The total distance from the national park to Chicago is about 773 miles. Therefore, it takes 12 hours and 1 minute to complete the national park road trip from Chicago. However, you can complete your journey within one day, but that will be tough for you if you do so. However, it needs two days to cover the road trip. Let’s see what you can do on this road trip below.
Places You Can Visit During National Park Road Trip From Chicago
Well, you can visit many places during the journey. But we have selected some sites below where you can stop and have fun during the trip.
National Park Road Trip From Chicago Map
Day-1
We will start our journey from Chicago to Schedel Gardens on the first day. The total destination we need to cover is 274 miles. Which will take around 4 hours and 51 minutes to reach via I-90 E. Therefore, You can visit some interesting places on your first-day national park road trip from Chicago.
Zona Wildlife Sanctuary
| Total Distance From Chicago | 55.7 Miles |
| Time Duration | 1 Hour 4 Minutes |
It is located in Westville, Indiana, USA, at 601 E 950 N. Looping trails throughout this sanctuary make for a stroll or jog, especially for young families. Along the trails are picnic tables and interpretive signage, and walking dogs is permitted in the park. In the Indiana Dunes, you’ll discover new favorite picnic spots, delve into local culture and lore, tour historic sites, and stop to smell the flowers, among other activities.
Explore the region’s array of year-round attractions and recreational pursuits to find the simple pleasures of going with the flow and define the Indiana Dunes for yourself. Even though you can bring pets, this place is excellent for families. Additionally, there are some public restrooms there.
RV Hall of Fame And Museum
| Total Distance From Chicago | 115 Miles |
| Time Duration | 2 Hour 1 Minute |
Various historical, recreational vehicles from American manufacturers, including Airstream, Winnebago, and others, are displayed at the 100,000-square-foot RV/MH Hall of Fame museum in Elkhart, Indiana. The creation of a museum exhibit featuring vintage R.V. and motorhome products is one of the foundation’s main objectives, according to the organization. R.V. travelers, who make up most visitors, can park their vehicles in the museum’s pull-through parking near Elkhart, just off Interstate 80.
Numerous recreational vehicles from the early 1900s to the 1980s are on display at the museum. The oldest known surviving vehicle is a 1913 Earl Travel Trailer, which is the oldest vehicle on display. The museum is divided into sections highlighting significant moments in developing R.V.s, including the debut of the first microwave oven, the first indoor toilet, and other innovations. In the Go RVing exhibition hall, which is close to the museum, are vehicles from the 1980s.
Manapogo Park
| Total Distance From Chicago | 157 Miles |
| Time Duration | 2 Hour 45 Minutes |
Located in northeast Indiana, Manapogo Park is a lovely family R.V. campground that is simple to get to from Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. Our park is a great place to stay the night if you travel nationwide. The sites at Manapogo Park are big and roomy. We have an area that will accommodate your equipment, whether you have a pop-up or a 35-foot camper. To help make your stay more enjoyable, we organize activities like dances, potlucks, and sporting tournaments every weekend.
The four-star rating for Woodall makes us happy. Camping Cabins, 50 Amp Sites Available, Tent Camping, Seasonal Sites, Large, Beautiful Beach, Boating, Fishing, and Water Skiing, Boat Rentals, Fishing Boats, Canoes, Paddle Boats, Camp Store, Laundrette, Restrooms, Showers, etc. are some of the features offered at this location.
Schedel Gardens
| Total Distance From Chicago | 256 Miles |
| Time Duration | 4 Hour 7 Minutes |
The Schedel Arboretum and Gardens is a well-preserved botanical garden and arboretum on the bank of a river in Elmore, Ohio, in the United States. The Schedels wanted to display their beautiful possessions, which included Persian carpets, a top-notch Jade collection, hand-crafted teak furniture, prayer rugs, Japanese silk embroidery, and a 1,000-year-old Bronze sculpture.
They built a glasshouse around the mansion and planted 25 different kinds of Japanese maple, 16 different species of pine, including the Bristlecone pine, Bald cypress, Golden chain tree, cucumber and umbrella magnolia, Japanese silver bell, various beech tree species, bamboo, katsura Frankland Trees, and nearly 50 different kinds of lilacs. They added English-style landscapes, flower arrangements, and a Japanese garden with several beds. They put in glasshouses where annuals are prepared; every spring, about 15,000 plants are moved from the glasshouse to the grounds and planted alongside perennials, trees, and shrubs.
Day-2
Today, we will cover all the best places on the national park road trip from Chicago. It is about 538 miles to complete the whole journey. However, it will take 8 hours and 34 minutes to get there. To see what is waiting for you, scroll down now.
Swings-N-Things Fun Park
| Total Distance From Chicago | 328 Miles |
| Time Duration | 5 Hours 9 Minutes |
Now Time to enjoy yourself and your family at Swings-N-Things Fun Park. The location is 8501 Stearns Road, Olmsted Falls, Ohio 44138, USA bumper boat, paintball, ice cream, snacks, mini-golf, and batting cages entertainment centre. Numerous activities are available at the location, including outdoor laser tag, paintball, go-karts, miniature golf, bumper boats, a game room, and a batting cage. Here, you can enjoy yourself with your family and children. Consequently, it is fashionable there.
