If you’re set for a road trip but want to beat the crowds, two dads who have collectively visited 48 U.S. states have shared their best picks that are off the beaten path.
Florida-based Chris and Rob Taylor launched the first LGBTQ family travel blog with their site 2TravelDads and plan to hit all 50 states.
With their two young children in tow, their aim is to visit lesser-known destinations so they can all learn something new from the experience.
Speaking with Business Insider, Rob ranks Alaska as one of his favorite hidden gems.
After living in the 49th state, he recommends ditching the popular route on the Parks Highway that runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks and opting for a stretch of rougher road which takes you towards Palmer and on to Hatcher Pass.
Florida-based Chris and Rob Taylor pride themselves on launching the first LGBTQ family travel blog with their site 2TravelDads. Above, pictured at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska
He said of this route: ‘There’s the whole scenic side of the state that people pass over because everybody drives on the Parks Highway.
‘On the other side, you can drive through the wilderness and experience the tundra. It’s not a mainstream destination… [and] it’s well worth the detour.’
Some of the family-friendly activities include bird watching, moose watching, and there is also a mining tour touching on some of the area’s history.
If you’re headed to Montana, then Rob recommends visiting Glacier National Park but approaching it from the east side where it has ‘far fewer people’ and you can have a ‘detached-from-the-rest-of-the-world experience.’
Over in Utah, if you are limited for time, the avid traveler advises skipping Zion National Park for its lesser-visited neighbor, Canyonlands.
He describes the scenery there as ‘very red and orange and gold,’ with lots of ‘canyons and washouts’ to explore.
Capitol Reef – which gets around a quarter of the traffic Zion does – could be another option, with ‘really large monoliths of sandstone’ and ‘natural bridges’ being among the lures.
Hopping to the East Cost, Rob serves up Columbia in South Carolina as a top city break.
The metropolis has ‘lots of wonderful history in terms of civil rights and civil war reconstruction history,’ while Conagree National Park is a short drive away.
Commenting on the area of natural beauty, Rob says: ‘It’s an incredible Cypress swamp full of snakes and alligators and birds and fireflies.
‘It’s beautiful, it’s creepy, and it’s squishy. It’s a unique park visit with kids.’
Finally, instead of going to the coast of Maine – which quickly packs out in warmer weather – Rob prefers heading to the Highlands.
If you’re headed to Montana, then Rob recommends visiting Glacier National Park but approaching it from the east side
He says of the picturesque spot: ‘It’s really a wonderful place for wildlife, and you get to see what the northeast was like before all the cities were booming.’
The Visit Maine tourism website notes that the Highlands are home to ‘more than 200 waterfalls, countless miles of hiking trails, great hunting, and some of the best snowmobiling trails anywhere.’
Via their website, the Taylors offer advice on trips across the U.S., along with a number of international destinations.
They estimate that they clock up about 4,000 miles every year in their vehicle.
In terms of their mission statement, they say: ‘Our mission is to normalize non-traditional families and promote acceptance of loving, caring people no matter the family makeup.
‘Our goal is to encourage families like ours to be visible in the world, traveling beyond their comfort zone in safety, and to pave the way for the next generation of LGBTQ people to be confident is creating the family that’s right for them wherever they are.’