East Coast to LA

Hi - all , newbie here. Im from the UK and I am planning 6 month road trip across the US visitng friends along the way. October to end of Feb. A buddy of mine who is a car dealer is purchasing for me a minivan for when I arrive. I will be starting off in maryland , visiting friends in WV, FL. then making my my west at a nice slow no rushed pace, after all I will have 6 months. I will also stopping off in Texas and colorado visiting more friends. I have a sort of rough guide what I want to do, but this all depends on the winter weather and if there are closed roads. a couple of things I would like advice on.
1) Im hoping to go to New England for the fall when is the latest time to go there pending weather and the fall of the leaves, I was hoping November.
2) I have always wanted to visited Mount rushmore, will the road be ok in late november to december ?
3) on my way to visit friends in Aspen and Denver will roads be ok to access Aspen. jan time.

Because of the weather maybe be being bad for driving, I was thinking of going east to west via the southern states then up to Colorado to see friends then make my way to LA. I fly out of LA for a month in Australia then fly back again, where I was thinking since the weather will be nice by then I can do the northern states, including yellowstone, Wyoming, Mt Rushmore. maybe pop up to Alaska.

All advice would be great

Cheers

Welcome!

How do you plan to register and insure the van? It's not easy when you don't have a US residence.

Finding bad weather and closed roads is always possible anywhere out in the mountain areas anywhere in your time frame. The leaf season in New England is over by November, you need to go there FIRST as soon as you arrive.

Is the trip to Australia included in the 6 months or after it, after which you were thinking about visiting northern states? If you meant northern states in Feb, it's probably not going to be "nice" then, even at the end of the month. There might be some nice days mixed in with cold ones, but unless you are very used to cold/snowy weather, it probably won't be the most pleasant time to be outside.

Also, yes, Nov is definitely too late for leaves in New England. They'll all be on the ground by then.

To answer a few more of your questions...

November will be getting a bit late to see the best fall foliage color in New England, especially in the mountains and lake district of New Hampshire where peak color typically occurs in the first couple of weeks in October, but there will be color somewhere at that time. By late October, peak will be occurring in the Blue Ridge Ranges of Virginia and West Virginia, and by early to mid- November peak should be happening in the Piedmont and tidewater areas of Virginia and the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina/Tennessee. You can find current information on foliage during your trip here.

Roads throughout the mountain west will be subject to occasional closures during and after major snow storms. Unless you have significant experience in mountainous and winter driving, you should be off the roads well before such official closures happen. This is irregardless of the vehicle you are driving or any special equipment you might have. There is simply no substitute for experience. However, it should only be a matter of hours after the storm has passed for the road crews to have plowed/salted/sanded the roads to make them passable again. The Interstate highway system will get priority followed by major roads in heavily traveled areas, particularly tourist areas such as around Rapid City (Mount Rushmore) and the larger ski resorts (Aspen, etc.). You have the time to wait out any significant snowfall and just enjoy it's beauty without risking life and limb.

On the other hand, Alaska is not a place you want to casually visit in the winter, and Yellowstone is almost entirely closed to vehicular traffic from November until sometime in April, so those portions of your travels should wait until warmer weather. And I will just second glc's warning about the difficulties in getting a car registered and licensed to a foreign national with no fixed address in the US. Since your friend is a dealer, has a permanent address, and likely has experience dealing with the legalities, it is quite possible that he will be able to work all that out. Just make sure that the paperwork is all done properly and that you are carrying adequate insurance so that you are not taking unnecessary risks.

AZBuck

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

As you certainly know, a 6 month trip includes a whole lot of details to be worked out.

First, I will add to what GLC mentioned about the car. It is very difficult for a non-resident to get a car licensed and insured. Most of the time you will need a US drivers license before you can register or insure the car (although you are perfectly legal to drive on a UK license), and you typically need to prove that you are actually living in a state for at least 30 days to get a license.

I will also note that it is typically quite difficult and frustrating to get a visa for a 6 month visit to the US. Have you started work on that yet?

And as has been said, November is too late for leaves in New England, you really would have to go in October.

