Suggested sights for road trip across USA?
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My Fiance and I are going to drive to Yellowstone park for our vacation in May. What kind of sites do you suggest on the way?
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By Nameless Traveler on 2007-05-02 02:05
maj
Lots of options
It really depends on how fast you want to get there: is the trip going to the drive, or are just trying to get to get where you're going?
If you have time, there's always the classic cross-country Route 66, but you'd have to cut way south and then back up to San Francisco from Southern California.
Slightly more direct, but still very scenic, would be Wyoming and Idaho -- there are some amazing national parks. If you prefer cities, Denver and Salt Lake City are on the way...
The fastest route is to cut down to 80 and ride it West for 1,052 miles. Nevada is pretty empty (but scenic in it's own way) but Tahoe might be a nice last-stop before heading into the Bay Area.
What time of year are you going?
HTH! maj
RyanF
Route66
If you do take Route66, you can also spend a little bit of time driving through Death Valley in California. I just came back from a camping trip there, and it was magnificent, albeit a little hot. the other thing is, as Maj mentioned, you'd have to make a slightly southern detour to visit Death Valley, after which you'd have to drive northwest to get to SF. Just a thought.
Sapphire
Glacier National Park
I'm planning one for the late summer in '08 and wanted to hit up a lot of places, but I'm crossing out a lot of my initial itinerary (I had us driving over 6,000 miles in just 30 days) and now that gas is at $3 a gallon I just don't want to spend that much on gas. Anyhow, I'm still trying to negotiate an itinerary that will take us to Glacier National Park. The glaciers are supposed to be gone within two decades so I want to make sure I see them before they're gone.
Afterwards, you could head out to Seattle, drive through Oregon and arrive in San Fran.
Bill-on-the-Hill
Tell us more
It would be helpful if you could tell us more about your situation. What time of year? What are your interests? How long do you have, and will you be spending more time sight-seeing than driving or vice versa? Going on the cheap, or luxury, or somewhere in between? And so on.
Time of year matters a great deal. The most direct route from the Twin Cities to the Bay (basically following I-80) is great for summer travel and lousy in the winter. The Route 66 option that others have recommended is painfully hot in the summer, but excellent in spring and fall. And so on.
That said, and assuming a summer trip, the one must-see along your (relatively) direct route is Yellowstone National Park. (BTW, it's none too soon to start planning accommodations for Yellowstone for next summer; things book up incredibly far in advance.) My recommendation would be to use Yellowstone as a "pivot point" on your trip and plan everything else around it. Some worthwhile things that combine well with Yellowstone and your starting and ending points are:
* Badlands and Black Hills -- in my opinion Mount Rushmore is overrated and more of a drive-through than a destination, but there are plenty of other things in the Black Hills that are interesting, notably wildlife
* Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument -- Wind has camping and more stuff above ground, Jewel is the more interesting to tour
* Devils Tower National Monument -- rather far out in the boonies, but directly between the Black Hills and Yellowstone so it's on your way
* Thermopolis, Wyoming -- small town with a honking big hot spring that you can bathe in (at a developed bathhouse); the drive between Devils Tower and here is spectacular
* Grand Teton National Park -- some of the prettiest mountains in the Rockies, and a natural way onward from Yellowstone
* Salt Lake City -- not really much point in going out of your way to see big cities (San Fran being more interesting than most along the way), but Salt Lake is on the way, and relatively interesting
All of this presumes that you've never been through this part of the country before, and therefore don't mind doing some of the more "usual" things. To get off the beaten path, you'd want to do some other things, but it really isn't necessary for a first-time visitor. Please give us more info and we can give you more help.
Roadtrip - Ontario, Canada to Los Angeles, California
Wonder if you would have any advice as to good sights along the way? We love the outdoors and sight-seeing that could take a couple hours along the way, or spend a couple days if we like it). As well, the best route to take - Most likely will leave mid-Feb and take a couple weeks... I'm relocating and will rent for Mar 1st.
Somewhere in between cheap and luxury - have a pet (8lb yorkshire terrier)...want to enjoy the trip, it will be once in a lifetime!!
Thank-you for your comments - I appreciate your time and feedback.
jani
Route 66
Route 66 would seem to be the obvious choice -- you don't say where in Ontario you're located, but R66's starting point Chicago is probably not too far away, and it ends right in Los Angeles.
As far as alternatives go, driving down the Trans-Canadian is famously boring, and the gas prices alone will make it much more expensive than covering the same distance in the US.
Bill-on-the-Hill
Timing is everything
And February is not great timing for this. The weather still has a good chance to be vile, and outdoors activities will be limited with the dog -- unless the dog skis.
Jani's suggestion of following Route 66 is good, but if you start by going south out of Ontario rather than west (probably a good idea because of weather), it's out of your way to backtrack to Chicago for the start of 66. However, Chicago is an interesting city worth spending some time in, although it's one where the weather at that time is particularly likely to be ugly. Your choice, and one you might want to defer making until the last minute, to see what the weather forecasts are like.
Personally, I'd say zoom the Route 66 itinerary until you get into New Mexico, skipping some of the "authentic" but slow sections and using interstates where possible. Do stop in St. Louis to see, and if feasible ascend, the Gateway Arch. St. Louis is otherwise a relatively uninteresting city (except during baseball season...). Meramec Caverns, one of the attractions recommended on the Rt66 itinerary page, is rather touristified by the standards of show caves, but may be worth a side trip if you've never been in a cave before. Most of the rest of the route through Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas is rather so-so.
When you get to New Mexico, scenic opportunities liven up enormously. Follow the alternative routing recommended in that itinerary and get up to Santa Fe (New Mexico), which is a marvelous place to spend a couple of days regardless of time of year. There are all sorts of alternatives there, and the WT guides to the city and towns around it are pretty good (if I do say so myself, having written most of it), so check there and get back to me with any questions.
Beyond there the possibilities proliferate, but I'd definitely try to fit in:
* Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge south of Albuquerque -- vast flocks of sandhill cranes will be there;
* Meteor Crater, near the spectacularly boring town of Winslow (Arizona) -- you could also take a quick pass through Petrified Forest National Park;
* A number of things around Flagstaff, Arizona, with details being weather dependent.
* The Grand Canyon is a short diversion from Flagstaff, and one of those things you've just gotta see. However, conditions will not be optimal for you, between time of year (South Rim trails may be snowbound at the top) and logistical considerations (no dogs on the trails). Still probably worth doing a look-see. Insert an extra night at Flagstaff so you'll have time to do it, or look for lodging at the Canyon itself, although you may be too late for that.
So there are some things to think about.
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