My girlfriend, a few friends of mine, and I are looking to go on a trip this July, and are currently trying to pick the route. Just a few bits of information...
We have ~3 weeks (20-24 days)
Car: 2011 Subaru Forester
All recent college grads
Intent on keeping costs down
Focus on National Parks (with key cities)
We would be leaving New Jersey, stopping in Chicago, seeing the Badlands, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City, Bryce, Zion, Vegas, Grand Canyon, then heading back and stopping in Memphis and Nashville, before going home (this all clocks in at around 5,800 miles). We would obviously be hitting other stops in between, and our trip is subject to change based on any feedback we may get.
The question that I have is, would expanding the trip to include California (Lake Tahoe, Muir Woods, San Fran, Santa Cruz, Yosemite) be way too much (an addition of almost 2,000 miles)?
I am open to suggestions about how to change the trip in any way, shape, or form.
Thanks so much for your advice!