Roadtrip in US?

Off-topic Chatter
1

Ok…

I don´t know how to put this in short but:
2007 I had a great roadtrip across Europe. 16 different countries but we had limited time of only 12 days.
S

From that date, I have kept in mind with my friend that some day, some day we will take a trip to US.

It seems, that next summer this dream just MIGHT come true. 8)
A lot of IF´s in the way. My wife would like to be taking a part to trip but it is a very tall order to get kids “somewhere” for about 2 weeks.
I may have to negotiate to go alone with a friend of mine and his father (70yr birthday trip or so).

Since there´s a good amount of locals posting in this forum, I thought it could be a good idea to ask some things…

Planned route, everything is subject to change:

My good friends father (good guy also :slight_smile: ) would like to see Niagara Falls and Yellowstone.

I personally don´t have any special desires where to go - what to see.
I´m a bit of a simple guy when it comes to Go travel…
What I like especially is a nice view. It does not have to be talles mountains or greatest buildings, good views make my day.
Another thing that I appreciate is common things. See a little of that ordinary life, eat good but not necessarily in big, five star places.
I´m somewhat interested in museums, technical and war stuff but not so much of the biggest tourist attractions. I don´t feel that good in places which are stuffed with people - all taking the same pictures from same things to show everyone.

We are thinking of:

- Renting an RV for about 4+ people. I have read that we can legally drive one with regular driving licence.

  • Spending about 2 weeks possibly on tour.

What I would like to know:

- Where can we legally camp with that Caravan vehicle? I think only in camping sites, right?

- Could it be a better option to get 2 regular cars + spend nights at hotels?

- Any tips for the route?

- Any good ideas what to do, where to stop etc.

  • Mobile. What operator should I choose to get a SIM card from? How´s data transfer? Unlimited or quota/months or USD/MB?

That´s it 8)

2

How many kms a day do you want to cover?

Boston is a great place to visit, Tonawanda is boring, but Niagara falls is awesome, much better in Niagara Falls Ontario, Canada
The i90 is a toll highway, for the distance your traveling expect $100-175 in tolls (USD), i believe there are websites that calculate it for you, but you need coins and small bills or get an EZPass (as a tourist i’m not sure if you can easily).

Regional highways (mostly non toll) are often better for scenery, there are parts of NY state that are amazing but many regional highways are much slower, they are often 50mph (80km/h) but going through towns can get as slow as 20mph (30km/h). NYC i hear is amazing, but much of NY state is boring, i have traveled the i90 for much of your trip and its a boring highway, it gets you from A-B, its not a tourist attraction.

That said there are many sights to see, some a bit off your route
An RV is nice, you can stay at any walmart overnight (so i am told, please confrim and not take my word on it in case i am wrong)
There are many travel USA websites with lists of attractions.

You can get hotels for cheap, but many can be in sketchy parts of towns.

Never speed, foreigners can be treated very harshly :frowning:

Perhaps you need to find a road trip USA message forum and ask questions from people who have done the entire country and see what they suggest as well

3

I would not go through North Dakota, but divert shortly south and go through SOUTH Dakota, especially the Black Hills area… much good looking land there. Mt Rushmore is in that area too… Look for the HBO series Deadwood, as in Deadwood, South Dakota. Basically, take I90, instead of I94….

As far as the RV or Caravan…. MOST WalMart Parking lots allow you to stay overnight, as there are many WalMarts near the highway, this makes for some easy “camping” just for sleep. No Hookups for draining the tanks or whatever, but it will save you some dollars and the WalMart Gas stations are pretty cheap for fueling up.

I am not local to the trip route, so the above is just a suggestion. Are you traveling one way and flying back, or round trip? If round trip, then leave Montana and head to Salt Lake City UT, then Denver CO, and back to where you started. Tons to see, perhaps overlay a map of Europe onto the States at the same scale so you can get some perspective for where else you may want to see…

4

If you will be in the States, and can possibly do it, you might want to put the Grand Canyon on your route. It is breathtaking, and any photo you have seen will not do it justice. It is commonly known to be one of the wonders of the world, with visitors from all corners of the planet. There will be a lot of tourists there in the Summer. It is less busy when the US schools are in session.

