Cross-Country Road Trip v3.0: 48 States, 90 Days

Someday. I’m thinking spring departure and going counter-clockwise might be better than summer and clockwise (if nothing else, it should help avoid the problems of hurricane season). Anyway, here’s a map of the latest idea:

 The push-pins are only sort-of significant.

- [ ] Day 1
    - [ ] Mission Viejo to Grand Staircase-Escalante NM (575 mi.,
          CA-NV-AZ-UT)
- [ ] Day 2
    - [ ] Grand Staircase-Escalante NM
- [ ] Day 3
    - [ ] Grand Staircase-Escalante to Four Corners (356 mi.,
          UT-CO-AZ-NM)
- [ ] Day 4
    - [ ] Four Corners to Chaco Culture NHP (134 mi., AZ-NM)
    - [ ] Chaco Culture NHP to Santa Fe (182 mi., NM)
- [ ] Day 5
    - [ ] Santa Fe to Roswell (192 mi., NM)
    - [ ] Roswell to White Sands NM (251 mi., NM)
- [ ] Day 6
    - [ ] White Sands NM to Carlsbad Caverns (246 mi., NM-TX)
- [ ] Day 7
    - [ ] Carlsbad Caverns
- [ ] Day 8
    - [ ] Carlsbad Caverns to Big Bend NP (345 mi., NM-TX)
- [ ] Day 9
    - [ ] Big Bend NP
- [ ] Day 10
    - [ ] Big Bend NP to Fredericksburg (414 mi., TX)
- [ ] Day 11
    - [ ] Fredericksburg to San Antonio (70 mi., TX)
        - [ ] The Alamo
    - [ ] San Antonio to Austin (79 mi., TX)
        - [ ] Bat Bridge ("just before dark")
- [ ] Day 12
    - [ ] Austin to New Orleans (509 mi., TX-LA)
- [ ] Day 13
    - [ ] New Orleans
        - [ ] Bayou Tour
- [ ] Day 14
    - [ ] New Orleans to Vicksburg (224 mi., LA-MS)
    - [ ] Vicksburg to Hot Springs NP (250 mi., MS-AR)
- [ ] Day 15
    - [ ] Hot Springs NP to Joplin (270 mi., AR-OK-KS-MO)
- [ ] Day 16
    - [ ] Joplin to Mammoth Cave NP (602 mi., MO-IL-KY)
- [ ] Day 17
    - [ ] Mammoth Cave NP
- [ ] Day 18
    - [ ] Mammoth Cave NP to Nashville (92 mi., KY-TN)
    - [ ] Nashville to Collinwood (109 mi., TN)
        - [ ] Natchez Trace
- [ ] Day 19
    - [ ] Collinwood to Tupelo (120 mi., TN-AL-MS)
- [ ] Day 20
    - [ ] Tupelo to Little River Canyon NP (234 mi., MS-AL)
- [ ] Day 21
    - [ ] Little River Canyon NP to Everglades NP (813 mi., AL-GA-FL)
- [ ] Day 22
    - [ ] Everglades NP
- [ ] Day 23
    - [ ] Everglades NP to Key West (136 mi., FL)
- [ ] Day 24
    - [ ] Key West to Homestead (129 mi., FL)
        - [ ] Coral Castle
    - [ ] Homestead to Savannah (515 mi., FL-GA)
- [ ] Day 25
    - [ ] Savannah to Hunting Island SP (63 mi., GA-SC)
    - [ ] Hunting Island SP to Charleston (88 mi., SC)
        - [ ] Ft. Sumter
- [ ] Day 26
    - [ ] Charleston to Great Smoky Mountains NP (342 mi., SC-NC-TN)
- [ ] Day 27
    - [ ] Great Smoky Mountains NP (+Knoxville?)
- [ ] Day 28
    - [ ] Knoxville to Raleigh (360 mi., TN-NC)
- [ ] Day 29
    - [ ] Raleigh to Cape Hatteras NS (203 mi., NC)
        - [ ] Wright Bros. NM (20 mi.)
- [ ] Day 30
    - [ ] Wright Bros. NM to Jamestown Settlement (126 mi., NC-VA)
- [ ] Day 31
    - [ ] Jamestown to Richmond (57 mi., VA)
        - [ ] Confederate Capital
    - [ ] Richmond to Appomattox (95 mi., VA)
        - [ ] Appomattox Courthouse NHP
    - [ ] Appomattox to Charlottesville (65 mi., VA)
        - [ ] Monticello
- [ ] Day 32
    - [ ] Charlottesville to Shenandoah NP (78 mi., VA-WV)
- [ ] Day 33
    - [ ] Shenandoah NP
- [ ] Day 34
    - [ ] Shenandoah NP to Quantico, VA (66 mi., VA)
    - [ ] Quantico to Washington (35 mi., VA-DC)
- [ ] Day 35
    - [ ] Washington to Annapolis (32 mi., DC-MD)
    - [ ] Annapolis to Ft. McHenry (32 mi., MD)
- [ ] Day 36
    - [ ] Ft. McHenry to Philadelphia (101 mi., MD-DE-PA)
- [ ] Day 37
    - [ ] Philadelphia to NYC (94 mi., PA-NJ-NY)
- [ ] Day 38
    - [ ] NYC to Nantucket (282 mi., NY-CT-RI-MA)
- [ ] Day 39
    - [ ] Nantucket to Boston (101 mi., MA)
- [ ] Day 40
    - [ ] Boston to Acadia NP (283 mi., MA-NH-ME)
- [ ] Day 41
    - [ ] Acadia NP
- [ ] Day 42
    - [ ] Acadia NP to Bretton Woods, NH (254 mi., ME-NH)
- [ ] Day 43
    - [ ] Bretton Woods to Tupper Lake, NY (278 mi., NH-VT-NY)
- [ ] Day 44
