The Great American Road Trip

In March, my brother informed me he accepted a job in California. He needed help driving from Baltimore to San Diego. At first, it wasn’t a drive I was looking forward to, but I certainly didn’t want to disappoint my brother. Plus, I am always up for an adventure and I have never been to California. The Pros started to outweigh the Cons. 

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

One thing that I have always wanted to do is drive the historic Route 66. I checked out Google Maps, routing our trip from D.C. to San Diego. I soon realized we would be driving very close to, if not on 66 for about half the trip. This route would take us through some of the most beautiful sections of America’s Southwest. We decided on a route that would have us driving about 10 hours a day for a 4 day trip. This is not ideal for a family or sight seeing vacation, but it worked for us though.

Its about the Journey not the Destination

Traveling with my brother was a great experience; one I’ll never forget. Despite living only an hours’ drive away, we got busy with our own lives over the years and didn’t spend much time together. So this was a great opportunity to catch up and do a little sibling bonding. We had a lot of fun and saw a lot of America neither one of us had seen before. As often in life, it was about the journey, not the destination. 

After our trip, I realized how much of America there is to see in these “fly over states.” It seems the United States was by design made to be explored from the windows of our cars. This was exactly what the great American road trip was all about. In fact, I once read the automobile is a “vacation agent” for Americans. If you think of it that way, with our roads stretching from ocean to ocean, Mountains to Bays, it certainly is true. Americans from all walks of life enjoy the open road and the freedom it offers. 

“I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me.” – Walt Whitman

The United States boasts the worlds longest and largest highway system in the world. Route 20 (US 20), an east-west highway measuring 3365 miles in length, is the longest single road in the country and one of the world’s longest highways. 

I compiled a list of a few of the most epic road trip routes in the USA, highlighting some of the major attractions on each route just as we did, but you don’t have to travel all the routes to make it work for you. 

These road trips cover a range of locations both from the east coast and the west coast; and if you’re an adventurous one, there’s even a suggested one-month coast-to-coast route that spans across 12 US states.

Route 66 (The Mother Road)

Before 1985, this route was affectionately known as “Mother Road,” or Route 66 as most would know it today. Starting in Chicago,IL, ending in San Monica, CA, this trip spans across eight states and three timezones. It first served as the road to opportunities when many Americans migrated westwards during the Great Depression, later making its way into pop culture after World War 2 when Americans became obsessed with cars

Route 66 is officially decommissioned and no longer a highway since 1985. But by then, the defunct highway was already immortalized. You can still drive on what remains of the old Mother Road (as we did) cutting through the states of Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. If you want to try driving down the Historic Route 66, there are specially indicated maps online for motorists to navigate the route safely. Or check out the book The Best Hits on Route 66: 100 Essential Stops on the Mother Road – by Amy Bizzarri

Highlights: Grant Park in Illinois, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Oklahoma, Cadillac Ranch in Texas, Painted Desert in Arizona, and Santa Monica Pier in California. Distance: Appx. 2278 miles. Suggested Time Frame: ~2–3 weeks

Pacific Coast Highway One (along Big Sur)

Going through Big Sur National Park is one of the most astoundingly scenic roads in the world, meant to be traversed slowly, while gasping at the mountains, towering trees, expansive beaches and endless sky. Some say this is the best road trip in all of the USA. The whole drive from start to end will take about 10 hours to complete, but if you’re on this route, it’s recommended you stretch it out to about a week to enjoy the sights along the way.

Being one of the most scenic roads in the USA, the drive on Pacific Coast Highway provides unparalleled views of gorgeous nature and man-made marvel in between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

This road trip is particularly famous as the pitstops along the way are scenic and interesting such as Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur. Yosemite National Park is also easily accessible via a little detour.

Highlights: Yosemite National Park, Carmel Beach, Big Sur, Cambria, Morro Bay Distance: Appx. 600 miles Suggested Time Frame: One week

Atlantic Coast (US Route 1)

The US Route 1 East Coast Travel Road is the nation’s first north-south interstate highway that runs a staggering 2,390 miles along the East coast of the United States. Starting in Fort Kent, ME, the route ends in Sunny West Florida.

