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Places to go in USA in 20 days by car

YS2003

YS2003

macrumors 68020
Original poster
There are some books which recommend hundreds of places you could visit before you die. Since there are lots of USA MR members, I would like to post this thread to ask for your recommendation where to visit for someone who would be thinking about taking a very extended stay out of USA. I have a few decent digital cameras and I would like to take nice shots before the would-be take-off.
 
All depends on what you want to see and who you want to meet.

Sounds to me like you need a focusing question. What do you want to get out of your 20 days? What must be seen, what would you like to see, and what do you not really care about? What do you want to learn? What do you want to prove -- to yourself or to the world?

A link to my favorite "travelling America" book, anyway ...
 
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You're not dying, are you? If so, I can think of better places than the U.S. to spend your last 20 days.
 
Depends on where you're starting from, I suppose, and what you like to see!

I'd look through a few guidebooks, pull out a map, and plan a route.
 
It depends on where you are starting, if you start on the west coast Yosemite is a nice place, but it has gotten very crowded.
 
And I will pose the question to you - When? You want to consider typical or forecasted weather conditions, and also what major events that might be taking place that would (dis)interest you in your travels.
 
mrkramer said:
It depends on where you are starting, if you start on the west coast Yosemite is a nice place, but it has gotten very crowded.
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Believe it or not, Yosemite is actually less crowded that it used to be. I understand that all of the national parks are less crowded than they were just a few years ago. Still, if it's a serene national park experience you're after (in California), I recommend Sequoia, Kings Canyon or even Lassen.
 
Stampyhead said:
You're not dying, are you? If so, I can think of better places than the U.S. to spend your last 20 days.
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As far as I can tell, not yet. The purpose of this trip would be to visit some of "must see" areas in USA. When I leave the country, I know I don't want to come back. So, I will get nice pixs in my hard drive and move on to next good things in life.
 
As much as I hate to say it, New England in fall. Also, the Grand Canyon (and the nearby crater by Flagstaff), the big (historic) cities (New York, Chicago, Boston, Philly, Richmond, Atlanta, etc.)
 
I am partial to California - we have so much to offer! ...Lake Tahoe, Sacramento (if you're interesting in the Capital), Yosemite, San Francisco, :apple: Apple, Sequoia National Park, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland, San Diego, ...the list just keeps going and going.
 
Counterfit said:
As much as I hate to say it, New England in fall. Also, the Grand Canyon (and the nearby crater by Flagstaff), the big (historic) cities (New York, Chicago, Boston, Philly, Richmond, Atlanta, etc.)
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Richmond? RICHMOND? Really? To each his own, but I would replace Richmond with D.C. on that list.

Also, on the West Coast there's San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, L.A., and San Diego. That presumes you want cities. If you want the good ol' outdoors then don't skip the Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon/Sequoia, and the Big Sur coast.
 
On the east coast, I'd probably drive from New York City to Philadelphia to Williamsburg, Virginia to Jacksonville, Florida to Miami Beach.

On the west coast, it's tougher because you could spend a lot of time in either Los Angeles or San Francisco bay area. The coast is beautiful but if you would travel the back way, skip FresNO and Bakersfield.

There are some beautiful stretches of road in Arizona and it's unfortunate that U.S. 66 is gone but they do mark the maps with "Route 66" for kicks. Other than the big crater called the Grand Canyon, I can't think of a real reason to stop in the state.
 
bousozoku said:
On the east coast, I'd probably drive from New York City to Philadelphia to Williamsburg, Virginia to Jacksonville, Florida to Miami Beach.

On the west coast, it's tougher because you could spend a lot of time in either Los Angeles or San Francisco bay area. The coast is beautiful but if you would travel the back way, skip FresNO and Bakersfield.

There are some beautiful stretches of road in Arizona and it's unfortunate that U.S. 66 is gone but they do mark the maps with "Route 66" for kicks. Other than the big crater called the Grand Canyon, I can't think of a real reason to stop in the state.
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Well, I'd have to say that running along the coasts misses a lot of what makes the US such an interesting country, there's a lot in the middle that's beautiful, interesting, and cool.

Also, the Grand Canyon is not a crater, it's a — wait for it — Canyon. Meteor Crater is just down the road.
 
Can certainly recommend the Grand Canyon. Made such an impression on us in 2005 that we got married there in 2006 😀

Also, just the feeling of the open road through thru the desert was great. We also really liked Palm Springs, more for the weather but its worth a visit.

Yosemite was nice but after a 10hr drive from Vegas and a 2hr drive thru the park, to find out the hotel was full and the room we had was full of mold kinda ruined the stay there. Gorgeous place though!
 
A couple of years ago we had to go to San Diego in early March on business, which we extended into a holiday. Loved San Diego, warm, beautiful plants. Visited the historic park in the centre. The drive from Los Angeles to San Fransisco on the coast road is very scenic and Big Sur is fabulous. You can get some great shots there. From San Francisco we drove to Yosemite and it was exciting to drive from the warm orange groves to thick snow in such a short time. Yosemite is a photographer's paradise.

From there we went to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. It was also deep in snow so we couldn't venture far, not having the right gear, but it is very beautiful in the snow, and again very photogenic. Made my own Christmas cards that year! We were amazed that, although the visitor's centre and other buildings were up to the windows in snow, they were still open and the main road through the park was completely cleared, so still drivable in a small hire car. (Lesson for the UK here!) We took a short detour there and had an absolutely breathtaking view of mountains that seemed to go on for ever. Can give details/pics if you're interested.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any more of the US yet, but I'd love to go back.
 
hulugu said:
Well, I'd have to say that running along the coasts misses a lot of what makes the US such an interesting country, there's a lot in the middle that's beautiful, interesting, and cool.

Also, the Grand Canyon is not a crater, it's a — wait for it — Canyon. Meteor Crater is just down the road.
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Yeah yeah, it's a ditch then. 😛

There are points in the middle of the country that are beautiful, but interesting? No. Most states have nothing to see, though I've yet to see about 7 of them. I think he'll want to eliminate the dairy shack and the world's biggest ball of yarn. How much corn or beans do you think someone wants to see or how many cows does he want to smell? Leave the middle out of his trip. The interesting stuff is on the coasts.
 
Allow me to mark Houston off your list. There is nothing interesting to see here. Although Houston is generally ranked as the fatest city in America and America is genreally ranked as the fastest country in the world so if fat people are your thing, then maybe you should come here after all.
 
You must drive Hwy 1 between Monterey and San Luis Obispo to see the Big Sur coast. Some of the best scenery you'll see anywhere. Plus then you can hit the local wineries. 😉
 
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