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THE ROUTE

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Blue pins for campgrounds, red for drive-by destinations. Click a pin for more info!

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DAY 1

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CHICAGO TO LAKE MCCONAUGHY

The Chicago skyline from Montrose beach at sunset.

Chicago, Emily North, 2024.

A field and grain silos at sunset.

Northern Illinois, Emily North, 2021.

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DAY 2

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LAKE MCCONAUGHY TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN

Mountains and a small alpine lake on a foggy day .

Rocky Mountain National Park, Emily North, 2015.

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DAY 3

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN TO MESA VERDE

Hikers at the summit of a massive mountain.

Pikes Peak, Emily North, 2015.

Hikers traversing a dune at the park.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Lionello DelPiccolo/Wikimedia, 2016.

An ancient Ancestral Puebloan cliff village.

Mesa Verde National Park, National Park Service, unknown year.

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DAY 4

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MESA VERDE TO CANYONLANDS

The LaSal Mountains from a highway outside Moab.

Highway near Moab, UT, Emily North, 2022.

Red rock cliffs along the edge of a canyon.

Canyonlands National Park, Emily North, 2022.

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DAY 5

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CANYONLANDS TO ANTELOPE ISLAND

A butte at the end of a twisty road through the desert.

Goblin Valley State Park, Emily North, 2022.

Small mountains covered in green vegetation.

Provo Canyon, Emily North, 2022.

The Salt Lake City skyline.

Salt Lake City, Jay Dash/Downtown SLC Alliance, unknown year.

A dried-up dock in the Great Salt Lake.

Antelope Island State Park, Emily North, 2022.

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DAY 6

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ANTELOPE ISLAND TO YELLOWSTONE

The dried-up Great Salt Lake.

Great Salt Lake, Emily North, 2022.

The mountains of the Wasatch Range.

Wasatch Range, Emily North, 2022.

a cabin in front of the Teton Mountains.

Grand Teton National Park, Jon Sullivan, PD Photo/Wikimedia, 2004.

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DAY 7

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YELLOWSTONE TO BIGHORN

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park, Getty Images, unknown year.

An alpine meadow in bloom.

Bighorn National Forest, National Forest Service, unknown year.

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DAY 8

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BIGHORN TO BADLANDS

The tower standing above the surrounding landscape.

Bear Lodge, Devils Tower National Monument, powerofforever/iStock, unknown year.

The Black Hills in South Dakota.

Black Hills National Forest, Matthew Barroner/National Forest Foundation, unknown year.

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DAY 9

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BADLANDS TO THE DRIFTLESS

Rugged sandstone terrain at sunset.

Badlands National Park, Noah Land Photography, unknown year.

Rolling hills dotted with fields and woods.

The Driftless Area, David Mark/Pixabay, unknown year.

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DAY 10

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THE DRIFTLESS TO CHICAGO

The campsite looking out at rolling hills and forest.

Wildcat Mountain State Park, Conniption1/Reddit, 2025.

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Website created May 2026 by Emily North