How to Plan a National Parks Road Trip on Points
Meta Title: How to Plan a National Parks Road Trip on Points | WanderWise Meta Description: From Yellowstone to Acadia, here's how to use credit card points to plan a national parks road trip — including flights, hotels, gas, and dining along the way. Target Keywords: national parks road trip on points, national parks trip using credit card points, plan road trip with points Word Count: ~2,400 Category: Destination Guides Cluster: Retirement Travel Planning / Destinations
There's something about a national parks road trip that feels distinctly American — and distinctly appealing once you have the time to do it properly. Not the rushed, four-parks-in-five-days version you might have attempted with young kids in the backseat. The unhurried version. The one where you linger at the overlook, take the longer trail, and stay for sunset because you don't have anywhere to be tomorrow morning.
The good news: if you've been earning credit card points — even casually, even without thinking about it — you already have a significant head start on funding this trip. Points can cover your flights, your hotels, your rental car, and even some of your meals. The parks themselves are remarkably affordable once you arrive. It's the getting there and staying there that adds up.
Let me show you how to put it all together.
Why national parks and points are a natural match
Most people associate credit card points with international flights and luxury hotels. And yes, points are exceptional for those things. But they're equally powerful for domestic travel — and national parks trips are where that power shows up in practical, everyday ways.
Here's why:
Flights to gateway cities are readily available on points. Whether you're heading to Jackson Hole for Grand Teton and Yellowstone, Bozeman for Glacier, Las Vegas for Zion and Bryce Canyon, or Portland for Crater Lake, these routes are well-served by major airlines with plentiful award availability.
Hotels near national parks accept points. Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt all have properties near or within driving distance of major national parks. A free night at a Marriott in Springdale, Utah (gateway to Zion) saves you $200–$350 per night — and you can book it with 25,000–35,000 points.
Rental cars can be booked through travel portals. Chase Travel, Amex Travel, and Capital One Travel all let you use points for rental cars, which is essential for a road trip.
Dining earns bonus points. Most travel cards earn 2–3 points per dollar at restaurants. Your dinners in park gateway towns aren't just meals — they're investments in your next trip.
The parks themselves? Entrance fees are modest. The America the Beautiful Pass — $80 for a full year of unlimited access to every national park, national forest, and federal recreation area in the country — is one of the best deals in American travel. No points needed. Just $80 and a love of wide-open spaces.
Step 1: Choose your route
The United States has 63 national parks, so narrowing it down is your first task. Here are four classic road trip routes that work beautifully for a points-powered trip:
The Grand Circle (Southwest)
Parks: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Mesa Verde Gateway airports: Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), Salt Lake City (SLC) Drive time: 10–14 days at a comfortable pace Best season: April–May or September–October (summer is scorching; these shoulder months are ideal)
The Greater Yellowstone Loop (Northern Rockies)
Parks: Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier (with an extended drive) Gateway airports: Jackson Hole (JAC), Bozeman (BZN), Billings (BIL) Drive time: 7–10 days (add 3–4 days if including Glacier) Best season: June–September (roads and facilities have limited seasonal hours)
The Pacific Coast (West Coast)
Parks: Redwood, Crater Lake, Olympic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades Gateway airports: San Francisco (SFO), Portland (PDX), Seattle (SEA) Drive time: 10–14 days Best season: July–September (the Pacific Northwest's brief, spectacular summer)
The New England and Mid-Atlantic Loop (East Coast)
Parks: Acadia, Shenandoah — plus national historic sites and seashores Gateway airports: Boston (BOS), Portland, Maine (PWM), Washington, D.C. (DCA/IAD) Drive time: 7–10 days Best season: Late September–mid-October (peak fall foliage)
Step 2: Book your flights on points
Once you've chosen a route, identify the best gateway airport. You'll typically fly into one city, drive the loop, and fly home from another — or return to your starting point.
For economy-class domestic flights, expect to use:
- 12,500–25,000 points each way through an airline
- 15,000–35,000 points each way through a credit card travel portal
To get the best value:
- Check your credit card's travel portal first (Chase Travel, Amex Travel, or Capital One Travel). Search for flights to your gateway city and note the points price.
- Then check airline award availability directly — United, American, Delta, Southwest — to see if transferring points gets you a better rate.
- Compare. If the portal price and the airline price are similar, use the portal for simplicity. If the airline price is significantly lower, transfer your points.
A real example: Flying round trip from Atlanta to Salt Lake City for a Grand Circle road trip might cost 28,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel portal, or 25,000 United miles by transferring from Chase to United. Either way, that's a flight that might cost $350–$500 in cash — covered by points you've already earned.
For two travelers, you've just saved $700–$1,000 before you've even reached the park.
Step 3: Book hotels with points (and know when not to)
National parks road trips involve a mix of accommodations: hotels in gateway towns, lodges inside the parks, and possibly campgrounds. Points work wonderfully for some of these and not at all for others.
Where points work well
Gateway town hotels. Most major hotel chains have properties near popular national parks:
| Park | Nearby Hotel Options (Points-Friendly) | Approx. Points per Night |
|---|---|---|
| Zion | SpringHill Suites Springdale, Hampton Inn Springdale | 25,000–40,000 Marriott/Hilton |
| Yellowstone (West) | Holiday Inn West Yellowstone, various IHG properties | 20,000–35,000 IHG |
| Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn | 15,000–25,000 Best Western |
| Glacier (West) | Hilton Garden Inn Kalispell, Hampton Inn Kalispell | 25,000–40,000 Hilton |
| Acadia | Hampton Inn Bar Harbor, Courtyard Marriott Ellsworth | 25,000–45,000 Hilton/Marriott |
Tip: Gateway town hotels fill up quickly during peak season. Book as far in advance as possible — 6 to 11 months ahead for summer travel.
