Cross Country, ohio to california, ideas/advice?

[Crosscountree]

Hi!!



I am in the early stages of planning a cross-country trip from Cincinnati to California, and am just looking for any advice/suggestions from anyone with experience with this kind of thing. I am planning on going with three other friends, and we are trying to go to as many national parks as we can (especially trying to get to Yosemite) and some other places. We love hiking and camping and that sort of thing, so any ideas/advice is hugely welcome. I am wondering if anyone has any advice about the pros and cons of renting a car vs. driving for this sort of trip. If you have any suggestions of must see places along the way, please let me know!! ANY advice is greatly appreciated!!!

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

It sounds to me like you are at the stage of planning where you need to take your big idea of a cross country roadtrip, and now start turning it into a workable plan.

That really means getting the foundation of your trip: the who, what, when, where, why, how type questions.

You need to figure out how much time and money you've realistically got available. From there you need to figure out which specific spots you consider your own "must sees" and want to focus on. (Since you want to focus on National Parks, nps.gov will be a great site to spend some time on). Once you've got your main stops dialed in, then it gets much easier to fill in the gaps of what's in between.

You'll also need to figure out things like what you'll do for food, lodging, and transportation. Unless you are all at least 25, renting a car may be cost prohibitive.

Of course, this site is filled with tips, advice, and details of actual experiences. Spend a little time looking around, and as you have more specific questions, feel free to ask.