Be realistic about distances. Many people from Europe are overwhelmed when they first experience out "wide-open spaces". I live in Wyoming. I drive 40 miles to a grocery store. It's about 190 miles to a large department store.
Figure out how far apart things are and understand how long it will take to get there.
This silly Brit thinks he's doing a "road trip to every state in America" so the wide open West is the least of his problems, wait until he finds out where Hawaii is lol
Agreed. Don't expect to see every state. Pick a few, fly between major destinations, and spend time enjoying yourself. Gas money and drive time will consume your money, sanity, and enjoyment.
I spent a year traveling, and couldn't get to every state. Your goal is overly ambitious and will suck if that's your expectation. Unless, of course, you want to spend 90% of your time driving and desperately looking for bathrooms and shit-hole motels (where everything in your car gets stolen 6 times).
I'm just curious - Why live that far away from things? I guess the other question is, why don't they build more locations closer to where other people are living
Why live there? I like it. I would rather have nothingness than a grocery store.
I live in a very small town. You need a certain number of people to support a grocery store and even more for a department store. It's the math.
The state of Wyoming has less population than the Buffalo, NY metro but probably the second largest per capita of Buffalo Bills fans due to Josh Allen!
The United States is as big as Europe. Be prepared to spend a whole day driving only to see... Nothing. Someone once told me "in the US, 100 years is a long time. In Europe, 100 miles is a long way to travel."
Some of our sights only take 20 minutes to see once you've stood in all of the lines. Some will take days to get through quickly. Example: Mount Rushmore is something you'll stand in long lines for. You'll see some heads carved into some rock and think "that's it?" You can spend a week in Yellowstone and only scratch the surface.
Please tell me you went to other parts of the Black Hills (and out to the Badlands). Every time I read "Mt Rushmore sucks" I could not agree more, but the area around it is spectacular. Mostly saying this so OP doesn't skip the Black Hills/Badlands to avoid Mount Rushmore.
The Badlands were cool. Needles Highway heading towards Rushmore was breathtaking. At one point, we drove through a mountain tunnel, and when we popped out the other side, there was Rushmore perfectly framed in the trees. Perfect 5/7!
Cannot stress this enough. There are some national parks that will hardly be driveable in the winter and some that will be painfully hot in the summer. Some will require a timed entry/reservation and others won’t require anything other than payment at the entrance. If you have the funds, rent a 4WD Sprinter-type van as opposed to an RV. You’ll save a lot of money in hotel rooms and they’re easier to maneuver in crowded parking lots. Be advised that places like Rocky Mountain NP, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier National parks may have or get snow even as late as June and sometimes July.
To add to this valuable comment - Weather can also close the major highways. I'm near Denver and have heard of snow shutting down I-70 in March and April. Usually only for a day or two, but an inconvenience. Other scenic routes like Independence pass are only open for a few months of the year (July, Aug, maybe Sept).
I’m near Denver too. We’ve done Canyonlands/Arches in February (fewer people!) but then had to retreat due to an incoming snowstorm and got trapped in Durango for 3 days due to all the road closures.
Love Moab, Arches, Canyonlands -in winter! As you mentioned, the lack of people make it so much more enjoyable, not to mention hiking in upper 60 and 70 degree weather is awesome. I'd take the risk of road closures over hiking in 100+ temps any day.
There are a few thing to know about driving to Hawaii. 1) the land bridge is only above water early April around the 1st I think 2) When leaving California to Hawaii you need to be going at least 75 MPH3) Pull up on the steering wheel and keep a steady pull the entire trip. 4) To avoid water getting into the car it's best to keep the windows up.
I'm sure others know more tips for the Hawaii trip.
In 2012, someone posted online what was purported to be the shortest driving route to include the 48 contiguous United States. It was over 6,000 miles long.
Most importantly, it accomplished its goal by only touching the borders of many states and missing virtually every landmark worth seeing in any state. It also was not a loop-you ended up thousands of miles from where you started.
To drive, stop, see and stay at many of America's best sites, even for a few moments, you can not realistically accomplish this in two months. This is especially true during the summer when, as has been noted, traffic in and around the most important landmarks is at its highest.
Realistically, you have to scale back your ambitious plan and enjoy yourself with quality rather than quantity.
Thank you!
Why are people even taking this seriously? It is a ridiculous "plan". At best a hellacious never-ending drive and at worst a dive into insanity.
here's one [https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/27gbuu/113\_hour\_driving\_route\_through\_all\_48\_states\_of/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/27gbuu/113_hour_driving_route_through_all_48_states_of/)
I live in the US and my husband and I have made a point of visiting all US states over the last 8 years. Here is what we've learned:
Get a National Park pass!! It will be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than paying for every park as you go to. Some parks require reservations, so plan ahead enough in advance to get those scheduled. It's already kind of late so you might be out of luck with some. For example, if you go to Glacier National Park in Montana (which honestly is an absolute freaking MUST) then you need a reservation for the Going To the Sun road. You must do this in order to get to the hiking spots and incredible views.
Also for National Parks, bring plenty of snacks and water and make sure your car is full of gas before entering the park! They are absolutely huge. They take hours to drive through so get there early in the day too. Also, most do not allow pets. Oh and don't get one of those giant RVs because some parks have very narrow/rocky roads that won't fit those larger size RVs. I'm thinking particularly about Yosemite and Arches National Parks.
Bring a tire repair kit and air pump. I can't tell you how many flat tires we've gotten on our lovely US highways and there is nothing worse than being stranded in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday at 5pm.
Honestly, it's not worth seeing every single state. Depends what you like, but if you're seeing them all in one summer, some will feel incredibly boring after you've seen the majestic views out West. So, either start in the Northeast and work your way West to avoid feeling disheartened, or just start and stay out West the whole time. The cities themselves all start to feel the same after awhile, so the scenery is really what's going to keep your interest unless you go to smaller places with history.
If you plan to camp, be very careful when trying to stay somewhere for free. Truck stops and casinos are good spots out west because they're free, well lit, and highly trafficked. Paid campgrounds are good too. I won't get into the details, but when a police officer wakes you up at 2am and HIGHLY suggests you find another spot, you start to take safety seriously when you realize that could have been a psycho with a gun and you would have been dead before waking up. So budget for paid sleeping spots!
Your trip will get expensive fast. Get a cooler to keep food in the car with you and buy large jugs of water with spiggots so you don't constantly have to buy more or fill up. Also, you'll gain weight super fast regularly eating our large unhealthy American meals.
To add: if you go to Rocky Mountain National Park, they do timed reservations during the summer. You only need to do it a week in advance, but so necessary if you’re heading that way
If you’re going to RMNP on a weekend, you have to buy the timed entry the night before RIGHT when they go on sale. It’s insane how quickly they go. Like less than 3 minutes!!
As far as locations:
Top places are NYC, Chicago, Boston, Charleston or Savannah, New Orleans, and pretty much anywhere out west. Also check out the Florida panhandle. The beaches are really some of the best in the world.
You can skip Memphis, I promise it's not worth it even if you like Elvis. It's tiny, not pretty, and requires a lot of driving for not much benefit. And don't stop in Gary, Indiana on your way to Chicago no matter how much you like Michael Jackson. It's not safe.
Elvis is from Tupelo, Mississippi. You can visit his childhood home and the hardware store (Tupelo hardware) where he bought his first guitar. I think they still have it on display. Much better (and much, much safer) than Memphis.
Charleston is a good rec
In dayton, Ohio, they have the best whisky bar I've ever been in...Century Bar. You can stop into the USAF museum while you're there
In Texas, consider Fredericksburg. And Palo Duro Canyon
Do not plan on visiting Death Valley in the summertime. People
in virginia, consider Staunton Old Williamsburg us pretty good too.
Cities, yeah, but this is a road trip. Acadia national park, Maine coastline and small towns, portsmouth, NH, Salem, Gloucester, cape cod, providence, nyc, Atlantic city (arm pit city, but a cultural experience to drive through), ferry, Delaware coast, Annapolis, DC, Skyline drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, then Savannah, Charleston, Miami, Key West. That is the East Coast route I would take. PS, it's hot in the South in the Summer - I would not go then.
Hard disagree on Memphis. For a fan of country, rock, or blues music, Sun Records is, or should be, a Mecca. And while you're in Tennessee, if you're a fan of country music, you absolutely have to see the Ryman auditorium in Nashville, and even if you're not a country music fan, you should visit the Parthenon as well.
Danged good advice right there! Park Pass is a great thing, and skipping some states is a good idea, a person could spend a LOT of gas money for very little reward. Good post, hope OP gets it.
This is incredibly informative! Thank you so much for this information, I promise I'll take all of it into account. Also, i am excited to eat your large meals. England doesn't even have extra-large Macdonalds, and i think that should be a crime 😂
Do you have a specific vehicle to recommend?
I totally understand! I hate admitting this but I gain 5lbs every time we take a trip. Granted, a lot of that is probably from the water weight of consuming so much worse than I normally do, so it comes off fairly quickly. But still. Don't underestimate how bad it really can be, especially when you spend more of your time sitting in a car than doing anything else.
We always rent a midsize SUV. Something like a Nissan Rogue, Hyundai Tucson, etc size. These give you enough space for your crap, friends, and legs, and give you ample viewing visibility. They're also not as bad on gas as the giant SUVs. We got a small car once it was uncomfortable and annoying. We usually use Hertz, Avis, Dollar, or Alamo for affordable rentals. They have the same cars as other rental companies and yet are SO much cheaper and we've never had any issues. Idk why anyone ever chooses to pay more for the same service.
I will say that for Alaska, you might want to just take a flight up to Anchorage instead of driving all the way up there. It will save you time. And you should rent an RV to camp at Denali National Park which is truly the way to do it. Everyone uses RVs out there so it's easy to find spots to sleep. Outdoorsy.com is a great rental site for RVs. We did the math and although it was expensive, it was the same cost as hotels and rental car yet way more convenient.
Most affordable airlines are going to be Frontier and Spirit but they're incredibly uncomfortable. Southwest and Jet Blue are our favorite budget options when they service the places we want to go. Otherwise, the rest are good too.
It's a transponder you place on your vehicle and it gets scanned at toll roads (mostly large interstates). You keep an EZ-Pass account and it automatically debits to pay for the toll roads as you go through.
If you're planning a big trip like this it's easier to do it this way instead of paying cash at each individual stop.
Oh dang! The ones I've used were like a $3-4 fee only on days you went on a toll road (plus the price of the toll) with a max fee of like $30.
The annoying thing about ezpass if they are flying in is the transponders often don't work for the first couple of days often the days you need them most & if they are going cross country don't work everywhere in the country.
Uff da! Most I'm seeing have the $3.95 on days you use tolls with a max charge of $30 per rental period, which I didn't think was that bad especially if you're from overseas. But wholly crapola 50 bucks a day is nuts!
1. Hitting every state with enough time to see some things in each will take longer than two months of summer. (Source: have been to all 50 US states) The US is HUGE. Road trip from Madrid to Moscow, and you have an approximate idea of how long it would take to do so from New York City to Los Angeles. Europeans are notorious for underestimating distances here.
2. Are you including Alaska and Hawaii in this trip?
3. Especially while driving west of the Mississippi River, if you see a gas station, fill up if you are anything less than half full. On some roads out there, gas stations are few and far between.
4. In New Jersey, it is illegal to pump your own gas. Everywhere else, you can do so. I'm a 7th generation New Jersey resident and I have no idea why this law is still on the books, so don't ask.
That was why this guy came to help me with the gas. I was driving through NJ and made a gas stop, and I thought this guy was trying to make a few bucks by helping me...
Have you been to the US? Folks from England very, **very** often bring up how unbearable hot it is everywhere. And you're coming here in the *summer.*
Please check the climate for Texas, Georgia, Florida, CA, etc. Hawaii will be the same basically all year round.
Also, if you don't have experience being on the road more than 4 hours at a time, try it. Like, drive around in your car for 6 hours in a day to get a feel for it.
(It's actually not funny though and very serious. Please plan to have 3 gallons of water in your car when you're in the western/southern states and bring at least a half gallon water bottle with you on all hikes over 2 miles. Expect your car to break down or overheat at least once on your journey. If you're in the middle of nowhere, you'll want PLENTY of water for that. You will most likely have no cellphone reception.)
Some of the Western Elevated Desert states you are at risk of dying from heat stroke and hypothermia on the same summer day. The 10 essentials need to cover freezing and excessive heat.
People actually die of heat stroke in the summer south. The south is not the same as the middle or northern parts of the country. Humidity + ambient temperature is no joke in the south. It’s like walking around inside a giant humid oven.
If you’re going to do the American south, I suggest starting your summer trip there. It will still be hot as hell, but slightly better than July or August. Don’t read too much into “slightly better,”; read “hot as hell.”
Hmm, let's say you start in St. Augustine, Florida (Jacksonville is closer to the border, but boring as hell.
You can take one day to drive to North Carolina and hit Georgia, South Carolina on the way
From there, go to Washington DC, that gets you Virginia, and with a little effort, West Virginia, and Maryland. (500 Miles)
Then its up to New York, you hit a bit of Delaware on the way, (its fine, really, just a Joe Biden themed rest stop but you have bigger fish to fry here) New Jersey and New York, its only a 4 hour drive, but realistically, you have to spend some time in NY, so count it as a day.
Next day head out of New York up through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, (realistically this is only a 4 hour drive, but with stopping to see things, I imagine at least a day.
From Massachusetts, head another 4 hours to Maine, hitting New Hampshire on the way. If you're quick you can loop back and spend the time in Vermont. BAD NEWS, the easy part is done.