Where points don't apply (and that's fine)
In-park lodges — such as Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, or the lodges in Yosemite — are operated by park concessioners, not hotel chains. They don't participate in points programs. You'll need to pay cash.
These lodges are worth the cash. Staying inside the park is a genuinely special experience — watching the sunset from the rim, walking to a geyser before the crowds arrive, hearing absolute silence outside your window. Budget for a night or two at an in-park lodge and consider it the centerpiece of the trip.
Campgrounds are another non-points option, and they're remarkably affordable — typically $15–$35 per night. If you enjoy camping (or are willing to try it), mixing campground nights with hotel nights stretches both your budget and your points.
Step 4: Cover your rental car with points
A rental car is non-negotiable for a national parks road trip. The parks are spread across vast distances, and the drives between them are often as scenic as the destinations themselves.
How to use points for rental cars:
Your credit card's travel portal is the most straightforward option. Chase Travel, Amex Travel, and Capital One Travel all list rental cars alongside flights and hotels. You search, compare prices, and pay with points.
Expect to use roughly 10,000–25,000 points per day for a standard SUV or midsize car, depending on the location and season. A 10-day rental might run 80,000–150,000 portal points — or less during shoulder season.
A better strategy for many travelers: Book the rental car with a travel credit card that provides primary rental car insurance (like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X). This eliminates the need to purchase the rental company's expensive damage waiver — a savings of $15–$30 per day. Then use your points for flights and hotels, where they typically deliver higher value.
Gas earnings: Fill up at gas stations that align with your card's bonus categories. Several travel cards earn 2–3 points per dollar on gas. Over a 2,000-mile road trip, that's meaningful points accumulation — you're earning rewards for your next trip while you're still on this one.
Step 5: Maximize points on dining along the way
National parks gateway towns have surprisingly good food these days — craft breweries in Bozeman, farm-to-table restaurants in Springdale, lobster shacks in Bar Harbor. And if you're carrying a travel card that earns 3–4 points per dollar at restaurants (like the Amex Gold or Chase Sapphire Reserve), every meal is an earning opportunity.
Over a 10-day trip with two people eating dinner out nightly (averaging $60–$80 per meal), you'll earn an additional 1,800–3,200 points just from dining. That's not trip-changing on its own, but it adds up — and it's a reminder that points accumulation never stops, even while you're actively traveling.
Another tip: Use your card's dining credit if it has one. The Amex Gold includes up to $120 per year in dining credits at select restaurants and food delivery services. The Chase Sapphire Reserve includes a $300 annual travel credit. These offset the cost of meals and incidentals that points don't cover.
Step 6: Plan your park time (this part costs almost nothing)
Once you've arrived at the parks, the financial pressure drops dramatically. Here's what you'll spend:
- America the Beautiful Pass: $80 for unlimited annual access. Split between two people, that's $40 each for a year of every national park in the country.
- Ranger-led programs: Free. Every park offers guided walks, talks, and evening programs at no cost.
- Trails: Free. From wheelchair-accessible boardwalks to challenging backcountry routes.
- Scenic drives: Free (within the park). Some of the most spectacular roads in America — Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier, Tioga Road in Yosemite, the Rim Drive at Crater Lake.
- Visitor centers and museums: Free.
The parks were designed to be accessible to everyone. Once you're through the gate, the experiences are largely included.
Advance reservations: Some parks now require timed-entry reservations during peak season (Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Arches, and Acadia among them). These are free but must be secured in advance — sometimes months in advance. Check the National Park Service website (nps.gov) for each park's reservation requirements before you go.
A sample trip, fully planned
Let me put this all together with a concrete example.
Trip: Grand Circle road trip for two, 10 days, September Home airport: Chicago O'Hare
| Expense | Points Used | Cash Cost (if paid without points) |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip flights CHI→SLC, two travelers | 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards | ~$700 |
| 5 nights in gateway hotels (Marriott/Hilton) | 150,000 hotel points | ~$1,250 |
| 2 nights in-park lodge (Grand Canyon) | Cash: $440 | $440 |
| 3 nights camping | Cash: $75 | $75 |
| Rental car (10 days, midsize SUV) | 35,000 Chase points via portal | ~$550 |
| America the Beautiful Pass | Cash: $80 | $80 |
| Gas (~2,000 miles) | Cash: ~$250 | $250 |
| Dining and incidentals | Cash: ~$800 | $800 |
| Totals | 235,000 points + ~$1,645 cash | ~$4,145 all cash |
That's roughly $2,500 in value from points — more than half the trip's total cost — covered by rewards earned from everyday spending. And the parts you do pay cash for (the in-park lodge, camping, gas, and meals) are the parts that make the trip memorable.
Start with what you have
You don't need 235,000 points to plan a national parks road trip. That's the full-optimization version. Start with what you have:
- 50,000 points covers your flights and frees up cash for everything else.
- 100,000 points covers flights and several hotel nights.
- 150,000+ points covers flights, hotels, and the rental car.
Whatever your balance, it's enough to start planning. The parks aren't going anywhere, and neither are your points — though they're worth more today than they will be tomorrow.
Pick a route. Check your points balance. And go see something extraordinary.
Want to know exactly how far your points can take you? Take the WanderWise Travel Score Quiz — 60 seconds to see your points, your options, and your next road trip.