Illinois Among Best States For Summer Road Trips

ILLINOIS — Summer time. The kids are done with school, and many parents take time off work to plan a getaway with the family. And according to a new report from consumer finance site WalletHub, Illinois is among the best states in the country for a road trip.

Despite hassles like rising gas prices, traffic woes and the cost of travel, a AAA study found that 64 percent of families traveling this summer plan to take road trips.

With that in mind, WalletHub ranked all 50 states based upon the cost of road trips, safety and the number and quality of activities available.

Illinois came in at No. 13, just behind California. According to the rankings, the top 10 states for U.S. road trips were:

1. Wyoming
2. North Carolina
3. Minnesota
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. Louisiana
7. Washington
8. New York
9. Utah
10. Colorado

Ranking dead last was Rhode Island, followed closely by Connecticut, Delaware and — this one may surprise you — Hawaii.

Illinois' No. 13 ranking came despite the fact that it came in close to the bottom — No. 49 — when it comes to having the lowest percentage of total area designated as national park land.

The Land of Lincoln came in at No. 33 when it comes to cost of road trips, No. 11 in safety and No. 21 in activities.

You can read WalletHub's full study here.

Need some vacation ideas?

• 8 Best Family Vacation Destinations In Illinois
• Illinois Road Trips: 5 Spots Less Than 4 Hours From Chicago

Photo by Dasha Petrenko/Shutterstock