I might revise your route as follows (to include the Grand Canyon):

1. Do Niagara Falls from the Canadian side of the border (I agree with Bort), then cross back into the US to continue your trip.
2. Once you reach Cleveland Ohio, go south on US71 to Columbus Ohio. The drive from Cleveland to Chicago is deadly dull and boring (all Toll road and about 7 hours). Traffic around Chicago is awful at any time of day.
3. From Columbus, go west on US 70 to St Louis
4. From St Louis, take US44 West to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
5. From Oklahoma City, take US 40 West to Flagstaff Arizona. The Grand Canyon is north of Flagstaff.
6. After seeing the Canyon, go back to Flagstaff and take US40 West to Kingman Arizona.
7. From Kingman, take Highway 93 north to the Hoover Dam. Be sure to stop at the Dam. It is a sight to see.
8. From the Hoover Dam, take Highway 93 west to Las Vegas, Nevada. Food and hotels will be reasonable in Vegas, but I have not been there in a while.
9. From Las Vegas, take US15 north to Salt Lake City Utah.
10. From Salt Lake City, take US15 north to Idaho Falls, Idaho.
11. From Idaho Falls, take highway 26 east, to highway 89 east, to highway 191 north into the Grand Teton National Park. Then into Yellowstone.
12. Leave Yellowstone and head to your original final destination.

I know that is probably more miles than you planned to drive. It is just a suggestion.

Also, you might want to consider flying into Boston, renting one minivan (a minivan will hold 4 people and all their luggage) or two cars, and staying at motels. You can usually book 4 adults into one motel room (expected cost 100-150USD/night). When you are done with the Eastern part of the US, you can fly from Buffalo, New York to Flagstaff, rent another minivan, and party on from there.

I’m just presenting some ideas for your consideration.

5

I suggest including the Pacific Northwest in your trip. I’ve been through most of the lower 48 states several times over and in all seasons, and I think Northern California (AKA Southern Oregon or the State of Jefferson IMO), Oregon, Washington, and parts of Idaho are the best areas in the nation. No huge attractions, but enough to stay interested, and so beautiful.

6

Stay the heck away from Silent Hill!

7


8

Great info already, thanks!

I´m off to work soon but I answer quick:

- Grand Canyon was also in our minds to visit, I did not remember to write it in first post.

- Didn´t know about staying overnight at Walmarts, nice!

- About Miles per day: no idea yet how low we eould like to keep it. On European trip we did about 450miles/ every day on average but we drove alot. Maybe a bit too much even.

- Changing I94 -> I90 seems to be a good idea. Also, we have to think about those road Tolls. Taking a smaller road is usually our choice anyway but on the other hand, if we are traveling on a limited amount of time, it may be better to make some waypoints through faster. Road Tolls anyway, it´s a good reminder… I have been paying thos in several countries but since it´s not “everyday” to me, I easily forget them. 100-175USD is rather large amount for Tolls.

  • It is not yet decided if we travel back to Boston for flight or fly back from another place.

Q:

- Is the I94 toll free then or was the suggestion just to avoid Highway I90 and go smalle roads?

- Is it more typical to HAVE tolls on Highways or are there more or less free to drive? Or is it just by state or just by particular road?

- Road conditions in general?

  • Dangers on road, how much wildlife?

gotta go I´m late soon….

9

You should be able to park and sleep at truck stops. Most of those places are glad to have truck drivers and travelers take a nap and the bigger ones have designated parking.

10

I did the US last year, went with 3 mates for a month, started in Boston, rented a mustang that was all! No plan, no route, just had a rough idea of where we were going to visit (niagara falls, Grand Canyon, Vegas, NYC etc) we did 32 states and just made it up as we went along and here’s the route we ended up with! Best road trip ever!

!!

11

At least in my area, most roads are free, and usually toll roads have other roads nearby that go to the same place.

When travelling, I prefer natural/scenic vs contrived tourism.

