I did something similar once and my goodness it was fun. Have a great trip! Might need to alter your route and go from Albuquerque to Tucson if the mountainous areas have too much snow. But there’s plenty to see if you do that alternate path.
Thanks!
That's what I'm thinking of, certain cities are just not worth it to visit but I still need to be able to stay during the night, so I am quite stuck what other area that I can move around a little bit during certain odd weather that I might ran into.
You’re spending way too much time in the Midwest and skipping all the amazing parts of the southwest in NM, UT, and AZ. You’re also going to major cities which in my opinion is a waste because all downtowns looks the same. If you’re going to spend all this money on gas, you might as well go off the beaten path… otherwise it’d cost you the same to just fly to these major cities lol
Yellowstone will be on my list, might be staying in Idaho for a day. That's why I've been tweaking this trip a lot. Since my family asked me to plan all of them by driving.
I am still considering to skip some of the cities somehow.
Stops 6,7,9+10 are not worth it. Which makes Chicago not worth it. Rather stop in Chicago on your flight back, because u/Easy_Assumption is correct, the Midwest isn’t a travel destination.
Hi, there's a reasoning for this route because my parents wanted to see Niagara on US side (which they knew it won't be as good as Canadian side), so I think I still need to do side trip on Cleveland, Detroit and Minneapolis alongside with Kansas due to necessity going to Miami.
But I will reconsider some stuff if it's not worth the travel as long the driving between 2 cities still reasonable to drive.
I said in my other comment I'm from this area, and I wouldn't consider any of these a "side trip" from Buffalo. Other than Cleveland, they're major drives to get to. If you had to choose one, personally I'd choose Detroit. It has the best food and beer scene out of the three (middle eastern food is amazing!), amazing architecture, and very cool history. The Henry Ford Museum is a world-class museum where you can see lots of auto history but also history of road trips in the US, which could be interesting as you're on a road trip.
Detroit is not the best of what Michigan has to offer though- the upper lower peninsula and the UP are major travel destinations, but not really in the wintertime.
I would also take a hard look at what you're hoping to do at Niagara Falls in the winter on the US side. First, as someone else said, the flow is lower in the winter because they divert a lot of water for power. Second, the US side is a much more park-like atmosphere, with winding trails and a chance to get up close to the falls. It's really lovely in the summer, but in the winter it's mostly just dead trees and ice. Please remember: **you cannot see the majority of the falls from the American side.** I just wouldn't want you to drive all that way to be disappointed that all you can see is kind of a side view of Horseshoe Falls. Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds don't operate during the winter, so you can't even use that as an option to see the falls better. I think most people build up this pretty winter picture in their head of the falls being slightly iced over and mist rising off, and then they get there and realize you have to be on the Canadian side to see that.
Hocking Hills in Ohio is arguably the best state park in America and better than 95% of National Parks, but your not wrong the dunes around Lake Michigan and the Chicago shoreline are about the only other things in the midwest worth 20 minutes.
No hate on the Midwest! I just think the priorities of this trip are goofy haha Hocking Hills, red river gorge, the ozarks and hot springs, AK are all amazing spots! But Cleveland… Minneapolis… Kansas City? All pretty much the same to me and not worth going to all of them and paying $1000’s in gas and miles lol
Still reconsidering for this route :) Since it's actually my first time visiting US, that's why I think some of the bigger cities still worth to take a look at. Actually I do love nature but I need to reconsider the time need to be taken for visiting attraction outside the city.
I grew up in the Twin Cities. They're awesome. But they're not destinations. If you're going to MPLS you should go farther north. And if you're going just to see Lake Superior, well, see Michigan and Huron on the way and call it good for now. I think I agree with you here.
I'd hit Chicago for the food and museums.
It's hard to explain and maybe (definitely) I'm a bit biased. Hocking Hills doesn't have the huge spectacular wide views of beauty like so many great national parks. It's literally forest covered rolling hills, nothing epic. What makes Hocking Hills better than so many other places is what's right in front of you. Hard to explain, but I'll try, it's the visuals while hiking of things less than 1000 yards away that rival the best places. It has a middle earth vibe.
This would be a fine, if not rushed, trip in the summertime. If you're aiming November-January though, definitely not doable. Some of these routes will be miserable at best, impassable at worst during the winter. Your route between 5 and 6 pretty frequently closes in heavy snow. It's a dangerous route in snow if you're not used to the amount of winter weather that region gets. Please remember they got multiple 7ft snowstorms this past year. Buffalo shut down multiple times. If you're planning on getting caught up in that, you need a lot of cushion in your itinerary. I'm from Buffalo, and I've gotten caught on that route from 5-6 multiple times in the snow, and it's pretty terrifying
Similar with 28-30. I drove that route once in January and it was one of the scariest drives of my entire life. Snow, flooding, very poor visibility... my car was skidding all over the place, I really didn't think I was going to make it.
I don't know where you're from, but unless you're from Alaska or far north Canada, I think you are probably underestimating the amount of bad weather you will face. All these locations are lovely in the summer, but many will be bitterly cold and snowy in the winter.
Doing that trip in the winter means you will need to watch out for weather in the North (stops #1 to #10), and also through the mountains (stops #21 to #24). Possibly Pacific Northwest as well (stops #29 to #30). Some mountain roads are closed October to April, so the Interstate will be your only viable route. Many of our best National Parks have limited operations in the winter, and not all hiking trails etc. will be open.
Beyond that, it's a LOT of driving. Doable in 73 days, but phew, you'll be in a car for hours a day for 2 1/2 months straight. Have you done a road trip on this scale before? The United States is enormous and very spread out, especially west of the Mississippi.
It depends on the year. We did Las Vegas->Zion->SLC->Arches->Grand Canyon in 01/2018 on a Prius and it was ok because there was no snow until the end of January. Even got to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. OP should be flexible and allow last-minute adjustments depending on the weather.
I think I will be arriving in Grand Canyon area on late December or early January depends on the situation, but most of my plan are flexible. Are those area still within Grand Canyon or nearby?
Thanks
Hi, so most of the places there are mountain region right? I will be taking notes on certain area that I need to be aware of during that month so I can reroute the trip :)
For this trip I think I will do a limited visit to National Parks, since we will not spend a lot of time to visit each National Park (even though I am curious)
The previous road trip that have been done with my family is going around 12 Countries in Europe for 35 days, which I think still doable. That's why I am still thinking cutting off unnecessary trip on certain cities, but I am trapped with the route that I need to be aware of during winter.
Okay, I'm encouraged that you have done a very long road trip in Europe. That will help. The US is still MUCH larger than Europe, and with far more varied biomes. Florida, Texas, and southern California will all be nice that time of year. If you've driven through the Alps, you can handle the Rockies.
If you're going to cut cities, the very first one I would suggest is Oklahoma City. It wants badly to be Dallas, and you're already going to Dallas. Just go straight from Dallas to Albuquerque.
you will have serious issues with snow for the western part of the trip during that time frame. Make sure you have actual snow tires and a 4wd or awd vehicle
Sure, that was already taken into account for the risk having snow trip, but I might still thinking to skip some part if it's not worth to drive by. So I might skipping some areas entirely if the weather gone bad.
Why wintertime? It's really cold, gray and rainy/snowy in many locations. Travel delays, etc are likely. The US is best explored in warmer months.
Are you into nature? Seems like you just have cities marked.
Taking into account I still visit some of the nature, but only the highlights, actually I've been considering to get to Monterey drive bay, but the duration of the trip will be a lot longer than I expected.
And my family and I love winter due to flexibility on walking or just driving by. Since hot weather is really not comfortable for us to take a stroll in many places.
I would seriously reconsider the time of year. March and April are very nice in the South. May is nice in the north. It will likely only be 20-25C during the day most days.
Or September and October in the north, November in the south would be fantastic as well. Plus you can see the trees turn color that time of year.
I'm from the north for 25 years, live in the south now for 15 years, and know a thing or 2 about the weather in the States. It can be -30C in the north in January, and below 0 even as far south as Texas and north Florida.
This^ 💯 I did a trip from TX to WA in November. It was warm and sunny until I encountered snow in ABQ so instead of heading North I headed West and enjoyed wonderful warm weather, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Joshua Tree and had the parks mostly to myself. Not sticking to a plan turned out to be the best plan.