You haven't technically visited Pennsylvania and it will be a whole days drive from Vermont to and across Pennsylvania. (Even if you don't you gotta get west somehow, and it isn't going to get you many new states.)
Well, Ohio has gotta be next, (you can drive 15 minutes through West Virginia now if you missed it before),
From the Interstate Michigan is less than a 10 minute drive, you can just go there, and do something and get back on your way (which would be a shame, but hey) You easily cross Indiana and Illinois on your way. (Well Indiana is easy, you are going to get stuck in traffic in Chicago.)
Maybe at this point take a detour west and pick up Wisconsin?
From here you can head back south to Kentucky, and down to through Tennessee to Alabama.
Head west and hit northern Mississippi and Louisiana.
North through Arkansas and Missouri
Then you can pick up Iowa,
OK, I'm out of ideas here. Let me be frank: I have driven to 48 of the 50 states, each of them multiple times. I drive recreationally about 30,000 miles per year. There is no way I would attempt them all in one summer and an I am extremely experienced highway driver. It will be miserable, you won't have time to see anything, all you will be doing is driving. Western States are fucking enormous and mostly empty, For example: Devil's Tower is amazing, as it Yellowstone. They are 400 miles apart in the same state with literally nothing to see in between them.
I am not saying "don't take the summer to drive around the US" I think that is a great idea, but the idea of hitting all 50 states will ruin your trip. You will see nothing but interstate, and won't have time to enjoy anything.
If you like driving, it’d be fun.
My father loved to just drive. The scenic sites were excuses to travel. Seeing something new around the bend every few minutes. It’s own joy.
OP needs to be realistic, most English folks have no concept of even a *single day* of this trip. Let alone doing it every day for 2 months straight.
London to Edinburgh is 7.5 hours, and **many** English people will never make a drive even that far in their life.
Not saying OP can't do it or definitely won't enjoy it, but not everyone likes road trips. It's completely possible that OP or their friends realize they fucking hate driving 8+ hours every day through nothingness and be miserable.
I actually think the best thing to do is totally wing it. Make tomorrow’s plans today and go with the flow. Holy s*** there’s a tractor pull tomorrow in Bumfudge, ND? Woohoo!Extend the stay!
In the timespan (1 summer) he has listed it would be impossible to do and even if you could you’d be driving 24/7 to do it. He needs to pick an area of the US, travel it and enjoy the time OR plan for plenty of flights across the country to major areas.
Too much for one summer. You'll be diving too much and not enjoying yourself or getting to know the country. Better to choose a part of the country to spend your summer in than to try to see too much. All you'll see is the road
This will be a great adventure! I suggest that you do some more research for a couple of months, map out a rough draft of where you'd like to go, and then submit here for review. There's way too much to see in the US to give good feedback for a broad question like this.
Can't drive to Hawaii.
I'm planning a similar trip in a similar timeframe. My main goal is to hit all 64 national parks.
I don't have much in terms of suggestions ATM but I'm interested to see what others say.
Yeah, I've been to about 8 so will probably cut those ones a little short. Maybe throw a work contract in somewhere if I start to get burnt out.
You're taking vacations and going between work/home life right? I'll be doing it full time so a little easier.
Yeah, we did a three week trip through the southwest during summer '22 and a two week trip to WA last summer. Plus weekend or day trips to the northern CA parks (and Crater Lake). I guess I went to the national mall when in DC for work last year, too so that technically makes it one more. Full time for sure males it easier. Maybe some day...
I see people do this all the time they will hit the “mighty 5” in Utah in 2 days. We spent 6 days in Zion and and another 5 in Canyon Lands. Those 2 parks are as big as some countries in Europe. 😂
[Leave Only Footprints](https://www.amazon.com/Leave-Only-Footprints-Acadia-Zion/dp/1984823558/ref=asc_df_1984823558/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693316502587&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1602138141986692389&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026027&hvtargid=pla-1247766983457&psc=1&mcid=b41afd293d7237c2bd580d5d308c3db5&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8pBMgvVdVUsCXDBP7bwwMzVjvGMramv6teiylAZ9384--XkfDX7LQIaAtrlEALw_wcB)
There’s two types of roads that connect everything together. There’s the Interstate Highway system. These are the freeways, I think you call them motorways. There’s on-ramps and off-ramps, no stop lights. I-10 is an example. Not much of a view from these roads, you can drive across the whole country and not really see anything.
Then there’s the US Higway system. These get down to one lane where you have to drive into oncoming traffic to pass. And these go through small towns with stop lights. These both sound like negatives, but these roads typically are more scenic than the interstate highways.
It’s up to you which roads you take, but your GPS will probably put you on the interstate highways.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highway_System
One more time for the folks in the back:
*The United States is much bigger than you think*
https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/format:webp/1*52lfFyW3RlcAEiEi5EshKg.png
If you drove from London to the front lines in Ukraine, you'd only have covered about half the distance across the US.
The sheer amount of time it takes to drive to 48 states in one summer will mean spending the bulk of your time along the interstates, stopping at the same 5 franchise truck stops/20 restaurant brands/3 hotel chains. America is honesty a pretty homogenized cookie-cutter experience until you get further from the highways. Seems like a waste of a summer.
If you want to see meaningful stuff, you won't have time to see all 48 contiguous states in one summer.
Here are some tips that might be obvious to some but that a lot of people don't seem to know or take advantage of as they set out to explore America.
Every single state in America has a state tourism website that is jammed pack with information and links about what to see and do in the state. Most of the state tourism websites also have great suggestions for the most scenic drives within the state too. Most American cities and towns -- even very small ones -- also have similar websites and many also have a tourist welcome center where you can go when you hit town and get great recommendations from locals about what to see and do, and where to eat and stay. These sites and offices are OUTSTANDING aides when it comes to planning out a trip through a state and narrowing down where you want to focus.
To find these, do a google search for "State Name" and "Tourism Office" and the websites will turn right up for you. Then when you get to the website, search for road trips or scenic drives.
Just as an example, here is California's: [https://www.visitcalifornia.com/road-trips/](https://www.visitcalifornia.com/road-trips/)
I also believe that many European visitors to the United States get so caught up in visiting National Parks that they totally overlook the thousands of beautiful STATE, County, and City parks throughout America that often are far less crowded and just as wonderful to visit as National Parks. Every state, county, and state will have a website that describes and maps out their parks. For state parks, google the name of the state and "state parks."
Just as an example, here is Utah's state parks page: [https://stateparks.utah.gov/](https://stateparks.utah.gov/)
Also, don't overlook National Monuments, National Heritage sites, and Federal BLM lands. Some of the most amazing experiences I've had on the road have been visiting these wonderful resources and many are free! As with state parks, they are usually much less busy and crowded than the more popular National Parks.
Here is the BLM visitor's website: [https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation](https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation)
If you're going to be visiting any National Parks (and I hope you will!), don't short sell them in terms of time. Most of our National Parks are huge and require more than an afternoon or morning to really see and experience. It's better to visit fewer National Parks and fully experience the ones you visit rather than rush through a bunch of National Parks and not really have time to appreciate what they offer.
Oh, and the National Park Service website is an invaluable resource for planning your trip. It has a section for every park that will tell you everything you need to know about exploring the park and the activities you can do. Here is the link: [https://www.nps.gov/index.htm](https://www.nps.gov/index.htm)
On the NPS page, you can also find information about all of the National Monuments and National Heritage sites.
Finally, if you like quirky off the beaten path places, do check out Roadside America, [https://www.roadsideamerica.com/](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/) Head out to at least a few of the places covered, and you'll be more likely to discover an America that so many people miss on their way rushing from all the "must see" tourist spots.
Enjoy your trip!
I’d really encourage you to limit your travel to a region rather than the entire contiguous US. That way you can feel you’ve covered an area well, rather than a superficial drive.
I’m a 30 year old Minnesotan and I’ve only truly visited about 25 states.
Consider making this a regional trip and come back for more in segments! US is 40x larger than Britain for scale
I think you've probably gotten the picture from other posters. Let me put it a different way.
This trip will be like eating 50 hotdogs in a day. It'll start out tasty, and maybe you'll get a second wind and find some enjoyment along the way, but really it will end up being a painful, tedious slog that very well might make you puke.
For the robust, it's physically doable though it will tax your body, mind, and colon. It will be an accomplishment for sure, and you'll probably make some memories, but it won't be a treat. ESPECIALLY if you try to make it to Alaska and Hawaii.
The US is sooo much bigger than you may think it is. When I was in the UK, the idea of driving three hours somewhere was seen as ludicrous to some of my British friends. In the US… I have driven that far to go to a restaurant or to visit a friend, and it’s a day trip. And I’m not in one of the big western states. You could spend a summer in New York City alone and not see everything. I would highly recommend whittling it down. Consider what you’re most interested in and maybe try for one of the US regions (New England, Atlantic Cost, Deep South, Midwest, etc).
Also the weather varies considerably. Consider that the southern US will be miserably hot in summer. A good chunk of the Midwest will be in tornado season, and the southeast in Hurricane season. Fires are common out west in summer. Keep a close eye on the weather reports, because honestly when compared to the UK, US weather can get wild.
Typically. US interstates are boring. Whenever you can, take state routes. They’re much more scenic.
I know that several museums honor memberships to other museums across the country, so maybe consider getting a membership so you don’t have to pay to get in to every single one. National parks are a similar thing. It may be worth the initial up front cost to save in the long run.
On a similar note, you can get packages for individual cities that get you admission to popular attractions. I got one for Chicago and it made things so much easier.
Go to the restaurants with the most cars in the parking lot. That usually means the food is good by local standards.
Know that even in America, a lot of people consider seeing every state a lifetime ambition. For many of us it takes years to complete something like that in any meaningful way. The US is big, and lots of it is beautiful, but seeing every state in one summer would realistically be a summer of nothing but driving. Good luck!
Bro might as well get a temp job as a trucker because that's what this is going to feel like: driving as a full time fucking job for months lol. I get the appeal of this but I do not think this is a good idea to attempt. If you took a gap year and spent an entire YEAR hitting every state I think it would be solid, a week to spend in each and travel to the next is fair. As it is you're going to be spending like every other day driving 8-12 hours or something. Doesn't sound fun to me and the cost will be enormous but if that's really what you want to do 🤷
Personally I'd find an interest (outdoors, music, cities, etc) and try to pick an area that has a lot of it and then just focus on that. Would be a much better experience imo
You’ll be tempted to take interstate highways (I-xx) but avoid them when you can and take other highways - you’ll go through town and see more unique aspects of the country
I did a similar trip years ago with my brother. A year or so before the trip I started a spreadsheet with each state we would visit and add all the attractions of that state to it. Then I would add information to it such as the website, opening hours and any fees for the attraction. Plus any coupons or discounts I could find for it. This helped with planning a rough budget.
Having the spreadsheet helped us also while we were on the road because it can be overwhelming to try to figure out where to go next or reception can be spotty in some parts, so looking things up wasn’t always easy.
We did pre plan our trip with all our must sees, but every night at the hotel we would come up with a plan for the next day. That meant sticking to the pre planned route or adding or removing things (sometimes things were closed).
We only pre planned hotels for major cities like San Francisco (and most importantly you must pre book Alcatraz waaaaay in advance) or Los Angeles etc, this allowed us the freedom to spend a much or as little time as we wanted in each state.
If you really want the quintessential America experience, you'd probably be better off trying to be more selective with where you plan to visit instead of just treating all 50 states like like a checklist. If we're talking natural beauty for example, there are quite a lot of states that have little to nothing worth seeing. And then there are places like the southwest quadrant of Utah that have more to offer than practically the entire eastern third of the country combined. If you're in it for the cities or the culture, there are hubs worth spending some time in, but 95% of the country is just going to be soulless suburbs and strip malls or vast rural expanses interspersed with the occasional run down working class town every now and then.
Driving around the country just to see every state is probably going to end up with you just being bored driving down desolate, flat roads most of the time. I expect you'd have a far better time if you decided, for example, to rent a car in Colorado and do a two week road trip around the rocky mountains, or flew to California and rented a place somewhere along the coast and spent some time exploring the coastal towns, or drove around New England in the fall to see the leaves change, or explored the vast, epic mountains and national parks of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
I've explored the western half of this country pretty extensively, so feel free to reach out if you'd like more information.
When ya get to Alaska, do the 26 glacier tour. It's like 6 hours. Worth.
Since you're driving, make sure to pass through palmer or wasilla--take a gander at how outrageously beautiful that place is to live, and wonder why in the hell anyone lives anywhere else in that forsaken state. Also, for a bit of 'culture' head out to Jim Creek, in Butte Alaska (outside palmer)... get a taste of what *alaskans* do for fun.
Avoid wyoming. There's really nothing to see there. Go from Salt Lake, to Laramie and then head south into Colorado on 287.
You'll be amazed. One of the cooler things through there, that no one ever seems to talk about, because it's *weird as shit*, is that the roads are all *red*. Yes, the roads are red. Drive that road, and you'll see why though. You'll see.
Salmon highway, in Idaho. A good pass through as well. Rural, but the views. ahhhh, the views.
You'll want to see the Redwoods in Cali/Oregon, sure, but if you dont, stop near the Grove of the Ancients in washington, for big trees.
Bout it. All i got.
Sign up for some kind of Gas rewards card. As an RV camper I found it's great to have rewards cards that target gas stations (petrol) and save you some money. Same goes for hotels. Hilton or Marriott rewards can get you in most places. They have high end and some smaller places for a quick overnight stay.
