Roadtrip Ideas needed - 4 days leaving from NC

I'm turning 30 in August. I want to plan a solo roadtrip for that same time frame. I have from August 8th through August 12th free. I'm starting at Winston Salem NC. I have never been further north than WV. I grew up in TN and KY so that's not in my plan. I have been through SC extensively, and GA, FL, and the deep south are out due to it being so hot this time of year. I have been looking into WV, OH, etc. but I'm open to anything that's not TOO far away.

I'd love to see some of the wonders of this area - the mountains, the forests, the national parks. I'm jealous of the scenery in the west, but we have to have some great stuff in the East as well.

Where would you go? I'd like to do only up to 350 miles a day or so. I drive 625 miles home one way so i'm pretty used to driving, but I wouldn't want to be too far away from home on the drive back.

Welcome to the RTA forum!

One place that I think would be well within your reach is the New River Gorge in West Virginia. I haven't been there yet myself, but it really looks like a pretty cool place that fits into your goals

Its also less than 200 miles away, so it certainly falls within your desire to stay fairly close to home.

From there you could continue exploring some of PA's mountains or Amish country. And since you have 4 days, I'd have to think that Niagra Falls could be on the outter reaches of your possible destinations.

With four days, you have several options. The ones Michael has suggested are fine, and here's another. You can make a loop that will take you to both ocean and mountains, rural and urban, modern and historic. You'd start out on the first day by heading for the coast at Norfolk/Virginia Beach with a stop in Historic Halifax. On the second day, cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel onto the Delmarva Peninsula and proceed up along the Atlantic side with stops at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge before crossing the peninsula to savor some of the small town charm of Maryland's Eastern Shore. Day 3 would take you across the Bay Bridge and into Annapolis and/or Washington before heading west a bit through Manassas. Finish up on Day 4 with a leisurely drive down one or both of the Shenandoah Valley or Blue Ridge Mountains.

AZBuck

I'm staying up late all tonight planning this. Of course I'm sure i'll change it 12 times b4 then.

Anyway, i love the ideas, but since more than likely i'll be going solo I'm going to stay away from the DC area. I love VA and DC but the traffic can be a little overwhelming for me. I'm a little obsessed with the wild West VA. (I'm a little scared too! Deliverance anyone?)

Anyway, here is the rough draft - it seems like a good starter roadtrip

Winston Salem, NC to Charleston, WV 207 miles
Charleston to Pittsburgh, PA 228.1 miles
Pittsburgh, PA to Martinsburg, WV 189.5 miles
Martinsburg, WV to Winston Salem, NC 329.30

I'm not really happy with this, as i'd like to get in either OH or MD, but I don't see a good way to do that without getting into all that congestion around the capitol and Baltimore.

If what leaves you unhappy about your current plan is that you won't be getting to see Ohio or Maryland, that is easily fixed with just some minor tweaking to your route. Between Charleston and Pittsburgh the 'standard' routes is to just use I-79 which directly connects the two cities, but there is another more scenic, albeit somewhat slower option. Head north out of Charleston on I-77 up to Marietta, OH and then take OH-7 up the Ohio River valley to Steubenville. You would then enter Pittsburgh from the west on US-22. Similarly, between Pittsburgh and Martinsville, you can leave Pittsburgh on PA-51 south to Uniontown and there pick up US-40, the old National Road through southwestern Pennsylvania and Western Maryland before turning south on I-81 at Hagerstown, MD.

AZBuck

I'm planning a trip for my birthday in August. I plan to be gone from August 7 returning August 10. I wanted to ride the train to the Providence RI, but budget wise that is out of the question. With the budget that I have, I'm thinking a road trip - preferably 1000-1200 miles round trip from
Winston Salem NC - and camping might be the ticket. However, I can't really find an itinerary that works for this. Any ideas? I've been through OH, IN, TN, KY, and WVA so I'm trying to avoid them. I like the idea of PA, NY but I'm not sure where to go and what to see. I love the great outdoors, and I'm thinking that it would be nice to focus this more on the simple pleasures of life rather than an urban adventure.

One of which I've recommended several times before and one I haven't, but they could easily be put together to give you some quiet outdoor time, give you access to parts of Pennsylvania and New York, and have plenty of camping. The first is the Delmarva Peninsula, and the second is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The Delmarva Peninsula can be gotten to from W-S by a half day's drive to Virginia Beach and then over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The southern portion of the peninsula in particular is home to a large number of quaint towns, wildlife refuges and state parks. For great beaches a little farther north, there's Assateague and Chincoteague islands and Delaware Seashore State Park, as well as the more honkey-tonk Ocean City and Rehoboth Beach. on the western side of the peninsula, there's the Eastern Shore of Maryland with quiet little towns such as Easton and Oxford, the Chesapeake Maritime Museum in St. Michael's and the schooner Sultana in Chestertown. If that (and nearby Annapolis, Washington, and Philadelphia) aren't enough to fill a weekend, head over to southern New Jersey. You can either go by ferry from Lewes, DE to the Victorian Cape May, NJ or cross the Delaware River on the bridge south of Wilmington. In either case, your outdoor goal would be Wharton State Forest, and the Pinelands National Preserve. I did a lot of canoeing on the West Branch of the Wading River through there, and have rarely felt as cut off from the 'big city' while being so close. Another outdoor destination would be the Brigantine Bay National Wildlife Refuge. If you do get that far and find you still have time and want to extend your trip farther, there's always NYC for the hustle and bustle or the Delaware Water Gap for more natural surroundings.

AZBuck