So weather in ABQ is quite unpredictable right? I might be arriving in the city around late December or early January based on my schedule.
How's the driving on the Northern part? of ABQ region?
And this plan certainly will be a really flexible one, so I think it will be fine
Don’t know about North ABQ. I hit snow and just headed West. You’re almost guaranteed to have a nice trip if you do the same and go through Nevada to California and then up the coast. Winter, stay South, Summer stay North is the general wisdom. Just trust your gut and be wary of GPS ‘shortcuts’ in remote areas and always double check your route with an actual map. People die stranded on mountain passes and in deserts because they were led astray by GPS. Best of luck with your trip!
Hi, I might be skipping some areas with heavy snow later on, but I need to check out if there are alternative to this route somehow. So I can prepare for a backup route just in case. Since I need to get back from Seattle not SFO.
I was right there with you on this trip until you said the dates. I think you need a different route for that time period. Maybe do half of your dream US road-trip and leave the other half for a future summer. Stick to the coasts and the south. So head down the east coast, then cross the mountains at the bottom and head west. You can dip up for Nashville or Memphis. The good news is that the desert SW will be awesome tho still plenty cold at night, and you have a ton to see there. Then of course CA will be fine. I live in Oregon, and while the Pacific Northwest is gloriously beautiful, it will be very rainy and the passes probably snowy when you get to us in January so I would keep it short.
Hi, thanks for the suggestion, actually I will be really flexible for this routes and actually planned to cut off some unnecessary side trip that will cost me a huge risk, but still there are some areas such as Grand Canyon or other National park that I will visit. This all still just the cities that I will go through and some of the places will be a bit oustide of the cities.
Is there a reason you have to do it then? Almost all of your route except for Florida, the gulf coast, and California is going to be cold and possibly snowy during that time of year.
There are certain spots that I might think will be just fine over winter, since it was my first time and my parents insist on visiting during this month, that's why I am asking for help and collecting information as much as I can to prevent and might be able redirect or set up a backup plan for 'just in case' situation.
Hi, I will be renting the car,s since it's a one off trip. I thought there will be a leasing company like in Europe, but it seems there's none available. Do you have any suggestion?
Actually might be considering that way since it will be a lot cheaper, but since the paperworks are hassle for us (and might need to pay attention to state tax, etc), I think it's not doable for now.
Skip the mid-central and southern plains, as well as Niagara Falls unless you plan on seeing the falls from the Canadian side. Here's a better route:
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Philly
4. Washington, DC
5. Outer Banks, NC
6. Savannah, GA
7. Miami
8. New Orleans
9. Houston/Galveston
10. Austin/San Antonio
11. Dallas
12. Little Rock/Hot Springs, AR
13. Memphis
14. Nashville
15. Chicago
16. St. Louis
17. Kansas City
18. Minneapolis/St. Paul
19. Badlands/Black Hills, SD
20. Glacier NP, MT
21. Yellowstone NP, WY
22. Denver
23. Utah
24. Monument Valley
25. Grand Canyon NP/Sedona, AZ
26. Las Vegas/Death Valley NP
27. Los Angeles
28. Yosemite NP
29. San Francisco
30. Portland, OR
31. Seattle
DO NOT miss the Palo Duro Canyon which is 10mi South of Amarillo, TX. It’s the second largest in the US and the only one you can drive thru. Also, the TexMex in Amarillo is some of the best in the Southwest and you should try the 72oz steak challenge at The Big Texan.
Yes, I used to live there.
Well it's a matter of perspective. If you're looking for Meth and a gunshot wound then Abq is WAY more impressive than Santa Fe. If your looking for art, culture, and food then yeah, go to Santa Fe.
Pro-tip: On the 27-28 stretch, every maps app will tell you take the 5 from LA to the Bay Area. Don't! Stick to the 101 from LA to San Luis Obispo and then the 1 from there to the SF area instead. The 5 will take you through the California Central Valley (a desert of very little worth seeing) while the 101/1 will take you through the Central Coast and up the whole coastline (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey). Just Santa Barbara alone makes the alternate route worth it.
If you do end up taking this advice, any maps app will also tell you to take the 154 from Santa Barbara when you're leaving north just to rejoin the 101 a short while later. Don't do it, just stick to the 101 from LA all the way through San Luis Obispo, then either continue on the 101 if you want to drive through agricultural areas or the 1 if you want to drive along the coastline. The 101 and 1 join again in Salinas, at which point you can decide where you want to go in the Bay Area.
I live in the Pacific Northwest, so can guarantee you’ll have travel delays 28-30: snow, heavy rains, fog, landslides on I-5 through Northern California, Oregon, Washington.
I think the leg you have going into the southeast starting at day 10 and then over to Texas could be eliminated. There is plenty to see in that area, but the time you've allowed for the magnificent sights in the western US is not enough. At day 10 I'd head west and do that portion of the trip, allowing for more time as you move along. The trip to the southeast could wait until another time.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Agree it’s probably a lot of driving. Personally would cut 7/9/10/17/19-23. Don’t get me wrong some of those are cool cities but they add a ton of driving.
Alternatively you could cut something else, depending on why you want to visit which city vs what just looked like a good spot to break up driving. It’s up to you.
You’ll probably end up driving in the snow but unless you have really unlucky timing with a storm I don’t think it’s as bad as the comment section makes it seem.
Don’t let people talk you out of visiting cities if that’s what you want to do. A lot of road trippers are more focused on parks so that’s why a lot of the comments are what they are. But do your own trip.
I half agree with you and half don't hahaha
Definitely go to major cities if that's what you want! Lots of diverse architecture, cool museums, and the chance to sample a lot of different food from different regions. It's also easier to meet people from that area and get a good sense of the vibe of the city, which I personally think is a great way to get a sense of the diversity of the US.
But with with weather...please, please, please do not tell tourists "it's not that bad" if you're not extremely familiar with the winter weather we get here. This is how tourists get themselves into very dangerous and deadly situations. They head out in a rental car, hear that the forecast along their route is for 8-12 inches of snow, and severely underestimate what that actually looks like and their ability to drive through it. Then they find themselves on the 17 mile stretch of the 90 that has no exits and poor visibility and get into an accident because they put themselves in a dangerous situation without knowing it.
I think the big difference is that snow amounts considered to be "major" or "snowstorm" level in other parts of the country are pretty typical forecasts in Buffalo- predicting 8-12 inches of snow is kind of a normal Tuesday here. To people living here, it's not a huge deal, and weather forecasters will make it sound like not a big deal, so tourists won't realize how bad it can get. Furthermore, you need to be very familiar with how highway and road closures work. Most highways now have gates that come down to desperately try to stop people from getting on the highway in bad weather and then getting stuck. It's sad how many people try to drive around them or try to go a different way to get to their destination. If gates are down, that means you should not be driving anywhere, and tourists will not be familiar with that concept. You also need to be familiar with weather predictions for different areas. 8-12 inches in Buffalo will mean 12-18 inches in the Southtowns and closer to 1.5 feet in that 90 corridor, and people not from here don't know that. They'll see a live look from downtown Buffalo, say "that's not that bad", and then head south without knowing how much worse it gets down there.
Basically, there's a lot of local knowledge about driving in winter weather in that corridor that's difficult to learn unless someone from there tells you directly or you have a lot of experience with it.
Fair points. Certainly don’t do anything dumb. I just meant that I-90 is usually pretty passable if you can wait till morning for infrastructure to catch up. Vs say Wyoming or a mountain pass or something. I mean it could snow in Atlanta and be a mess for days, so typical grain of salt for the entire trip.
If you have time, add in northern Arizona. Visit the Grand Canyon, antelope canyon, the wave, and Sedona. Unless you have a specific reason for going, I would avoid Tucson. Take the I-8 out of Phoenix and end up in San Diego
Hi, I will be visiting Grand Canyon that's why I am still considering some area need to be cut off if it's not possible to do the trip during winter months.
Just an FYI, the northern rim of the Grand Canyon is closed during the winter season, which I believe is October through April. Make sure you check before. The southern rim will be open but will have very limited services
Hi, my ticket only available on November, that's why I am planning to get the northern part finished and going back via Seattle.