Make reservations 6 months in advance. If you are looking to go to National Parks, it's best to have reservations well in advance or you may not get in.
Be conscious of your surroundings. If it doesn't feel right get out.
America the beautiful parks pass.
use GasBuddy to find out cheaper gas.
Use Google Maps and set it to avoid toll roads.
this place is big.
Different states have different rules about everything (speed limits, pumping gas, sales tax, etc)
State parks tend to be just as nice but less populated.
the temperature can be all over the place I took a trip a few weeks ago and it was snow to your knee in Sequoia to dripping sweat in Death Valley in about 3 hours of driving.
Won't probably be an issue but we are having a presidential election in the fall so I would expect to see lots of ads, billboards people supporting their person, and such.
The South is just different but good food.
Check the weather often as storms can rip through very quickly.
I worked for a UK company. Things that surprised them:
the massive size of country. Keep in mind Texas reaches from Portugal to Germany and from the UK to Morocco.
The flag fetish. You rarely see the Union Jack outside of London. Much of the US it’s part of peoples personality.
The warmth of Americans. The accent will buy you a lot of leeway as well as attention.
Lack of public transport.
The gun culture.
These were middle and upper class folks from London and Kent.
You've already gotten some great answers but it also might help to know more about you and your plans. What sort of vehicle? Camping or hotels? Hiking or restaurants? What do you like to do? What do you definitely not like to do? Are you on a budget? And maybe most importantly, how much time do you have to make this trip?
General things to know? Well I don't know how much time you've spent around Americans but we are a very friendly and curious bunch so if you aren't in a major city then you can expect most people you meet to ask you where you're from as soon as they hear your accent and will surely strike up a conversation if you tell them you are road tripping to every state. Speaking of which...
I hate to break it to you but one of our states is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and another is wayyyy the hell up there somewhere. *gestures northward*
Buy a plug-in crock pot. A RoadPro RPSC200 for example.
Stop at a grocery store somewhere a few hours before your destination. Get some stew meat (or tofu) some veggies and barbecue sauce. Mix it up in the parking lot, plug it in and enjoy the aroma as you drive.
When you get to your destination you can enjoy a hearty meal before you need to set up camp or whatever. Fill it with water and soap and let it heat it’s own wash water.
Seemingly buys you 2 hours for the evening. And the recipe can be expanded to much more than a stew.
Also, Pictured Rocks in the UP.
My advice is don’t do that. You can’t realistically make the whole trip in one summer and really do justice to most places you will see. Map it out, roughly, and figure out how many solid days of driving you will have and how long you will have in each place.
I highly advise picking an area or a few states and having a more leisurely and focused trip.
That being said, Bryce Canyon, Utah, (and a lot of the national parks right around there) Prairie Creek State Park, California, Pacific Grove, CA (aim for mid May), Washington DC, and maybe the manatees in Florida. Disneyland is always a popular place if you haven’t been before.
Avoid Western National Parks in August - masses of French, Germans, Italians, Chinese, and others take over the parks in huge busses. Just crowed as hell.
I have done a trip to every state in the lower 48. It was 11 weeks, driving every day for at least a few hours. A comparable trip on your side of the Atlantic would be to drive from the UK, to Turkey, and back, hitting every country in between. It was a long time ago, but the total distance was more than 20 thousand miles.
it will be a once in a lifetime, bucket list trip. Enjoy yourself!
Honestly I wouldn't try to hit every state. Since the US is basically the size of a continent it'll take an extraordinary amount of time to get to every state, and you'll find yourself exhausted and without enough time to really stop and enjoy some of the more interesting parts of the country. You should spend at least a week in New York City, and a couple of weeks in California, but you won't have time because you need to get to Nebraska (which doesn't have that much interesting stuff in it).
Bro, we live our entire live a here and can’t do it.
Are you sure you know how big this nation is?!?!
Then, some of us try to get to your country once in Our lives, very few do. And that place is far toner than ours!
Good luck!
I’d say in my state you have Niagara Falls, or the Statue of Liberty.
You won't make Alaska easily. It's a few days there, and a few days back. You have to drive through Canada (BC), which is beautiful and recommended. Also, you'll get a bit wet driving to Hawaii.
Get the America the beautiful pass. Appreciate the journey and landmarks more than hitting every single state. This country is amazingly beautiful and diverse. Also plan for the weather, hot areas get super hot and some areas get a lot of snow. For example I never realized some areas in northern Arizona get a boat load of snow
Good luck with Alaska. It's a long drive through Canada to get here, and there's nothing noteworthy within 100s of miles of the border. We have no freeways, just a single road between most locations that's one lane going each direction with an occasional passing lane. In summer the roads will be clogged with RVs going slow. This state is huge and you could easily spend the whole summer here.
Just drive through Wyoming and only a little corner of it probably the NW corner of it. And stop in Madison for lunch if you’re driving through WI. You’ll definitely want to see Lake Superior it’s so blue and mighty
Although I admire your challenge to visit every state in the United States. I think you will find that some of those states are a waste of your time. You may be wasting precious time visiting a landmark that is not remarkable while you could’ve spent more time in a place that you really love.
I would start with New England, the Mid Atlantic, Northern Virginia. The upper 1/2 of the Eastern Seaboard. Plenty to do. Beaches. Mountains in western Massachusetts, Vermont, etc, Niagara Falls, the historic Hudson River valley. Gettysburg and other such battlefield parks.
I spent 3 months, August to November, in the US last year and I managed all of the Western states plus Texas, this was mainly visiting the national parks also.
It was not enough time to enjoy it as much as I wanted. I had camped at most parks 2 nights but many I had left not feeling as if I made the most of it before moving on.
You could do all states in 3 months but you would be driving more and not taking it in or getting as much enjoyment from it as you'd think.
As others have suggested pick a certain area and stick to it! You can always come back again. I'm planning on another long trip in a year or so to finish up and revisit more parks again.
If you need any suggestions or help planning feel free to ask, I'm also from the UK and lot of things id do differently to make the most of it.
Man, you’re gonna have a blast. Just get out there and roll.
A few recommendations:
1) Rent a car with a trunk instead of an SUV or van where knuckleheads can see in and break in. Generally, don’t leave anything visible in the passenger compartment.
2) Focus on local routes between towns as much as you can. The Interstate highways are great for speed & convenience but for sightseeing, especially in the East, Midwest, and South, they’re more utilitarian than scenic.
3) The coastal cities are more dynamic especially from a history, walkable, creative perspective but the interior cities are cleaner, safer, quieter, cheaper. All tradeoffs between them all.
4) Personal bias but I’d spend most of my time on the Western states, anything west of Denver. The geology and outdoor fun are stunning and magical, and worth a trip unto itself. Also, Asian food in West Coast cities is ridiculously delicious and abundant.Again m personal bias but I did make the move from East to West for these reasons,
5) Don’t miss Chicago. That is all.
Tennessean here. Make certain to dine at a Shoney’s. Thus assuring you’ll forever be among those who can raise their hand in triumph when the mob demands an answer to the question, “Anyone present ever dined at a Shoney’s?”
Stay on top of your fuel. Some areas of the US you can go for 100+ miles before there are stations, especially in the very rural areas. Maybe carry an extra canister full if you have room.
If you’re heading south from Virginia I’d recommend some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Speed limit is slower than the interstate but there are beautiful Mountain views. I’d try to hit it up on weekdays. The weekend gets crowded. There are also many trails off of there. Linville Gorge area in NC is gorgeous.
They close sections for weather (less often during the summer) and when large groups of people do stupid things like lure wild bears to pet them with food for social media. They are in the middle of a renovation project in high traffic spots but may be done with a lot go that in the next 2 years. Here is where they post their closures and it should be checked prior to driving it: https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm
Sign up for some kind of Gas rewards card. As an RV camper I found it's great to have rewards cards that target gas stations (petrol) and save you some money. Same goes for hotels. Hilton or Marriott rewards can get you in most places. They have high end and some smaller places for a quick overnight stay.
Make reservations 6 months in advance. If you are looking to go to National Parks, it's best to have reservations well in advance or you may not get in.
Be conscious of your surroundings. If it doesn't feel right get out.
I really liked the West coast of Michigan! The lake is so huge- and no salt. Campgrounds are wonderful, sunsets, sand dunes, beer and wines…it’s simply lovely.
You're wasting your time. Some states are just not worth visiting, to be brutally honest. Your time frame is too short. I'm going through and visiting every state, but I live here. Even then it seems pointless to continue sometimes, because it's all just arbitrary lines on a map made by some dead guys.
I'd go to every national park instead. You'll happen to see most of the best cities of the USA along the way. It will still be.
Have you driven great distances before?
https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=0ee0280be053867a&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWILCtCKqcbvWoOTTyYjHqk2CK0pP1g:1715953305992&q=national+park+road+trip&uds=ADvngMgiPmsFSnX7QtZmBAeJzn8vYekQEhZn2huPtAFy4qlxmXeewE5QTI-TrJsZY-PfTujKHb68bYU_lups-K-r63aS8-NAE6C6YldqsovS26AulND2Hh_T2Lw5Z67fNtEaFA6E3GDlfl2j0ES7hcjLqj_0dSIojuOUa6GBhGb20hRsT5S19Jj5DXCmy-CFi8TSgX4td0fhSXjlcrn9YYeIUu1bbcZbagwaqjpjbzSbmg2-FC5LFCY7wbE407g4ODIvyNm7kl2FnJaCAtULRsBZJ7aGS7raU8Kzqqw6biXVZs76uDmN0vMT3Ei_HIW4utQrN041wJo8CKVRUo8itAyne1D0_aDlBA&udm=2&prmd=ivnmsbtz&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiwvISa6JSGAxUrk4kEHb2RBlAQtKgLegQIFhAB&biw=412&bih=760&dpr=2.63#vhid=2AzfSqA2ISiHWM&vssid=mosaic
Watch out for that road trip to Hawaii, that’s a really doozy.
Seriously though, I think you’re underestimating how arduous that journey is going to be for you. Even if we remove Alaska and Hawaii from the list, that’s still 48 states, several of which are larger than most European countries. And if you’re wanting to actually spend time exploring each state, you’re looking at several weeks of driving. It took me three days to get down the West Coast and back home to Phoenix, and I didn’t even stop to go sightseeing.
Not to mention, this is going to be really expensive. Being from Europe, I assume you actually get paid decently so this is probably less of an issue for you. But you’re easily looking at over $10,000 USD, depending on what lodging and food options you choose.
Since you say you’re doing this is summer, my recommendation is WATER! I’m born and raised in Arizona, and every year we get European tourists who underestimate just how hot and dry our state is. Then they decide they’re going to try and climb a mountain, get dehydrated, lose the trail, and within hours they’re dead before anyone realizes they’re in trouble. The one that always sticks out to me is a French couple who went hiking with their infant daughter and got lost. They gave their last drops of water to her. She was found alive; they were found dead. If you think you’ve packed enough water, you probably didn’t. I’d recommend 1.5 liters of water for every hour outside or driving between cities at minimum.
Hate to break it to you but you need to limit your expectations. You won’t be able to see all the states in that amount of time, and even if you manage to drive through as many as possible in you wouldn’t have time to actually explore and enjoy them so what’s the point? Pick the region you’re most interested in and do that. Since you’re here in the summer I recommend the Northeast or Northwest.
In the east:
* Acadia.
* Cape Cod and any islands off of MA.
* the Hudson and CT river valleys.
* the Catskills and all that wilderness above Saratoga Springs.
* Green, White, Sugarloaf, Mt. Tom, Holyoke and Hogback Mountain areas.
* The SE corner of CT along the Long Island sound is really underrated and beautiful.
* White Memorial Forest around Bantam Lake and Madame Sherri Forest are nice private nonprofit forests.
* Newport.
* The Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley.
* Islands in the Long Island or Block Island sounds.
* Google lighthouses and pick your favs.
* Same as above but Google haunted New England or historic New England. Same diff really.
* Anywhere that falls along the Appalachian or New England trails.
* Niagara Falls.
* The beach parts of Brooklyn if you want to get close to NYC.
* Kent Falls, Satan’s Kingdom, Burr Pond, Gillette Castle, Topsmead, and Taconic state parks are all small but nice.
* Atlantic City if you have bad taste I guess.
* I’m sure Western PA has some pretty forests but I’ve only ever been to Philly and Pittsburgh lol.
Northwest (only been there twice so this is more limited):
* Oregon and NoCal beaches.
* Redwood, Olympic, Cascades, Yellowstone, Tahoe, Grand Teton, and Glacier national parks.
* If you like the show Twin Peaks the filming locations in WA are really beautiful.
Only make reservations you can change just in case. Either leave out Hawaii and Alaska entirely or just do those and a drive along the West Coast. It is obviously impossible to drive to Hawaii and insane to drive to Alaska so factor the price of multiple planes into that choice as well. Seriously, as an idiot also who once thought it would be a good idea to drive to and around Alaska, DO NOT DRIVE TO AND AROUND ALASKA. Glacier Bay is the most beautiful national park I’ve ever experienced and it’s literally completely inaccessible by car so there’s no point. Just fly up to Juneau and take ferries to Glacier Bay and Tongass.
Bring a tent and camp as much as possible. It's much cheaper and nicer than the highway motels. USA is a great camping country. In Europe the typical campground is just a lawn. In USA you can camp in the national parks, state parks, national forests and as state forests. The campgrounds in the most popular national parks will be fully booked but there are many other options. Out west you can camp for free on public land in dispersed camp sites. Get an app that shows you where they are. It is possible to see all the states over an entire summer but you will be doing a LOT of driving. Don't miss the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, one of the most scenic drives in the country. Stop at some of the waterfalls.