Things to think about:
Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico
Meteor Crater in Arizona
San Antonio, TX - Alamo/Riverwalk/Tower of Americas/Zoo/Natural Bridge Caverns (smaller cave, but very nice)
Bowling Green KY - Chevrolet Corvette Museum and Mammoth Cave (reserve your tour online in advance; don’t count on getting in the same day)
Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings in Colorado…

I’ll second the “Avoid Chicago”; I’ve only been once, and have no desire to return. Also, driving through Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia is discouraged. :Sp

Our most recent road trip was through the Eastern Tennessee through the Mountains; very nice scenery though there (but I’ve never been through the Pacific Northwest to compare). Starting from Lookout Mountain and heading East, lots of very nice scenery, and overlooks. Then, the Smoky Mountains National Forest, with a lot of scenic hiking opportunities with waterfalls, mountain streams, etc. (Also, wild bears. 8) ) Unfortunately, the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are right in the heart of this area, and these towns are the armpits of the Smoky Mountains. They are both horrible tourist centers with insane traffic, crowds, and “Attractions”. I would recommend avoiding these areas as much as possible.
From there, we travelled North through the tunnel at Cumberland gap where there is a very nice overlook at the Tennessee/Kentucky/Virginia border at the Kentucky visitor center.

12

I was just thinking I want to go to N. New Mexico into the mountains. Great snow skiing at Taos and Santa fe. Gorgeous.

Plus taos and Santa fe are great, if you want town.

If you’re going to Yellowstone, I actually prefer the Green River lakes nearby. Backpack or hike.

Hoping to get to the amazing Pacific Northwest more. Coast or inland.

Maine is great. So is California. Love laguna beach, hoping to go to the lost coast someday. Tahoe has great snow skiing! Heavenly

Verizon works best in this area, might be different elsewhere. I get Verizon service in the middle of nowhere.

You can park wherever 18 wheelers park, I think. But a campground is nicer.

Grand Canyon is awesome. When I was there, you could walk 1/4 mile onto national forest and camp for free. At least that’s what people said. Grand Canyon can be crowded in summer, I’ve heard.

S. Utah is great. Tons of stuff in USA.

Not sure how much you can get to in winter in the rockies, to hike. Snowshoeing?

Feel free to ask more questions

13

I may be prejudiced having grown up on the Pacific coast but you could consider PCH/HWY 101.

Pacific Coast Highway

14

I used to live on PCH, good suggestion. You could spend a month in California. Yosemite, kings canyon, sequoia, Tahoe, Joshua tree, . San Francisco, San Diego, LA. And I haven’t mentioned the beach yet. Or redwood, and the North.

Colorado is close to the NM suggestion above.

You might pick a region, like glacier, Yellowstone, tetons, green river lakes, Banff. Or S. Utah and N. AZ.

15

Would probably be a nice tour but would also cost probably an amount, that is hard to cough up for me!

I know 2 weeks is a short time but the longer you stay, the more you will need accomodation and spending cash. Im thinking of a budget starting from 2,5K but not over 4 at least.

16

We spend about £5/6000 each, including flights, car rental, food, gas and hotels/motels and everything else, we stayed at motels and ate out every night, but the exchange rate was good at the time!

17

Lincoln never stayed here, but you can! :smiley:
I have passed through here and thought about mammoth cave but never done it yet, did they fix the sinkhole at the corvette museum?

18

Going to do another post on recommended places to see later.

I’ve traveled quite a bit alone, both in cars and on a motorcycle- I’m used to ‘rough camping’, so as long as I’m warm and dry I’m fine. That has some advantages, such as being able to camp for free in almost all National Forests (NO campfires in most, permit need for that when allowed) and being able to ‘beg’ free spots in more rural areas from roadside store owners and residents you meet while stopped. Truck-Stops usually offer showers for $1-2 so you can stay relatively clean. You can also use campgrounds, most also have showers. State and National parks may have campsites and showers along with something of interest to explore but those usually require a reservation or good luck on finding an open campsite. That’s a huge money-saver compared to motels, but it’s definitely not for everybody. So I usually mix in a hotel or motel stay every few days too.