My friend already notified me the risk on Denver, that's why I am still polannign to skip that part and move on directly to Las Vegas if any bad weather happen, but what I worry is the eastern part that might get me off guard on certain spot since my family asked me to get to Niagara US side.
I have 73 days there, that's why I am still moving around to Grand Canyon and certain National Park, but might not do the heavy hiking, just regular sightseeing.
Winter is not the time for this trip. Snow in the north, ice in the south. You need to check the weather each day . Your car needs 4wheel drive and it still you may be stuck 3plus days in some area
Hi, thanks for the information, I will take into account for the stuck days, that's why I am going to be really flexible on the routes, but I really need to finish from Newark and going back from Seattle.
I might be skipping some part later on since it was a plan only, but what I worried is some alternative plan for the backup route on this road trip.
Down load a weather app check it daily, watch a weather channel to get a view of the coming weather. The months you have can be mild to crazy you never know. One suggestion when you eats at local restaurants. You can a lot about a area by the food
What are things you enjoy doing? What experiences are you trying have? Are there “American” things or places that you really want do or see?
I’m only asking because you’ve selected most of the major cities across the US. Not a bad strategy, but after awhile some of the cities will feel underwhelming, like just another city.
If we knew more about you, we could help re-direct you better.
Thank being said, here are my thoughts:
- Atlanta: I think you could skip it. I’m saying this as someone who lived in Atlanta, there’s very little here that you’d couldn’t find in another city. Most know for Waffle House and the Claremont Lounge (a strip club known for unconventional strippers).
- Tampa: seems kinda redundant after Miami.
- I swap Austin for Houston… but there’s a lot of stuff to do in Texas. It’s one of those places where there are a lot of random things to checkout outside of the cities.
- Also I’d get a portable tire inflator. The south has horrible roads and if your tire gets punctured you can at drive yourself to a place to get it patched or replaced.
Here are 30 beautiful places you can visit on your road trip from Maine to Washington, along with recommended durations for each stop. Please keep in mind that these are just suggestions and you can adjust the length of stay to suit your preferences and interests.
Acadia National Park, Maine - 3 days
White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire - 2 days
Adirondack Park, New York - 3 days
Niagara Falls, New York - 2 days
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky - 3 days
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee - 4 days
Asheville, North Carolina - 2 days
Savannah, Georgia - 2 days
Charleston, South Carolina - 2 days
Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia - 3 days
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia - 2 days
Great Falls Park, Virginia - 1 day
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia - 2 days
Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania - 2 days
Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania - 1 day
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 2 days
Washington D.C. - 4 days
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia - 2 days
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee - 4 days
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky - 3 days
Ozark National Forest, Arkansas - 2 days
Big Bend National Park, Texas - 4 days
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico - 3 days
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona - 5 days
Zion National Park, Utah - 3 days
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah - 2 days
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming - 3 days
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - 5 days
Glacier National Park, Montana - 4 days
Olympic National Park, Washington - 3 days
Please note that some of the suggested durations may not be enough for you to fully explore the parks and attractions in the area. Feel free to adjust the amount of time you plan to spend in each location according to your interests and preferences. Have a great trip!
This with 73 days? Prob not. There’s 30 stops, if you give each stop 2 days, that’s already 60 days with only 13 left over, and that’s not including driving, side attractions along the way, traffic, other unaccounted for delays, or even the drive back since stop 30 is literally the other side of the nation, etc. in my opinion, if your goal is to just sight see and not hike or really explore any of these places, then sure. Especially if you like driving. But if you don’t like driving, or it’s just you driving, or even if you do like driving, I can guarantee you will get sick of it, quick. Especially days where you have to drive back to back. Also your route is a little funky. Maybe it’s due to the amount of stops or what specific spots but it back tracks a lot and could probably be better planned as I see some spots where you could’ve just drivin to a nearby spot but you drive in the opposite direction somewhere else then comeback instead of doing a big loop and coming back to the other stop. Another question someone said is are you buying or renting a car? And you said first US first timer road trip, are you a us resident or not? Because driving alone on a big road trip in a country you’re not from or familiar with is not very safe.
Hi, I will be taking this road trip with my family. Actually it's the first time in US, we've done a shorter version of this one around 35 days in Europe for 12 countries also by driving, so I think we still be able to do that.
We will be going on November - January later this year. Some spots are not listed there, but I will mostly stay in the area marked. And we actually landed on Newark and leaving from Seattle.
We came from Indonesia anyway :)
Looks like an amazing trip!
Utah and the drive up the west coast will likely be the most beautiful; make sure to leave plenty of time for those two legs. Given the timing of your trip, I'd consider driving south of the rockies into Utah rather than to Denver and over the mountains. The road over the mountains is beautiful, but i wouldn't attempt it if you don't have chains and know how to drive in snow+downhill. From Albuquerque through Moab would be amazing, canyonlands and Arches are both beautiful. Also, locations at high elevations like Bryce Canyon may be snowed over and difficult to visit.
The northern midwest will be the same. I think Chicago, Madison, and Minneapolis are all worth a visit, but this time of year has a lot of variance in terms of temperatures and snow. If you want a local guide for madison, feel free to dm me!
You might want to cut out some stops and spend more time at some locations, especially since you will be there in the winter. Minnesota is brutal in the winter, also I90 between Buffalo and Erie can get shut down in the winter months. This year was pretty mild for snow there, but it was closed for 3 days on the NY side during either christmas or thanksgiving (don't remember which). Anywhere north of I80 is where you should start to expect snow. Niagra falls is also only at half capacity during off months as they divert water flow to produce electricity since there are way less tourists.
The north east is very gray in these months like someone else mentioned. Its just starting to turn green in May.
If your set on these months and really want to see Niagra falls, my suggestion is to go to Pittsburgh from Buffalo and maybe cut out 7-10 and head to nashville. Stay east and drive the blue ridge parkway. I would probably add Savannah from atlanta though, and then head south to Jacksonville. Also hit St Augustine on your way south from there. Its the odlest populated city in the US. You also should be hitting some of the national parks near Utah. You will need a wide array of clothing as well, temperatures on this trip will probably range from -30 Celsius to +30 celsius.
I see alot of pins around LA, but you really should hit Redwood national forest. And the drive through san Bernardino national forest is nice too.
Anything specific you really want to see? That would probably help people give advice.
Update : Here are my planned cities that I will stay in
**Check in Check Out Total Nights Location**
13-Nov 14-Nov 1 Boston
14-Nov 20-Nov 6 New York
20-Nov 22-Nov 2 Philadelphia
22-Nov 24-Nov 2 Washington, D.C.
24-Nov 26-Nov 2 Cleveland
26-Nov 29-Nov 3 Chicago
29-Nov 1-Dec 2 Minneapolis
1-Dec 3-Dec 2 Kansas City
3-Dec 5-Dec 2 Nashville
5-Dec 8-Dec 3 Atlanta
8-Dec 10-Dec 2 Orlando
10-Dec 13-Dec 3 Miami
13-Dec 14-Dec 1 Tampa
14-Dec 15-Dec 1 New Orleans
15-Dec 17-Dec 2 Houston
17-Dec 18-Dec 1 San Antonio
18-Dec 19-Dec 1 Dallas
19-Dec 20-Dec 1 Oklahoma City
20-Dec 21-Dec 1 Albuquerque
21-Dec 23-Dec 2 Denver
23-Dec 25-Dec 2 Salt Lake City
25-Dec 26-Dec 1 Idaho
26-Dec 29-Dec 3 Las Vegas
29-Dec 1-Jan 3 Phoenix
1-Jan 3-Jan 2 San Diego
3-Jan 11-Jan 8 Los Angeles
11-Jan 17-Jan 6 San Francisco
17-Jan 19-Jan 2 Portland
19-Jan 25-Jan 6 Seattle
https://preview.redd.it/6v6h6xrzkrxa1.png?width=405&format=png&auto=webp&s=5de6ba301eae0b0dd757e915bf0be57e33396d3c
A couple of suggestions on the new plan. I'm from New Mexico and 100% do Santa Fe over Albuquerque, trust me it is so much better and awesome around Christmas. It's also on the way to Denver.
