
Old Saybrook to Putnam via Middletown
Connecticut
127
Greenwich to Norfolk via Waterbury
Connecticut
128
Wilmington to Lewes via Dover
Delaware
129
New Castle to Rehoboth Beach via Milford
Delaware
130
Greenville to Fenwick Island via Smyrna
Delaware
131
Toledo to Marietta via Mansfield
Ohio
132
Springfield to Carbondale / Shawnee via Alton
Illinois
133
Peoria to Rock Island / Quad Cities via Starved Rock State Park
Illinois
134
Grand Forks to Williston via Minot
North Dakota
135
Jamestown to Devils Lake via Rugby
North Dakota
136
Miles City to Little Bighorn Battlefield via Hardin
Montana
137
Nebraska City to Chadron via Norfolk
Nebraska
138
Lincoln to Valentine / Niobrara via Kearney
Nebraska
139
Joplin to Hermann via Springfield
Missouri
140
Lancaster to Wellsboro via Lewisburg
Pennsylvania
141
Montpelier to Newport via St. Johnsbury
Vermont
142
Arlington to Abingdon via Lexington
Virginia
Cancelled Road Trip ($)
Ranking
State
Gas Prices to Rise Before Cancelling
1
Vermont
$2.00
2
South Dakota
$1.50
3
Rhode Island
$1.47
4
Wyoming
$1.40
5
Colorado
$1.35
6
Montana
$1.33
7
Illinois
$1.28
8
Oregon
$1.27
9
Massachusetts
$1.19
10
Oklahoma
$1.18
11
North Carolina
$1.12
12
California
$1.11
13
Georgia
$1.11
14
New Jersey
$1.11
15
Florida
$1.10
16
Mississippi
$1.10
17
South Carolina
$1.10
18
Tennessee
$1.09
19
Ohio
$1.08
20
Alabama
$1.07
21
New York
$1.06
22
Minnesota
$1.05
23
Virginia
$1.04
24
Pennsylvania
$1.03
25
Maryland
$1.02
26
Indiana
$1.01
27
Louisiana
$1.01
28
Michigan
$1.01
29
Missouri
$1.01
30
Texas
$1.01
31
Wisconsin
$1.01
32
Washington
$1.00
33
Delaware
$0.98
34
Connecticut
$0.96
35
Kansas
$0.95
36
Kentucky
$0.95
37
Arizona
$0.92
38
West Virginia
$0.91
39
Idaho
$0.90
40
New Mexico
$0.80
41
Arkansas
$0.76
42
Utah
$0.76
43
Hawaii
$0.70
44
Iowa
$0.67
45
Nebraska
$0.65
46
Maine
$0.64
47
Alaska
$0.60
48
Nevada
$0.55
49
New Hampshire
$0.52
50
North Dakota
$0.20
Overall
$1.05
Affordability Questions
If you are planning a road trip this summer, are high gas prices causing you to rethink your summer road trip plans?
Yes
63.4%
No
36.6%
Are you more likely to take a shorter in-state road trip this summer because of gas prices?
Yes
67.7%
No
32.3%
Would high gas prices make you invite another family or relatives to share costs?
Yes
47.3%
No
52.7%
Do you think the classic long-distance American road trip is becoming less affordable for ordinary families?
Yes
86.7%
No
13.3%
What feels most expensive about a road trip right now?
Gas
66.8%
Hotels
16.2%
Food
8.0%
Attractions
6.0%
Car maintenance
3.0%
What is the first thing your family would cut from a road trip budget?
Overnight hotel stays
15.3%
Restaurant meals
15.4%
Theme parks or attractions
13.8%
Souvenirs
24.4%
Extra sightseeing stops
12.3%
The trip itself
18.8%
Which phrase best describes your family's road trip plans this summer?
Full-speed ahead
16.2%
Same trip, tighter budget
26.0%
Shorter drive, same spirit
15.6%
Staying in-state this year
17.7%
Road trip downgraded
9.3%
Road trip cancelled
15.1%