

This road trip is done point-to-point and can be done in either direction. The classic Pacific Coast Highway road trip runs from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but you can also add on San Diego in the south or continue the drive north into northern California. The Pacific Coast Highway, also called California State Route 1, runs north to south from Leggett to Dana Point. Tim and I did this over 20 years ago, and it still remains one of my favorite USA road trips. Highlights: San Francisco, Monterey, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Solvang, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles With quirky roadside stands and several great places to visit along the drive (Petrified Forest National Park, the Meteor Crater, and Flagstaff) this is one of the most iconic sections of the drive. Or, just road through a portion of Route 66. Portions of Route 66 were bypassed and neglected, although in recent years, there has been revitalization along this route.Īs far as planning your road trip, you can drive the entire distance, which takes one to two weeks, depending on what you do along the way.

In the 1960’s, as more direct highways were constructed, traffic along Route 66 declined, leading towards its demise. And in the 1950’s, this route was used by vacationers on their way to Los Angeles. In the 1930’s, it was the route used by those migrating west to escape the Dust Bowl. This road runs from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, totaling 2,448 miles. This historic road is also called the Main Street of America and the Mother Road. Route 66 is one of the most famous roads in the USA.

If you drive the entire length of Route 66, you will drive through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Highlights: Chicago, ghost towns in New Mexico and Texas, quirky roadside shops and restaurants, Petrified Forest National Park, Santa Monica. Length of Time: 1 to 2 weeks to drive the entire distance, or you can drive a section of Route 66 And on this list we have a few favorites, what we think are must-have experiences in the USA, and I’ll share those with you at the end of this guide (or you can skip ahead now). We have done all but a few of these USA road trips…several are still on our bucket list. We are on a quest to visit all 63 national parks, and they make perfect road trip destinations. Most of these road trips include at least one national park. Most of these can be done all year, but like any travel destination, there are ideal times for each of them. However, these scenic drives are included in the itineraries below.įor each road trip, we list the approximate distance you will travel and the best time of year for each trip.
#Week long road trips from boston full
This is not a list of scenic drives, which are drives that can be done in a few hours or a full day (for example, Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or Beartooth Highway). Most them are written as 7 to 10-day itineraries. These road trips range from just a several days to two weeks in length.
