America’s greatest road trips — and how to do them

It is a concept of uncomplicated beauty. A thin line of tarmac, flowing all the way to the horizon, heat-haze causing its camber to shimmer in the middle-distance. Or perhaps it is forested, enveloped by fir trees and foliage which disguise its curls and curves, the gradient ratcheting with each corner. Maybe there are mountains directly ahead, muscling into the picture as the road barrels towards them. The main point is that there is a car upon it, with a destination in mind, but scant sense of urgency as to when it will get there.

The road trip has long been one of the most romantic forms of travel. Especially the American incarnation of it, all desert landscapes and seafront vistas, opening up a vast country of 50 states and innumerable moving parts. A week (or two) behind the wheel has been the best way to enjoy the USA ever since Americans themselves all but invented the idea – if not quite at the moment Henry Ford launched the Model T in 1908, then certainly amid the post-war optimism of the Fifties, when Route 66 became the holiday highway to the west, taking domestic tourists to the Grand Canyon and the Pacific coast.

It is a fascination that has proved adaptable to an international audience. Between four and five million Britons travel to the USA every year (pandemics notwithstanding). A fair proportion of those visitors swap the airport terminal for the hire car, and set off on a route of their own choosing. It may tick off major cities and metropolitan skylines. It may flit through wooded regions as autumn performs its annual conjuring trick. It may revel in food, music, history or architecture. But whether it involves a pre-arranged itinerary or picks its direction on impulse, such a holiday will always be an adventure, wrapped in the freedom of the open road, and showcasing an America beyond the static sophistication of the beach resort, the thrum of the theme park, or the siren call of the casino slot-machine.

How to do it? Here, we sort through the various “whats”, “wheres” and “whens” of the classic US road trip – what to do to make yours the greatest tour possible; where to go for different types of scenery, geography or experience; when to see certain regions at their finest. If it isn’t already, the “why” of the matter will become apparent the second you turn onto the asphalt, and head off in search of your own version of the American Dream.

The image of the “Mother Road” as a playground for life-affirming road trips probably exceeds the holiday reality. For one thing, there is an awful lot of it – 2,448 miles from its start-point in Chicago to its Californian conclusion by the beach in Santa Monica; you need at least a fortnight to drive every inch of it. For two, there are various areas of the eight states it crosses which – with humble apologies to Oklahoma and Kansas – can be flat and featureless. For three, it is more memory than mapped fact; “Route 66” has existed as a series of “other” interconnected freeways since its official number was deleted from the US Highway System in 1985. But as a slice of the American soul, it still exudes drama and discovery, especially if you narrow your focus to the four desert-tinged states (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California) which frame the western half of the ride.

So famous is the ribbon of tarmac which hugs California’s ragged Pacific edge for 656 miles that it feels strange to refer to it as anything other than “Highway 1”. But whatever its official designation, this winding marvel should be on every road tripper’s to-do list. You don’t need to drive all of it to get the gist. The southernmost stretch to Dana Point will have you idling in a lot of Los Angeles traffic; by the time you approach Leggett, at the road’s opposite end, you may be craving something rather noisier than the forested silence of northern California. But keep to the “greatest hits" section (the 485 miles from San Francisco to Long Beach, via the likes of Monterey, Big Sur, Santa Barbara and Malibu) and you won’t go wrong, cliffs rearing on one side, the ocean rising on the other.

There is a mathematical symmetry to the way Arizona claims an exact 160 miles of the 1,465-mile US Route 160, which crosses it from north-east to south-west. These 160 miles are not, of themselves, especially dramatic, darting through a barren landscape of dust and dirt; the American West at its most colossal of scale, the air of desolation only interrupted by the occasional gas station or two-horse settlement. But it is the locations that book-end the journey which make this a road worth driving. Monument Valley, with its giant Mittens and Buttes, sits 20 miles north of Kayenta, near the north-east corner of the state; the north-east corner itself belongs to the Four Corners Monument, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet. The masterpiece, though, lies 75 miles from Tuba City, the western terminus of Route 160. The Grand Canyon, timeless in its majesty.