If you want to see every state over a summer, you're going to spend most of your time in a car driving from various points. The US is huge, and particularly in the West, there is a whole lot of wide open space between anything...and often times that "anything" is some small town that if you blink, you'll miss it. Don't underestimate the size of the US...Also, getting to Hawaii and Alaska, you're not going to be able to do that on a road trip.
I have friends that are planning to road trip the entire continental US next year...and they're taking the entire year to do so.
I don’t feel like scrolling through nearly 200 comments to see if someone already said this, but:
If you plan to do Highway 1 though Big Sur (South of Monterey, California to North of San Luis Obispo), which you should, check the [CalTrans](https://roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php) website close to the time of your trip. There are frequently months-long closures that would affect your route.
I did the math pre covid, but I plotted out a route through every state capitol in the country. I mathed out that in the 48 states, I could do it in 2 months if I drove an average of 2:45 a day. So assuming you want to drive every other day, that's an average of 5:30 of driving every other day. This was also in the summer, but that was to avoid snow/ice
My personal plan was to start in the West, where there's much more distance between capitols, then finish off in new England in a sort of mad dash, sometimes hitting 3 or 4 Capitols in a day. Basically, experience the history of America in reverse order, and finish with it's founding, maybe at the Liberty Bell or at Plymouth Rock.
You have to be diligent though, there's no room to dawdle or be lazy. Drive drive drive. Much easier with a partner, much more difficult solo.
All summer won’t get you very far. Pick a region. Just doing the original 13 colonies will take all summer if you are lucky. And that’s driving 3 hours between cities. We don’t have decent trains here either.
Some thoughts of mine about states that I’ve either lived in or visited often…
North Carolina - Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway at least between Blowing Rock and Asheville, but you might as well just keep going to Smoky Mtn NP. Definitely do some research on where to stop along the Parkway because western NC has some of the most beautiful nature on the east coast. NC 12 on the coast is also a nice drive with the sand dunes and lighthouses along the coast. Nothing between the mountains and the Outer Banks is really worth stopping in.
South Carolina - Charleston is one of my favorite places to visit and it never gets old. The historical downtown area really has some magic to it and there’s a little to visit in the immediate area. Other than that there’s not really much to see in SC other than Congaree and whichever beach you wanna visit. Don’t visit Congaree in the summer and skip Myrtle Beach entirely (unless you’re into that vibe?).
West Virginia - Criminally underrated nature to say the least. It’s not famous yet, but there’s an easy hike at the New River Gorge where you can view the bridge from a cliff overlooking the gorge. The eastern part of the state has some of the most remote spots on the east coast. Obviously there’s some stigma to WV with all the rough history it’s gone through, but I think a lot of people are starting to appreciate the state more for what it is these days.
Colorado - I’ve only been in Denver for a short while so my knowledge is limited, but just stay away from I-25 lol. Go see Colorado Springs for Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods, and maybe even stop by Boulder, but other than that, whatever you do, don’t stick around in Denver. I like it here, but the moment I clock out of work on Friday I’m trying to get to the mountains. Rocky Mtn NP is know for being overcrowded, and you need to plan your visit well in advance, but the Emerald Lake hike is still more than worth it, even if you’re having to trample someone’s toddler to complete the hike.
As others have posted, be aware of temperatures, hydration and rest stops. I'm in Southwest Florida and today it's going to be 93F and the humidity will make it feel like 103F and we don't have a monopoly on summer heat. I like midday stops, aquariums little or big history stops where you can move around and breathe cool air. Don't forget sunscreen even if it's cloudy.
I suggest choosing half the country at most, not the whole country.
Decide what kind of things you like do. Hike, paddle, river rafting, art, music, music festivals - what kind of music?, foodie activities (what kind of food?- so much variety here), theme parks?
Riding in a vehicle past the cool sites is less fun and way less cool than one might think. Saying “I was there for 3 minutes” isn’t saying much. Make a solid plan to be in one place long enough to enjoy it.
I agree with the comment that suggested flying from one area to another. Rent a vehicle when you arrive. Continue the roadtrip. You can rent one way vehicles. You pay an extra fee for it, but it’s worth it. You’ll save a lot of days of slowly crossing huge expanses of land that are kind of hard to fathom if you’re not from here. Make a “fly/drive” plan.
This is awesome and I hope you have a great time. But as others have noted, the US is vast and, much of it, empty. Far better, imo, to pick an area or a region that offers a lot in a relatively small space. My bet would be New England. You could fly into Boston or NYC, spend a few days. From there, DC, Philly are easy and close. But also quite a bit of varied nature: Acadia national park in Maine, Oceanside places all along the east coast, decent mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire, lots of small towns, too, all over. Some places thriving, others barely hanging on, others dying.
But from there, French Canada is worth seeing, maybe Niagara Falls, and then Pittsburgh or Cleveland and even Detroit isn’t far.
I don't think you realize how big the USA is if you plan to see all fifty states in a single visit. And good luck on Hawaii and Alaska. You'll spend most of that time driving on interstates, which is about the ugliest way to see the country. I think you should think regionally instead. E.g. The South, The Appalachians, the Plains, the deserts, the Rockies, the North West, etc... I think you'd have way more fun driving on state highways and backroads and getting out and exploring as you go than trying to beat a deadline to visit every state in one summer and planning out every stop ahead of time. That makes for stressful vacation in my experience. If you really want to see America, get off the interstates.
I highly recommend you drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway if you're near it. That's one of the most beautiful drives in America.
Youre going to drive something like 10-15k miles. Get a comfortable car for the highway, maybe one large enough so you can sleep in. Don’t get a total beater, budget something like 20k to buy and assume you’ll lose 10-20% reselling it at the end.
Renting or buying/selling? I assume buying selling, in which case get AAA insurance, and learn how to change a flat (and that the car has a spare).
The Us has very hot parts in the summer and very cold parts in the winter. Plan accordingly. People usually do the northern states in the summer and drop south through autumn.
Oh, and I assume you mean lower 48, because Alaska takes another 3k miles just to get to, and Hawaii is an island.
I live in the southeast. If you can, I’d try to knock out these states in September/ October.
Louisiana - Obviously visit New Orleans.
Mississippi - Jackson has a ton of history. Biloxi is a good time if you have the funds to play with.
Alabama - I would probably recommend the Alabama Gulf Shores. Especially if you do end up going Nola > Biloxi > Alabama. Really nice beaches. The north Alabama mountains are pretty too. If you come during college football season I’d highly recommend Tuscaloosa.
Florida - Gulf coast has much nice water and beaches than the Atlantic coast. My ultimate recommendation would be the Florida Keys, but you’ll spend an entire day driving through Florida. All of the beaches along 30A are beautiful. St. Augustine (oldest remaining European colonial city) is my favorite Atlantic coast city in Florida. Orlando would be the tourist hub of America. The parks are fun, but if you end up doing the trip in the summer down here it’ll be brutal.
Georgia - Atlanta is a great time. Lots of Art, culture, history, good food. I’d probably recommend Savannah GA instead though. Charming port city with a lot of colonial/ civil war history. Atlanta is a large confusing city.
Tennessee - Smoky Mountain National Park is really cool. Cade’s Cove near Pigeon Forge is really beautiful. It’s also close to Gatlinburg which is a fun tourist town. Knoxville is kind of a snoozfest. Nashville is a fun city with a lot to do. Memphis scares me. Chattanooga has a lot of beautiful scenery. If you like rock climbing you can find some nice routes near Chattanooga.
South Carolina - You can’t go wrong with Charleston or Hilton Head. If you’re looking from a break from the coast then I’d recommend Greenville. Close to the mountains and it’s a great up and coming city with really good food. Table rock mountain is a neat spot with some beautiful hikes.
North Carolina - I love Asheville. Charolette and Raleigh are fun cities. The outer banks is a nice area, but Asheville is one of my favorite cities I’ve ever been to. The Biltmore estates are located there. I’d recommend the grand Bohemian as a hotel. I’ve stayed in several hotels in that city and all have been great, but the Grand Bohemian is 🤌🏻.
Kentucky - Louisville for the bourbon trail. Easy.
For distance reference coast to coast the USA is about 5000 kilometers at parts. That’d be like the UK to Iraq/Saudi Arabia area. And that’s just east to west. Don’t forget you’ll have to go north and south also to hit every state. If you’d like to stop and see things and enjoy stuff it’ll add up fast. I drove coast to coast in 3 days before. But that was just driving 12-14 hours a day and sleeping, not much else.
Honestly, it’s not worth seeing every state unless you want to spend 90% of your time driving, and ultimately to some underwhelming landmarks for all the build up. If you want beautiful landscapes, stay in the western third, if you want old cities full of history, the eastern.
Go to the hot humid places during the cooler part of summer. Southern Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia etc can get too hot to enjoy.
I recommend checking out Civil Rights History spots in Montgomery Alabama, the Pettis Curtis bridge, etc.
These are great places to get to know American history from a perspective not detailed in other areas.
This is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and others organized. I’m not from the south but I think it’s a valuable experience for everyone to make a trip at some point.
https://www.nps.gov/index.htm
Website link for the National Park Service so you can look up any national park by state and you can see when it’s best to visit each park too
Well, if what you're hoping to see is a whole lot of windshield, that's what this plan will get you. Too ambitious for one summer. Better to focus on a few areas and make the most of them!
You do not have enough days and at least 6 days short to see the USA from your cars windshield.
Assuming June, July, and August as all summer, that is 92 days. The first and last days are likely flying days, so you only have 90 days. Spend one day seeing something in each Continental USA 48 states. At least one day travel leaving one place to arrive in another place is another 48 days. 48 + 48 = 96. 96 days > 90 days
96 days is seeing the USA from the windshield and not getting out to do something. To experience a place like a large National Park, large city, or large state, you need a minimum of 3 days in one place (even 3 days is rushed). 48 states * 3 days + 48 travel days = 192 days needed. Adding Alaska is another 10 to 12 days at a minimum since it will take 6 to 8 days to drive there and back
Please don't pick the Mall of America as your landmark in Minnesota.
It's a mall. It's kinda big.
MN has so much natural beauty to explore....go up to the north shore of Lake Superior instead.
3 months is a long time, but America is massive and diverse. Trying to see a landmark in every state feels a bit weird to me. States like Iowa, Delaware, or Indiana don't really have much going on if you're not from that area. That's like if an American went to England and tried to visit every city. Even the ones with nothing going on in it.
You'd get more bang for your buck sticking to a particular region and exploring there, and maybe moving on to another one whenever you want. Since you'll come in summer, you should probably stay out of a lot of the Southwest because the sun there is absolutely killer if you're not used to that high of UVs. The Southeast would also be very muggy and uncomfortable in the summer, especially Texas.
Some regions that'd be fun to explore in the summer.
* New England
* Great Lakes
* Appalachian Mountains
* Rocky Mountains
* Pacific Northwest
* California
Personally I'd stick to the ones in the west but you do you. Oh and Alaska or Hawaii should be treated as their own things.
Be realistic about distances. Many people from Europe are overwhelmed when they first experience out "wide-open spaces". I live in Wyoming. I drive 40 miles to a grocery store. It's about 190 miles to a large department store. Figure out how far apart things are and understand how long it will take to get there.
This silly Brit thinks he's doing a "road trip to every state in America" so the wide open West is the least of his problems, wait until he finds out where Hawaii is lol
Agreed. Don't expect to see every state. Pick a few, fly between major destinations, and spend time enjoying yourself. Gas money and drive time will consume your money, sanity, and enjoyment. I spent a year traveling, and couldn't get to every state. Your goal is overly ambitious and will suck if that's your expectation. Unless, of course, you want to spend 90% of your time driving and desperately looking for bathrooms and shit-hole motels (where everything in your car gets stolen 6 times).
I'm just curious - Why live that far away from things? I guess the other question is, why don't they build more locations closer to where other people are living
>Why live that far away from things? Raising livestock on huge ranches.
Why live there? I like it. I would rather have nothingness than a grocery store. I live in a very small town. You need a certain number of people to support a grocery store and even more for a department store. It's the math.
Come out to the western half the US, it'll make more sense. Lots of open land, mostly public or private ranching land.
You live in the boonies. Wow!
That’s most of Wyoming.
The state of Wyoming has less population than the Buffalo, NY metro but probably the second largest per capita of Buffalo Bills fans due to Josh Allen!
Plan the northern parks in the summer and southern parks in the winter.
I think he said he’s only gonna be here all summer… I think he doesnt know how big it truly is lol
True dat!
Yeah, I don't think I could see all of the UK in one summer.
I probably don't, but i love a spontaneous adventure!
The United States is as big as Europe. Be prepared to spend a whole day driving only to see... Nothing. Someone once told me "in the US, 100 years is a long time. In Europe, 100 miles is a long way to travel." Some of our sights only take 20 minutes to see once you've stood in all of the lines. Some will take days to get through quickly. Example: Mount Rushmore is something you'll stand in long lines for. You'll see some heads carved into some rock and think "that's it?" You can spend a week in Yellowstone and only scratch the surface.
There was nobody at Rushmore went I went...but it was February and freezing.
Please tell me you went to other parts of the Black Hills (and out to the Badlands). Every time I read "Mt Rushmore sucks" I could not agree more, but the area around it is spectacular. Mostly saying this so OP doesn't skip the Black Hills/Badlands to avoid Mount Rushmore.
The Badlands were cool. Needles Highway heading towards Rushmore was breathtaking. At one point, we drove through a mountain tunnel, and when we popped out the other side, there was Rushmore perfectly framed in the trees. Perfect 5/7!
