Our Two-Month USA Road Trip

Before I start, if you haven’t read about all the big life changes happening at our house, you can catch up here. Because of those big changes, we’re getting ready to embark on a 2-month USA road trip! The plan is to take our time driving across the country from Virginia to the western US. We definitely want to spend time with our daughter and son who live in different states. We hope to visit some other friends and family along the way too. Ultimately we’ll circle back to Arizona (where we lived for 20 years) and figure out what we’re going to do long-term from there.

We Need Your Advice

Here’s where we need your help. Below are two tentative maps of places that we hope to visit so far. The planning and dates are fluid in many cases. We’re trying to leave a lot of flexibility so we can be spontaneous and make a few detours if we want. We’ve always dreamed about having the luxury of staying a little longer in one place if we really loved it. With the reality of vacations rarely being much longer than 2 weeks for our entire working lives, we’ve never had a chance to do that.

Some of these stops are to visit family or friends, but we’d love to get your ideas on anything worth visiting along these routes or in the cities and parks mentioned. Even though two months seems like a long time, we know that with driving and sleeping time, it will go faster than we think. Take a look at my itinerary notes below and please add your suggestions in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

Also, a little background…we lived in Arizona and California for nearly 40 years total and have done quite a few adventures in the west. The parks that we’ve chosen are either ones that we haven’t been to or would like to go back to. Now that my husband is retired we expect to have plenty of time to get to other places that aren’t on these USA road trip maps later, so we’re trying to stick somewhat close to the route you see on the maps.

Which Towns Should We be Sure to Stop in?

Are there cool small towns that we shouldn’t miss? Which ones are they and why or where should we stop? I absolutely love wandering in the local shops in those quaint historic downtowns, grabbing a bite to eat and maybe a treat for the road.

Is there something just a few miles off the route that’s worth a detour? Let us know? I have a chronic case of FOMO (fear of missing out) so please help me find all that secret stuff that I might not find just researching online.

I can’t wait to see all your great tips and off-the-beaten-path places in the comments below.

Where are the Best Breakfast and Coffee Stops?

Some days we’ll eat where we’re staying in the morning, and we need to hit the ground running. But we always love to pick up a coffee before we start our drive. I really prefer to buy local, so let me know about any coffee places to try. When we go out for breakfast, 99% of the menu items for most places are the same traditional choices, so it’s nice to have some unique options to experience too. Let me know if you have suggestions on those. I try to avoid chain restaurants, so what are the can’t miss cafes?

Where Can We Find Awesome Farmers Markets and Artisan Markets?

I always love a good market where we can support the local economy. Someplace where I can find a wide variety of food offerings, fresh produce, baked goods, other treats, and even unique artisans to support. Let me know where we can find these along the way. Sometimes these places have live music that we can enjoy. We like to pick up snacks for the trip at these places too.

What are the Best Places for a Late Lunch or Early Dinner?

We often eat just breakfast, then a late lunch – early dinner to avoid the crowds and stick to 2 meals a day. Our afternoon meal usually lands between around 3pm and 6pm or so, depending on what’s happening the rest of the day. We’re looking for fresh farm-to-table food or local/regional specialties. The goal is for reasonable prices with great quality. We’ll try to stick to a somewhat modest budget but can splurge once in a while on a more pricey place if the food and/or location/ambiance is amazing. I LOVE alfresco dining, so your tips on outdoor patios or places with a view would be most welcome.

Where Can We Look for Unique Beverages?

I love to try local wineries, craft breweries, fun cocktails, and even a wonderful infused lemonade when I’m traveling. It’s just another way to get a “taste” of the area. Please give me your tips on the best places to stop for these.

Where Should We Look for History, Art and Nature?

We love history,art and nature, so let us in on the cool local stuff that we shouldn’t miss. Are there walking tours or NPS Ranger talks that we should look for? Parks we should stop at? Street art? Artist’s studios? Waterfalls? I don’t suspect that we’ll be doing a lot of long-distance hikes, but short walks to break up the drive might be possible. Whether that’s around a town square or around a lake. Let us know the best ones.

First Month Plans – USA Road Trip Part 1

Here’s the tentative list of towns in part 1 of our trip. You can see the general route on the map above. As we go along on the trip I hope to come back and add some details on this post about what we did in each place, then add some longer posts as time allows. I’ll always be posting on Instagram @twp.adventures and Facebook too, so follow our USA road trip at #HannsGrandAdventure.

We’ll start our adventure in Chesapeake, Virginia then head south to…

Fayetteville, North Carolina

We’ll visit some family who’s new to that area and we’ve never been there either, so we’re looking for great ideas for places to eat, things to do in or near Fayetteville.

Hendersonville, North Carolina

We have family here too and have visited a few times, so we’ve seen some of the areas. We’ve already been to the Biltmore Estate, Carl Sandburg Historical Site, and Great Smoky Mountain National Park. [Which reminds me. I need to write a post about these.] I’d love to get some ideas on places to eat and low-key things to do. Maybe an easy short hike to a waterfall or a scenic drive.

Nashville, Tennessee

We’ve never been here and will only be here one night, so let us know the absolute can’t miss places to eat and visit. Fun ideas for places to stay too.

Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

My bucket list goal is to get to all the USA National Parks and this is one I still haven’t crossed off. We have a full day here and overnight, so what are the best things to do in one day?

Santa Fe, New Mexico

We’re spending a few days here to meet up with family members who don’t live there. We can use all the suggestions for things to do beyond the traditional stops. Best New Mexico cuisine? Best breakfast? Best alfresco dining, etc… I hear they have a Margarita Trail. Now that sounds like fun?

