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Six
breathtaking road trips in the USA
Take
care: when zooming or moving the map, do not click on
the actual route line itself, as it may disappear. To get it back,
you'll need to reload the page!
Scroll down for
information on the six routes
Map markers:
red
major airports –
blue:
historic sites –
green: national
parks, landscapes.
Road trips are for discovering America's
Great Outdoors. And it is great in different senses. Visiting the USA
means visiting a
continent
rather
than visiting a
country, meaning that visitors planning a trip very much need to know
what
kind of trip they hope to enjoy
once there. "Doing the USA" in a single trip, as you might
"Do Scotland". Don't even think about it, even if you have
several months to spare
In today's world, where we've woken up
to the potential disasters of climate change, some people have
hesitations about driving long distances; but road trips are not the
gas-guzzling activities they used to be. E-vehicles can be hired all
over the USA, and recharging points are available in many locations,
including stores, hotels and parking lots. And road-trips are not what
they used to be; gone are the days when the ultimate road trip involved
hiring a massive 6-liter Cadillac, or a Chevrolet Camaro SS
with 6.2 liters under the hood. You can find hire cars that
do over 30 miles to the US gallon.
Each of the six routes below starts and finishes at a international
airport with direct flights from Europe, or indirect flights via
another hub.
Six wonderful road trips to discover the USA
1. The Mother Road - Route 66
From
Chicago to
LA, "more than two thousand miles all the way"
See detailed
Route
66 Map and guide
Getting there: Both
Chicago's O'Hare airport and Los Angeles International airport have
direct connections with cities all over the world.
2 The Pacific Highways
Seattle to Los Angeles -
Hug the coast of the Pacific Ocean, mostly on US 101 and California 1,
all the way from Seattle, via San Francisco to Los Angeles. Optional
continue to San
Diego. This has to be the best seaside highway in the world, with
spectacular views. But don't expect any swimming north of San Francisco
- the waters of the Pacific are cold.
Getting there: Seattle has
direct flights from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other major
European and Asian cities; Los Angeles International airport
has direct connections with cities all over the world.
3 The Mountain West
San Francisco to Denver.
Discover Yosemite National Park, Bodie ghost town,
Sacramento, Lake Tahoe,
Yellowstone National Park, Grand
Teton National Park and plenty of astonishing scenery.
Getting there: Both
Seattle and Denver airports are served by direct flights from major
airports in Europe and Asia
4. America's Deserts
Denver to Salt Lake
City
Start by taking in one (or both) of two amazing historic
steam
railways, the Cumbres & Toltec or the Durango and Silverton.
Then
see the historic cliff dwellings at
Mesa Verde, before
continuing to
the Grand
Canyon, Monument Valley, the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas if you want
it, and three astonishing natural parks, Capitol Reef, Arches
and
Bryce Canyon.
Getting there: Both Salt
Lake City and Denver airports are served by direct flights from major
airports in Europe and Asia
5. Highway 51 and 61 - the Blues road
From (Minneapolis or)
Chicago
to New Orleans via the Mississippi
valley,
Mephis, Vicksburg and Baton Rouge. See
Cities of the Heartland
.
Getting there: Chicago
airport has direct flights to airports in major Europe cities;
New Orleans has direct flights to London and Paris, and connecting
flights to other palces
6 The Southeast coast -
Raleigh-Durham
to Miami
(1550 km). This seaside route takes you through the historic
towns
of Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, and
Saint
Augustine, and through plenty of beach resorts such as
Daytona Beach
and Miami. For a unique experience, extend the trip by
following
the "Overseas highway", a 110 mile series of bridges running
all
the way out to Key West.
Getting there: Miami
airport has direct
flights to airports in major Europe cities; Raleigh Durham has
direct
flights to London and Paris, and connecting flights to other palces
More
information on selected cities
Boston,
Chicago,
Las Vegas,
Los
Angeles,
Miami,
Memphis,
New
Orleans,
New York,
Philadelphia,
San
Francisco,
Sacramento,
Seattle,
Washington
DC
► More things to see :
Interactive map
of main rourist cities and sites in the USA
For more background to the USA.....
► Book / ebook
A
Background to modern America -
people, places and
events
that have played a significant role in the shaping of modern
America. A C1-level Advanced English reader for speakers of other
languages, and anyone wanting to learn some of the background
to
today's USA. Twenty-two texts, with vocabulary guides and
exercises.
For California, discover
About-California.com, a short
guide for
visitors.
Health care for visitors and
tourists to the USA
People visiting the USA as a tourist, even those with US citizenship,
are very strongly
advised to take out a travel health insurance policy to cover their
stay/s in the USA. Medical costs in the USA can be very high, and even
a simple visit to a doctor can cost typically between $100 and $200,
and a day in hospital may well cost over $3,000.
About-the-USA.com
is
an independent guide to the USA, free of external advertising. Pages
may contain links to useful external websites, including US government
websites and other official sources, as well as
affiliate links to relevant travel service providers. A small
commission may be earned from purchases made through these
affiliate links.
Other
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- Le guide de l'Angleterre, en français
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