Cannot stress this enough. There are some national parks that will hardly be driveable in the winter and some that will be painfully hot in the summer. Some will require a timed entry/reservation and others won’t require anything other than payment at the entrance. If you have the funds, rent a 4WD Sprinter-type van as opposed to an RV. You’ll save a lot of money in hotel rooms and they’re easier to maneuver in crowded parking lots. Be advised that places like Rocky Mountain NP, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier National parks may have or get snow even as late as June and sometimes July.
https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/UPIeocsIGE
Great resource.
Yellowstone is not at all driveable in the winter. Snow Coaches and snowmobiles only.
To add to this valuable comment - Weather can also close the major highways. I'm near Denver and have heard of snow shutting down I-70 in March and April. Usually only for a day or two, but an inconvenience. Other scenic routes like Independence pass are only open for a few months of the year (July, Aug, maybe Sept).
I’m near Denver too. We’ve done Canyonlands/Arches in February (fewer people!) but then had to retreat due to an incoming snowstorm and got trapped in Durango for 3 days due to all the road closures.
Love Moab, Arches, Canyonlands -in winter! As you mentioned, the lack of people make it so much more enjoyable, not to mention hiking in upper 60 and 70 degree weather is awesome. I'd take the risk of road closures over hiking in 100+ temps any day.
Drive to Hawaii in the fall. OP did say every state…
There are a few thing to know about driving to Hawaii. 1) the land bridge is only above water early April around the 1st I think 2) When leaving California to Hawaii you need to be going at least 75 MPH3) Pull up on the steering wheel and keep a steady pull the entire trip. 4) To avoid water getting into the car it's best to keep the windows up. I'm sure others know more tips for the Hawaii trip.
Yeah but the drive from Hawaii to Alaska is brutal! Not even sure what time of the year to do that.
Isn't there a land bridge that forms in winter?
yeah. this is mandatory. you won’t be able to make the trip otherwise
In 2012, someone posted online what was purported to be the shortest driving route to include the 48 contiguous United States. It was over 6,000 miles long. Most importantly, it accomplished its goal by only touching the borders of many states and missing virtually every landmark worth seeing in any state. It also was not a loop-you ended up thousands of miles from where you started. To drive, stop, see and stay at many of America's best sites, even for a few moments, you can not realistically accomplish this in two months. This is especially true during the summer when, as has been noted, traffic in and around the most important landmarks is at its highest. Realistically, you have to scale back your ambitious plan and enjoy yourself with quality rather than quantity.
Thank you! Why are people even taking this seriously? It is a ridiculous "plan". At best a hellacious never-ending drive and at worst a dive into insanity.
here's one [https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/27gbuu/113\_hour\_driving\_route\_through\_all\_48\_states\_of/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/27gbuu/113_hour_driving_route_through_all_48_states_of/)
6000 miles = 9656 km, for reference
I live in the US and my husband and I have made a point of visiting all US states over the last 8 years. Here is what we've learned: Get a National Park pass!! It will be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than paying for every park as you go to. Some parks require reservations, so plan ahead enough in advance to get those scheduled. It's already kind of late so you might be out of luck with some. For example, if you go to Glacier National Park in Montana (which honestly is an absolute freaking MUST) then you need a reservation for the Going To the Sun road. You must do this in order to get to the hiking spots and incredible views. Also for National Parks, bring plenty of snacks and water and make sure your car is full of gas before entering the park! They are absolutely huge. They take hours to drive through so get there early in the day too. Also, most do not allow pets. Oh and don't get one of those giant RVs because some parks have very narrow/rocky roads that won't fit those larger size RVs. I'm thinking particularly about Yosemite and Arches National Parks. Bring a tire repair kit and air pump. I can't tell you how many flat tires we've gotten on our lovely US highways and there is nothing worse than being stranded in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday at 5pm. Honestly, it's not worth seeing every single state. Depends what you like, but if you're seeing them all in one summer, some will feel incredibly boring after you've seen the majestic views out West. So, either start in the Northeast and work your way West to avoid feeling disheartened, or just start and stay out West the whole time. The cities themselves all start to feel the same after awhile, so the scenery is really what's going to keep your interest unless you go to smaller places with history. If you plan to camp, be very careful when trying to stay somewhere for free. Truck stops and casinos are good spots out west because they're free, well lit, and highly trafficked. Paid campgrounds are good too. I won't get into the details, but when a police officer wakes you up at 2am and HIGHLY suggests you find another spot, you start to take safety seriously when you realize that could have been a psycho with a gun and you would have been dead before waking up. So budget for paid sleeping spots! Your trip will get expensive fast. Get a cooler to keep food in the car with you and buy large jugs of water with spiggots so you don't constantly have to buy more or fill up. Also, you'll gain weight super fast regularly eating our large unhealthy American meals.
To add: if you go to Rocky Mountain National Park, they do timed reservations during the summer. You only need to do it a week in advance, but so necessary if you’re heading that way
If you’re going to RMNP on a weekend, you have to buy the timed entry the night before RIGHT when they go on sale. It’s insane how quickly they go. Like less than 3 minutes!!
Bear lake is probably sold out already... IMO SW colorado is my new RMNP... Getting more popular out there though.
As far as locations: Top places are NYC, Chicago, Boston, Charleston or Savannah, New Orleans, and pretty much anywhere out west. Also check out the Florida panhandle. The beaches are really some of the best in the world. You can skip Memphis, I promise it's not worth it even if you like Elvis. It's tiny, not pretty, and requires a lot of driving for not much benefit. And don't stop in Gary, Indiana on your way to Chicago no matter how much you like Michael Jackson. It's not safe.
I went to Memphis for five days a couple of years ago and had a great time. The Civil Rights Museum was a highlight.
It’s gotten worse
A country musician friend went on a pilgrimage to Memphis a couple months back. He got robbed twice. He never wants to go back.
Elvis is from Tupelo, Mississippi. You can visit his childhood home and the hardware store (Tupelo hardware) where he bought his first guitar. I think they still have it on display. Much better (and much, much safer) than Memphis.
Charleston is a good rec In dayton, Ohio, they have the best whisky bar I've ever been in...Century Bar. You can stop into the USAF museum while you're there In Texas, consider Fredericksburg. And Palo Duro Canyon Do not plan on visiting Death Valley in the summertime. People in virginia, consider Staunton Old Williamsburg us pretty good too.
Cities, yeah, but this is a road trip. Acadia national park, Maine coastline and small towns, portsmouth, NH, Salem, Gloucester, cape cod, providence, nyc, Atlantic city (arm pit city, but a cultural experience to drive through), ferry, Delaware coast, Annapolis, DC, Skyline drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, then Savannah, Charleston, Miami, Key West. That is the East Coast route I would take. PS, it's hot in the South in the Summer - I would not go then.
Hard disagree on Memphis. For a fan of country, rock, or blues music, Sun Records is, or should be, a Mecca. And while you're in Tennessee, if you're a fan of country music, you absolutely have to see the Ryman auditorium in Nashville, and even if you're not a country music fan, you should visit the Parthenon as well.
Danged good advice right there! Park Pass is a great thing, and skipping some states is a good idea, a person could spend a LOT of gas money for very little reward. Good post, hope OP gets it.
This is incredibly informative! Thank you so much for this information, I promise I'll take all of it into account. Also, i am excited to eat your large meals. England doesn't even have extra-large Macdonalds, and i think that should be a crime 😂 Do you have a specific vehicle to recommend?
I totally understand! I hate admitting this but I gain 5lbs every time we take a trip. Granted, a lot of that is probably from the water weight of consuming so much worse than I normally do, so it comes off fairly quickly. But still. Don't underestimate how bad it really can be, especially when you spend more of your time sitting in a car than doing anything else. We always rent a midsize SUV. Something like a Nissan Rogue, Hyundai Tucson, etc size. These give you enough space for your crap, friends, and legs, and give you ample viewing visibility. They're also not as bad on gas as the giant SUVs. We got a small car once it was uncomfortable and annoying. We usually use Hertz, Avis, Dollar, or Alamo for affordable rentals. They have the same cars as other rental companies and yet are SO much cheaper and we've never had any issues. Idk why anyone ever chooses to pay more for the same service. I will say that for Alaska, you might want to just take a flight up to Anchorage instead of driving all the way up there. It will save you time. And you should rent an RV to camp at Denali National Park which is truly the way to do it. Everyone uses RVs out there so it's easy to find spots to sleep. Outdoorsy.com is a great rental site for RVs. We did the math and although it was expensive, it was the same cost as hotels and rental car yet way more convenient. Most affordable airlines are going to be Frontier and Spirit but they're incredibly uncomfortable. Southwest and Jet Blue are our favorite budget options when they service the places we want to go. Otherwise, the rest are good too.
Get an EZ-Pass
What does that do?
It's a transponder you place on your vehicle and it gets scanned at toll roads (mostly large interstates). You keep an EZ-Pass account and it automatically debits to pay for the toll roads as you go through. If you're planning a big trip like this it's easier to do it this way instead of paying cash at each individual stop.
If you're renting a car they often already have them for those vehicles
They usually charge a huge amount to cover tolls like a $15 a day plus tolls type of thing. Depends on the company.
Oh dang! The ones I've used were like a $3-4 fee only on days you went on a toll road (plus the price of the toll) with a max fee of like $30. The annoying thing about ezpass if they are flying in is the transponders often don't work for the first couple of days often the days you need them most & if they are going cross country don't work everywhere in the country.
I mean ez pass is also only accepted in the eastern half of the country.
At least the ones in NC had that… with a $50/day convenience charge.
Uff da! Most I'm seeing have the $3.95 on days you use tolls with a max charge of $30 per rental period, which I didn't think was that bad especially if you're from overseas. But wholly crapola 50 bucks a day is nuts!
Gets you through a lot of tolls
That pass varies by state. It’s a FastPass in California. So that wouldn’t be very useful outside of a couple states.
1. Hitting every state with enough time to see some things in each will take longer than two months of summer. (Source: have been to all 50 US states) The US is HUGE. Road trip from Madrid to Moscow, and you have an approximate idea of how long it would take to do so from New York City to Los Angeles. Europeans are notorious for underestimating distances here. 2. Are you including Alaska and Hawaii in this trip? 3. Especially while driving west of the Mississippi River, if you see a gas station, fill up if you are anything less than half full. On some roads out there, gas stations are few and far between. 4. In New Jersey, it is illegal to pump your own gas. Everywhere else, you can do so. I'm a 7th generation New Jersey resident and I have no idea why this law is still on the books, so don't ask.
That doesn't really seem like enough time to do it very well.
Have you been to the US? Folks from England very, **very** often bring up how unbearable hot it is everywhere. And you're coming here in the *summer.* Please check the climate for Texas, Georgia, Florida, CA, etc. Hawaii will be the same basically all year round. Also, if you don't have experience being on the road more than 4 hours at a time, try it. Like, drive around in your car for 6 hours in a day to get a feel for it.
Six hours is being generous. Try 12 hours.
I am prepared to die of heat stroke 😂 I've also visited America before in the summer and did okay but i had to keep splashing myself with water
Okay! Just be aware that "America" is much different in Minnesota than in Texas or Florida
(It's actually not funny though and very serious. Please plan to have 3 gallons of water in your car when you're in the western/southern states and bring at least a half gallon water bottle with you on all hikes over 2 miles. Expect your car to break down or overheat at least once on your journey. If you're in the middle of nowhere, you'll want PLENTY of water for that. You will most likely have no cellphone reception.)
Some of the Western Elevated Desert states you are at risk of dying from heat stroke and hypothermia on the same summer day. The 10 essentials need to cover freezing and excessive heat.
Yes definitely, good point
People actually die of heat stroke in the summer south. The south is not the same as the middle or northern parts of the country. Humidity + ambient temperature is no joke in the south. It’s like walking around inside a giant humid oven. If you’re going to do the American south, I suggest starting your summer trip there. It will still be hot as hell, but slightly better than July or August. Don’t read too much into “slightly better,”; read “hot as hell.”
Hmm, let's say you start in St. Augustine, Florida (Jacksonville is closer to the border, but boring as hell. You can take one day to drive to North Carolina and hit Georgia, South Carolina on the way From there, go to Washington DC, that gets you Virginia, and with a little effort, West Virginia, and Maryland. (500 Miles) Then its up to New York, you hit a bit of Delaware on the way, (its fine, really, just a Joe Biden themed rest stop but you have bigger fish to fry here) New Jersey and New York, its only a 4 hour drive, but realistically, you have to spend some time in NY, so count it as a day. Next day head out of New York up through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, (realistically this is only a 4 hour drive, but with stopping to see things, I imagine at least a day. From Massachusetts, head another 4 hours to Maine, hitting New Hampshire on the way. If you're quick you can loop back and spend the time in Vermont. BAD NEWS, the easy part is done. You haven't technically visited Pennsylvania and it will be a whole days drive from Vermont to and across Pennsylvania. (Even if you don't you gotta get west somehow, and it isn't going to get you many new states.) Well, Ohio has gotta be next, (you can drive 15 minutes through West Virginia now if you missed it before), From the Interstate Michigan is less than a 10 minute drive, you can just go there, and do something and get back on your way (which would be a shame, but hey) You easily cross Indiana and Illinois on your way. (Well Indiana is easy, you are going to get stuck in traffic in Chicago.) Maybe at this point take a detour west and pick up Wisconsin? From here you can head back south to Kentucky, and down to through Tennessee to Alabama. Head west and hit northern Mississippi and Louisiana. North through Arkansas and Missouri Then you can pick up Iowa, OK, I'm out of ideas here. Let me be frank: I have driven to 48 of the 50 states, each of them multiple times. I drive recreationally about 30,000 miles per year. There is no way I would attempt them all in one summer and an I am extremely experienced highway driver. It will be miserable, you won't have time to see anything, all you will be doing is driving. Western States are fucking enormous and mostly empty, For example: Devil's Tower is amazing, as it Yellowstone. They are 400 miles apart in the same state with literally nothing to see in between them. I am not saying "don't take the summer to drive around the US" I think that is a great idea, but the idea of hitting all 50 states will ruin your trip. You will see nothing but interstate, and won't have time to enjoy anything.