While the various mountain ranges of the West – notably the hard barrier of the Rockies – have endless camera-click appeal, the other side of the American landscape also has its peaks and photogenic aura. The Appalachians are a high case in point, forging north-east all the way from Alabama to Maine, then over the border into Canada. Within sit a series of sub-ranges, each worthy of the visitor’s time – the Great Smoky Mountains of (largely) Tennessee, the wider Blue Ridge Mountains, which also swarm across the likes of the Carolinas and Virginia. Here, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a road trip hero, taking 469 miles over its journey between Great Smoky Mountains National Park (in Tennessee) and the equally forested Shenandoah National Park (in Virginia). It makes for fine fly-drive breaks in spring and summer, but is at its best in autumn, when the canopy catches “fire”.

Lake Michigan is not the largest of the five Great Lakes (hello Lake Superior), but it is the simplest to drive around in full; it is the only member of the quintet which avoids the Canadian border to sit wholly on US soil. Of course, “simplest” needs some qualification. A loop of Lake Michigan is no small endeavour. It is an exercise in 900 miles and – if you want to see the sights at a leisurely pace – two weeks on the road. But equally, there is a leafy simplicity to the scenery, at least outside the cities on the shore (Chicago in Illinois, Milwaukee and Green Bay in Wisconsin); a rustic America of orchards, sand dunes and small-town cheer, most visible in Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula and the genteel version of Michigan that shapes the east side of the water. The Straits of Mackinac, meanwhile, are a joy; the point where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet under a classic suspension bridge.

Florida offers a true road trip icon in the Overseas Highway – the feted freeway which rolls from the mainland to the tip of the Florida Keys at Key West. But if there is an issue with this romp over low-slung bridges and sandbars, it is its brevity; just 113 miles, little more than a day away. The more dedicated driver will stretch their wheels on Route 98, which begins its adventure on the Atlantic at Palm Beach, cuts across the state to Crystal River, then clings to the Gulf of Mexico all the way west along the “Panhandle” – ticking off merry resort towns like Mexico Beach, Panama City and Pensacola as it goes. It turns inland after crossing Mobile Bay, but those with the appetite for sand and surf can go further, picking up Route 90 to follow the waterfront a further 200 miles to New Orleans.

There are many ways to meander through New England. Indeed, “meandering” is surely the best plan if you want to admire this region of fabulous “Fall” foliage at the height of its seasonal powers, trundling back-roads lined with sycamore and oak. But if you want a spine to your road trip, consider the 308-mile Route 7, which starts on the Connecticut coast at Norwalk, slips into the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts, then follows its nose through the Green Mountains of Vermont, (almost) to the Canadian border. U-turns are for politicians, so rather than retracing your tyre tracks exactly, turn to Interstate 89 at Burlington; a happy connection that will take you 190 miles south-east, almost to Boston.

When is the best time to go?
The USA is a year-round destination in the Northern Hemisphere, so while there can be surges and drops in price according to the month on the calendar, none of them are likely to catch you off-guard. The school holidays are more costly for travellers than those weeks when children are in the classroom; winter sun in Florida is more affordable in November than in the weeks immediately around Christmas. But beyond the financial factor, there are few limitations on when to take a road trip. Clearly, tackling the wild spaces of Alaska in the depths of winter would be foolhardy, and even states in the upper reaches of the “main” 48 (Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana etc) are not plausible as fly-drive options between November and February. Equally, there is no point in visiting Vermont or Maine for autumn foliage at the height of summer. But if you want to drive through California, the deserts, or any of the southern states, you can set off at any time.

How do I get there?
European neighbours aside, few countries are easier to reach from the UK than the United States. Between them, British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com), American Airlines (0844 369 9899; americanairlines.co.uk), Virgin Atlantic (0344 874 7747; virginatlantic.com) and United (0845 607 6760; united.com) cover most of the landmass, and there are few major US cities that you cannot reach from London with one change of plane or fewer. Your exact arrival airport will obviously depend on the region you wish to explore by car, but each of Miami (for Florida), Boston (for New England), Phoenix (the Arizona capital; for the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley), Atlanta (Georgia; for the South), Austin (for Texas) and Chicago (for Route 66 and the Great Lakes), plus San Francisco and Los Angeles (for California), receive non-stop flights from British airports.

How much will it cost?
The road trip is a type of holiday where you can expect to receive roughly what you pay for; the longer the journey, the higher the cost (in days of car hire, number of hotel nights, petrol required, etc etc). The price will be capped at a pre-paid sum (excluding expenses) if you book a package (flights, car, hotels) with a tour operator (see below). But the same principle will apply – the more time spent on the road, the larger the figure. In general, expect to pay around £1,000 per person for every week away (not including gas or food).

