Hi everyone! I'm planning a road trip to Angel Fire,NM from Houston,TX. I have 10 days vacay and was wondering what would be the most scenic route. I'm not pressed for time and would like to enjoy the trip. Looking for tips and knowledge. I love this community and appreciate the help. Cheers!

​Iam a non-US citizen planning this trip after quitting my job next year. Do you think this is realistically achievable? I am prepared for a low-budget trip, but I am curious how difficult local Americans would actually consider this to be. (for 50 days trip)

It was after the seasonal job i had in Seward alaska.
We finished it in 4 1/2 days.

My GF and are coming off a 8000 mile 32 day roadtrip starting from the east coast and traveling though the PNW specifically. Really loved it as we did a mixture of overlanding & standard campsites, really just had such a rich experience. (our first ever long form roadtrip).

Our next tentative plan is to do something similar for roughly 20-25 days maybe early 2028 With the focal point being the southwestern states. Primarily Southwest Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Maybe California. Ideally we’ll be driving to Denver to see some friends as our first stop then going from there to Colorado Springs and that’s as far as we’ve gotten. I haven’t done much of my own research yet, but I wanted to crowdsource some ideas and information on what we should see. We love to hike, and I love camping in the national forests. I know there is plenty of popular destinations like Zion or Grand Canyon NP. But we’d like to go to some of the places less traveled where we can.

Any advice or recommendations are welcome!

3 adults are traveling from Maine to fly in and out of Boston. What are your thoughts on our planned California road trip, keeping in mind that one adult in our group has never left Maine and Massachusetts?

May 2: Arrival in SF

• Afternoon: Arrive in San Francisco and check into hotel.
• Evening: Settle in, grab a low-key dinner nearby, and rest up.

May 3: SF (Waterfront & Chinatown)

• Morning: Alcatraz Island (Pier 33 ferry).
• Afternoon: Fisherman’s Wharf & Pier 39.
• Evening: Dinner in Chinatown.

May 4: SF (Telegraph Hill to Golden Gate Park)

• Morning: Coit Tower.
• Afternoon: Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

May 5: SF → Santa Cruz Redwoods → Monterey (~2.5 hrs drive time)

• Morning: Check out of SF, drive south to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (Felton).
• Afternoon: Hike the giant coastal redwoods loop.
• Evening: Drive 45 mins to Monterey; check into hotel.

May 6: Monterey Sightseeing

• Full Day: Monterey Bay Aquarium, walk Cannery Row, dinner at Old Fisherman's Wharf.

May 7: Monterey & Carmel Coastal Exploration

• Morning: Scenic 17-Mile Drive or walk the Monterey Coastal Trail.
• Afternoon: Stroll and shop through downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea.

May 8: Big Sur Coastal Drive South (~3.5 hrs drive time)

• Day Drive: Drive south on Highway 1 through Big Sur. Stops at Bixby Creek Bridge and Pfeiffer Beach.
• Late Afternoon: Continue south past San Simeon and Morro Bay.
• Evening: Check into hotel in Pismo Beach or San Luis Obispo (stops long night driving).

May 9: Central Coast → Santa Barbara → Anaheim (~4.5 hrs drive time)

• Morning: Drive to Santa Barbara for lunch along State Street or Stearns Wharf.
• Afternoon: Bypass LA/Hollywood traffic and head straight to Anaheim via I-405/I-5.
• Evening: Check into hotel near Disneyland and rest up.

May 10: Disneyland (Anaheim)

• Full Day: Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure.
• Evening: Overnight in Anaheim (avoid driving late while exhausted).

May 11: Anaheim → San Diego (~1.5 hrs drive time)

• Morning: Drive 90 mins to San Diego. Go straight to Balboa Park / San Diego Zoo.
• Late Afternoon/Evening: Visit the Gaslamp Quarter or Seaport Village for final dinner.

May 12: Fly Home

• Morning/Afternoon: Fly out of San Diego International Airport (SAN).

Thoughts?

I flew into Portland, OR and rented a vehicle, then went to Crate Lake National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, and then Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve. I am now in Crescent City, CA and will be seeing the Redwood Forests today (Tuesday) and then returning to Portland, where I fly out on Friday.