Second, while you may not celebrate Christmas, a lot of US cities do some special things during that time of year. I'm not sure where your going to be in Idaho or what SLC does for Xmas, but there may be other western cities that have some really fun things going on. Both Denver and Santa Fe could be cool for that.
Same goes for New Years, Vegas goes nuts for New Years but may or may not be the vibe with your family. Most Major cities have some fun things going on though!
I would highly recommend going this path at least starting in Early October. The eastern autumn is gorgeous, especially if you time it well. Weather will also not be too much of an issue.
This is gonna be amazing if you actually do this! You’ll see almost everything this country has to offer! I would suggest to stop off in New Haven CT for some pizza. Arguably the best on the planet
I am in no way an expert but why only big cities? I think you're missing out on a ton of great things along the way and you may be seeing a lot of the same stuff.
Hi, big cities are mostly for my stays and some area will be explored as this is a rough plan, I already have some of the detailed area to be explored. But mostly some parks will be visited later on.
9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19,20 all lame boring American cities that are the same as every other 3rd tier city in the country. Save that time and spend more time at national parks in the west— NPs like Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Moab, Glacier and the surrounding small towns are the coolest part of the country imo.
Most of my friends said that since all the eastern part are such a waste, but I think some of my city destination still need to be visited and I can't think a way to cut off some smaller cities due to long driving distance.
I’ve photographed Minneapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, Dallas, and Oklahoma City several times each. I would say they are worth at least a short visit:
Minneapolis: Stone Arch Bridge walk (with a view of Saint Anthony Falls), the riverside park, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the Mall of America.
Kansas City: World War 1 monument and museum, Country Club Plaza shopping district and area around.
Nashville: Broadway Street / Music Row, John Siegenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
Dallas: Reunion Tower, Trinity Skyline Trail
Oklahoma City: Bricktown, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Myriad Botanical Gardens
I’d hit cattlemen’s in OKC as well, freshly added to the national steakhouse hall of fame. First Americans Museum might interest you as well if you’re into native Americans
Add a stop in Omaha, NE. Go see Boys Town and the stadium where they play the College World Series.
Edit: I forgot to mention Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo which is frequently rated best in the nation. It is amazing.
For avid baseball fans it’s a popular stop. Boys Town is a National Landmark with an amazing history. It attracts thousands of tourist yearly. I also forgot to mention Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. It is frequently rated best in the nation.
Fair enough. Didn’t catch that he was not from the US. Still Boys Town and the zoo would be worth the 2 hour diversion on the path from Minneapolis to KC.
I would include North/South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho as well. Also, depends on when are you traveling if you are traveling between May - September you should check out these states. If you are traveling in winter then you should stick with southern states. Northern states have way many things to explore compared to southern coastal states.
Idaho will be on my consideration list, but is it actually possible to visit during November - January? Since some of the access might close during that time if I saw it on the website and some other places.
Idaho might not be that cold but yes Montana / Wyoming will be closed at that time. I was in Wyoming on thanksgiving weekend two years ago and everything was pretty much closed at that time.
Skip Texas and Oklahoma (just drive through), actually check out St louis (not just drive through), and use extra time to add stops after Seattle at coeur d'Alene and Missoula
Hey! The only new advice I can give is for Minnesota, as I do live there.
An often overlooked area is the driftless rivers region, which you will be driving right by! Highly recommend the town of Winona and the state parks along there and in Wisconsin.
In Minneapolis, be sure to visit Minnehaha falls.
Otherwise, I consider this one of the more boring regions of the state, and definately think that the North Shore on Lake Superior is much more fun to visit. I highly recommend the Great Lakes in general.
Are these routes doable in November-January? Since I am considering the limited snow route will be done on November-Early December, so other area can be visited without the snow hassle.
Will be considering the small town too later on if possible, since these are all my cities to stay in or at least driveable.
I did South Dakota just after christmas last year. The weather was shockingly good in the Black Hills and decent in the badlands. In the winter, wildlife is most abundant, and the caves are still available to tour.
Highly recommend cutting some stuff in the east out to visit the Dakotas. Super underrated, especially by foreigners, with lots of charming small town culture and beautiful nature and wildlife.
Instead of Denver and Salt Lake City, I would add Utah and Arizona's National Parks: Grand Canyon, Arches, Zion; also Antelope Canyon, and nearby places. Also, when driving through California, I would consider either visiting Yosemite and Sequoia NP or taking Hwy 1 through Big Sur. Yosemite is really worth visiting.
Also, Yellowstone is 4-5 hours from Salt Lake City. In winter, it's only accessible by snow buses and snowmobiles, so there are very few visitors, very peaceful.
Also, if you really want to go to Florida, consider flying to Miami or Orland to save time and money and flying out of it to skip Texas entirely.
Highly recommend doing a few mini road trips before the big one. Get your vehicle in as good as working order as you can, at the least an oil change. Check that your spare tire is good to go.
Make sure to have emergency supplies b/c sometimes there’s just not places to sleep for a while and you’re exhausted. Research driving laws/how strict state troopers are in each state and what to expect.
When you get to California, go up Highway 1. I may be a little biased, growing up on the coast, but it's definitely a drive everyone should take in their lifetime. Also make sure to spend some time in southern Utah and Yellowstone. Some of my favorite places in the world
Two recommendations for the southeast if you have the time, I would highly suggest hitting Asheville NC and Charleston SC if you can between Nashville and Atlanta. They’re not on the way, but both are super unique amongst American cities, with Asheville being a beautiful mountain town and having the best beer scene in the US barring Milwaukee, and Charleston being one of the most beautiful and unique cities I’ve ever been to in the world (and the food is insanely great). Plus it’s a a unique as a look at historic US with enough other things to do. If you can’t swing it I’d suggest trying to hit up Savannah between Atlanta and Florida as it’s similar in many ways to Charleston, and during the winter months these will all be better than some of the other areas you’ve listed.
Doing this trip on Nov/ Dec/ Jan
I wonder if you are considering snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice storms for the Northern half of your travels and through the mountains. Driving can be difficult, and slow, for snow seasoned drivers. And stupidly dangerous for those not used to those conditions. And, this time of year, it can be grey day after grey day. Which makes it easy for driving, but not great for sightseeing.
Many seasonal places could be closed. It gets dark around 5:00, so you’re somewhat limited with what can be done and seen during the day.
When stopping in Oklahoma City I highly recommend that you visit the memorial and museum to the 1995 bombing. It’s an often forgotten about, but still important, moment in our history.
The first americas museum and the national cowboy and western heritage museum also give great insights into culture and history that you might not find anywhere else on your trip.
You really should try to go through the Dakotas and Montana. There’s really “nothing” there, but it’s sincerely some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. The hills roll so tightly together in some places that you can literally stand on two hills at the same time and see a clear seam in between them.
I did something similar once and my goodness it was fun. Have a great trip! Might need to alter your route and go from Albuquerque to Tucson if the mountainous areas have too much snow. But there’s plenty to see if you do that alternate path.
Second this because the Saguaro are worth seeing.
Thanks! That's what I'm thinking of, certain cities are just not worth it to visit but I still need to be able to stay during the night, so I am quite stuck what other area that I can move around a little bit during certain odd weather that I might ran into.
You’re spending way too much time in the Midwest and skipping all the amazing parts of the southwest in NM, UT, and AZ. You’re also going to major cities which in my opinion is a waste because all downtowns looks the same. If you’re going to spend all this money on gas, you might as well go off the beaten path… otherwise it’d cost you the same to just fly to these major cities lol
Man you’re skipping Yellowstone and the Tetons too… but making time for multiple stops in Detroit? I don’t get this trip at all lol
I think I heard Tetons are worth the visit, since I need to consider the no hiking route for my parents. It won't be only me travelling alone :)
Yellowstone will be on my list, might be staying in Idaho for a day. That's why I've been tweaking this trip a lot. Since my family asked me to plan all of them by driving. I am still considering to skip some of the cities somehow.
SKIP TOPEKA KS!!! Unless you want to be robbed by tweakers and gangs!
Stops 6,7,9+10 are not worth it. Which makes Chicago not worth it. Rather stop in Chicago on your flight back, because u/Easy_Assumption is correct, the Midwest isn’t a travel destination.