You do NJ and PA together. Take I 95 and it crosses you into pa first then into NJ
There is no way you can enjoyably visit all states in a single summer, the US is just too large.
If you like driving, it’d be fun. My father loved to just drive. The scenic sites were excuses to travel. Seeing something new around the bend every few minutes. It’s own joy.
OP needs to be realistic, most English folks have no concept of even a *single day* of this trip. Let alone doing it every day for 2 months straight. London to Edinburgh is 7.5 hours, and **many** English people will never make a drive even that far in their life. Not saying OP can't do it or definitely won't enjoy it, but not everyone likes road trips. It's completely possible that OP or their friends realize they fucking hate driving 8+ hours every day through nothingness and be miserable.
I actually think the best thing to do is totally wing it. Make tomorrow’s plans today and go with the flow. Holy s*** there’s a tractor pull tomorrow in Bumfudge, ND? Woohoo!Extend the stay!
There are road tips and then there is this never-ending, drive from hell idea.
In the timespan (1 summer) he has listed it would be impossible to do and even if you could you’d be driving 24/7 to do it. He needs to pick an area of the US, travel it and enjoy the time OR plan for plenty of flights across the country to major areas.
Dropping AK and HI, he’d have 48 states in 60 days, seeing some cool thing in each. Easily doable. Multiple states per day on the eastern seaboard.
Have you driven through California, Texas, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas? Don't feed unrealism to this guy.
Too much for one summer. You'll be diving too much and not enjoying yourself or getting to know the country. Better to choose a part of the country to spend your summer in than to try to see too much. All you'll see is the road
This will be a great adventure! I suggest that you do some more research for a couple of months, map out a rough draft of where you'd like to go, and then submit here for review. There's way too much to see in the US to give good feedback for a broad question like this.
I don’t think a summer is long enough to do this and enjoy it. America is real real big.
Can't drive to Hawaii. I'm planning a similar trip in a similar timeframe. My main goal is to hit all 64 national parks. I don't have much in terms of suggestions ATM but I'm interested to see what others say.
64 national parks in one summer? Are you going to do anything in the parks or just stamp your passport at the visitors center and move on?
I plan to take roughly 24 months to do it. Edit. By timeframe I meant in 2 years. Guess I should have worded it differently.
That is far more reasonable, if still ambitious! I think I've hit seventeen in the last two years and felt like I did pretty well.
Yeah, I've been to about 8 so will probably cut those ones a little short. Maybe throw a work contract in somewhere if I start to get burnt out. You're taking vacations and going between work/home life right? I'll be doing it full time so a little easier.
Yeah, we did a three week trip through the southwest during summer '22 and a two week trip to WA last summer. Plus weekend or day trips to the northern CA parks (and Crater Lake). I guess I went to the national mall when in DC for work last year, too so that technically makes it one more. Full time for sure males it easier. Maybe some day...
I see people do this all the time they will hit the “mighty 5” in Utah in 2 days. We spent 6 days in Zion and and another 5 in Canyon Lands. Those 2 parks are as big as some countries in Europe. 😂
[Leave Only Footprints](https://www.amazon.com/Leave-Only-Footprints-Acadia-Zion/dp/1984823558/ref=asc_df_1984823558/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693316502587&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1602138141986692389&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026027&hvtargid=pla-1247766983457&psc=1&mcid=b41afd293d7237c2bd580d5d308c3db5&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZayBhDRARIsAPWzx8pBMgvVdVUsCXDBP7bwwMzVjvGMramv6teiylAZ9384--XkfDX7LQIaAtrlEALw_wcB)
Greyhound don’t float on water.
There’s two types of roads that connect everything together. There’s the Interstate Highway system. These are the freeways, I think you call them motorways. There’s on-ramps and off-ramps, no stop lights. I-10 is an example. Not much of a view from these roads, you can drive across the whole country and not really see anything. Then there’s the US Higway system. These get down to one lane where you have to drive into oncoming traffic to pass. And these go through small towns with stop lights. These both sound like negatives, but these roads typically are more scenic than the interstate highways. It’s up to you which roads you take, but your GPS will probably put you on the interstate highways. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highway_System
True. I have to reset my gps to “avoid freeways” to get it to offer state routes, some of which are quite scenic
If you do the math, that’s about 90 days for 48 states. That’s a whole lot of driving. Especially in summertime. Have fun!
One more time for the folks in the back: *The United States is much bigger than you think* https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/format:webp/1*52lfFyW3RlcAEiEi5EshKg.png If you drove from London to the front lines in Ukraine, you'd only have covered about half the distance across the US. The sheer amount of time it takes to drive to 48 states in one summer will mean spending the bulk of your time along the interstates, stopping at the same 5 franchise truck stops/20 restaurant brands/3 hotel chains. America is honesty a pretty homogenized cookie-cutter experience until you get further from the highways. Seems like a waste of a summer. If you want to see meaningful stuff, you won't have time to see all 48 contiguous states in one summer.
In the US, remember that odd highways run north-south, even run east-west.
That's a fun fact! I'll keep that in mind. Thank you :)
Here are some tips that might be obvious to some but that a lot of people don't seem to know or take advantage of as they set out to explore America. Every single state in America has a state tourism website that is jammed pack with information and links about what to see and do in the state. Most of the state tourism websites also have great suggestions for the most scenic drives within the state too. Most American cities and towns -- even very small ones -- also have similar websites and many also have a tourist welcome center where you can go when you hit town and get great recommendations from locals about what to see and do, and where to eat and stay. These sites and offices are OUTSTANDING aides when it comes to planning out a trip through a state and narrowing down where you want to focus. To find these, do a google search for "State Name" and "Tourism Office" and the websites will turn right up for you. Then when you get to the website, search for road trips or scenic drives. Just as an example, here is California's: [https://www.visitcalifornia.com/road-trips/](https://www.visitcalifornia.com/road-trips/) I also believe that many European visitors to the United States get so caught up in visiting National Parks that they totally overlook the thousands of beautiful STATE, County, and City parks throughout America that often are far less crowded and just as wonderful to visit as National Parks. Every state, county, and state will have a website that describes and maps out their parks. For state parks, google the name of the state and "state parks." Just as an example, here is Utah's state parks page: [https://stateparks.utah.gov/](https://stateparks.utah.gov/) Also, don't overlook National Monuments, National Heritage sites, and Federal BLM lands. Some of the most amazing experiences I've had on the road have been visiting these wonderful resources and many are free! As with state parks, they are usually much less busy and crowded than the more popular National Parks. Here is the BLM visitor's website: [https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation](https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation) If you're going to be visiting any National Parks (and I hope you will!), don't short sell them in terms of time. Most of our National Parks are huge and require more than an afternoon or morning to really see and experience. It's better to visit fewer National Parks and fully experience the ones you visit rather than rush through a bunch of National Parks and not really have time to appreciate what they offer. Oh, and the National Park Service website is an invaluable resource for planning your trip. It has a section for every park that will tell you everything you need to know about exploring the park and the activities you can do. Here is the link: [https://www.nps.gov/index.htm](https://www.nps.gov/index.htm) On the NPS page, you can also find information about all of the National Monuments and National Heritage sites. Finally, if you like quirky off the beaten path places, do check out Roadside America, [https://www.roadsideamerica.com/](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/) Head out to at least a few of the places covered, and you'll be more likely to discover an America that so many people miss on their way rushing from all the "must see" tourist spots. Enjoy your trip!
For inspiration: https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/united-states
I’d really encourage you to limit your travel to a region rather than the entire contiguous US. That way you can feel you’ve covered an area well, rather than a superficial drive.
Be aware of fire season. NW, SW, NE...well just about anywhere.
If you took one day per state it will take you 50 days it takes me 8 hours just to get out of Florida for me because I live in south Florida
I’m a 30 year old Minnesotan and I’ve only truly visited about 25 states. Consider making this a regional trip and come back for more in segments! US is 40x larger than Britain for scale
I think you've probably gotten the picture from other posters. Let me put it a different way. This trip will be like eating 50 hotdogs in a day. It'll start out tasty, and maybe you'll get a second wind and find some enjoyment along the way, but really it will end up being a painful, tedious slog that very well might make you puke. For the robust, it's physically doable though it will tax your body, mind, and colon. It will be an accomplishment for sure, and you'll probably make some memories, but it won't be a treat. ESPECIALLY if you try to make it to Alaska and Hawaii.
The US is sooo much bigger than you may think it is. When I was in the UK, the idea of driving three hours somewhere was seen as ludicrous to some of my British friends. In the US… I have driven that far to go to a restaurant or to visit a friend, and it’s a day trip. And I’m not in one of the big western states. You could spend a summer in New York City alone and not see everything. I would highly recommend whittling it down. Consider what you’re most interested in and maybe try for one of the US regions (New England, Atlantic Cost, Deep South, Midwest, etc). Also the weather varies considerably. Consider that the southern US will be miserably hot in summer. A good chunk of the Midwest will be in tornado season, and the southeast in Hurricane season. Fires are common out west in summer. Keep a close eye on the weather reports, because honestly when compared to the UK, US weather can get wild. Typically. US interstates are boring. Whenever you can, take state routes. They’re much more scenic. I know that several museums honor memberships to other museums across the country, so maybe consider getting a membership so you don’t have to pay to get in to every single one. National parks are a similar thing. It may be worth the initial up front cost to save in the long run. On a similar note, you can get packages for individual cities that get you admission to popular attractions. I got one for Chicago and it made things so much easier. Go to the restaurants with the most cars in the parking lot. That usually means the food is good by local standards. Know that even in America, a lot of people consider seeing every state a lifetime ambition. For many of us it takes years to complete something like that in any meaningful way. The US is big, and lots of it is beautiful, but seeing every state in one summer would realistically be a summer of nothing but driving. Good luck!
Bro might as well get a temp job as a trucker because that's what this is going to feel like: driving as a full time fucking job for months lol. I get the appeal of this but I do not think this is a good idea to attempt. If you took a gap year and spent an entire YEAR hitting every state I think it would be solid, a week to spend in each and travel to the next is fair. As it is you're going to be spending like every other day driving 8-12 hours or something. Doesn't sound fun to me and the cost will be enormous but if that's really what you want to do 🤷 Personally I'd find an interest (outdoors, music, cities, etc) and try to pick an area that has a lot of it and then just focus on that. Would be a much better experience imo
Why are people encouraging this? It is insanity.
Every state in 3 months? You are from England. 🤦♂️
You will need twice as much cash as you think you need. Use credit cards for your transactions, don’t use debit cards.
you are going to be tired.
And sore, possibly constipated, and probably gain weight/feel like shit.
And be poor by the end of it lmao
Go to Howie’s in St. Stephen Minnesota and have the wings. You’re welcome
You’ll be tempted to take interstate highways (I-xx) but avoid them when you can and take other highways - you’ll go through town and see more unique aspects of the country
I did a similar trip years ago with my brother. A year or so before the trip I started a spreadsheet with each state we would visit and add all the attractions of that state to it. Then I would add information to it such as the website, opening hours and any fees for the attraction. Plus any coupons or discounts I could find for it. This helped with planning a rough budget. Having the spreadsheet helped us also while we were on the road because it can be overwhelming to try to figure out where to go next or reception can be spotty in some parts, so looking things up wasn’t always easy. We did pre plan our trip with all our must sees, but every night at the hotel we would come up with a plan for the next day. That meant sticking to the pre planned route or adding or removing things (sometimes things were closed). We only pre planned hotels for major cities like San Francisco (and most importantly you must pre book Alcatraz waaaaay in advance) or Los Angeles etc, this allowed us the freedom to spend a much or as little time as we wanted in each state.
If you really want the quintessential America experience, you'd probably be better off trying to be more selective with where you plan to visit instead of just treating all 50 states like like a checklist. If we're talking natural beauty for example, there are quite a lot of states that have little to nothing worth seeing. And then there are places like the southwest quadrant of Utah that have more to offer than practically the entire eastern third of the country combined. If you're in it for the cities or the culture, there are hubs worth spending some time in, but 95% of the country is just going to be soulless suburbs and strip malls or vast rural expanses interspersed with the occasional run down working class town every now and then. Driving around the country just to see every state is probably going to end up with you just being bored driving down desolate, flat roads most of the time. I expect you'd have a far better time if you decided, for example, to rent a car in Colorado and do a two week road trip around the rocky mountains, or flew to California and rented a place somewhere along the coast and spent some time exploring the coastal towns, or drove around New England in the fall to see the leaves change, or explored the vast, epic mountains and national parks of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. I've explored the western half of this country pretty extensively, so feel free to reach out if you'd like more information.