Colorado – Near Interstate 25 – South to North

This is where the trip starts to get less structured. We have about a week or so to get from Santa Fe to Portland, so any fun ideas for small towns, historic sites, parks, or nature near this route would be cool. Lodging and eatery suggestions would be a big help too.

We’ve been to Rocky Mountain National Park several times, so we’ll probably skip it this time. I understand that the wildfires in the west could impact any part of our trip, so we’ll be aware of that and may have to reroute, as needed.

Wyoming – Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

We’ve been to the Tetons and Yellowstone before, but it’s been a long time and we didn’t spend nearly enough time when we were there. We don’t have any accommodations booked because we don’t know exactly when we’ll be there, so…we know this could be a little iffy. My thought is that if we can’t find a lodging cancellation closer to the date, we may have to skip staying in that area, but if I can find something, I’d love to spend a couple of days just to enjoy what we can.

We’d love to hear about unique park sites and would love to hear any suggestions on places to eat, places to stay (reasonably priced), or cool things near the park. We love Jackson Hole too but haven’t been in ages, so suggestions are welcome there too. How about spots to see fall color? Is September too early?

Idaho – from Yellowstone to Portland, OR

We haven’t driven across Idaho before, so we’re wide open to suggestions. In fact, since Google just gives the fastest route I’d love to hear about any scenic highways that we could take off the Interstate. Are there any cool small towns we should visit that aren’t too far off the route? What regional food or drink should we look for? Restaurants? Places to stay? Quirky roadside stops? History? Anything and everything is welcome.

Portland, Oregon

We’ll be back to visiting family here, but they’re also new to the area. We’ve been to Portland a couple of times and have done some of the touristy stuff, but please share your secret finds. Are there fun walking tours? What food should we look for? Favorite breweries? What about nearby? We won’t need lodging here.

From Portland to Grants Pass, Oregon

We can probably take some extra time on our drive between these two Oregon towns. What’s worth visiting along that route? Food? Beverage? Small towns? Parks? Nature? History?

We’ve been to Crater Lake National Park but might make a stop there again depending on what else we do. Hopefully, the fires will be out, but we’ll keep that in mind in case we need to change plans.

Second Month Plans – USA Road Trip Part 2

Grants Pass, Oregon

We’re visiting family in Grants Pass, but they’re new to the area too, so your suggestions are encouraged. I hear they have a cute downtown. Let me know what you know about this small town in southern Oregon. Any lodging ideas? Wineries? Breweries? Hikes? Food?

Lassen National Park, California

As of the date of my writing this in 2021 I know that the entire park is closed at Lassen because of the Dixie fire. What a tragedy. Of course, this may impact our visit in a month or so, but I’d love to get your suggestions anyway. I hope we’ll be able to visit at some point even if we may not be able to go on this trip.

Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

We’ve visited Lake Tahoe several times and absolutely love the crystal clear blue waters of the lake and the variety of things to do there. It’s been years since we were there, but at that time we preferred the quieter North shore a little more than South Lake Tahoe, but your suggestions are welcome all around the lake.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

We’re thinking of stopping at Great Basin National Park because it seems like it’s never quite on the route to any of the places we plan to go. We’ll have time on this trip and I’d love to check off another park on my bucket list. Please let us know what the coolest things are here. I really don’t know much about this park.

In my initial research, I see that there are cave tours and night sky viewing, which both sound amazing. Sadly, it looks like we’ll just miss the Astronomy Festival earlier in September. What are your suggestions on places to stay, eat, and do in the park and nearby in October?

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

My husband and I have a running debate about whether we’ve been to Bryce or not. We visited Zion several decades ago and I vividly remember driving through Bryce afterward and stopping to look at some of the views. He disagrees, so the plan is to settle it once and for all by going (again). Granted we didn’t stay long the first time, so it will be nearly like seeing it all new and I’ll never complain about visiting one of our national park treasures.

Please give me the scoop on top things to see and do. The very best (easy) hike with great views in October. Is the restaurant at the Lodge at Bryce Canyon worth a stop? What about the rooms or cabins in the park if we were lucky enough to find a cancellation? I love the old historic lodges at the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. If these are the same, then I’ll cross my fingers for an opening.

Any great spots to see a sunset?

Zion National Park, Utah

As I mentioned, we visited Zion many years ago but didn’t have much time there either. This looks like a tricky one depending on how the crowds are in October. I can imagine that it’s a gorgeous time of year to be there. The good news is that if we can’t secure the needed logistics we won’t be living too far away, so we can make plans to go back another time when we can plan farther ahead.

I see that parking is limited inside Zion, and all parking lots fill early in the day. Any tips on how early they might fill up in October? We’ll definitely be studying the traffic and travel tips before we make our final plans to visit.

Any suggestions for places to stay and/or eat nearby?

Belly of the Dragon, Utah

I just heard about this recently and know practically nothing about it. It might be something that should wait until another Utah trip, but if you’ve been there I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. The fact that it’s a rain drainage route makes me a little concerned, but I’d love to know more.

Flagstaff, Arizona or Bust

Flagstaff is one of my favorite towns, especially in Arizona, but it’s been over 5 years since we’ve been there. We love the mountains, the seasons, the college town atmosphere, and the quaint downtown. We’ve been to the Lowell Observatory, Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Bearizona, and nearby Grand Canyon National Park. I’d love to get updated tips on where to stay, eat and go in the Flagstaff area.

So that’s the grand adventure! I love that you’ll all be helping us make the absolute best plans for this cross-country trip from the East coast to the West. Please fill up my comments below with all your tips.

Tags: America, Cross-country road trip, featured, National Parks, road trip, travel, United States, USA road trip

Category: United States, Arizona, Colorado, Colorado, Destinations, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pacific Northwest States, Rocky Mountain States, Southwest States