It’s a common bucket list item for “visit all the national parks” to appear on nature lovers’ lists. But how often do the national seashores get the same amount of love? Besides, with only 9 national seashores compared to the 63 national parks, it’s definitely an easier feat!

How cool will it be to be able to say you’ve been to ALL the national seashores in the USA?! And not to mention the unforgettable memories you’ll make along the way. In this post, we’ll talk about how to do it in just 5 short trips.

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The national seashores are extremely spread out across the USA, for better or for worse. Because of this, I’ve split my plan to see them all into five different trips. I’m doing these trips myself over five years, but you could plan to do them all in one summer if you really wanted!

Road Trip 1: Northeast National Seashores

Beginning with Cape Cod National Seashore and ending with Fire Island National Seashore, this point-to-point road trip covers 217 miles and takes approximately 4-5 days to complete.You can add optional stops in New York City (90 minutes from Fire Island) and Boston (90 minutes from Cape Cod). These are also both great cities to fly into, if you want to rent a car for this adventure!

Road Trip 2: Mideastern National Seashores

This 7 day road trip covers 366 miles and three national seashores. Starting with Assateague Island National Seashore, spend two days exploring the island and spotting the wild horses. As you make your way down the coast on day 3, stop in Norfolk VA for some culinary experiences and to restock for the rest of your adventure.

Drive another 2.5hrs on day 4 to reach Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and wake up early (or stay up late) to experience some dazzling stargazing. This seashore is one of the darkest skies on the east coast, so you certainly won’t want to miss it! Spend day 5 driving along the 58 miles of protected seashore and encountering the quaint towns sprinkled throughout.

On the days I was here, it wasn’t the clearest skies, but I could still see quite a bit of stars. Simply breathtaking! 

Day 6 and 7 are dedicated to Cape Lookout National Seashore, a 3.5hr drive from Cape Hatteras. Spend a day surf fishing and identifying the many species of shore birds. On your last day, take one last opportunity to take in the beauty of the wide beaches.

Road Trip 3: Southeastern National Seashores

You’ve never experienced FL/GA like this before! This 6 day road trip takes you to three more stunning national seashores. Fly into Jacksonville FL and pick up a rental car, then head toward Canaveral National Seashore. Spend your first day soaking it up! 

On day 2, drive toward Cumberland Island National Seashore, which is home to 1,000 plant species and 310 bird species. Day 3 is all about water activities – rent a boat, suntan, and build sandcastles in the sugar-like sand!

Day 4 will be spent mostly driving toward Gulf Islands National Seashore, which is approximately 5 hours and 40 minutes from Cumberland Island. Along the way, you can stop in Tallahassee to experience the state’s capital.

Your 5th and 6th days are dedicated to the Gulf Islands National Seashore! Spend the first day exploring Fort Pickens. For your second day, you might consider biking the seashore from Pensacola Beach to Navarre Beach, which I have a whole post about here.

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Trip 4: Padres Island National Seashore

No road trip required for this one! Padres Island is the only national seashore in Texas. You might spend 2-3 days exploring this coastline, which is known for being the longest barrier island in the world and sand dunes that can reach up to 50 feet.

Trip 5: Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes is the only national seashore on the west coast, but is a natural sanctuary to over 1500 species of plants and animals. I’d recommend visiting between December and March, when the elephant seals are most prevalent. You can extend this trip by exploring San Francisco as well, which is only an hour away.