LA to New York in September?

[MissK]

Hi, I'm in Australia and heading over to the US in September.

We want to drive rather than fly from LA to New York.

We're prepared for the fact that it's a massive trip - but can anyone tell me how long? And a suggested route?

[RoadTripper Brad]

Greetings, and welcome to the Forum!

How long the trip takes you depends on what route you take and what kind of road trip you choose. If you do a straight shot speed-run, you can easily make it into New York from LA in 3-5 days. However, if you're going to sight-see and zig-zag your way across the country, you could see anything from 7-days to a month or more. It all depends on you, what you want to see or how fast you need to get there.

We could help with a route, but we would all need to know if you need to get to New York ASAP or if you can take your time. It will make big differences in what routes we suggest!

-Brad

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

It's about 2800 miles from Los Angeles to New York by either of two major routes. The southern route crosses the Southwest on I-40 and then cuts across the Midwest on I-44 to St.Louis and then I-70, finishing up on I-78 into New York. The northern route heads up I-15 into Utah and then follows I-70 over the Rocky Mountains, cuts up on I-76 to join I-80 across the plains and through the cities of the Great Lakes region and into New York. There is less than a 10 mile difference in the two, which you choose will depend on what you want to see. Have a look at one of the on-line mapping sites that we recommend to get an idea of what's along the way

AZBuck

[MissK]

Thanks guys, I'll do that - we have about three weeks to do a round trip, and aren't adverse to leaving the car somewhere, flying, then flying back to the car.

We're wanting to get to Michigan, then New York- and see some fun stuff on the way, and way back.

What should we DEFINITELY NOT miss?

[AZBuck]

As Brad noted, it's difficult to recommend things to people when we know practically nothing about their interests and intentions. The essence of a RoadTrip is the freedom it grants to the participants to go where they will, when they will, and to do what they will. What I consider a "must-see", you might find an incredible bore. So everything I'm going to suggest must be taken with a grain of salt and filtered through your own perspective. With only 3 weeks, you would have barely enough time to make two transcontinental journeys and accomplish whatever you've got planned in Michigan and New York. Since you want to get to Michigan, you should take the northern route I described in my previous post. If you drive the entire trip, then you can look at taking the southern route on the way back depending on whether you want to see some new places or see some things you missed on the northern route. The Michigan stop also makes it difficult to find a place to leave the car part way that makes sense. I'd think Denver might work, but then you'd be without the car for both the Michigan and New York portions, which sound like where you'll be spending a fair amount of time and would probably want your own transportation, and if you drive as far as Michigan, New York is only one hard day's drive farther. So, you've got some choices to make, but I'll at least list some of the more compelling things along the northern route to help you make them.

In the west, the attractions are mainly geologic and scenic. Among those that aren't too far off your path are Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Parks in Utah and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Across the center of the country, you'll be passing by agricultural centers and towns steeped in the history of America's expansion westward, including the Amana Colonies in Iowa and the Oregon Trail sites in Nebraska listed in this post. Farther east, the landscape becomes more urban, and you should look into the attractions in Chicago, and also consider (if your car rental agreement allows it) heading from the Detroit area through southern Ontario, Canada to Niagara Falls before heading into New York.

AZBuck