Those searching for photogenic East Coast Lighthouses can find about 25 of them along the way. If beach combing is your thing, this is certainly the trip for you. Plenty of undeveloped and usually deserted strands of beach that stretch for miles along the low-lying islands that make up most of the coast, much of which is at Assateague Island or Cape Hatteras, has been protected as national seashore parks. This trip offers a little something for everyone as you drive through New England, New York City, Washington D.C., down the Atlantic Coast into Florida, ending your trip at the famous mile marker 0 in the Sunny Conch Republic. If you make it to the Florida Keys, check out my post Islamorada Travel Guide for Sun, Salt and Sand

Highlights: NYC, Washington D.C., Williamsburg, North & South Carolina, Charleston, Savannah, Amelia Island, Orlando, Miami, Key West. Distance: Appx. 2390 miles. Suggested Time Frame: 2–3 weeks (If you stop at Disney – 4,5 weeks and a second mortgage)

The Yellowstone Grand Loop

The oldest national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park is one of the must-haves on any USA bucket list. It is the largest National Park outside of Alaska with over two million acres of land to explore. With numerous geothermal features such as hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles, Yellowstone is not just any old park with a bunch of trees and thieving raccoons raiding your picnic baskets. 

The best times to visit would be the months of April, May, and September through November. The loop, or a figure-8 route depending on which route you take, can be completed in three to four hours non-stop.

But what’s a trip to Yellowstone National Park if you’re just going around it? It is recommended staying around Yellowstone National Park and giving yourself at least three to five days to properly explore this wonder Mother Nature has created. You need to also remember part of the route is closed in winter time due to snow.  Yellow Stone Itinerary 

Old Faithful geyser, Mud Volcano, Uncle Tom’s Trail, Artist Point, Lamar Valley, Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth’s Hot Spring Distance: 140 miles Suggested Time Frame: 3–5 days.

The Great River Road (along the Mississippi River)

The Great River Road, arguably the queen of American road trips, is a National Scenic Byway that follows the mighty Mississippi River through 10 states and for thousands of miles. It winds and stretches across the country, all the way from the gentle headwaters at glacial Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Mississippi is not just a river, it has been the main artery of America for thousands of years, supplying agriculture, trade and transportation to our heartland. The Mighty Mississippi is a legendary American Hero all to its own. Its been said if it wasn’t for the Mississippi River, there would be no America. With its rich history comes great stories to tell, and there are museums along the route where you can catch up on the past of the Mississippi River. If you’re serious about this trip, September is the best month to drive it, and has been declared as the “Drive the Great River Road Month”.

Highlights: New Madrid Historical Museum, Sunset Park, Old Mississippi River Bridge Scenic Overlook, Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis, Delta Blues Museum, The Mark TwainHome & Museum Distance: 3000 miles Suggested Time Frame: 10 days

Coast-to-Coast (Route 50)

Spanning across the whole north continent horizontally, Route 50 passes through 12 US states and hundreds of small old (and ghost) towns. This would be the one route to take to literally cover the USA from west coast to east coast.

Blue Highways author William Least Heat-Moon writes about US-50, “for the unhurried, this little-known highway is the best national road across the middle of the United States.” The route offers such a compelling cross-section of the nation that Time magazine once devoted an entire issue to telling the story of the road it called the “Backbone of America.”

Realistically speaking, though, this route passes through mostly rural areas; its mostly traveled out of necessity than for pleasure, kind of like heading down I-95 from Maine to Florida. It will get you to where you want to be, but you will have to plan out some sighting seeing stops along the way. 50 runs right through Washington D.C. and the annual Cherry Blossom Festival is really something to see if you’ve never been to D.C.  Cherry Blossom Season Is Coming: Tips for Planning a Trip to Washington, DC to see the Cherry Blossoms . There are also some great resources online Tips for traveling route 50

Highlights: The Chesapeake Bay, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, San Rafael Swell in Utah, Great Basin National Park and Lake Tahoe in Nevada Distance: 3200 miles Suggested Time Frame: 14- 30 days 

Extraterrestrial Highway

Bonus: If you’re in Nevada, there’s another highway that takes on an interesting name you probably can’t find elsewhere — Extraterrestrial Highway. This highway was officially designated so in 1996 after many travelers reported UFO sightings and other strange alien activities along the road.

Hopefully you enjoyed reading about The Great American Road Trips. I would love to hear some of your road trip stories or destinations.

Remember to kick your shoes off and do a little no shoes traveling this year. You owe it to yourself, so get out and explore!