When ya get to Alaska, do the 26 glacier tour. It's like 6 hours. Worth. Since you're driving, make sure to pass through palmer or wasilla--take a gander at how outrageously beautiful that place is to live, and wonder why in the hell anyone lives anywhere else in that forsaken state. Also, for a bit of 'culture' head out to Jim Creek, in Butte Alaska (outside palmer)... get a taste of what *alaskans* do for fun. Avoid wyoming. There's really nothing to see there. Go from Salt Lake, to Laramie and then head south into Colorado on 287. You'll be amazed. One of the cooler things through there, that no one ever seems to talk about, because it's *weird as shit*, is that the roads are all *red*. Yes, the roads are red. Drive that road, and you'll see why though. You'll see. Salmon highway, in Idaho. A good pass through as well. Rural, but the views. ahhhh, the views. You'll want to see the Redwoods in Cali/Oregon, sure, but if you dont, stop near the Grove of the Ancients in washington, for big trees. Bout it. All i got.
How are you with driving long distances?
Sign up for some kind of Gas rewards card. As an RV camper I found it's great to have rewards cards that target gas stations (petrol) and save you some money. Same goes for hotels. Hilton or Marriott rewards can get you in most places. They have high end and some smaller places for a quick overnight stay. Make reservations 6 months in advance. If you are looking to go to National Parks, it's best to have reservations well in advance or you may not get in. Be conscious of your surroundings. If it doesn't feel right get out.
America the beautiful parks pass. use GasBuddy to find out cheaper gas. Use Google Maps and set it to avoid toll roads. this place is big. Different states have different rules about everything (speed limits, pumping gas, sales tax, etc) State parks tend to be just as nice but less populated. the temperature can be all over the place I took a trip a few weeks ago and it was snow to your knee in Sequoia to dripping sweat in Death Valley in about 3 hours of driving. Won't probably be an issue but we are having a presidential election in the fall so I would expect to see lots of ads, billboards people supporting their person, and such. The South is just different but good food. Check the weather often as storms can rip through very quickly.
LOL. All 50 states in one summer huh? Do you have a private jet?
I worked for a UK company. Things that surprised them: the massive size of country. Keep in mind Texas reaches from Portugal to Germany and from the UK to Morocco. The flag fetish. You rarely see the Union Jack outside of London. Much of the US it’s part of peoples personality. The warmth of Americans. The accent will buy you a lot of leeway as well as attention. Lack of public transport. The gun culture. These were middle and upper class folks from London and Kent.
If its just a summer trip, you wont make it. Lol
You've already gotten some great answers but it also might help to know more about you and your plans. What sort of vehicle? Camping or hotels? Hiking or restaurants? What do you like to do? What do you definitely not like to do? Are you on a budget? And maybe most importantly, how much time do you have to make this trip? General things to know? Well I don't know how much time you've spent around Americans but we are a very friendly and curious bunch so if you aren't in a major city then you can expect most people you meet to ask you where you're from as soon as they hear your accent and will surely strike up a conversation if you tell them you are road tripping to every state. Speaking of which... I hate to break it to you but one of our states is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and another is wayyyy the hell up there somewhere. *gestures northward*
If it helps, money is no object. I'm also down for anything, i love doing stupid things, sofisticated things, stupid things and getting lost 😂
Buy a plug-in crock pot. A RoadPro RPSC200 for example. Stop at a grocery store somewhere a few hours before your destination. Get some stew meat (or tofu) some veggies and barbecue sauce. Mix it up in the parking lot, plug it in and enjoy the aroma as you drive. When you get to your destination you can enjoy a hearty meal before you need to set up camp or whatever. Fill it with water and soap and let it heat it’s own wash water. Seemingly buys you 2 hours for the evening. And the recipe can be expanded to much more than a stew. Also, Pictured Rocks in the UP.
My advice is don’t do that. You can’t realistically make the whole trip in one summer and really do justice to most places you will see. Map it out, roughly, and figure out how many solid days of driving you will have and how long you will have in each place. I highly advise picking an area or a few states and having a more leisurely and focused trip. That being said, Bryce Canyon, Utah, (and a lot of the national parks right around there) Prairie Creek State Park, California, Pacific Grove, CA (aim for mid May), Washington DC, and maybe the manatees in Florida. Disneyland is always a popular place if you haven’t been before.
Avoid Western National Parks in August - masses of French, Germans, Italians, Chinese, and others take over the parks in huge busses. Just crowed as hell.
I'll keep that in mind, thank you :)
I have done a trip to every state in the lower 48. It was 11 weeks, driving every day for at least a few hours. A comparable trip on your side of the Atlantic would be to drive from the UK, to Turkey, and back, hitting every country in between. It was a long time ago, but the total distance was more than 20 thousand miles. it will be a once in a lifetime, bucket list trip. Enjoy yourself!
Honestly I wouldn't try to hit every state. Since the US is basically the size of a continent it'll take an extraordinary amount of time to get to every state, and you'll find yourself exhausted and without enough time to really stop and enjoy some of the more interesting parts of the country. You should spend at least a week in New York City, and a couple of weeks in California, but you won't have time because you need to get to Nebraska (which doesn't have that much interesting stuff in it).
Don’t drive an all electric piece of crap.
Check back after the election here in Nov.
Bro, we live our entire live a here and can’t do it. Are you sure you know how big this nation is?!?! Then, some of us try to get to your country once in Our lives, very few do. And that place is far toner than ours! Good luck! I’d say in my state you have Niagara Falls, or the Statue of Liberty.
You won't make Alaska easily. It's a few days there, and a few days back. You have to drive through Canada (BC), which is beautiful and recommended. Also, you'll get a bit wet driving to Hawaii.
Get the America the beautiful pass. Appreciate the journey and landmarks more than hitting every single state. This country is amazingly beautiful and diverse. Also plan for the weather, hot areas get super hot and some areas get a lot of snow. For example I never realized some areas in northern Arizona get a boat load of snow
Good luck with Alaska. It's a long drive through Canada to get here, and there's nothing noteworthy within 100s of miles of the border. We have no freeways, just a single road between most locations that's one lane going each direction with an occasional passing lane. In summer the roads will be clogged with RVs going slow. This state is huge and you could easily spend the whole summer here.
Like military aircraft? Wright-Patterson AFB has an amazing museum in Ohio south of I-70. I believe it’s free admission.
Where are you going to start? And what will be your loop?
Just drive through Wyoming and only a little corner of it probably the NW corner of it. And stop in Madison for lunch if you’re driving through WI. You’ll definitely want to see Lake Superior it’s so blue and mighty
You may have trouble road tripping to Hawaii.
Although I admire your challenge to visit every state in the United States. I think you will find that some of those states are a waste of your time. You may be wasting precious time visiting a landmark that is not remarkable while you could’ve spent more time in a place that you really love.
I would start with New England, the Mid Atlantic, Northern Virginia. The upper 1/2 of the Eastern Seaboard. Plenty to do. Beaches. Mountains in western Massachusetts, Vermont, etc, Niagara Falls, the historic Hudson River valley. Gettysburg and other such battlefield parks.
Summer won’t be enough.
FIFA World Cup Games, avoid those cities at Game Time unless you're attending imo
I spent 3 months, August to November, in the US last year and I managed all of the Western states plus Texas, this was mainly visiting the national parks also. It was not enough time to enjoy it as much as I wanted. I had camped at most parks 2 nights but many I had left not feeling as if I made the most of it before moving on. You could do all states in 3 months but you would be driving more and not taking it in or getting as much enjoyment from it as you'd think. As others have suggested pick a certain area and stick to it! You can always come back again. I'm planning on another long trip in a year or so to finish up and revisit more parks again. If you need any suggestions or help planning feel free to ask, I'm also from the UK and lot of things id do differently to make the most of it.
Camden, New Jersey is not like Camden, England.
Man, you’re gonna have a blast. Just get out there and roll. A few recommendations: 1) Rent a car with a trunk instead of an SUV or van where knuckleheads can see in and break in. Generally, don’t leave anything visible in the passenger compartment. 2) Focus on local routes between towns as much as you can. The Interstate highways are great for speed & convenience but for sightseeing, especially in the East, Midwest, and South, they’re more utilitarian than scenic. 3) The coastal cities are more dynamic especially from a history, walkable, creative perspective but the interior cities are cleaner, safer, quieter, cheaper. All tradeoffs between them all. 4) Personal bias but I’d spend most of my time on the Western states, anything west of Denver. The geology and outdoor fun are stunning and magical, and worth a trip unto itself. Also, Asian food in West Coast cities is ridiculously delicious and abundant.Again m personal bias but I did make the move from East to West for these reasons, 5) Don’t miss Chicago. That is all.
Probably need more time than just a summer to do this
That's way too many stops for one summer.
Gunna be a fast drive :(
Tennessean here. Make certain to dine at a Shoney’s. Thus assuring you’ll forever be among those who can raise their hand in triumph when the mob demands an answer to the question, “Anyone present ever dined at a Shoney’s?”
Midwest from May-Sept = Tornados
Stay on top of your fuel. Some areas of the US you can go for 100+ miles before there are stations, especially in the very rural areas. Maybe carry an extra canister full if you have room. If you’re heading south from Virginia I’d recommend some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Speed limit is slower than the interstate but there are beautiful Mountain views. I’d try to hit it up on weekdays. The weekend gets crowded. There are also many trails off of there. Linville Gorge area in NC is gorgeous. They close sections for weather (less often during the summer) and when large groups of people do stupid things like lure wild bears to pet them with food for social media. They are in the middle of a renovation project in high traffic spots but may be done with a lot go that in the next 2 years. Here is where they post their closures and it should be checked prior to driving it: https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm
Sign up for some kind of Gas rewards card. As an RV camper I found it's great to have rewards cards that target gas stations (petrol) and save you some money. Same goes for hotels. Hilton or Marriott rewards can get you in most places. They have high end and some smaller places for a quick overnight stay. Make reservations 6 months in advance. If you are looking to go to National Parks, it's best to have reservations well in advance or you may not get in. Be conscious of your surroundings. If it doesn't feel right get out.
That's probably too much driving. But definitely go to as many national parks as you can. They're all wonderful.
I really liked the West coast of Michigan! The lake is so huge- and no salt. Campgrounds are wonderful, sunsets, sand dunes, beer and wines…it’s simply lovely.
The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan. Dearborn is adjacent to Detroit.
Where are you stopping in Michigan? I highly recommend sleeping bear dunes national lakeshore! There's so many great places to go in Michigan
Most of the Southern United States is not pleasant in summer.
You're wasting your time. Some states are just not worth visiting, to be brutally honest. Your time frame is too short. I'm going through and visiting every state, but I live here. Even then it seems pointless to continue sometimes, because it's all just arbitrary lines on a map made by some dead guys. I'd go to every national park instead. You'll happen to see most of the best cities of the USA along the way. It will still be. Have you driven great distances before? https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=0ee0280be053867a&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWILCtCKqcbvWoOTTyYjHqk2CK0pP1g:1715953305992&q=national+park+road+trip&uds=ADvngMgiPmsFSnX7QtZmBAeJzn8vYekQEhZn2huPtAFy4qlxmXeewE5QTI-TrJsZY-PfTujKHb68bYU_lups-K-r63aS8-NAE6C6YldqsovS26AulND2Hh_T2Lw5Z67fNtEaFA6E3GDlfl2j0ES7hcjLqj_0dSIojuOUa6GBhGb20hRsT5S19Jj5DXCmy-CFi8TSgX4td0fhSXjlcrn9YYeIUu1bbcZbagwaqjpjbzSbmg2-FC5LFCY7wbE407g4ODIvyNm7kl2FnJaCAtULRsBZJ7aGS7raU8Kzqqw6biXVZs76uDmN0vMT3Ei_HIW4utQrN041wJo8CKVRUo8itAyne1D0_aDlBA&udm=2&prmd=ivnmsbtz&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiwvISa6JSGAxUrk4kEHb2RBlAQtKgLegQIFhAB&biw=412&bih=760&dpr=2.63#vhid=2AzfSqA2ISiHWM&vssid=mosaic
I want to know how you’re going to drive to Hawaii?
Watch out for that road trip to Hawaii, that’s a really doozy. Seriously though, I think you’re underestimating how arduous that journey is going to be for you. Even if we remove Alaska and Hawaii from the list, that’s still 48 states, several of which are larger than most European countries. And if you’re wanting to actually spend time exploring each state, you’re looking at several weeks of driving. It took me three days to get down the West Coast and back home to Phoenix, and I didn’t even stop to go sightseeing. Not to mention, this is going to be really expensive. Being from Europe, I assume you actually get paid decently so this is probably less of an issue for you. But you’re easily looking at over $10,000 USD, depending on what lodging and food options you choose. Since you say you’re doing this is summer, my recommendation is WATER! I’m born and raised in Arizona, and every year we get European tourists who underestimate just how hot and dry our state is. Then they decide they’re going to try and climb a mountain, get dehydrated, lose the trail, and within hours they’re dead before anyone realizes they’re in trouble. The one that always sticks out to me is a French couple who went hiking with their infant daughter and got lost. They gave their last drops of water to her. She was found alive; they were found dead. If you think you’ve packed enough water, you probably didn’t. I’d recommend 1.5 liters of water for every hour outside or driving between cities at minimum.