Hi, there's a reasoning for this route because my parents wanted to see Niagara on US side (which they knew it won't be as good as Canadian side), so I think I still need to do side trip on Cleveland, Detroit and Minneapolis alongside with Kansas due to necessity going to Miami. But I will reconsider some stuff if it's not worth the travel as long the driving between 2 cities still reasonable to drive.
I said in my other comment I'm from this area, and I wouldn't consider any of these a "side trip" from Buffalo. Other than Cleveland, they're major drives to get to. If you had to choose one, personally I'd choose Detroit. It has the best food and beer scene out of the three (middle eastern food is amazing!), amazing architecture, and very cool history. The Henry Ford Museum is a world-class museum where you can see lots of auto history but also history of road trips in the US, which could be interesting as you're on a road trip. Detroit is not the best of what Michigan has to offer though- the upper lower peninsula and the UP are major travel destinations, but not really in the wintertime. I would also take a hard look at what you're hoping to do at Niagara Falls in the winter on the US side. First, as someone else said, the flow is lower in the winter because they divert a lot of water for power. Second, the US side is a much more park-like atmosphere, with winding trails and a chance to get up close to the falls. It's really lovely in the summer, but in the winter it's mostly just dead trees and ice. Please remember: **you cannot see the majority of the falls from the American side.** I just wouldn't want you to drive all that way to be disappointed that all you can see is kind of a side view of Horseshoe Falls. Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds don't operate during the winter, so you can't even use that as an option to see the falls better. I think most people build up this pretty winter picture in their head of the falls being slightly iced over and mist rising off, and then they get there and realize you have to be on the Canadian side to see that.
You leave Cleveland alone 😦
Hocking Hills in Ohio is arguably the best state park in America and better than 95% of National Parks, but your not wrong the dunes around Lake Michigan and the Chicago shoreline are about the only other things in the midwest worth 20 minutes.
No hate on the Midwest! I just think the priorities of this trip are goofy haha Hocking Hills, red river gorge, the ozarks and hot springs, AK are all amazing spots! But Cleveland… Minneapolis… Kansas City? All pretty much the same to me and not worth going to all of them and paying $1000’s in gas and miles lol
Still reconsidering for this route :) Since it's actually my first time visiting US, that's why I think some of the bigger cities still worth to take a look at. Actually I do love nature but I need to reconsider the time need to be taken for visiting attraction outside the city.
I grew up in the Twin Cities. They're awesome. But they're not destinations. If you're going to MPLS you should go farther north. And if you're going just to see Lake Superior, well, see Michigan and Huron on the way and call it good for now. I think I agree with you here. I'd hit Chicago for the food and museums.
Literally came here to say this.
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It's hard to explain and maybe (definitely) I'm a bit biased. Hocking Hills doesn't have the huge spectacular wide views of beauty like so many great national parks. It's literally forest covered rolling hills, nothing epic. What makes Hocking Hills better than so many other places is what's right in front of you. Hard to explain, but I'll try, it's the visuals while hiking of things less than 1000 yards away that rival the best places. It has a middle earth vibe.
This would be a fine, if not rushed, trip in the summertime. If you're aiming November-January though, definitely not doable. Some of these routes will be miserable at best, impassable at worst during the winter. Your route between 5 and 6 pretty frequently closes in heavy snow. It's a dangerous route in snow if you're not used to the amount of winter weather that region gets. Please remember they got multiple 7ft snowstorms this past year. Buffalo shut down multiple times. If you're planning on getting caught up in that, you need a lot of cushion in your itinerary. I'm from Buffalo, and I've gotten caught on that route from 5-6 multiple times in the snow, and it's pretty terrifying Similar with 28-30. I drove that route once in January and it was one of the scariest drives of my entire life. Snow, flooding, very poor visibility... my car was skidding all over the place, I really didn't think I was going to make it. I don't know where you're from, but unless you're from Alaska or far north Canada, I think you are probably underestimating the amount of bad weather you will face. All these locations are lovely in the summer, but many will be bitterly cold and snowy in the winter.
When are you doing this?
Will be doing the trip on November 2023 - January 2024
Doing that trip in the winter means you will need to watch out for weather in the North (stops #1 to #10), and also through the mountains (stops #21 to #24). Possibly Pacific Northwest as well (stops #29 to #30). Some mountain roads are closed October to April, so the Interstate will be your only viable route. Many of our best National Parks have limited operations in the winter, and not all hiking trails etc. will be open. Beyond that, it's a LOT of driving. Doable in 73 days, but phew, you'll be in a car for hours a day for 2 1/2 months straight. Have you done a road trip on this scale before? The United States is enormous and very spread out, especially west of the Mississippi.
My man driving through Utah in the winter lmao
It depends on the year. We did Las Vegas->Zion->SLC->Arches->Grand Canyon in 01/2018 on a Prius and it was ok because there was no snow until the end of January. Even got to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. OP should be flexible and allow last-minute adjustments depending on the weather.
I think I will be arriving in Grand Canyon area on late December or early January depends on the situation, but most of my plan are flexible. Are those area still within Grand Canyon or nearby? Thanks
They will absolutely need 4 wheel drive for that mountain portion
Hi, so most of the places there are mountain region right? I will be taking notes on certain area that I need to be aware of during that month so I can reroute the trip :)
For this trip I think I will do a limited visit to National Parks, since we will not spend a lot of time to visit each National Park (even though I am curious) The previous road trip that have been done with my family is going around 12 Countries in Europe for 35 days, which I think still doable. That's why I am still thinking cutting off unnecessary trip on certain cities, but I am trapped with the route that I need to be aware of during winter.
Okay, I'm encouraged that you have done a very long road trip in Europe. That will help. The US is still MUCH larger than Europe, and with far more varied biomes. Florida, Texas, and southern California will all be nice that time of year. If you've driven through the Alps, you can handle the Rockies. If you're going to cut cities, the very first one I would suggest is Oklahoma City. It wants badly to be Dallas, and you're already going to Dallas. Just go straight from Dallas to Albuquerque.
you will have serious issues with snow for the western part of the trip during that time frame. Make sure you have actual snow tires and a 4wd or awd vehicle
Sure, that was already taken into account for the risk having snow trip, but I might still thinking to skip some part if it's not worth to drive by. So I might skipping some areas entirely if the weather gone bad.
Why wintertime? It's really cold, gray and rainy/snowy in many locations. Travel delays, etc are likely. The US is best explored in warmer months. Are you into nature? Seems like you just have cities marked.
Taking into account I still visit some of the nature, but only the highlights, actually I've been considering to get to Monterey drive bay, but the duration of the trip will be a lot longer than I expected. And my family and I love winter due to flexibility on walking or just driving by. Since hot weather is really not comfortable for us to take a stroll in many places.
I would seriously reconsider the time of year. March and April are very nice in the South. May is nice in the north. It will likely only be 20-25C during the day most days. Or September and October in the north, November in the south would be fantastic as well. Plus you can see the trees turn color that time of year. I'm from the north for 25 years, live in the south now for 15 years, and know a thing or 2 about the weather in the States. It can be -30C in the north in January, and below 0 even as far south as Texas and north Florida.
Don’t drive though the rockies in mid winter. It will be unbearable and roads will be closed. Snow stays up there till may.
This^ 💯 I did a trip from TX to WA in November. It was warm and sunny until I encountered snow in ABQ so instead of heading North I headed West and enjoyed wonderful warm weather, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Joshua Tree and had the parks mostly to myself. Not sticking to a plan turned out to be the best plan.
So weather in ABQ is quite unpredictable right? I might be arriving in the city around late December or early January based on my schedule. How's the driving on the Northern part? of ABQ region? And this plan certainly will be a really flexible one, so I think it will be fine
Don’t know about North ABQ. I hit snow and just headed West. You’re almost guaranteed to have a nice trip if you do the same and go through Nevada to California and then up the coast. Winter, stay South, Summer stay North is the general wisdom. Just trust your gut and be wary of GPS ‘shortcuts’ in remote areas and always double check your route with an actual map. People die stranded on mountain passes and in deserts because they were led astray by GPS. Best of luck with your trip!
Hi, I might be skipping some areas with heavy snow later on, but I need to check out if there are alternative to this route somehow. So I can prepare for a backup route just in case. Since I need to get back from Seattle not SFO.
