Los Angeles to New York in 21 days (one-way)

[Kelsmo]

In summer, me and my friends from Europe are planning a road trip from LA to NY. We would like to visit Las Vegas and Chicago on our way and in general, stay away from highways for more scenic views and other attractions. Please give us some suggestions on the best route to go.

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

There's no one "best route" to recommend, as the "best route" for you would be different, perhaps, than one for me. There are many ways to cross the country, and with 3 weeks to do it, you have plenty of time. (It's about a 5-6 day drive in itself.)

What I'd recommend: poke around this website and see what attractions appeal to each of you. Get out a paper map or atlas of the US and lay it out. You and your friends should look to see what appeals to the majority of you. Lay a sticky note on the place and then see how easily you can piece a route together. Come back here, let us know what you've found, and we can help you with the details of the trip.


Donna

[Kelsmo]

Ok, here is a little list:

Las Vegas
Hoover Dam
Valley of Fire
Grand Canyon
Million Dollar Highway
Mesa Verde National Park
St. Louis
Chicago
Washington DC

... and we would like to see a part of route 66.

What do you think? Would you add something to my list? I'm open to any suggestions and advices.

[Midwest Michael]

Well, the easiest place to see what's left of Route 66 (the highway hasn't officially existed for about 30 years now) is between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

There are lots of other parks you might also consider in that area, like Zion or Bryce Canyon, and Monument Valley would right on your way between GC and Mesa Verde.

Between Million Dollar Highway and St. Louis, you could look at places like Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes, and Pikes Peak.

St. Louis to Chicago is another area where Route 66 used to run, and there are a few sections of the old road - and Springfield is one of those cities it used to run through.

Between Chicago and DC, you might think about stopping in the Cleveland area, for Cedar Point Amusment Park, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Cuyogaha National Park.

Those are a few of the more well known stops. There's tons more - and the map center could help you find even more ideas that could be interesting to you.

[Kelsmo]

Thank you, but it's difficult to include all those great places.

What do you think about something like that?

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Lo...mra=ls&t=m&z=4

[Kelsmo]

I have decided to change the route:

Los Angeles - Las Vegas - Valley of Fire - Hoover Dam - Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Mesa Verde National Park - Million Dollar Highway - Denver - Rocky Mountains National Park - Badlands National Park - Milwaukee - Chicago - Cedar Point Amusement Park - Pittsburgh - Washington DC - Philadelphia - New York

3700 miles according to Google Maps

I have only 21 days, is it enough time to travel with no rush? Post some comments here, please.

[Midwest Michael]

What you hope to do isn't impossible, but it will require a very fast paced trip. A very simplified way of looking at it, you've got about 7 full days worth of driving, and you've listed 18 place you want to visit. With 21 days, that means you can't even spend a full day at hardly any of your stops. Some of the places you've mentioned don't really require a full day, but some of them I'd think you'd want to spend more than one.

In other words, you might want to trim things back a bit.

[Kelsmo]

I forgot to mention that city tours of LA and NY aren't included. We will visit these cities just before & after the road trip.

We won't stay long in places such as Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Million Dollar Highway, Denver, Badlands National Park, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia. I think, we will only stop there for couple of hours to take some photos or for a night sleep.

We are planning to stay longer in Las Vegas, Chicago, Cedar Point Amusement Park and Washington DC.

I am not sure how long we'd like to stay in Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountains. How much time would you recommend?

And in general, what do you think about this plan?

[Midwest Michael]

Even eliminating NY and LA, that's still 16 stops and 7 days of driving for 21 days, a pretty face paced trip.

As with many of your stops, you'll get out of them what you put into them.

For example, you can stop at the Grand Canyon for "a couple hours" and take a quick look over the edge, but it won't be nearly the same experience as if you spend a full day there, enjoying the many different viewpoints and experiencing a sunrise or sunset.

Mesa Verde requires at least the better part of the day, because to really see the most interesting parts of the park, like Cliff Palace, you have to take a guided tour.

There are some places, like the Hoover Dam, that don't really need a ton of time, but its easy to underestimate how much time it can take to see a place.

Again, its certainly possible to do this trip, just be careful in your planning so you don't end up with a trip where the only thing you remember about your stop of a city or park is that you stopped to take a picture.

[Kelsmo]

Thank you for your advices. I think I'll trim things back a bit and focus only on a few stops.