Airline staffing shortages and higher ticket prices might deter some military families from booking flights to faraway summer destinations in 2022.
But it’s possible to pull off a vacation that feels like stepping into a new world, even if it’s just a few hours from the base. These four summer road trips from major military installations feature routes jam-packed with activities that beat sitting on an airplane any day.
Vacation in the Smoky Mountains
Fort Bragg to Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- 350 miles, a six-hour drive
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country for a good reason. The 800-square-mile wilderness has incredible biodiversity and is one of the best places to spot a black bear in the wild. The journey there is half of the fun, as there’s so much to do along the way.
The International Civil Rights Museum is about 90 minutes down the road from Fort Bragg via U.S. Highway 421 North. The museum in Greensboro is centered around the historic Woolworth lunch counter, the location of the famous 1959 sit-in protests. A guided tour and walkthrough will take most people about an hour and a half.
Another 30-minute drive down Interstate 40 West is the Old Salem Museum and Gardens, a living history attraction with costumed actors that tell the story of the Moravian community that first settled in the area in 1766.
Travel on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway for a meal in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, a thriving mountain city with an eclectic arts scene. The mid-sized city is well-known for its extensive collection of family friendly craft breweries and modern Appalachian dishes.
It’s just two more hours down I-40 West to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, one of the best places to stay when exploring the Great Smoky Mountains. The national park is free to enter, and a must-see stop is Clingmans Dome, the park’s highest point, which features 360-degree views of surrounding mountains in Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Thrill-seekers can get their hearts pumping at Rowdy Bear Amusement Park, home of the world’s first Mountain Glider, a rollercoaster hybrid that sends riders on an experience through the treetops at high speeds. There’s something for everyone on the Gatlinburg strip, a .8-mile zone filled with museums, attractions and restaurants.
Scenic escape to the coast
Joint Base Lewis — McChord to Cannon Beach, Oregon
- 200 miles, four-hour drive
Washington and Oregon have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. One particular stretch of coastline in Northern Oregon is famous for its appearance in cult-favorite movies like “Point Break,” “The Goonies” and “Twilight.” This short road trip is an ideal romantic getaway or family vacation as there’s genuinely something unforgettable for people of any age to experience.
Take off down Interstate 5 South for about 90 minutes to reach an excellent option for a pitstop near Aberdeen, Washington, at Bottle Beach State Park, where there’s a .7-mile scenic boardwalk trail famous for its birdwatching.
Jump on U.S. Route 101 South to head toward Cape Disappointment State Park on the Southern Washington Coast. The park is anything but disappointing. It gets its name from its precarious position at the mouth of the Columbia River, where an estimated 2,000 vessels have sunk in dangerous seas. An interpretive center in the park tells the area’s history, including its role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. There are two historic lighthouses inside the park accessed via breathtaking Pacific Northwest hiking trails.
Travel across the state border to Oregon on the iconic Astoria-Megler Bridge and carve out about an hour for the Oregon Film Museum. The museum is inside a century-old former jailhouse. An interactive space with cameras and movie sets encourages visitors to act and film scenes, and the footage can be later downloaded and transformed into movie masterpieces. The old jail cells are filled with “Goonies” memorabilia.
Cannon Beach is just another 25 miles down the coast. The small resort community centers around Haystack Rock, an impressive 235 feet sea stack. Visitors can walk directly up to it at low tide and spot sea stars and other tide pool creatures. The beach is a popular place to picnic, fly kites and make sandcastles.
Summer is the perfect season to attempt a surfing lesson or boogie board at Ecola State Park’s Indian Beach, the iconic rocky coastline featured in many Hollywood flicks. The park also has several trails and hike-in campsites.
Cannon Beach is a thriving arts community filled with art galleries, shops, pubs, restaurants and breweries. Icefire Glassworks, a hot shop and glass blowing gallery, allows visitors to watch the glass blowing process in real-time.
An adventure to the wild west
29 Palms to Grand Canyon National Park
- 350 miles, a six-hour drive
The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Although the route to get there from 29 Palms first appears to be barren desert, many quirky stops along the way can make the drive feel like a breeze.
The Mojave National Preserve has nearly 10,000 years of geological history and is about an hour’s drive from the base. Pack a picnic and plan to stop and enjoy the natural beauty of Boulders Viewpoint Area, which is just a short detour off Amboy Road.
Take Interstate 40 East and Arizona State Route 95 to step back into history into the living ghost town in Oatman, which hosts a daily wild west shootout performed by the Oatman Ghost Rider Gunfighters. The town has several other historical attractions and places to fuel up on food and refreshments.
Drive another hour down Oatman Highway to a budget stop at the Arizona Route 66 Museum. Children under 12 get in free, and tickets for adults are just $4 per person. The museum usually takes about two hours to get through and features various artifacts from historic Route 66.
A leg of the journey two hours west on I-40 East will put travelers close to Bearizona, a drive-through wildlife park with bears, wolves and bighorn sheep. Visitors can stay in the car for this adventure and view the exotic animals living in their natural environments.
Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim is located just one hour north of the wildlife attraction. Active-duty military members can get into the park for free. Mather Point is a popular and easily accessible lookout to view the splendor of the 18-mile wide and 4,000-feet deep canyon. Guests can tour the expansive natural area by foot, train, helicopter or bike.
The beach getaway
Fort Hood to Galveston, Texas
- 250 miles, a four-and-half hour drive
A trip to the beach can be a dream getaway for couples and families stationed in the land-locked region of Texas near Fort Hood. Galveston is one of the oldest cities in the country and has a wide range of activities in addition to the beach.
The first place for a pitstop is about two hours southeast of the base in Lake Somerville. The parks and beaches are great places to cool down and throw some food on the grill.
Another 90 minutes on the road in the same direction will bring travelers into the Houston area. There are endless pitstop options, but Cockrell Butterfly Center is just a few minutes off the route and is often considered one of the most relaxing places in the city. The three-story simulated rainforest conservatory is built around a 50-foot waterfall surrounded by exotic plants and hundreds of butterflies.
About 30 minutes farther down Interstate 45 North sits the iconic Space Center Houston. The 250,000-square-foot education complex will take several hours to maneuver through and is filled with more than 400 space artifacts, including the world’s largest collection of moon rocks and lunar samples. Visitors can even take a peek behind the scenes at the NASA Johnson Space Center.
Galveston is just another 30 minutes down the road. The city’s 8-mile seawall gives visitors beautiful sunrise and sunset views of the coast and access to the sandy beaches. The Strand, Galveston’s historic city center, is filled with restaurants, shops, nightclubs and museums. The island’s most popular family attraction is Moody Gardens, an amusement park with pyramids housing animal and plant conservation attractions.