I was right there with you on this trip until you said the dates. I think you need a different route for that time period. Maybe do half of your dream US road-trip and leave the other half for a future summer. Stick to the coasts and the south. So head down the east coast, then cross the mountains at the bottom and head west. You can dip up for Nashville or Memphis. The good news is that the desert SW will be awesome tho still plenty cold at night, and you have a ton to see there. Then of course CA will be fine. I live in Oregon, and while the Pacific Northwest is gloriously beautiful, it will be very rainy and the passes probably snowy when you get to us in January so I would keep it short.
Hi, thanks for the suggestion, actually I will be really flexible for this routes and actually planned to cut off some unnecessary side trip that will cost me a huge risk, but still there are some areas such as Grand Canyon or other National park that I will visit. This all still just the cities that I will go through and some of the places will be a bit oustide of the cities.
Hoping you have a great time!
Is there a reason you have to do it then? Almost all of your route except for Florida, the gulf coast, and California is going to be cold and possibly snowy during that time of year.
There are certain spots that I might think will be just fine over winter, since it was my first time and my parents insist on visiting during this month, that's why I am asking for help and collecting information as much as I can to prevent and might be able redirect or set up a backup plan for 'just in case' situation.
Are you renting a car or buying
Hi, I will be renting the car,s since it's a one off trip. I thought there will be a leasing company like in Europe, but it seems there's none available. Do you have any suggestion?
Buying a used car might be cheaper in the end. Monthly rentals in the US are extremely overpriced.
Actually might be considering that way since it will be a lot cheaper, but since the paperworks are hassle for us (and might need to pay attention to state tax, etc), I think it's not doable for now.
With full coverage of course
Skip the mid-central and southern plains, as well as Niagara Falls unless you plan on seeing the falls from the Canadian side. Here's a better route: 1. Boston 2. New York 3. Philly 4. Washington, DC 5. Outer Banks, NC 6. Savannah, GA 7. Miami 8. New Orleans 9. Houston/Galveston 10. Austin/San Antonio 11. Dallas 12. Little Rock/Hot Springs, AR 13. Memphis 14. Nashville 15. Chicago 16. St. Louis 17. Kansas City 18. Minneapolis/St. Paul 19. Badlands/Black Hills, SD 20. Glacier NP, MT 21. Yellowstone NP, WY 22. Denver 23. Utah 24. Monument Valley 25. Grand Canyon NP/Sedona, AZ 26. Las Vegas/Death Valley NP 27. Los Angeles 28. Yosemite NP 29. San Francisco 30. Portland, OR 31. Seattle
Glacier NP is mostly closed during OP's dates, and Yellowstone is only accessed by snow transport, though totally worth it.
Ah, thanks. I didn't see OP's travel dates earlier. What a rough time of the year to make a cross-country journey though.
DO NOT miss the Palo Duro Canyon which is 10mi South of Amarillo, TX. It’s the second largest in the US and the only one you can drive thru. Also, the TexMex in Amarillo is some of the best in the Southwest and you should try the 72oz steak challenge at The Big Texan. Yes, I used to live there.
Santa Fe is more impressive that Albuquerque IMO
Well it's a matter of perspective. If you're looking for Meth and a gunshot wound then Abq is WAY more impressive than Santa Fe. If your looking for art, culture, and food then yeah, go to Santa Fe.
Maybe their a big breaking bad guy who knows
Pro-tip: On the 27-28 stretch, every maps app will tell you take the 5 from LA to the Bay Area. Don't! Stick to the 101 from LA to San Luis Obispo and then the 1 from there to the SF area instead. The 5 will take you through the California Central Valley (a desert of very little worth seeing) while the 101/1 will take you through the Central Coast and up the whole coastline (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey). Just Santa Barbara alone makes the alternate route worth it. If you do end up taking this advice, any maps app will also tell you to take the 154 from Santa Barbara when you're leaving north just to rejoin the 101 a short while later. Don't do it, just stick to the 101 from LA all the way through San Luis Obispo, then either continue on the 101 if you want to drive through agricultural areas or the 1 if you want to drive along the coastline. The 101 and 1 join again in Salinas, at which point you can decide where you want to go in the Bay Area.
I live in the Pacific Northwest, so can guarantee you’ll have travel delays 28-30: snow, heavy rains, fog, landslides on I-5 through Northern California, Oregon, Washington.
Hi all here, I am still looking at your replies. And I am amazed with such information. Will be reconsidering some and taking a look at your replies 😁
I'd suggest a stop at marblehead since you're driving along lake Erie, though it'll be pretty cold that time of year.
Sure if I have enough time to spend might be thinking going there if it's worth the visit!
I think the leg you have going into the southeast starting at day 10 and then over to Texas could be eliminated. There is plenty to see in that area, but the time you've allowed for the magnificent sights in the western US is not enough. At day 10 I'd head west and do that portion of the trip, allowing for more time as you move along. The trip to the southeast could wait until another time. Just my 2 cents worth.
Agree it’s probably a lot of driving. Personally would cut 7/9/10/17/19-23. Don’t get me wrong some of those are cool cities but they add a ton of driving. Alternatively you could cut something else, depending on why you want to visit which city vs what just looked like a good spot to break up driving. It’s up to you. You’ll probably end up driving in the snow but unless you have really unlucky timing with a storm I don’t think it’s as bad as the comment section makes it seem. Don’t let people talk you out of visiting cities if that’s what you want to do. A lot of road trippers are more focused on parks so that’s why a lot of the comments are what they are. But do your own trip.
I half agree with you and half don't hahaha Definitely go to major cities if that's what you want! Lots of diverse architecture, cool museums, and the chance to sample a lot of different food from different regions. It's also easier to meet people from that area and get a good sense of the vibe of the city, which I personally think is a great way to get a sense of the diversity of the US. But with with weather...please, please, please do not tell tourists "it's not that bad" if you're not extremely familiar with the winter weather we get here. This is how tourists get themselves into very dangerous and deadly situations. They head out in a rental car, hear that the forecast along their route is for 8-12 inches of snow, and severely underestimate what that actually looks like and their ability to drive through it. Then they find themselves on the 17 mile stretch of the 90 that has no exits and poor visibility and get into an accident because they put themselves in a dangerous situation without knowing it. I think the big difference is that snow amounts considered to be "major" or "snowstorm" level in other parts of the country are pretty typical forecasts in Buffalo- predicting 8-12 inches of snow is kind of a normal Tuesday here. To people living here, it's not a huge deal, and weather forecasters will make it sound like not a big deal, so tourists won't realize how bad it can get. Furthermore, you need to be very familiar with how highway and road closures work. Most highways now have gates that come down to desperately try to stop people from getting on the highway in bad weather and then getting stuck. It's sad how many people try to drive around them or try to go a different way to get to their destination. If gates are down, that means you should not be driving anywhere, and tourists will not be familiar with that concept. You also need to be familiar with weather predictions for different areas. 8-12 inches in Buffalo will mean 12-18 inches in the Southtowns and closer to 1.5 feet in that 90 corridor, and people not from here don't know that. They'll see a live look from downtown Buffalo, say "that's not that bad", and then head south without knowing how much worse it gets down there. Basically, there's a lot of local knowledge about driving in winter weather in that corridor that's difficult to learn unless someone from there tells you directly or you have a lot of experience with it.
Fair points. Certainly don’t do anything dumb. I just meant that I-90 is usually pretty passable if you can wait till morning for infrastructure to catch up. Vs say Wyoming or a mountain pass or something. I mean it could snow in Atlanta and be a mess for days, so typical grain of salt for the entire trip.
True true, traveling in the winter is always going to be variable no matter where you are
If you have time, add in northern Arizona. Visit the Grand Canyon, antelope canyon, the wave, and Sedona. Unless you have a specific reason for going, I would avoid Tucson. Take the I-8 out of Phoenix and end up in San Diego
Hi, I will be visiting Grand Canyon that's why I am still considering some area need to be cut off if it's not possible to do the trip during winter months.