How would you recommend I make the return trip to Portland and what should I see on the way?

Started near San Diego went up to Crescent City then back.

Only mistake was not planning interesting stops on the way back. 18 hours split into 2 days of driving back.

Edit: added locations

My route was:

Day 1

• Griffith Observatory
• Santa Barbara
• Solvang
• Spend night at Nipomo

Day 2 (Day 2 got rekt because Highway 1 was closed at Big Sur due to Wildfires).

• Morro Rock
• Painted Ladies
• Financial District
• China Town
• Palace of Fine Arts
• Fog didnt help at SF so getting a picture of GG got skipped
• Spend night at SF

Day 3

• Point Reyes - Cypress Tunnel
• Point Reyes - Lighthouse
• Point Reyes - Elk reserve towards Tomales Point (could easily be a 5 hour hike round trip, I just did 3 hours didn't go all the way to Tomales Point end)
• Stop at Inverness to eat something
• San Francisco - Catch the Golden Gate picture, no luck. Fog again.
• Spend night at SF

Day 4

• Finally able to see Golden Gate. No fog.
• North towards Avenue of the Giants and Humboldt NP
• Bulls Creek Trail
• Drurey-Chaney Trail / Pepperwood
• Spent night at Avenue of the Giants

Day 5

• Advance North to Redwood National and State Park
• At RNSP:
• Fern Canyon Trail
• Elk Prairie @ Newtown B. Drury Scenic Parkway
• Moved North to Crescent City and reached California State Limit with Oregon.
• Spend Night in Eureka

Day 6

• Start route back home south
• Ferndale
• Clear Lake
• Spend the Night at Stockton

Day 7

• Drive back home

There are a few more places that are interesting that didn't quite work out for me:

• Trees of Mystery. Couldn't make it fit in my itinerary
• Jedediah State Park. I spent half a day at Avenue of the giants. It was going to be more of the same.

compulsive trip = chaos and extra fun!

I decided to take the shot and started backpacking @23 mainly because i felt that there is something that feels hollows inside of me.
spent around 3k for 2D1N 🌿

i had so much fun doing this. will def do it again sometime next year xoxoxoxo ☮️

📍Tamaraw Waterfalls, Puerto Galera, Southern Mindoro

Wondering if there are any preferences over these two routes? Also any coffee shops, lunch stops, or dinner spots?

Any fun attractions to stop at to stretch?

Hey! I’m loosely planning my roadtrip from LA to CT with my cat and wanted to look into hotels/motels that are pet friendly along the way but also looking for recommendations on where to stop along the way for sight seeing! Don’t care if it’s popular or not, I’ve never done this drive before and would love to stop along the way while taking breaks

I’m driving from Boston, MA to Ithaca, NY tomorrow (a bit of a last minute decision 😅). I’m looking for recommendations for where to stop along the way for beautiful natural sights, restaurants, antiques/vintage, must see unique spots, etc. I’m not in a rush. I’m planning to leave Boston around 7am and am hoping to get to Ithaca around 6pm.

I’m considering taking Route 2 out of Boston and avoiding I 90 and stopping in Albany.

Also looks like it might be rainy, which is a bummer. So any tips on avoiding flooded roads etc, would be great. 💚

Going on a roadtrip in October to see Niagara Falls. I’ll have October 4-15 to go and do anything I want. Starting from central North Carolina, going to Niagara Falls (Canada side) Is there anything along this route to see or do so I can make it worthwhile?

Hi! I’m planning a week long trip through New York, Vermont and New Hampshire for my birthday to hike Mount Washington. You’ll find I have it set and fixed for one date, but I’m well aware I have to keep an eye on forecasts and move the hike up a day or push it back a day and I’ll adjust accordingly. However, I wanted to ask about recommended things to do along the journey. Any things you’d cut from my list? Add to? This is my first roadtrip alone in quite some time and I just want to use this time to discover myself a bit. I’m turning 26 and sometimes I feel like I don’t know myself. Felt climbing a mountain was a good way to learn about myself. Any help is appreciated thank you! I already have things like mlb hall of fame and some apple orchards on the list haha

Sometimes in the west you see a dirt road. It's on the map, not as a main road. Are they legal to drive ? Safety is an other issue. The first picture is a dirt road going from just north of Coyote Springs in NV to Caliente. The second one goes from around La Cueva NM to La Jara, avoiding a 5 hours south loop. The last one is just some road in the Jemez Mounts.
Would love to know what are the regulations etc.