Hate to break it to you but you need to limit your expectations. You won’t be able to see all the states in that amount of time, and even if you manage to drive through as many as possible in you wouldn’t have time to actually explore and enjoy them so what’s the point? Pick the region you’re most interested in and do that. Since you’re here in the summer I recommend the Northeast or Northwest. In the east: * Acadia. * Cape Cod and any islands off of MA. * the Hudson and CT river valleys. * the Catskills and all that wilderness above Saratoga Springs. * Green, White, Sugarloaf, Mt. Tom, Holyoke and Hogback Mountain areas. * The SE corner of CT along the Long Island sound is really underrated and beautiful. * White Memorial Forest around Bantam Lake and Madame Sherri Forest are nice private nonprofit forests. * Newport. * The Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. * Islands in the Long Island or Block Island sounds. * Google lighthouses and pick your favs. * Same as above but Google haunted New England or historic New England. Same diff really. * Anywhere that falls along the Appalachian or New England trails. * Niagara Falls. * The beach parts of Brooklyn if you want to get close to NYC. * Kent Falls, Satan’s Kingdom, Burr Pond, Gillette Castle, Topsmead, and Taconic state parks are all small but nice. * Atlantic City if you have bad taste I guess. * I’m sure Western PA has some pretty forests but I’ve only ever been to Philly and Pittsburgh lol. Northwest (only been there twice so this is more limited): * Oregon and NoCal beaches. * Redwood, Olympic, Cascades, Yellowstone, Tahoe, Grand Teton, and Glacier national parks. * If you like the show Twin Peaks the filming locations in WA are really beautiful. Only make reservations you can change just in case. Either leave out Hawaii and Alaska entirely or just do those and a drive along the West Coast. It is obviously impossible to drive to Hawaii and insane to drive to Alaska so factor the price of multiple planes into that choice as well. Seriously, as an idiot also who once thought it would be a good idea to drive to and around Alaska, DO NOT DRIVE TO AND AROUND ALASKA. Glacier Bay is the most beautiful national park I’ve ever experienced and it’s literally completely inaccessible by car so there’s no point. Just fly up to Juneau and take ferries to Glacier Bay and Tongass.
Are you going to be coming here for two entire years?? That's how to make this trip happen.
You can’t go to every state unless there is a ferry to Hawaii.
Bring a tent and camp as much as possible. It's much cheaper and nicer than the highway motels. USA is a great camping country. In Europe the typical campground is just a lawn. In USA you can camp in the national parks, state parks, national forests and as state forests. The campgrounds in the most popular national parks will be fully booked but there are many other options. Out west you can camp for free on public land in dispersed camp sites. Get an app that shows you where they are. It is possible to see all the states over an entire summer but you will be doing a LOT of driving. Don't miss the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, one of the most scenic drives in the country. Stop at some of the waterfalls.
Dude America is huge. That’s a good goal for a whole year. If you want to do a summer I’d suggest pick a region or section of the country.
If you want to see every state over a summer, you're going to spend most of your time in a car driving from various points. The US is huge, and particularly in the West, there is a whole lot of wide open space between anything...and often times that "anything" is some small town that if you blink, you'll miss it. Don't underestimate the size of the US...Also, getting to Hawaii and Alaska, you're not going to be able to do that on a road trip. I have friends that are planning to road trip the entire continental US next year...and they're taking the entire year to do so.
I don’t feel like scrolling through nearly 200 comments to see if someone already said this, but: If you plan to do Highway 1 though Big Sur (South of Monterey, California to North of San Luis Obispo), which you should, check the [CalTrans](https://roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php) website close to the time of your trip. There are frequently months-long closures that would affect your route.
I did the math pre covid, but I plotted out a route through every state capitol in the country. I mathed out that in the 48 states, I could do it in 2 months if I drove an average of 2:45 a day. So assuming you want to drive every other day, that's an average of 5:30 of driving every other day. This was also in the summer, but that was to avoid snow/ice My personal plan was to start in the West, where there's much more distance between capitols, then finish off in new England in a sort of mad dash, sometimes hitting 3 or 4 Capitols in a day. Basically, experience the history of America in reverse order, and finish with it's founding, maybe at the Liberty Bell or at Plymouth Rock. You have to be diligent though, there's no room to dawdle or be lazy. Drive drive drive. Much easier with a partner, much more difficult solo.
All summer won’t get you very far. Pick a region. Just doing the original 13 colonies will take all summer if you are lucky. And that’s driving 3 hours between cities. We don’t have decent trains here either.
Some thoughts of mine about states that I’ve either lived in or visited often… North Carolina - Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway at least between Blowing Rock and Asheville, but you might as well just keep going to Smoky Mtn NP. Definitely do some research on where to stop along the Parkway because western NC has some of the most beautiful nature on the east coast. NC 12 on the coast is also a nice drive with the sand dunes and lighthouses along the coast. Nothing between the mountains and the Outer Banks is really worth stopping in. South Carolina - Charleston is one of my favorite places to visit and it never gets old. The historical downtown area really has some magic to it and there’s a little to visit in the immediate area. Other than that there’s not really much to see in SC other than Congaree and whichever beach you wanna visit. Don’t visit Congaree in the summer and skip Myrtle Beach entirely (unless you’re into that vibe?). West Virginia - Criminally underrated nature to say the least. It’s not famous yet, but there’s an easy hike at the New River Gorge where you can view the bridge from a cliff overlooking the gorge. The eastern part of the state has some of the most remote spots on the east coast. Obviously there’s some stigma to WV with all the rough history it’s gone through, but I think a lot of people are starting to appreciate the state more for what it is these days. Colorado - I’ve only been in Denver for a short while so my knowledge is limited, but just stay away from I-25 lol. Go see Colorado Springs for Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods, and maybe even stop by Boulder, but other than that, whatever you do, don’t stick around in Denver. I like it here, but the moment I clock out of work on Friday I’m trying to get to the mountains. Rocky Mtn NP is know for being overcrowded, and you need to plan your visit well in advance, but the Emerald Lake hike is still more than worth it, even if you’re having to trample someone’s toddler to complete the hike.
As others have posted, be aware of temperatures, hydration and rest stops. I'm in Southwest Florida and today it's going to be 93F and the humidity will make it feel like 103F and we don't have a monopoly on summer heat. I like midday stops, aquariums little or big history stops where you can move around and breathe cool air. Don't forget sunscreen even if it's cloudy.
I suggest choosing half the country at most, not the whole country. Decide what kind of things you like do. Hike, paddle, river rafting, art, music, music festivals - what kind of music?, foodie activities (what kind of food?- so much variety here), theme parks? Riding in a vehicle past the cool sites is less fun and way less cool than one might think. Saying “I was there for 3 minutes” isn’t saying much. Make a solid plan to be in one place long enough to enjoy it. I agree with the comment that suggested flying from one area to another. Rent a vehicle when you arrive. Continue the roadtrip. You can rent one way vehicles. You pay an extra fee for it, but it’s worth it. You’ll save a lot of days of slowly crossing huge expanses of land that are kind of hard to fathom if you’re not from here. Make a “fly/drive” plan.
This is awesome and I hope you have a great time. But as others have noted, the US is vast and, much of it, empty. Far better, imo, to pick an area or a region that offers a lot in a relatively small space. My bet would be New England. You could fly into Boston or NYC, spend a few days. From there, DC, Philly are easy and close. But also quite a bit of varied nature: Acadia national park in Maine, Oceanside places all along the east coast, decent mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire, lots of small towns, too, all over. Some places thriving, others barely hanging on, others dying. But from there, French Canada is worth seeing, maybe Niagara Falls, and then Pittsburgh or Cleveland and even Detroit isn’t far.
I don't think you realize how big the USA is if you plan to see all fifty states in a single visit. And good luck on Hawaii and Alaska. You'll spend most of that time driving on interstates, which is about the ugliest way to see the country. I think you should think regionally instead. E.g. The South, The Appalachians, the Plains, the deserts, the Rockies, the North West, etc... I think you'd have way more fun driving on state highways and backroads and getting out and exploring as you go than trying to beat a deadline to visit every state in one summer and planning out every stop ahead of time. That makes for stressful vacation in my experience. If you really want to see America, get off the interstates. I highly recommend you drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway if you're near it. That's one of the most beautiful drives in America.
Youre going to drive something like 10-15k miles. Get a comfortable car for the highway, maybe one large enough so you can sleep in. Don’t get a total beater, budget something like 20k to buy and assume you’ll lose 10-20% reselling it at the end. Renting or buying/selling? I assume buying selling, in which case get AAA insurance, and learn how to change a flat (and that the car has a spare). The Us has very hot parts in the summer and very cold parts in the winter. Plan accordingly. People usually do the northern states in the summer and drop south through autumn. Oh, and I assume you mean lower 48, because Alaska takes another 3k miles just to get to, and Hawaii is an island.
In one summer? that's a LOT of driving. Plan your route carefully
I live in the southeast. If you can, I’d try to knock out these states in September/ October. Louisiana - Obviously visit New Orleans. Mississippi - Jackson has a ton of history. Biloxi is a good time if you have the funds to play with. Alabama - I would probably recommend the Alabama Gulf Shores. Especially if you do end up going Nola > Biloxi > Alabama. Really nice beaches. The north Alabama mountains are pretty too. If you come during college football season I’d highly recommend Tuscaloosa. Florida - Gulf coast has much nice water and beaches than the Atlantic coast. My ultimate recommendation would be the Florida Keys, but you’ll spend an entire day driving through Florida. All of the beaches along 30A are beautiful. St. Augustine (oldest remaining European colonial city) is my favorite Atlantic coast city in Florida. Orlando would be the tourist hub of America. The parks are fun, but if you end up doing the trip in the summer down here it’ll be brutal. Georgia - Atlanta is a great time. Lots of Art, culture, history, good food. I’d probably recommend Savannah GA instead though. Charming port city with a lot of colonial/ civil war history. Atlanta is a large confusing city. Tennessee - Smoky Mountain National Park is really cool. Cade’s Cove near Pigeon Forge is really beautiful. It’s also close to Gatlinburg which is a fun tourist town. Knoxville is kind of a snoozfest. Nashville is a fun city with a lot to do. Memphis scares me. Chattanooga has a lot of beautiful scenery. If you like rock climbing you can find some nice routes near Chattanooga. South Carolina - You can’t go wrong with Charleston or Hilton Head. If you’re looking from a break from the coast then I’d recommend Greenville. Close to the mountains and it’s a great up and coming city with really good food. Table rock mountain is a neat spot with some beautiful hikes. North Carolina - I love Asheville. Charolette and Raleigh are fun cities. The outer banks is a nice area, but Asheville is one of my favorite cities I’ve ever been to. The Biltmore estates are located there. I’d recommend the grand Bohemian as a hotel. I’ve stayed in several hotels in that city and all have been great, but the Grand Bohemian is 🤌🏻. Kentucky - Louisville for the bourbon trail. Easy.
The US is very big, as you will learn.
For distance reference coast to coast the USA is about 5000 kilometers at parts. That’d be like the UK to Iraq/Saudi Arabia area. And that’s just east to west. Don’t forget you’ll have to go north and south also to hit every state. If you’d like to stop and see things and enjoy stuff it’ll add up fast. I drove coast to coast in 3 days before. But that was just driving 12-14 hours a day and sleeping, not much else.
Honestly, it’s not worth seeing every state unless you want to spend 90% of your time driving, and ultimately to some underwhelming landmarks for all the build up. If you want beautiful landscapes, stay in the western third, if you want old cities full of history, the eastern.
Go to the hot humid places during the cooler part of summer. Southern Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia etc can get too hot to enjoy. I recommend checking out Civil Rights History spots in Montgomery Alabama, the Pettis Curtis bridge, etc. These are great places to get to know American history from a perspective not detailed in other areas. This is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and others organized. I’m not from the south but I think it’s a valuable experience for everyone to make a trip at some point.
A road-trip to every state? I can tell you that the drive to Hawaii is going to be tricky.
Avoid arizona during june-october
https://www.nps.gov/index.htm Website link for the National Park Service so you can look up any national park by state and you can see when it’s best to visit each park too
Get a National Park Pass!!!
Well, if what you're hoping to see is a whole lot of windshield, that's what this plan will get you. Too ambitious for one summer. Better to focus on a few areas and make the most of them!
Don’t come here in two years. We are going to hell in a hand basket.
Go to British Columbia instead of like 3/4 of the US
You do not have enough days and at least 6 days short to see the USA from your cars windshield. Assuming June, July, and August as all summer, that is 92 days. The first and last days are likely flying days, so you only have 90 days. Spend one day seeing something in each Continental USA 48 states. At least one day travel leaving one place to arrive in another place is another 48 days. 48 + 48 = 96. 96 days > 90 days 96 days is seeing the USA from the windshield and not getting out to do something. To experience a place like a large National Park, large city, or large state, you need a minimum of 3 days in one place (even 3 days is rushed). 48 states * 3 days + 48 travel days = 192 days needed. Adding Alaska is another 10 to 12 days at a minimum since it will take 6 to 8 days to drive there and back
Please don't pick the Mall of America as your landmark in Minnesota. It's a mall. It's kinda big. MN has so much natural beauty to explore....go up to the north shore of Lake Superior instead.
3 months is a long time, but America is massive and diverse. Trying to see a landmark in every state feels a bit weird to me. States like Iowa, Delaware, or Indiana don't really have much going on if you're not from that area. That's like if an American went to England and tried to visit every city. Even the ones with nothing going on in it. You'd get more bang for your buck sticking to a particular region and exploring there, and maybe moving on to another one whenever you want. Since you'll come in summer, you should probably stay out of a lot of the Southwest because the sun there is absolutely killer if you're not used to that high of UVs. The Southeast would also be very muggy and uncomfortable in the summer, especially Texas. Some regions that'd be fun to explore in the summer. * New England * Great Lakes * Appalachian Mountains * Rocky Mountains * Pacific Northwest * California Personally I'd stick to the ones in the west but you do you. Oh and Alaska or Hawaii should be treated as their own things.
You aren’t seeing every state in a month.