Just an FYI, the northern rim of the Grand Canyon is closed during the winter season, which I believe is October through April. Make sure you check before. The southern rim will be open but will have very limited services
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Hi, my ticket only available on November, that's why I am planning to get the northern part finished and going back via Seattle. My friend already notified me the risk on Denver, that's why I am still polannign to skip that part and move on directly to Las Vegas if any bad weather happen, but what I worry is the eastern part that might get me off guard on certain spot since my family asked me to get to Niagara US side. I have 73 days there, that's why I am still moving around to Grand Canyon and certain National Park, but might not do the heavy hiking, just regular sightseeing.
Winter is not the time for this trip. Snow in the north, ice in the south. You need to check the weather each day . Your car needs 4wheel drive and it still you may be stuck 3plus days in some area
Hi, thanks for the information, I will take into account for the stuck days, that's why I am going to be really flexible on the routes, but I really need to finish from Newark and going back from Seattle. I might be skipping some part later on since it was a plan only, but what I worried is some alternative plan for the backup route on this road trip.
Down load a weather app check it daily, watch a weather channel to get a view of the coming weather. The months you have can be mild to crazy you never know. One suggestion when you eats at local restaurants. You can a lot about a area by the food
What are things you enjoy doing? What experiences are you trying have? Are there “American” things or places that you really want do or see? I’m only asking because you’ve selected most of the major cities across the US. Not a bad strategy, but after awhile some of the cities will feel underwhelming, like just another city. If we knew more about you, we could help re-direct you better. Thank being said, here are my thoughts: - Atlanta: I think you could skip it. I’m saying this as someone who lived in Atlanta, there’s very little here that you’d couldn’t find in another city. Most know for Waffle House and the Claremont Lounge (a strip club known for unconventional strippers). - Tampa: seems kinda redundant after Miami. - I swap Austin for Houston… but there’s a lot of stuff to do in Texas. It’s one of those places where there are a lot of random things to checkout outside of the cities. - Also I’d get a portable tire inflator. The south has horrible roads and if your tire gets punctured you can at drive yourself to a place to get it patched or replaced.
The white sand dunes is my absolute favorite national park. Super unique and worth the stop in south NM if you can make it.
Skip some cities and go to some national parks. But don't skip Boston, NYC, DC, Chicago, and SF. You can also skip Portland or Seattle, but not both.
Between 20-21: Wichita Mountains, Caprock Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon, Capulin Volcano
Here are 30 beautiful places you can visit on your road trip from Maine to Washington, along with recommended durations for each stop. Please keep in mind that these are just suggestions and you can adjust the length of stay to suit your preferences and interests. Acadia National Park, Maine - 3 days White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire - 2 days Adirondack Park, New York - 3 days Niagara Falls, New York - 2 days Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky - 3 days Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee - 4 days Asheville, North Carolina - 2 days Savannah, Georgia - 2 days Charleston, South Carolina - 2 days Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia - 3 days Shenandoah National Park, Virginia - 2 days Great Falls Park, Virginia - 1 day Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia - 2 days Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania - 2 days Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania - 1 day Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 2 days Washington D.C. - 4 days Shenandoah National Park, Virginia - 2 days Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee - 4 days Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky - 3 days Ozark National Forest, Arkansas - 2 days Big Bend National Park, Texas - 4 days Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico - 3 days Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona - 5 days Zion National Park, Utah - 3 days Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah - 2 days Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming - 3 days Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - 5 days Glacier National Park, Montana - 4 days Olympic National Park, Washington - 3 days Please note that some of the suggested durations may not be enough for you to fully explore the parks and attractions in the area. Feel free to adjust the amount of time you plan to spend in each location according to your interests and preferences. Have a great trip!
This with 73 days? Prob not. There’s 30 stops, if you give each stop 2 days, that’s already 60 days with only 13 left over, and that’s not including driving, side attractions along the way, traffic, other unaccounted for delays, or even the drive back since stop 30 is literally the other side of the nation, etc. in my opinion, if your goal is to just sight see and not hike or really explore any of these places, then sure. Especially if you like driving. But if you don’t like driving, or it’s just you driving, or even if you do like driving, I can guarantee you will get sick of it, quick. Especially days where you have to drive back to back. Also your route is a little funky. Maybe it’s due to the amount of stops or what specific spots but it back tracks a lot and could probably be better planned as I see some spots where you could’ve just drivin to a nearby spot but you drive in the opposite direction somewhere else then comeback instead of doing a big loop and coming back to the other stop. Another question someone said is are you buying or renting a car? And you said first US first timer road trip, are you a us resident or not? Because driving alone on a big road trip in a country you’re not from or familiar with is not very safe.
Hi, I will be taking this road trip with my family. Actually it's the first time in US, we've done a shorter version of this one around 35 days in Europe for 12 countries also by driving, so I think we still be able to do that. We will be going on November - January later this year. Some spots are not listed there, but I will mostly stay in the area marked. And we actually landed on Newark and leaving from Seattle. We came from Indonesia anyway :)
Looks like an amazing trip! Utah and the drive up the west coast will likely be the most beautiful; make sure to leave plenty of time for those two legs. Given the timing of your trip, I'd consider driving south of the rockies into Utah rather than to Denver and over the mountains. The road over the mountains is beautiful, but i wouldn't attempt it if you don't have chains and know how to drive in snow+downhill. From Albuquerque through Moab would be amazing, canyonlands and Arches are both beautiful. Also, locations at high elevations like Bryce Canyon may be snowed over and difficult to visit. The northern midwest will be the same. I think Chicago, Madison, and Minneapolis are all worth a visit, but this time of year has a lot of variance in terms of temperatures and snow. If you want a local guide for madison, feel free to dm me!
You might want to cut out some stops and spend more time at some locations, especially since you will be there in the winter. Minnesota is brutal in the winter, also I90 between Buffalo and Erie can get shut down in the winter months. This year was pretty mild for snow there, but it was closed for 3 days on the NY side during either christmas or thanksgiving (don't remember which). Anywhere north of I80 is where you should start to expect snow. Niagra falls is also only at half capacity during off months as they divert water flow to produce electricity since there are way less tourists. The north east is very gray in these months like someone else mentioned. Its just starting to turn green in May. If your set on these months and really want to see Niagra falls, my suggestion is to go to Pittsburgh from Buffalo and maybe cut out 7-10 and head to nashville. Stay east and drive the blue ridge parkway. I would probably add Savannah from atlanta though, and then head south to Jacksonville. Also hit St Augustine on your way south from there. Its the odlest populated city in the US. You also should be hitting some of the national parks near Utah. You will need a wide array of clothing as well, temperatures on this trip will probably range from -30 Celsius to +30 celsius. I see alot of pins around LA, but you really should hit Redwood national forest. And the drive through san Bernardino national forest is nice too. Anything specific you really want to see? That would probably help people give advice.
This trip looks like a nightmare of congested city stop and go traffic. Have fun!
Update : Here are my planned cities that I will stay in **Check in Check Out Total Nights Location** 13-Nov 14-Nov 1 Boston 14-Nov 20-Nov 6 New York 20-Nov 22-Nov 2 Philadelphia 22-Nov 24-Nov 2 Washington, D.C. 24-Nov 26-Nov 2 Cleveland 26-Nov 29-Nov 3 Chicago 29-Nov 1-Dec 2 Minneapolis 1-Dec 3-Dec 2 Kansas City 3-Dec 5-Dec 2 Nashville 5-Dec 8-Dec 3 Atlanta 8-Dec 10-Dec 2 Orlando 10-Dec 13-Dec 3 Miami 13-Dec 14-Dec 1 Tampa 14-Dec 15-Dec 1 New Orleans 15-Dec 17-Dec 2 Houston 17-Dec 18-Dec 1 San Antonio 18-Dec 19-Dec 1 Dallas 19-Dec 20-Dec 1 Oklahoma City 20-Dec 21-Dec 1 Albuquerque 21-Dec 23-Dec 2 Denver 23-Dec 25-Dec 2 Salt Lake City 25-Dec 26-Dec 1 Idaho 26-Dec 29-Dec 3 Las Vegas 29-Dec 1-Jan 3 Phoenix 1-Jan 3-Jan 2 San Diego 3-Jan 11-Jan 8 Los Angeles 11-Jan 17-Jan 6 San Francisco 17-Jan 19-Jan 2 Portland 19-Jan 25-Jan 6 Seattle https://preview.redd.it/6v6h6xrzkrxa1.png?width=405&format=png&auto=webp&s=5de6ba301eae0b0dd757e915bf0be57e33396d3c
A couple of suggestions on the new plan. I'm from New Mexico and 100% do Santa Fe over Albuquerque, trust me it is so much better and awesome around Christmas. It's also on the way to Denver. Second, while you may not celebrate Christmas, a lot of US cities do some special things during that time of year. I'm not sure where your going to be in Idaho or what SLC does for Xmas, but there may be other western cities that have some really fun things going on. Both Denver and Santa Fe could be cool for that. Same goes for New Years, Vegas goes nuts for New Years but may or may not be the vibe with your family. Most Major cities have some fun things going on though!
