A continent of a country, two great trips: the West of mythical national parks, from the Grand Canyon to Yosemite by way of Monument Valley and Las Vegas, and the East of monument cities, from New York to New Orleans via Boston, Washington and the beaches of Florida. Roads running straight to the horizon, motels, diners and unapologetic excess: the United States remains the land of the absolute road trip, the one you plan like a film and that keeps its promises.
Itineraries
The complete itinerary
Eighty-eight days in a loop from New York: New England and the Great Lakes, Chicago and the South, Florida and its parks, the historic Southeast, the political cradle of the country, then New York to finish.
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The complete itinerary
89 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel.
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Or take it one module at a time
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Petrified wood, radio telescopes, the roof of Texas, giant caverns and thousand-year-old adobes all the way to the dunes of Colorado.
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The Statue of Liberty and its crown, Brooklyn Bridge on foot, the High Line, Central Park, the Met and Coney Island, entirely by subway.
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From the oldest city in the United States to the blue ridges of the Appalachians, with Fort Sumter, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Biltmore Estate.
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From the yuccas of Joshua Tree to the lowest point in America, then four nights in the excess of Las Vegas.
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From Los Angeles to San Diego: film studios, Pacific beaches, Catalina Island and legendary parks.
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From Seattle to the volcanoes of the Cascades, between century-old markets, giant forests and crater lakes.
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Cliff dwellings, dizzying gorges, sandstone arches and the Rockies: the great mineral finale before the plains.
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Zion, Bryce, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and both rims of the Grand Canyon: the mythical heart of the West.
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From the walls of Yosemite to the mists of the Golden Gate: thousand-year-old sequoias, the temples of Silicon Valley and the hills of San Francisco.
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Bison of the Badlands, granite presidents, the geysers of the world's first national park, and the loop closing back on Seattle.
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Jamestown and Williamsburg, Monticello and Skyline Drive, six days in the federal capital, then Baltimore and the Philadelphia of Independence.
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From the skyscrapers of Manhattan to Niagara Falls, by way of the Newport mansions, revolutionary Boston, Acadia and the White Mountains.
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From the architecture of Chicago to the nights of New Orleans, by way of the temple of speed in Indianapolis, the longest cave in the world and the capital of country music.
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From the Gulf of Mexico to the launch pads of Cape Canaveral, with the Art Deco of Miami, the Everglades, the road through the Keys and eight days of theme parks in Orlando.
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The right season
April-June and September-October are the royal window from ocean to ocean: the western parks open, the heat under control, a sumptuous Indian summer in New England. At the height of summer everything is accessible but the deserts burn and the flagship parks are fully booked; the East, meanwhile, turns muggy from Washington to Miami. Winter closes the heights under snow but offers Vegas, the deserts, Miami and New York under the Christmas trees.
Quick guide
The car is the trip itself: rent it on arrival and plan for the distances, one state can be the size of France. Domestic flights link the two coasts in 5 to 6 hr; in the parks, internal shuttles take over in high season.
The dollar ($). A card pays for everything, but tips are a social obligation: 18 to 20% at restaurants, a few dollars per service. The America the Beautiful pass pays off the national park entries.
English. School-level English is more than enough: the country is used to travellers from all over the world and conversation is easy and direct.
Recreation.gov to book parks and permits, GasBuddy for the cheapest fuel, AllTrails for the hikes, and offline maps for the desert dead zones.
Roadside motels, historic lodges in the parks (book a year ahead), New York brownstones and Las Vegas extravagance. Camping in a national park remains an unforgettable experience.
Scrupulously respect wildlife distances and ranger instructions, stay on the trails over fragile rock, and apply for the ESTA online well before departure.
Arizona
450 km of gorge, 1,800 m deep, two billion years of geology. Sunrise from the south rim is a moment for a lifetime.
New York
The symbol of the New World since 1886, a gift from France, facing the Manhattan skyline. Combine with Ellis Island and its immigration museum.
California
El Capitan, Half Dome and the giant sequoias in a perfect glacial valley. Access reservation compulsory in summer.
Navajo Nation
The red buttes of every western, on Navajo land. Drive the 27 km loop at daybreak, light and solitude guaranteed.
Washington D.C.
From the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, two kilometres of monuments and free Smithsonian museums: American history in the open air.
New Orleans
Wrought-iron balconies, jazz on every corner and beignets at Café du Monde: the Creole soul of America, unique and bewitching.
Tap a dot, or browse the list below the map.
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