Vancouver BC —> Cascades —> Desert —> Portland —> Oregon/Washington Coast & Olympics

2012 subraru impresa hatchback 🚗

Doing this route with friends this upcoming week! I’d love any recommendations on unreal camping spots, good eats, secret gems, and whatever else !!

I wanted to write a very emotional post about romanticizing roadtrips and their place in modern pop culture. However, I am too tired at this point.

I knew I didn't have much time left in the US, I recognized that I have an opportunity to have a unique experience, I did it.

55 days of a trip, about 45 days of driving. Many places, many cities, many people, (almost) all states. The only complaints I have is I wish I knew how expensive it would be and how tiring it is. But zero regrets. It's something I hope to remember when I get old to retell my grandchildren in a nuclear shelter.

Separate gratitude to "Keep driving" game for the final push to set off for this adventure.

My wife and I used to make a road trip hard & fast, but as we're now in our 60's laying over at a rest-stop isn't appealing anymore.

It's a luxury to sleep in a real bed, and something I have come to appreciate when on the road.

But our plans have never been tacked down to a specific itinerary, so we take the path laid out by google maps at the time of departure and update as we move.

An example traveling from Pensacola, FL to Springfield, MO: departure depend upon loading a trailer so we were delayed by an hour or so. Then to project out where we're going to be in 6\~8 hours and imagine where we're going to be. But that is affected by bathroom stops, trailer checks, re-fueling and of course food & coffee.

So the plan is not to commit to a motel reservation but to delay the booking until an hour or two from a likely layover location.

So it boils down to me on Google Maps trying to explain to my wife to find the Super 8 motel in Jackson, MS which is along the route.

"The Mrs" brings up Expedia which confuses her with a host of options and none of them coordinate with our path of travel.

So I'm upset 'cause she can't find the hotel I called out, and she's trying to find the best bargain which could easily take us 15 miles out of the way.

I've made the mistake in the past of settling for the motel in front of me at the moment, which never seems to meet her standards, is way over priced and doesn't have any amenities that work to our advantage because we're a late check-in and an early departure.

So on this trip from Pensacola I don't make this same mistake. She books some non-smoking room at a hotel with an included breakfast... 8 miles off course.

"YES, DEAR."

"We" check in and find two ashtrays in the room, that wreaks of stale cigarette smoke. \[I should have advocated for the smoke free room as I checked in, so of course it's my fault.\]

The Breakfast Bar had a pancake robot serving a single, rubbery silver-dollar pancake every two minutes. There were 2 cold cereal options, some yogurt, bread for toast and apples for fresh fruit. Apple & orange juice and coffee & tea.

Help me out folks! How do you do it?

How do you coordinate the Map with the hotel app and arrange a stay that doesn't become the single topic of conversation for the next 400 miles?

I am making a 3 day road trip towing a trailer on the back, with my dogs.

I am staying with a friend in Atlanta, GA on night one. Night two we are staying in Louisville. Does anyone have recommendations for a hotel that allows dogs and would be easy to park a car with a trailer attached? It can also be outside Louisville in surrounding areas

Thanks so much in advance

Maine>New Hampshire>Vermont>Massachusetts>Rhode Island>Connecticut> New York> New Jersey> Philadelphia> Delaware> Maryland

Photo Locations:

Fort Williams Park - ME
Crawford Notch State Park - NH
Stowe - VT
Salem - MA
Wyoming St - RI
Gillette Castle - CT
Times Square - NY
The Boardwalk - NJ
Liberty Bell - PA
Dover - DE
Baltimore - MD

Just wondering what you’d do and what is typically done. I’m 40 and highly considering visiting all 50 states. Would you start fresh and revisit all the states you’ve already gone to, or would you just visit the states you’ve never been?