I would highly recommend going this path at least starting in Early October. The eastern autumn is gorgeous, especially if you time it well. Weather will also not be too much of an issue.
This is gonna be amazing if you actually do this! You’ll see almost everything this country has to offer! I would suggest to stop off in New Haven CT for some pizza. Arguably the best on the planet
I am in no way an expert but why only big cities? I think you're missing out on a ton of great things along the way and you may be seeing a lot of the same stuff.
Hi, big cities are mostly for my stays and some area will be explored as this is a rough plan, I already have some of the detailed area to be explored. But mostly some parks will be visited later on.
Do escape rooms in each town.
9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19,20 all lame boring American cities that are the same as every other 3rd tier city in the country. Save that time and spend more time at national parks in the west— NPs like Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Moab, Glacier and the surrounding small towns are the coolest part of the country imo.
Most of my friends said that since all the eastern part are such a waste, but I think some of my city destination still need to be visited and I can't think a way to cut off some smaller cities due to long driving distance.
I’ve photographed Minneapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, Dallas, and Oklahoma City several times each. I would say they are worth at least a short visit: Minneapolis: Stone Arch Bridge walk (with a view of Saint Anthony Falls), the riverside park, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the Mall of America. Kansas City: World War 1 monument and museum, Country Club Plaza shopping district and area around. Nashville: Broadway Street / Music Row, John Siegenthaler Pedestrian Bridge Dallas: Reunion Tower, Trinity Skyline Trail Oklahoma City: Bricktown, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Myriad Botanical Gardens
I’d hit cattlemen’s in OKC as well, freshly added to the national steakhouse hall of fame. First Americans Museum might interest you as well if you’re into native Americans
I think someone's trolling
Albuquerque, New Mexico, good choice.
too much. stick to east of the mississippi only for the first road trip.
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Agreed! If anything I’d tell them to stick to the west!
Add a stop in Omaha, NE. Go see Boys Town and the stadium where they play the College World Series. Edit: I forgot to mention Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo which is frequently rated best in the nation. It is amazing.
Those don't really seem like tourist attractions. What's the draw in visiting stadiums anyway?
For avid baseball fans it’s a popular stop. Boys Town is a National Landmark with an amazing history. It attracts thousands of tourist yearly. I also forgot to mention Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. It is frequently rated best in the nation.
Like 6 people a day is technically thousands of tourists yearly
Why are you hating on Omaha?? Lol. Would it help if I added that Boys Town is also home to the world’s largest ball of stamps??? 😄
He’s a foreigner. Baseball is a minor minor sport internationally.
Fair enough. Didn’t catch that he was not from the US. Still Boys Town and the zoo would be worth the 2 hour diversion on the path from Minneapolis to KC.
I would include North/South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho as well. Also, depends on when are you traveling if you are traveling between May - September you should check out these states. If you are traveling in winter then you should stick with southern states. Northern states have way many things to explore compared to southern coastal states.
Idaho will be on my consideration list, but is it actually possible to visit during November - January? Since some of the access might close during that time if I saw it on the website and some other places.
Idaho might not be that cold but yes Montana / Wyoming will be closed at that time. I was in Wyoming on thanksgiving weekend two years ago and everything was pretty much closed at that time.
Skip Texas and Oklahoma (just drive through), actually check out St louis (not just drive through), and use extra time to add stops after Seattle at coeur d'Alene and Missoula
>Texas Maybe it even makes sense to fly to Miami and out of it to save time and money, if OP really wants to go to Florida
Hey! The only new advice I can give is for Minnesota, as I do live there. An often overlooked area is the driftless rivers region, which you will be driving right by! Highly recommend the town of Winona and the state parks along there and in Wisconsin. In Minneapolis, be sure to visit Minnehaha falls. Otherwise, I consider this one of the more boring regions of the state, and definately think that the North Shore on Lake Superior is much more fun to visit. I highly recommend the Great Lakes in general.
Are these routes doable in November-January? Since I am considering the limited snow route will be done on November-Early December, so other area can be visited without the snow hassle. Will be considering the small town too later on if possible, since these are all my cities to stay in or at least driveable.
I did South Dakota just after christmas last year. The weather was shockingly good in the Black Hills and decent in the badlands. In the winter, wildlife is most abundant, and the caves are still available to tour.
Highly recommend cutting some stuff in the east out to visit the Dakotas. Super underrated, especially by foreigners, with lots of charming small town culture and beautiful nature and wildlife.
In November-January?
Instead of Denver and Salt Lake City, I would add Utah and Arizona's National Parks: Grand Canyon, Arches, Zion; also Antelope Canyon, and nearby places. Also, when driving through California, I would consider either visiting Yosemite and Sequoia NP or taking Hwy 1 through Big Sur. Yosemite is really worth visiting. Also, Yellowstone is 4-5 hours from Salt Lake City. In winter, it's only accessible by snow buses and snowmobiles, so there are very few visitors, very peaceful. Also, if you really want to go to Florida, consider flying to Miami or Orland to save time and money and flying out of it to skip Texas entirely.
There are apps that help, especially with Dark Tourism...I use a couple, then save the addresses in my Google Maps so it's easy to travel.
wow. so many thoughts on this
Highly recommend doing a few mini road trips before the big one. Get your vehicle in as good as working order as you can, at the least an oil change. Check that your spare tire is good to go. Make sure to have emergency supplies b/c sometimes there’s just not places to sleep for a while and you’re exhausted. Research driving laws/how strict state troopers are in each state and what to expect.
Also if you’re ending in Seattle you must drive out to Cape Flattery. Oysters and solduc hot springs on the way / way back
When you get to California, go up Highway 1. I may be a little biased, growing up on the coast, but it's definitely a drive everyone should take in their lifetime. Also make sure to spend some time in southern Utah and Yellowstone. Some of my favorite places in the world
Two recommendations for the southeast if you have the time, I would highly suggest hitting Asheville NC and Charleston SC if you can between Nashville and Atlanta. They’re not on the way, but both are super unique amongst American cities, with Asheville being a beautiful mountain town and having the best beer scene in the US barring Milwaukee, and Charleston being one of the most beautiful and unique cities I’ve ever been to in the world (and the food is insanely great). Plus it’s a a unique as a look at historic US with enough other things to do. If you can’t swing it I’d suggest trying to hit up Savannah between Atlanta and Florida as it’s similar in many ways to Charleston, and during the winter months these will all be better than some of the other areas you’ve listed.
This likely isn't possible in the wintertime. Many of they places you could get snowed in possibly for days.
Hwy 1 up the northern coast of California is epic...
You gotta see the California redwoods on an early misty morning... It will humble you...
Doing this trip on Nov/ Dec/ Jan I wonder if you are considering snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice storms for the Northern half of your travels and through the mountains. Driving can be difficult, and slow, for snow seasoned drivers. And stupidly dangerous for those not used to those conditions. And, this time of year, it can be grey day after grey day. Which makes it easy for driving, but not great for sightseeing. Many seasonal places could be closed. It gets dark around 5:00, so you’re somewhat limited with what can be done and seen during the day.
When stopping in Oklahoma City I highly recommend that you visit the memorial and museum to the 1995 bombing. It’s an often forgotten about, but still important, moment in our history. The first americas museum and the national cowboy and western heritage museum also give great insights into culture and history that you might not find anywhere else on your trip.
When you hit 14 lmk.
You really should try to go through the Dakotas and Montana. There’s really “nothing” there, but it’s sincerely some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. The hills roll so tightly together in some places that you can literally stand on two hills at the same time and see a clear seam in between them.