Minnesota is at the top and Delaware is at the bottom of a new study focused on summer travel road trip destinations.

With nearly 80 percent of U.S. adults saying they will take some sort of road trip this summer, the personal-finance website WalletHub has released its report on 2025’s Best & Worst States for Summer Road Trips, along with expert commentary.

To help travelers plan a fun and wallet-friendly road trip, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states based on 32 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of attractions to road conditions to costs.

States in the top five were Minnesota, at number one, followed by New York, Ohio, Utah and Louisiana. The bottom five were Montana at number 46, followed by Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware at number 50. The Golden State was in the bottom 10, as the WalletHub road trip report found that California ranks 44th nationally for summer driving.

Road Tripping in California (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

Overall Rank: 44th

22nd – Lowest Price of Three-Star Hotel Room

50th – Avg. Gas Prices

45th – Car Thefts per Capita

48th – Lowest Price of Camping

31st – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled

“Taking a summer road trip can be a very exciting way to experience a new place, but with the prices of gas, food and accommodations still impacted by inflation, you’ll want to be in a state that makes this type of vacation affordable. Safe roads are also key, and so is having plenty of worthwhile attractions to stop at along the road. The best states for summer road trips therefore are those that keep costs low while providing the best driving experience and most fun activities,” said WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. “Minnesota is the best state for summer road trips, and it’s great for people who want to be outdoors because it has the fourth-highest spendings per capita on parks and recreation. In addition, Minnesota has the third-most fairs and festivals per capita during the summer, so there’s always something unique to check out. Driving in Minnesota is very safe, too. The state has the third-fewest vehicle fatalities per million miles traveled, along with the fourth-best bridge quality in the country and the ninth-lowest prevalence of speeding.”

To view the full report, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-for-summer-road-trips/4648

Expert Commentary

What budgeting tips do you have for people looking to hit the open road?

“Plan ahead! The more time you have to research your destinations, the better deals you might find. This includes pricing for hotels, VRBO’s Air BnB’s, attractions, etc. Convention and Visitors bureau websites can play a big role in this as they often run promotional deals and packages.”

Mr. Ira L. Rosen, MA, CFEE, CED – Adjunct Assistant Professor, Temple University; President and CEO, Ira L Rosen LLC. Festival and Event Consulting

“Go off-season if possible. Even one week prior to or after the travel peak makes a huge difference in prices. It also helps with overtourism problems. Consider alternative destinations. For instance, instead of Acadia National Park, consider Isle Royale National Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan or White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Instead of a hotel room, rent an apartment through Airbnb, Booking, VRBO, or another platform. As an additional bonus, you would be able to do your own cooking instead of being overly dependent on restaurants. Do your reservations way ahead; if possible, reserve accommodation and tickets to popular attractions a few months before your trip. Consider traveling internationally. I am writing this piece while on a month-long driving trip in Portugal mountains. The food and accommodation prices are 50-70 percent of what I would expect to pay for a comparable vacation quality domestically.”

Andrei P. Kirilenko – Associate Professor; Graduate Coordinator, Department of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management, University of Florida

Are summer road trips becoming a more popular option than flying? Why?

Road trips should become more popular, since fuel prices seem to be coming down from the highs of recent years. Also, the inconvenience of flying is something that people are aware of. The recent stories about the poor quality of airline customer service and high prices should encourage people to stay with their cars. Also, an increased number of stories about airplane accidents, close calls, and mismanagement may create a culture that avoids air travel, when possible.

Craig Webster, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Ball State University

“Yes! With lower gas prices this year, road trips are increasingly attractive. Also, airlines, airports and air traffic safety have taken some high visibility hits this season.”

Mr. Ira L. Rosen, MA, CFEE, CED – Adjunct Assistant Professor, Temple University; President and CEO, Ira L Rosen LLC. Festival and Event Consulting

How can local officials enhance safety and promote tourism during the busy summer road trip season?

“This is a hard question, since different places are different and have something different to promote. Promotion has to make a place seem to be either unique, pleasant, or inexpensive, so finding the right mix of the attributes of the destination and the types of visitors it wants to bring is a bit of an art form. In terms of safety, police should ensure that drivers drive in a safe way, so enforcement of driving regulations is critical. Also, knowledge of safety risks in different destinations should be something that visitors try to attain, since not all destinations are equally safe and there are many different scams that consumers may be exposed to.”

Craig Webster, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Ball State University

“Critically, a lack of risk management plans specifically designed for tourists can result in a long-term drop in tourist arrivals. Data shows that mismanaged natural disasters or crime towards tourists create long-lasting ‘mental risk maps’, which cover an entire region well beyond the original impact. Local officials should keep in mind that tourists are different and, in many aspects, more vulnerable compared to residents, having no local knowledge, security network, resources, logistical constraints, etc. One of my students studied tourist evacuation during hurricanes. She found that tourists often delay evacuation compared to locals, not following disaster communication channels. Psychologically, ‘vacation mentality’ makes travelers over-optimistic and underestimate the severity of the danger.”

Andrei P. Kirilenko – Associate Professor; Graduate Coordinator, Department of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management, University of Florida