Can I do it on a budget?
Yes. Taking the do-it-yourself approach, where you merely book flights (perhaps landing at one airport, and flying home from another) and rental car, and decide everything else as you go, will allow you to keep a rein on costs, particularly if you opt for budget hotels. Better still, flights and a vehicle can be bought as a package – via the likes of Expedia (020 3024 8211; expedia.co.uk), or British Airways – for a basic level of consumer protection.

While it can cost more, the obvious advantage to booking a packaged road trip is that you know your route and (much of) the price in advance. Moreover, Britain has a healthy line-up of tour operators who specialise in American fly-drive breaks – which means that, even if you want to roll away from the beaten track, your destination should be available.

Those determined to tackle the full length of the “Mother Road” can do so via the “Self-Drive Route 66” break sold by American Sky (01342 395 574; americansky.co.uk). This grand adventure makes the journey in the classic westbound direction, forging from Chicago to Los Angeles – via St Louis, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, with a detour up to Las Vegas – over the course of 16 days. From £2,099 per person (including flights).

The 15-day “Pacific Coast Highway” trip offered by America As You Like It (020 8742 8299; americaasyoulikeit.co.uk) involves more than a dalliance with the fabled “Highway 1” and a date with Big Sur. Not least because, although it sets off from San Francisco, it trundles as far south as San Diego and the Mexican border – beyond the road’s endgame. More bang for your buck, as the saying goes. From £1,459 per person (including flights).

The Sunshine State is a great deal of holiday fun, whichever way you approach it. Credit, then, to the 14-night “Discover Florida” package dispensed by The American Road Trip Company (01244 342 099; theamericanroadtripcompany.co.uk), which crams almost everything into its fortnight away – Miami, Orlando, the Keys, Cape Canaveral, the Everglades and the Gulf Coast. Ideal for families. From £1,599 per person (with flights).

Autumn’s favourite region comes fully into focus in the 11-night “Best of New England” road trip sold by Complete North America (0115 961 0590; completenorthamerica.com). This is a near-comprehensive 12-day itinerary which touches wheels in five of the six states (apologies to Connecticut), and finds time to go out on a limb along Massachusetts’s curving peninsula Cape Cod. From £1,275 per person (including flights).

Bon Voyage (0800 316 3012; bon-voyage.co.uk) looks closely at three of the five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron) with its 14-day “Great Lakes, USA” option – which starts and finishes in Chicago, but also makes its way through Wisconsin (remote Bayfield), Minnesota (including Minneapolis and Duluth) and Michigan (Marquette, the Straits of Mackinac, Traverse City, Holland). From £2,295 per person (including flights).

If you are planning the time-honoured dash along California’s “Highway 1”, it is better to start in San Francisco and go south, than in Los Angeles and go north. Whether it is roaring by at high speed, or jammed across four motionless lanes, LA traffic can make for an uncomfortable road trip baptism – whereas San Francisco will ease you in more gently.

By the same token, New York can be a difficult, hideously busy, starting-grid for a road trip, particularly if you are a first-time driver in the United States. Better to set off from calmer Boston for New England; broad-avenued Washington DC if you are forging south.

Avoid border crossings. While it might be tempting to cut down into Mexico from Texas, Arizona or California – or up into Canada from Maine, Michigan or Montana – America has hugely tightened its frontiers since 9/11. Unless you have specific plans to drive far into its southern or northern neighbour, the queues and questions rarely justify a day-trip.

Travellers who love the idea of Las Vegas and its slot machines, but are drawn to the heat and music of the Deep South, can find a compromise of sorts in a drive along the Gulf coastline of Mississippi – where Biloxi is an unexpected enclave of casinos by the beach.

Do I need a visa?
No, but all international tourists need to apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) pass (valid for two years; $21) to enter the country (see esta.cbp.dhs.gov).

What is the currency?
The dollar (USD) – which floats at roughly 1.15 to the pound. Electronic transactions are now common in the USA, but having cash for tips and small purchases is recommended.

Are there any particular driving rules?
Drive on the right. And keep to the speed limit. American police officers tend to be far more assertive in their approach to breaches of road rules than their British counterparts.

How regular are petrol stations?
Very. It is very difficult to run out of fuel – which is far cheaper than at home – in the USA. That said, if you are covering long distances in the desert, top up when you can.

What is the latest Foreign Office advice?
Foreign arrivals must still present evidence of at least two doses of a Covid vaccine. See gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa for full details.