Springfield Forest, Mill Creek MetroParks
| Total Distance From Chicago | 409 Miles |
| Time Duration | 6 Hours 22 Minutes |
This place is at 2050 S Range Rd, New Springfield, OH 44443, United States. The Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, and the Mill Creek Metroparks Foundation joined forces to purchase this 88.38-acre Springfield forest property in 2021. Through a second, successful Clean Ohio conservation fund application, additional financial support from the Mill Creek Metroparks Foundation, and in-kind contributions from Mill Creek Metroparks, funding for property improvements to Springfield Forest was obtained.
Therefore, The access was made more accessible, passive recreation options were offered, and ecological restoration work was done on the property. A picnic area, a fishing pier and boardwalk, scenic vistas, facility signage, a new entry drive, a 16-car parking lot, aggregate and primitive hiking trails, and 20 acres of ecological restoration are among the Springfield Forest’s features. On-site recreation opportunities include fishing from the pier and hiking along the picturesque trail network.
Old Bedford Village
| Total Distance From Chicago | 560 Miles |
| Time Duration | 8 Hours 47 Minutes |
In the middle of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the United States, is the Bedford Village Archaeological Site (36BD90). It was once home to a village of the Monongahela culture and is situated in Bedford Township to the north of the borough of Bedford. Today, the area is home to Old Bedford Village, an outdoor museum with several historic buildings brought there from the nearby towns of Bedford, Everett, and Rainsburg. The Monongahela village, which used to be there, had a typical layout for such settlements: circular homes encircled by a fence.
It was constructed above the marshy portions of the river’s floodplain at the highest terrace point along the Juniata River’s Raystown Branch. Therefore, the location was well-known as a source of artifacts before Old Bedford Village was built. However, when the museum was established, the site’s archaeological potential received more widespread attention. Testing at the site’s northernmost area in 1977 uncovered signs of a Monongahela-era village and pre-Monongahela occupation from the Late Archaic era.
Philadelphia Zoo
| Total Distance From Chicago | 757 Miles |
| Time Duration | 11 Hours 49 Minutes |
The Philadelphia Zoo is the country’s first real zoo. The Philadelphia Zoo sits on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in the city’s Centennial District. On March 21, 1859, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted it a charter; however, the Civil War prevented it from opening until July 1, 1874. With 1,000 animals and a 25-cent entrance fee, the zoo opened its doors. The Smithsonian Institution, which had yet to construct its National Zoo. Briefly housed animals brought to the United States from safaris while the zoo was still being built. One of the top zoos in the world for breeding animals that are challenging to breed in captivity is the Philadelphia Zoo.
The zoo collaborates with numerous organizations across the globe to protect the natural habitats of the animals under its care. Nearly 1,300 rare and endangered animals call the 42-acre (17-ha) zoo their home. The special features include:
- A children’s petting zoo.
- A paddleboat lake.
- A carousel with a rainforest theme.
- A ropes course.
- Numerous interactive and educational exhibits.
Zoo360, The Rare Animal Conservation Centre, Hamilton Family KidZooU & Faris Family Education Centre, African Plains, McNeil Avian Centre, Bird Valley, Bear Country, Big Cat Falls, Small Mammal House, PECO Primate Reserve, Penguin Point, The Reptile and Amphibian House, Wings of Asia, etc. are all included in this zoo’s amenities list.
National Park, New Jersey
| Total Distance From Chicago | 813 Miles |
| Time Duration | 13 Hour 25 Minutes |
We’ve arrived at our final stop now. The National Park is a borough in the American state of New Jersey’s Gloucester County. The borough’s population was 3,026 as of the 2020 United States Census, down 10 (or roughly 0.3%) from the 3,036 counted in the 2010 census, which in turn represented a decline of 169 (or approximately 5.3%) from the 3,205 people counted in the 2000 census. The name doesn’t tell the whole story! National Park isn’t actually a national park, and it doesn’t border one either. In 2020, National Park had New Jersey’s 18th-highest property tax rate, with an equalized rate of 4.446% compared to the county’s 3.212% and the state’s 2.279% average.
FAQ For The Road Trip
- Where Is The Nearest National Park To Chicago?
Ans: Over 30 million residents who live within a three-hour drive of Indiana Dunes National Park visit it frequently because it is the closest national park to several significant cities, including Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee.
- How long would it take to drive to all U.S. national parks?
Ans: A loop allows you to start at any park along the 14,500-mile journey from Acadia National Park in Maine to Redwood National Park in California. Olson estimates the trip would take about two months if you don’t want to stop and take in the sights.
- How Far Is The National Park Road Trip From Chicago?
Ans: The road trip there can take 13 hours and 25 minutes. The total distance from Chicago to the National Park is about 813 miles.
Final Words
Summer is the ideal season to visit most U.S. National Parks. Is there anything better than sipping a lawnmower beer in a hammock by the campfire? The wildlife is at its most abundant. The weather is gorgeous even after dark, and, quite frankly, is there anything better? Consequently, a road trip to a national park from Chicago will give you a wonderful experience. By adhering to the recommendations above, you can have a joyful journey.