Quote:
Originally Posted by sygazelle
My wife and I are thinking about taking a cross country road trip from Northern California this Fall if things open up or next year if the shut down continues.
Here is a map of one of the routes I'm thinking about taking. For sure, we want to see:
The New England states
Washington DC
Niagra Falls
Victoria, MN (visit my sis. I miss her cooking!)
Everything else is open to ideas.
We picked up her X5 in Spartanburg last year and drove the Southern route back to California. We took 3 weeks and had a blast. This time we want to go a more Northern route and take 8 weeks or so.
I'd love any advice you all have on routes, roads, highways, locations, B&Bs, unique bars or restaurants. Our plans are wide open. We just want to see the country by car and not be in a hurry.
Thanks in advance for any ideas you offer.
Here is one possible route I am thinking about that would include Southern Canada also. Happy to stay in the US also. This is just an idea.
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Great Salt Lake area visit Antelope Island for wildlife (bison, etc). Fee to drive in but lots of places to stop and take pics.
I agree with others about Yellowstone (try staying in West Yellowstone if not in the park), and the Tetons. Worth the time for sure. Unfortunately that means it will be hard to get to Dinosaur National in/near Vernal, UT.
Lots of choices east of there. Really a matter of time and preferences.
After Niagara I would suggest staying in NY and then going across VT and NH. Pretty areas and if fall, you’ll want reservations. Then from Maine come down the coast to CT, cut over to PA and visit Hershey (take the tour, it is pretty interesting).
There is all kinds of history in the northeast, from revolutionary war through civil war. I always enjoy Boston and Gettysburg for the history.
Others have commented on driving back slowly through Canada, but it is pretty. Price of fuel is higher, too. For a shorter bit, cross at Buffalo and follow the lake coast to the upper peninsula of MI, then across the northern US route. Montana is beautiful, Idaho too. Little Big Horn, Corn Palace, Badlands, all kinds of places to visit along the way or a bit out of the way. Not a huge fan of Rushmore but if you haven’t been, be sure also to see Crazy Horse nearby.
Be prepared for cold weather (tires). We were in Yellowstone two years ago September and got snowed in because all we had were summer tires. Had to wait for a melt to move the car! Would do A/S or even put the winters on if going after mid-sept myself.
Obviously where you stop depends on what you’re interested in. Lots of nature, birds, wildlife along any route. Historic sites, neat architecture, little tours, quirky roadside attractions. There are unlimited choices so good to have a useful guide or map app. But there remain stretches of interstate (and of course back roads) with no cell service.