As far as winter travel, you need to really keep in mind that just because an area sees snow, it doesn't mean that it is always snowing or that roads are always bad. Even in the most northern and mountainous areas of the US, its only snowing a relatively small percentage of the time. Also keep in mind that going south doesn't keep you away from winter weather, as all 50 states can see snow, and ice is quite frequent in much of the southern US.

As for the specifics, Aspen is a major ski resort town, so certainly they do everything they can to keep the roads open, which means you'd only have to worry about a major storm. Mount Rushmore is open year round, however, most of the services like restaurants and hotels in the nearby tourist focused towns shut down by October.

Guys
thanks for the advice, let me touch on your concerns. My buddy is sorting out the registeration and insurance for me so no worries there. I already have my 6 month visa for multiple entries. Still it is always up to immigration to stamp me for the 6 months. I may get less.
I should of clarified my journey better. My plan is to do 6 months visiting friends and priority sites to see. Fly to Australia to see my buddy for a month maybe two. Then fly back to the US for another 6 month by this time it is nice weather, giving me the opportunity to visit Alaska and the northern states which all national parks would be fully open.
It certainly sounds like the US have got their asses in gear with bad weather clearing the roads quick, We are lucky if our cities even bother to clear our roads. yet they wonder why everyone complains and they just come out with some lame excuse of we didnt predict how bad it was going to be. Hello!! we live in norther Europe.

thats my little rant over with sorry! Thanks guys I guess I have a lot of planning to do. Im going to have to miss the fall until another time. As I cant make it there until November time.

If you all know of any off the beaten sites tourist dont know about let me know please. I like the unknown.

Cheers

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

With six months on the first segment, another few months on the second segment, your own car, and the whole continent at your disposal, it's really impossible for anyone to give you any meaningful specific tips at this point. We (and you) simply don't know where you're going. So the next step is for you to figure out a basic itinerary that at least starts to exclude major portions of North America. In the meantime, there are plenty of suggestions throughout these forums, in the Map Wizard, etc. I would suggest that you start by going through the resources under the "Routes and Sights" tab above.

AZBuck

Further to Buck's advice, may I suggest, if you have not already done so, that you get yourself a wall sized map of the US. My preference is for the National Geographics map, for all the detail it contains. It can also be a good idea to get it laminated. Mark on it (with sticky notes) all the places which are already on your schedule - friends, etc. As you do your research, add those places which interest you. Soon you will see your route laid out before you. After that, there is only the fine tuning and filling of the gaps to attend to.

Like yourself, I too have the six month per entry visa, and like you will have, I now also have my own vehicle. It is the way to go. Each visit so far has seen me driving some 25000+ miles north of the Mexican border, and (almost) up to the Arctic Ocean.

If AK is definitely on your agenda, make sure to get a copy of The Milepost now! It is a big book and a thick book, and is the bible of those who take the trek north. You get the best out of it, if you give yourself time to study it beforehand... especially if you are taking this trip solo.

Having just come back from my third trip up north, I am so glad I kept the 2004 edition from my first trip, which I also used in 2009.

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Originally Posted by viking

If you all know of any off the beaten sites tourist dont know about let me know please. I like the unknown.

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Of course, if we knew, and put them on the forum, they would no longer be the 'unknown'. One way to find some of these is to speak with the locals wherever you are, be they the ranger, or the 'check out chick' at the supermarket. Another is to read the bulletin boards wherever you see them. Locals often put events and places up on there, which never make it into the travel guides. Only two weeks ago I was able to alert a fellow traveller who I knew was travelling to Dawson City on the relevant days, about a midnight sun, Scottish games festival. He thoroughly enjoyed them, meeting both spectators and participants.

BTW, where in Oz will you be visiting?

Lifey

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Originally Posted by viking

Guys

I should of clarified my journey better. My plan is to do 6 months visiting friends and priority sites to see. Fly to Australia to see my buddy for a month maybe two. Then fly back to the US for another 6 month by this time it is nice weather, giving me the opportunity to visit Alaska and the northern states which all national parks would be fully open.
It certainly sounds like the US have got their asses in gear with bad weather clearing the roads quick,

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I think that plan sounds much better than visiting some of the northern areas in winter. Although it can often be fine to drive through them then, it's just not the best time of the year if you want to do much out-of-the-car sightseeing.