    - [ ] Tupper Lake to Palmyra (225 mi., NY)
    - [ ] Palmyra to Niagara Falls (109 mi., NY)
- [ ] Day 45
    - [ ] Niagara Falls to Presque Isle State Park, PA (121 mi., NY-PA)
    - [ ] Presque Isle State Park to Kelleys Island State Park, OH (182
          mi., PA-OH)
    - [ ] Kelleys Island to Dayton (188 mi., OH)
- [ ] Day 46
    - [ ] Dayton (USAF Museum)
- [ ] Day 47
    - [ ] Dayton to Nauvoo, IL (461 mi., OH-IN-IL-IA)
- [ ] Day 48
    - [ ] Nauvoo to Wayne (240 mi., IL)
- [ ] Day 49
    - [ ] Wayne (Chicago)
- [ ] Day 50
    - [ ] Wayne to Beaver Island (453 mi., IL-IN-MI)
- [ ] Day 51
    - [ ] Beaver Island to Charlevoix (36 mi., MI)
    - [ ] Carlevoix to Pictured Rocks NL (179 mi.)
- [ ] Day 52
    - [ ] Pictured Rocks NL
- [ ] Day 53
    - [ ] Pictured Rocks NL to Duluth (299 mi., MI-WI-MN)
        - [ ] Bike Waterfront Trail
- [ ] Day 54
    - [ ] Duluth to Voyageurs NP (171 mi., MN)
- [ ] Day 55
    - [ ] Voyageurs NP
- [ ] Day 56
    - [ ] Voyageurs NP to Ft. Abercrombie State Historic Site (334 mi.,
          MN-ND)
- [ ] Day 57
    - [ ] Ft. Abercrombie State Historic Site to Niobrara National
          River (455 mi., ND-SD-NE)
    - [ ] Niobrara National River to Minuteman Missile NHS (147 mi.,
          NE-SD)
- [ ] Day 58
    - [ ] Minuteman Missile NHS (Need reservations, tour starts at 9)
    - [ ] Minuteman Missile NHS to Badlands NP (13 mi., SD)
- [ ] Day 59
    - [ ] Badlands NP to Mt. Rushmore (97 mi., SD)
    - [ ] Mt. Rushmore to Devil's Tower (131 mi., SD-WY)
    - [ ] Devil's Tower to Sheridan (165 mi., WY)
- [ ] Day 60
    - [ ] Sheridan
- [ ] Day 61
    - [ ] Sheridan to Thermopolis (159 mi., WY)
    - [ ] Thermopolis to Grand Teton NP (192 mi., WY)
    - [ ] Grand Teton NP to Victor (103 mi., WY-ID)
- [ ] Day 62
    - [ ] Victor to Yellowstone NP (120 mi., ID-WY)
- [ ] Day 63
    - [ ] Yellowstone NP to Whitefish, MT (449 mi., WY-MT)
        - [ ] Great Northern Railway Depot
- [ ] Day 64
    - [ ] Whitefish to Glacier NP (44 mi., MT)
- [ ] Day 65
    - [ ] Glacier NP
- [ ] Day 66
    - [ ] Glacier NP to Spokane (303 mi., MT-ID-WA)
        - [ ] Riverfront Park
    - [ ] Spokane to Browns Point (290 mi., WA)
- [ ] Day 67
    - [ ] Browns Point
- [ ] Day 68
    - [ ] Browns Point to Mt. Rainier NP (97 mi., WA)
- [ ] Day 69
    - [ ] Mt. Rainier NP to Mt. St. Helens NVM (121 mi., WA)
- [ ] Day 70
    - [ ] Mt. St. Helens to Astoria (109 mi., WA-OR)
    - [ ] Astoria to Seaside (16 mi., OR)
    - [ ] Seaside to Tillamook (53 mi., OR)
        - [ ] Tillamook Air Museum
    - [ ] Tillamook to Bandon (68 mi., OR)
- [ ] Day 71
    - [ ] Bandon to Crater Lake NP (180 mi., OR)
- [ ] Day 72
    - [ ] Crater Lake NP to Lassen Volcanic NP (250 mi., OR-CA)
- [ ] Day 73
    - [ ] Lassen Volcanic NP
- [ ] Day 74
    - [ ] Lassen Volcanic NP to Yosemite NP (369 mi., CA)
- [ ] Day 75
    - [ ] Yosemite NP
- [ ] Day 76
    - [ ] Yosemite NP to Monterey (202 mi., CA)
    - [ ] Monterey to Big Sur (29 mi., CA)
- [ ] Day 77
    - [ ] Big Sur to Mission Viejo (354 mi., CA)

Yeah, so you might notice there are only 77 days in there. I was trying to keep things as compressed as possible when I put this itinerary together, so the next step would be to go back through and figure out where the breathing room needs to come in at. Could be things like spending an extra day at a few of the NPs listed, following the Natchez Trace all the way down to Natchez, going to see another cave somewhere, etc., etc.

Also, I kind of just threw things on there with only a little regard to whether I’d be driving in the morning or in the evening. I think the next step might also include taking a shot at indicating where I’m going to sleep each night — although I worry a little about over-planning. (On the other hand, I also worry about the availability of campsites at Great Smoky Mountain and other national parks.) We’ll see how it goes.

bkd

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