Southwest Road Trip to See 6 National Parks in 6 Days

In the spring of 2022, I made a journey from Oakland, California to Denton, Texas. I was headed to a friend’s wedding, and rather than taking the most direct path, which would have been a bit shorter, I opted to check out the southernmost parts of the southwest since I hadn't yet been.

I wanted to hit up all the National Parks along the way, so I planned a route to see six: Pinnacles and Joshua Tree National Parks in California, Saguaro National Park in Arizona, White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks in New Mexico and Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas.

If I had taken the most direct route, it would have been 1,682 miles, taking about 25 hours. My trip, a drive from Oakland to Denton with six national parks, was 30 hours and just under 2,000 miles. I'd say that's a very reasonable addition in order to get to see so many beautiful parks along the way.

Five Parks in Four Days!

If you're looking for a slightly shorter trip, I would highly recommend a trip from Joshua Tree to Carlsbad. I've got a Southwest Parks Tour itinerary laid out that is only 900 miles, so much more manageable for someone who doesn't live on the road. For this, I'd recommend flying into Palm Springs, which is the closest airport to Joshua Tree, and leaving out of El Paso, Texas.

Southwest National Parks Ranked

However, I had a specific destination in mind, and I was coming from the Bay Area. What that all meant was that the trip was a fair bit longer and gave me the extra park of Pinnacles National Park in California. I've got blog posts about my experiences with each of the parks below, and I've decided to rank them for you in case you are planning a visit and deciding where to spend more time

1/ Saguaro National Park

I'm a huge fan of cactuses and desert vibes, and I was awed by the height of the saguaro cactuses that grew here. (This is also the only place that saguaro cactuses grow! So don't miss it!) Saguaro remains one of my favorite national parks, and I've been to just about half of them. Tucson is also a cool place to spend time, so there's no reason not to make a little trip out of a visit to Saguaro.

2/ White Sands National Park

A lot of people might put Joshua Tree next, and I can definitely understand it. I just prefer my vast expanses of land to have cactuses. But joshua trees are very attractive, too. White Sands National Park makes the spot because it was just so otherworldly. Who would have imagined? You're just driving across the highway, nothing much to see, and all of a sudden there's a very enormous (227 square miles, to be exact) patch of aggressively reflective sand. It's really unique, and it's worth a visit.

3/ Joshua Tree National Park

Like I said, Joshua Tree is very popular among tourists and very, very popular among local Californians. It's an enormous park (it's bigger than the state of Rhode Island!), so there's plenty to do and see, tons of hiking trails, and plenty of space to just hang out. I definitely enjoyed my visit and hike through Joshua Tree, and I would recommend it.

4/ Carlsbad Caverns National Park

I really liked Carlsbad Caverns. It's very cool, the entrance is on top of a mountain so there are great views, and there's quite a few different things you can do in the park. I only rated it so low on this list because I really, really enjoyed Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, so that tops my list for best cave-related national parks in the United States. That being said, if you're in the area and planning a southwest road trip, I highly recommend Carlsbad Caverns as a stop on your trip!

5/ Pinnacles National Park

To be honest, I didn't spend enough time in Pinnacles National Park to hike or really enjoy it. I just did a quick drive-through, unfortunately in the back entrance or something, so I didn't do the park justice. I am hoping to go back soon. That said, I know that it is quite popular and has some exceptional views if you're in the area.

6/ Guadalupe Mountains National Park

I did write that I feel Guadalupe Mountains National Park is underrated, so I hope I'm not under-rating it more by putting it at the bottom of my list. I guess it just has steep competition from most of our beautiful national parks system being so exceptional! Guadalupe Mountains is part of the same mountain system as Carlsbad, and they're a very quick drive apart on the same highway. It's got some great hikes and some great views, and there's a nice short hike right from the visitors center if you just want to get a feel for it. You can see some cool wildlife and flowers that you won't be able to experience from Carlsbad Caverns, so I think they actually pair really nicely together as a dual trip.