You may find with driving in winter that northern areas do a lot better job clearing snow efficiently that southern areas that rarely get wintry weather. Places that get snow regularly have better plans for dealing with it than those where it's much rarer.

Thanks guys

I will look into the NAtional Geo map, good idea. thanks for the book tip. to answer the question about Oz im flying into Perth as my buddy lives in Freemantle. Hey lifemagician did you have any problems keep driving into mexico and back to get stamped for another 6 months as I know you have to leave the north america to get the 6 months again. any tips would be great as I may be able to extent my trip to another 6 months after my two visits Ive mentioned.

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Originally Posted by viking

To answer the question about Oz im flying into Perth as my buddy lives in Freemantle.

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OK.... only 3000 miles away from my place!

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Keep driving into mexico and back to get stamped for another 6 months ...

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Two problems with that. One, I would not risk driving into Mexico at this time, with all the problems they are having. Secondly, just like Canada, it will not give you any further time. You need to go to a country which does not have a border with the US or its territories. But really, six months is more than enough. At the end of it, I can't wait to get out of the place... and the grandchildren at home want to see me as well.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by viking

Hey lifemagician did you have any problems keep driving into mexico and back to get stamped for another 6 months as I know you have to leave the north america to get the 6 months again.

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Mexico is actually part of North America. Besides it and Canada, certain islands in the Caribbean also don't count for leaving.

In addition to what was mentioned above with regards to Mexico not counting for leaving North America, I'm a little concerned that your current plans may already be be a red flag for customs.

My understanding is that even if you are on a longer term, multiple entry visa, the maximum stay is 6 months, and if you use all, or even nearly all of those 6 months, you're not just expected to leave north america, you're expected to be gone for several months before returning, especially for another long term stay.

I'm by no means an expert on the topic of visas, but I'd make sure what you're planning is actually going to be acceptable, and not result in an unpleasant surprise, that might even make returning to the US in the future a challenge.

Yeah Ive heard that regarding the Customs things. I was only going to stay in oz for a month and return to the US hoping for another 6 months. I may need to extend my trip in oz for it to look well not to eager to get back to US so quickly. we will see. cheers for the tips guys. Im going to buy the national geo map today. They have a big store here in London.

Michael, on several occasions over the last decade, I have written to the US Embassy in Canberra, emailed, and when I can get near them, asked at the Consulate, how long one has to take 'between' six month stays, to no avail. The answer always is that I can stay for six months, per entry. No one has ever answered the question I asked, how long between entries.

I am getting the feeling that there is no set time, and it is decided on each entry. Something which I find most unsatisfactory. I want to know before I leave home, what I am going to expect on landing at LAX.

But that's the US system for ye. Like it or leave it!

Lifey

I agree what is saying here. Ive looked on the british expats forum for answers. They are a pessimistic bunch on there, never looking positive. still I always go back to the site. anyways back to the point, what I have found on expats is that most people say that if you stay 6 months or 3 months, you should stay out of the country for the same amount of time before trying again to re-enter. I think in the end it is down to the person on the point of entry, after all if he declines you can always ask to see there supervisoro to argue your point of view.

Now that I have experienced a second entry into the US, just 9 days after I left, I can tell you how it went. That of course does not mean it will go the same for you, but....

I entered into the US on my B2 visa on 26th March, giving me permission to stay until the 25th September. I left the US on 8th July and re-entered on the 17th July. (Note: my initial six months had not been used up.)

On re-entry the border security guy asked when I would be leaving. I told him, in September. (He was one of the more obliging officers, who, noting I did not have a certain form filled in, filled it in for me. Last time that happened I was sent to the back of the queue.)

My passport has now been stamped 16th January, 2013. So go figure!

No! I will not be staying till Jan... I will be going home in September. All it really means to me is that I could have a few more days in case I have difficulty finding where to store my van during my absence. Mind you, I need to factor in the cost of changing my flight details.

Lifey