The Ultimate Road Trip: The 2022 Nissan Pathfinder Has Something for Everyone in the Family, Even Pets


The Ultimate Road Trip

“Inspired by Nissan Pathfinder, writer Chris Atwell has written a series about the fictional Anderson Family and imagined the adventures they might have on a summer road trip with Pathfinder. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this article are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, or entities is intended or should be inferred.”

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It’s a Dog’s Life

The scale and comfort of the all-new Pathfinder inspired the Andersons to make an important decision about their long-planned road trip—they decided to bring their dog, Juno, along. Weeks on the road with a mid-sized retriever can pose challenges. Fortunately, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder’s storage capacity can handle her pet accessories and so much more. The passenger space provides plenty of room for Juno to nap and window watch. Juno’s rewards for being such a good dog are pet-friendly excursions like this one. Teenage son, Zane, picks up the story…

We’ve been on the road in the all-new Pathfinder for a couple of weeks now, and I have to say that Juno is handling it great. Oh, yeah, Juno is our dog—an 8-year-old black lab who loves car trips! It’s as if she knows there’s always something fun at the end of it. Except when it’s the vet’s office or the groomers, but that’s another story.

I think Mom and Dad were a little worried about taking Juno on such a long road trip, but in the end, they decided we couldn’t leave without her. The all-new Pathfinder has plenty of room for her to settle in comfortably with the five of us—four now that we’ve dropped off my sister Malena at college for her freshman year. And don’t think Juno doesn’t love having a second-row chair with heated seats to herself now—and access to a window!

Dad explained that we couldn’t count on every stop along the way being “dog friendly,” so we made arrangements for those activities where she couldn’t join the fun, like last week’s kayaking trip. For Juno, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder is a big “Yes,”; but boats on the water are an absolute “No!”

Today, though, was all about Juno! We drove the Pathfinder from Malena’s college to Rock City, Tennessee, up on Lookout Mountain, an elevation of 1700 ft. I know that because Dad kept bragging about how smoothly the Pathfinder handles mountain roads, with its seven drive and terrain modes available, and how the 20-inch wheels securely gripped the surface. Yeah, Dad, we get it.

Anyway, the Rock City Park welcomes dogs, so long as they’re leashed, and Juno made the most of it. The hiking trail makes for some great mountain views, and she was excited to explore, stretch her legs, and make friends with the other dogs. I mean, she would have loved to chase the squirrels and rabbits, but she’s a good girl and kept the antics to a minimum.

Afterward, she jumped back in the Pathfinder and settled into her new favorite seat, ready for the next “dog-friendly” adventure—and treats.


  • Cargo-area under-floor storage:  Find even more room for adventure, thanks to out-of-sight cargo storage space that’s easy to clean. 
  • Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and distribution. Always secure cargo. Heavy loading of the vehicle with cargo, especially on the roof, will affect the handling and stability of the vehicle.


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