A family who roadtrips 4,000 miles a year shares the best hidden-gem destinations in the US
- Rob Taylor, a Florida-based road trip expert, has traveled to 48 states with his family.
- Taylor focuses on educational trips, visiting lesser-known destinations for unique experiences.
International destinations can be awe-inspiring — but road trips around the states can feel just as unique, from New England to the coast of Alaska.
That's according to Florida-based road trip expert Rob Taylor, who has traveled to 48 states. Over the last 13 years, he and his husband, Chris, have driven their two kids to 30 states.
"The US is so large, and you can get such variation in experiences, activities, landscapes, cuisine, and culture from one corner of the country to another," he told Business Insider. "We're making our way. Eventually, we will hit all of them."
Regarding family road trips, Taylor seeks out lesser-known destinations where the kids can learn something new.
"So much of our travel specifically focuses on education and making sure that we're not just going to theme parks," he said. "We're actually out there doing programs with the rangers and educators."
Typically, Taylor takes the kids out of school three to four times a year for up to two weeks at a time. He added that the educational factor makes teachers more supportive of their travels during the school year.
"That's why we feel OK pulling them out of school as much as we do," Taylor said. "We've never had a complaint that we've missed too much school."
Taylor shared with BI his favorite hidden-gem road trip stops around the US for families — and some are in popular states you wouldn't expect.
Drive through a lesser-known part of Alaska.
Alaska may be a popular tourist destination, but as a former resident of the state, Taylor knows where to go to avoid the crowds.
"There's the whole scenic side of the state that people pass over because everybody drives on the Parks Highway that goes from Anchorage up to Fairbanks," he told BI. "On the other side, you can drive through the wilderness and experience the tundra. It's not a mainstream destination."
To get to this under-the-radar stop from Anchorage, Taylor said to drive towards Palmer.
"You'll pass several state parks before crossing over the beautiful, albeit rough road, called Hatcher Pass," he said. "This will add time and connect you back to the main Parks Highway, but it's well worth the detour."
Taylor added that he's taken the family on multiple hikes in the bird watching, moose watching, and a mining tour in the area.
Avoid crowds on the eastern side of Glacier National Park.
"Glacier National Park is definitely not a lesser-known place, but so many people approach it just from one side," Taylor said of the mountainous park in Montana. "A lot of people just overlook that whole other half of this national park."
In Taylor's experience, tourists crowd the park's west side.
"But the east side of Glacier National Park, where it meets the Blackfoot Nation, is really incredible," he said, referring to the Native American reservation also known as Blackfeet Nation. "It has far fewer people than the west side. It's one of those spots where you can still have a detached-from-the-rest-of-the-world experience."
In Utah, swap out Zion National Park for Canyon Lands...
Utah may not be the first place you think of as a hidden gem — but it can be.
"With Utah having so much public land, it's a great place to get away from people," Taylor said. "So many people think of going to Zion National Park, but there are other parks in Utah that are just as incredible."
Canyonlands National Park, for example, is less frequented than Zion, he said.
"It's very red and orange and gold, and the land is a lot of canyons and washouts," he said.
... or Capitol Reef National Park.
"Capitol Reef is not crowded at all," Taylor told BI of this national park in Utah's south-central desert region. "And it is astounding with the landscape and tons of history within the park in terms of western settlement."
Aside from having fewer tourists than Zion National Park, Taylor said Capitol Reef will "give you a totally different spin on Utah."
"There are really large monoliths of sandstone in the middle of mountain ranges that are dark gray and flaming red," he said. "There are contrasts of hot and cold colors everywhere with really dramatic landscape features, like natural bridges that form because of really intense erosion."
Taylor recommends Capitol Reef for families who want to "geek out on geology."
"If you're traveling with kids, it's one of those spots where there's literally science around every corner," he said.
On the East Coast, take the less-traveled route through South Carolina and stop in Columbia.
Taylor said the East Coast is full of historic cities, and Columbia, South Carolina, is a hidden gem off the major highway.
"Columbia is not on the 95," he said, referring to the interstate that connects Florida to Maine, "but it's not difficult to veer off that north-to-south route that everybody ends up driving here on the East Coast."
"Columbia has lots of wonderful history in terms of civil rights and civil war reconstruction history," he added.
Taylor also recommends visiting Conagree National Park, just outside the city.
"It's an incredible Cypress swamp full of snakes and alligators and birds and fireflies," he said. "It's beautiful, it's creepy, and it's squishy. It's a unique park visit with kids."
Instead of visiting the coast of Maine, go to the highlands.
"Maine is one of those places that surprises me with each visit," Taylor told Business Insider. "A lot of people think of Maine as a place to see lighthouses and maybe eat some lobster, but the Maine Highlands are really cool."
The highlands are in the middle of Maine and attract fewer tourists than coastal destinations, according to a 2023 economics report by Maine's Department of Administrative and Financial Services.
"It's really a wonderful place for wildlife, and you get to see what the northeast was like before all the cities were booming," Taylor said.
Now that you know where to go, check out Taylor's best tips for family road trips in his book, "The Road Trip Survival Guide."
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