Road Trip USA - advice needed on where to go

Originally posted by stinavamp
reply to post by ajax_andy

 

Well if you get bored of all that southwest beauty. You can come see the northwest. We've got sasquatch!!!!
And don't forget Mt. Rainer and its underground UFO bases.

Haha i've been informed by my wife that we can got to Roswell, and providing we go to Las Vegas we can maybe drive past Area 51 (or as close to it as you're allowed)... I think i'll leave underground UFO bases for the future, as am pushing my luck with just these too lol!

I haven't mentioned UFO watching near area 51 yet... might save that until we're there lol!

reply to post by maybee


Thanks, I think that'll have to be done on a future trip... your country is just so damn big lol!

I hadn't realised until I started working out routes that its impossible to see even 10% of the USA in 3 weeks!

reply to post by maybee


Thanks, I think that'll have to be done on a future trip... your country is just so damn big lol!

I hadn't realised until I started working out routes that its impossible to see even 10% of the USA in 3 weeks!

If you are looking for some scenery that is completely different than that of England, the American Southwest is the place to be. While I was born and raised in Arizona, after over 50 years I'm still finding places that leave me awestruck. The Grand Canyon is one, but from the looks of your planned route it would be too far north to visit. If you decide to come to Phoenix (about 120 miles north of Tucson via Interstate 17) I would suggest taking the Apache Trail Scenic Drive. It circles the Superstition Mountains that Poker mentioned. (I would not recommend that you explore inside the area though. It is a federally-designated Wilderness Area and no vehicles are allowed - only horseback and hiking. Besides, July is one of the hottest months in Arizona and many treasure hunters have gotten lost or worse in this area over the years.)

There is a very nice rest stop near Fish Creek Hill that offers a fantastic view of the area (Google Map Link).

Sedona was also mentioned in an earlier post. While it is a truly majestic and beautiful place to see, it is not much more than a new-age tourist trap .

Go to Glacier and Yellowstone and you will truly see some untouched beauty, then make a trip down to Jackson Hole Wy, and visit the Cody museum

Hi thanks for the replies everyone.

A lot of people are recommending Yellowstone, Death Valley etc, but these weren't on my original route... It sounds like they are amazing places though?

We will definately be going to the Grand Canyon, but am I really missing out if we dont go to these other places?

On another forum people are questioning my plan to got to New Mexico via Yuma... is it not a very interesting place? I would love to see all the great scenary of Utah etc, but I really want to experience culture, and I'd imaging New Mexico to have a very different culture to that of LA or Las Vegas?

What is the scenary like in New Mexico? Will I have to choose between culture and great landscapes, or is it possible to have both? (Very greedy I know lol) Its just that I dont really want to spend my whole trip hiking, as neither my wife or I are great walkers. We dont mind doing a bit, but not our entire down time

reply to post by ajax_andy


If your going to be in Arizona, you must do Sedona.
One of the most beautiful places imo.

If your doing a car trip, why don't you do route 66?

reply to post by ajax_andy


Hi, I've been on a couple of US road-trips so far (2008 and 2010) and I'm currently planning my next one for 2012. For what it's worth, if you're flying in and out of LA, it sounds like you'd be in a position to do similar to what I did last year (and luckily, that was going to be the area of the US that I would recommend the most!)

Of course, it totally depends on what you're planning on seeing while you're there - if you're more of a city person, then the route that I did may not be for you - I preferred driving through the desert, seeing the national parks, seeing some places off the beaten path (but still dipping back into civilisation when needed - i.e. Vegas!).

In the South-West, I would hugely recommend:

1. Yosemite National Park - I went there both times, astonishing beautiful, google images to see why.
2. Grand Canyon - because you need to see it once
3. Las Vegas - really fun for a couple of nights
4. Monument Valley - truly amazing, although might be a bit far out for you, again google images...
5. Zion National Park
6. Death Valley National Park - when it's really hot, it's really memorable - not as dead as you might think though.
7. Meteor Crater - although might be a bit far out for you.

In terms of cities, San Francisco I was a fan of, not so much LA. Las Vegas is always fun.

Any other tips:

- Definitely save up and get a convertible. In 2008 we didn't have one, and were happy with it. In 2010 we did, and were shocked at both how much better the trip was and how much we were missing out the first time.
(most rental places charge premiums though for under-age drivers; 21-24 = $, 18-21 = $$$!, so you may find that the car becomes the largest cost to your trip if you don't look around for a good deal)
- You need to get an ESTA before you travel
- Spend a bit of time on google maps using the 'street view' tool! Really is surprisingly useful for seeing what the area'd be like before you decide to drive through it - although I guess you'll always find hidden gems along the way.
- Apart from the first night (we always booked a hotel so you had a fixed address for the first night of your stay - something they say you need), we only booked a spot in yosemite national park - every other motel / hotel we just stumbled across by about 6pm... any later than that and you start finding that places start to get full.

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Also, I've made road-trip videos from both times I was there, 2008 is on youtube:
www.youtube.com...
(This trip was pretty broad actually, we covered about 20 states as we drove right across the country - so it might seem like it jumps about a bit, but that's because we did too!)

2010 video was on youtube, but they noticed that I'd pinched the RHCP - Scar Tissue soundtrack for it and muted it
But add me on facebook www.facebook.com... and you can see if it inspires you, or gives you different ideas of what you'd like to do.

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Hope that gives you a good place to start!