The Scooter Diaries: full itinerary and departure date

Zion National Park (UT), one of many stops on the journey.

National Park Pass: ordered. Overall route: finalized. Departure date: set.

On Saturday, May 4th, I'll be departing DC for a multi-month road trip across the United States (and Canada!), scootering from city to city and town to town and park to park to see all that the North American landmass has to offer. After several months of planning, countless conversations with friends, and relentless solicitation of recommendations, I'm happy to report that I have a nearly-complete list of destinations I'll be visiting during this summer's Scooter Diaries.

28 national parks. 24 cities. 21 states. 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 10 mountains. 4 towns. 2 countries. 2 national memorials, 1 national forest, and 1 state park. A to-be-determined number of All-American Roads, and a growing count of isolated sites and geographic formations along the way. Updated map below.



Specifically, I'll be visiting the following destinations (in rough chronological order):

Virginia: Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway
North Carolina: Asheville, Mount Cammerer
Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Knoxville, Nashville
Kentucky: Mammoth Cave National Park
Mississippi: Natchez Trace Parkway
Louisiana: New Orleans
Texas: Austin, Hamilton Pool Nature Reserve, Marfa
New Mexico: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Santa Fe, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Taos Pueblo
Colorado: Denver, Boulder, Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak, Mount Elbert, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Durango, Mesa Verde National Park
Arizona: Petrified Forest National Park, Flagstaff, Sedona, Grand Canyon National Park, Antelope Canyon, The Wave
Utah: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park
Nevada: Las Vegas, Hoover Dam
California: Joshua Tree National Park, Slab City, San Diego, Los Angeles, Channel Islands National Park,  Big Sur, Mount Whitney, Yosemite National Park, Half Dome, San Francisco, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mount Shasta, Redwood National Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park,
Oregon: Ashland, Mount Thielsen, Crater Lake National Park, Eugene, Portland
Washington: Mount Rainier National Park, Mount Rainier, Olympic National Park, Seattle, North Cascades National Park
Canada: Vancouver, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Waterton Lakes National Park, (and much later) Toronto
Montana: Glacier National Park, Beartooth All-American Road
Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park, Mount Washburn, Grand Teton National Park, Bunsen Peak, Buffalo, Devil's Tower National Monument
South Dakota: Mount Rushmore National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, Black Hills National Forest, Badlands National Park
Minnesota: Minneapolis, Duluth
Michigan: Copper Harbor, Marquette, Grand Marais, Sault Ste. Marie
New York: Buffalo
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh

Though my overall route has been (more or less) finalized, I'm still willing and eager to add other places worth checking out along the way, particularly more state parks, scenic roads, and salt-of-the-earth towns, so if you think there's something I'm missing within a 50-to-100-mile radius of my travels, definitely let me know. And, of course, if there's something I simply can't miss in one of the cities I'll be passing through—a good vegan restaurant, a cool music venue, a great museum or café or market—specific recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Olympic National Park (WA), another planned destination.

I've also had a number of really kind offers to stay with friends, friends' friends, and friends' families at various points along the trip, and while I intend to do a fair amount of camping for most of the journey, I certainly won't turn down a warm bed (and shower) every now and then. So if you (or someone you know) is just itching to host a couch-crasher for a night, do let me know—I will be forever grateful. I also make a mean banana pancake. :)

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"Men come tamely home at night only from the next field or street, where their household echoes haunt, and their life pines because it breathes its own breath over again; their shadows, morning and evening, reach farther than their daily steps. We should come home from far, from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day, with new experience and character." — Henry David Thoreau, Walden; Or, Life in the Woods

Welcoming a new addition to Boneyard Studios

For the past six months, Boneyard Studios has been a community of three under-construction tiny homes: the Matchbox, Minim House, and Pera House. But last week, we welcomed a new addition to our little tribe— the Lusby from our friend Elaine at tinyhousecommunity.com.

Getting Elaine's tiny house on the lot—and moving Brian's house to the right spot—required a bit of reshuffling, resulting in the Lusby, the Matchbox, and Minim House all getting hitched, unhitched, and moved (more than) a couple of times over the course of seven hours. Check out the video below for some clips of the move and, well, footage of a tiny house roaming the streets of DC.



Interested in touring Boneyard Studios? Sign up for our next open house here.