USA Road Trip

I'd recommend going through South Dakota on I-90 rather than North Dakota on I-94. I can't think of a single thing of note in North Dakota and that area of Montana but South Dakota has a bunch of cool and neat things that you can see and do.

Also I must ask, is there anything specific that brings you to Buffalo or is it just general coverage?

I live in California, and near San Francisco for more than 20 years. I have visited Los Angeles many times. I can answer anything you need about these places.

>>1229602
im going through canada so ill visit toronto, and niagra falls, then come through buffalo.
this route isn't a perfect one, it's just a rough thing i put together. e.g. from california to san fran ill be talking route 1, not the one shown on map.

what are some places to look for in south dakota?

>>1229608
what are the touristy things to do here? and what are the mainstream places i should avoid?

also is yosemite worth going?

>>1229467
skip New Mexico. cut through Utah and Colorado. Denver is rad, and driving through the rockies is not to be missed.

when driving up the west coast, take the 1, otherwise known as the PCH and go all the way up to Portland. you are missing some of the best highway scenery in the world by just stopping in San Francisco.

Utah is the most beautiful state. Zion NP is unmissable.

>>1229467
>not including how long you'll be here
USELESS OP
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>>1229648
I'm guessing this will take about a month. My major stops are going to be in Houston, and Minneapolis. Everything else will be a day or two max except for LA i guess.

>>1229637
i'm already taking the 1 to san fran, but ill think about going all the way to portland. i dont know baout denver, that's a really long detour

>>1229467

Unless you have some pressing need to see Amarillo, I'd hang south from Albuquerque and go through El Paso and take the 20 to Dallas.

En route, White Sands is stunning, and barely an hour detour. You'll also go through the Guadalupe mountains, and can stop by the Carlsbad Caverns if you like. El Paso is also the capital of texmex if that's your thing.

Oh and ffs take the PCH from LA to San Fran - you're missing out on the most beautiful coastline in America in favor of saving MAYBE 2-3 hours drive time. My aunt lives in Morro Bay and if it wasn't Commiefornia it would be paradise on earth

>>1229467

You have ZERO reasons to take the 94 through North Dakota, as another anon said. I'd go due east from Yellowstone, camp in Bighorn, then Black Hills (Mt Rushmore is a tourist trap, but still worth a quick visit), then Badlands. That whole area is probably my favorite part of the country.

1) buy an "america the beautiful" pass
2) if you're planning on camping (especially popular places like yosemite or yellowstone) hurry up and get your reservations in. many places fill up 6 months in advance.

>>1229683
>>1229682
as i said here >>1229624
this is a very rough sketch, i'm going to make changes as the thread progresses.

also the other guy said go through denver, now i can either go to denver or el paso but not both, what do u guys recommend?

>>1229684

Second the pass. Also, it's okay to not camp in Yellowstone or Yosemite. National forests surround most of the big parks, and almost always have empty campsites within. I've found campsites withou much trouble even as the sun was setting just 1/2 hour outside Yellowstone. Don't stress it unless you really really need to camp inside a national park.

>>1229685

El Paso anon here, my city is definitely worth seeing, but if you have the time to spare going north from Vegas is awesome. Bear in mind driving the rockies+Utah is going to be a pretty serious time sink though, and many of the passes close in winter. Oh and if you do go north you owe it to yourself to see Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, the works. Gorgeous state.

>>1229625

If you want input about Los Angeles, go to this thread: >>1228862

If you want info on San Francisco, check out his video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPS9bEEEEs0

The main tourist attractions in SF are the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, a ride on a cable car, and Chinatown. I'd also recommend Golden Gate Park because it has several attractions such as the Japanese tea garden, the DeYoung Museum, and the California Academy of Sciences. If you want a local feel, grab a bottle of wine and sit at Delores Park in the Mission District and talk to locals. an Francisco is a lot smaller than Los Angeles but I've always felt there is more to see in SF.

>>1229625
Yes, Yosemite is worth checking out. It's beautiful.

>>1229602
>I can't think of a single thing of note in North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park

In my top 5 national parks in the nation

Cool trip

Make plenty of time for Big Sur and Redwoods in California

If at all possible, stretch the trip down to utah arches and canyon lands, and Colorado rocky mountains

As I said in >>1229730, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. South Dakota badlands is pretty incredible too though.

In Chicago check out the Lincoln Park side of town

File: Red_RocksAir1879SM.jpg (569KB, 600x400px) Image search: [Google]

569KB, 600x400px

>>1229685
if you are going during the summer, get through denver for sure.

seeing a concert at red rocks is a bucket list tier thing to do.

>>1229624
>>1229682

The PCH is closed for large stretches until May and the whole thing probably won't open until next year.

>leaving out Washington

>>1229772
This. Large chunks of the highway (including bridges) got washed into the ocean by the heavy rains this winter. There are multiple towns that were essentially cut off by this.

>>1229772
>>1229861
i said im going in july

>>1229782
it'll add another week to the trip, im planning to drive to washington and take a short cruise to alaska. let me see

>>1229870
Yes, and parts of the highway still will not be open by then.

>>1229992
Hmm.. ok thanks, so basically if i want to do that drive i should go north of California?

If you like art museums you should stop by the Detroit and Cleveland art museums

Instead of taking I-5 in California, you should take Route 1 also known as the Pacific Coast Highway where you will get a very nice view the whole way, and if you are bored you can go on the beach and hang out with the elephant seals. Then, you could drive through The Avenue of the Giants which have the Redwood trees, biggest trees in the world. At one point, you can drive right through a redwood tree. LA traffic will be horrible, just letting you know.
You should go more south in Utah where all the rock formations are. After the Grand Canyon, go south in Arizona so you can drive through a nice desert landscape with saguaro cacti. Don't bother driving through Northern Texas. It is very boring. Go down to El Paso and take the southern route through San Antonia, maybe visit Austin before you go to Houston.
Instead of going through Kansas/Missouri, you should stop in New Orleans first and up through Mississippi, Tennessee instead.
Not sure why you want to go through that much of Ontario. Not much to see desu but whatever.
Also, don't listen to people about North Dakota. Driving through the boringness is part of the fun. People make large oversized art projects on the side of the road like World's Largest Tire, etc.

>>1229685
100% do El Paso. Denver is a nice city to live, but lots of Denverites confuse that with being a good place to visit too, which it is, if you're an american. However, if you're a foreigner you'll get a cultural experience in El Paso you won't get in the rest of the country or back home, plus you get to see things like the Carlsbad Caverns and the White Sands like >>1229682 said. Plus, unlike Denver, the El Paso route only adds about three hours to your driving time.

>>1230416
dude i don't think you've understood my route. im going to be starting my journey in houston, and ending it there. Taking such big detours will add many days to my trip, which i cant afford

Thank you all for your suggestions, I'm trying to make a new route. My major issue is with all of the stops recommended, I'm going back and forth very often, so ill probably have to eliminate few national parks.

Which are the absolute must see national parks or monuments that i cant miss under any circumstances?

>>1230689
Utah and teton/yellowstone. Others are nice but those are highly recommended for good reasons. Glacier np is nice too but going to be hard for your route.

>>1230729
obviously i cant go to all in utah, ill try to go to Zion. anything else in north or south utah worth checking out, wont be able to manage mid utah

>>1229467
Bruh go through Montana instead of Wyoming.

I'd add a little detour to see Mackinac bridge and Mackinac Island. The Fort on the straits too.