RV’s are much more comfy than a car and you have your ‘hotel room’ wherever you go, but bigger ones are not easy to get used to driving unless you’ve got some ‘truck’ sized experience already. There’s the rotten fuel mileage, the need to fill water tanks and dump the holding tank and some campgrounds and RV parks don’t always have space available for you. Smaller is better here unless you can afford the luxury of huge; just don’t go so small as to ‘cramp’ everyone in like a car. Again some places you can stay for free- most WalMarts will let you park overnight at the far ends of their lots but only one night in a row and they will not have hook-ups. Some interstate highway rest areas have spaces for overnight parking but that will be noisy all night long.

Hotels and Motels are luxury for the traveler but are also budget-eaters. That’s the main reason I limit stays there; I’d rather have my money for more fun things! I’ve found that if you ask at locally-owned stores where a nice clean cheap motel is nearby, you can often reduce the cost considerably and still have a nice night’s stay. Hotel and Motel chains are usually very overpriced in populous areas so driving a few more miles to a smaller town can help financially, as will being flexible enough with your routing to allow for that.

Be realistic with this. Having a backache from sleeping on rough ground, being cold and miserable all night, or not being able to sleep for noise will ruin the next day’s fun and ruin the trip overall given enough of that. And in a group having just one miserable person can do the same thing for everyone so plan for everyone based on that person.

And enjoy. The US has so much to see that even the savviest traveller can’t do it all in 5 years of being constantly on the road. Don’t miss the natural wonders this land has to offer, many are unique and breathtaking beyond belief when seen in person far beyond what pictures can show. If I hit the lottery, that’s where you’ll find me till I get too old to travel, going back to my favorite places and finding the many moreI have yet to see.

Phil

19

I haven’t read any of this thread, but I’ll just drop in to say that if you’re coming to the US, Nebraska is a must-see!

20

Here’s some places I’d take in if possible though not all are on or near your route:

Niagara Falls Canada (Late afternoon best, have a couple beers at Ferry St. Cafe till it gets dark and they turn the colored lights on at the Falls, it’s beautiful both ways)

Mt Rushmore (If you’re going that way)

Grand Canyon (Unbelievable when seen in person, no pics can impart how huge it is. Possibly the most awesome natural view in the whole wide world)

Redwood forests (several are around, you won’t believe anything can grow that big, Near Yellowstone too)

Mississippi river (lower crossings better, not a lot to see but one very very very wide river than will make all other rivers look like mere streams to you afterward)

Hoover Dam (High and mighty but I don’t think you can tour inside anymore, the “Art Deco/Industrial” look at it’s finest anywhere if you can go inside. Huge for something man-made)

Great Plains (Several 2-lane routes across. Ever see a road going straight and flat to the curved horizon 50+ miles away? Just don’t cross all of it, it gets kind of boring after a couple days of driving it!)

US 50 (This is one of my fave sections of road but it’s off the beaten path and few travel it now since the interstates are faster. Go E to W from Pueblo, check out the Royal Gorge Bridge near Canon City, then watch as the Rockies jut 11,000ft straight up from relatively flat land as you go on to Monarch Pass. Detour N at Grand Junction to see the Great Salt Lakes, then back down to US50 again. Later in the Nevada and Utah desert country it turns into “The Lonliest Road In America” across the desert where “Top Gun” was filmed. You might even get ‘buzzed’ by the jet fighters training overhead, a pretty common occurrence. On to Lake Tahoe another of the most beautiful natural places I’ve ever seen during the summer; all snow in the winter! Not much more to see through there but a very unique part of America as a whole with parts of it still just as it was 100 years ago. Do it if you’ve got the extra time but take in the Great Salt Lake regardless)

US 64 (Another fave section of road. Memphis to the NC seacoast or almost any part of it. A mostly 2 lane road that gives you a true feel of the Appalachians, it’s people, it’s small towns, and life in the rural East. Slow going as a whole and some touristy areas- avoid it during the fall when the tree colors are brightest unless you love day-long 15MPH traffic but the colors of the changing leaves are stunningly beautiful then)

Too much more to mention so read everyone’s suggestions, let us know your (semi) final route plan, and we’ll point you to the interesting stuff nearby. There’s plenty of it here.

Phil