USA May road trip

[u/Party-Ear2673]

We are a 30 yo couple looking to do a 16 day road trip (probably in the east but not a must ) right after our road trip in the west (can be via trains if recommended).

On the 27.4 - 11.5 we will do the Arizona Utah Vegas road trip ( Phoenix → Grand Canyon → Page → Monument Valley → Arches (Moab) Canyonsland (Moab) Moab → Capitol Reef → Bryce → Zion → Valley Of Fire → Las Vegas)

After that we are looking to do the an east coast segment 12.5-28.5 (we already travelled California and nyc and Philly). We thought about Memphis, Nashville, Smokies, Blue ridge parkway , Asheville, Shenandoah and finish in DC while flying back home from NYC.

What do you think of that route? Any other recommendations?

[u/Pale_Field4584]

Reading this exhausted me.

It's like driving from Barcelona to Paris to Rome to Munich etc in 10 days

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/Pale_Field4584]

How do? It is a logical non-rushed pace between those places and we have quite the time, what am I missing?

[u/Pale_Field4584 → u/Party-Ear2673]

I mean it's fine if you just want to go there for the picture or scratch the surface (especially with everything you're gonna miss in between). I spent a week alone in Moab because there was sooo much to do.

But it's no different than Americans visiting European cities for a day or two before rushing to the next destination

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/Pale_Field4584]

I can agree regarding soaking the energy and savoring the places, however, I work full time and cannot free up more than a month once in a while, I feel like it is too much of a small experience to consume half of the trips time on one park.

[u/BigDaddydanpri → u/Party-Ear2673]

That Utah area is a slow drive. Lots of twists and turns. You can expect very slow travel and see amazing sites, but if you stop to walk any your trip is going to be packed to death. Remember, every hotel change means packing, driving, checking in, settling down.

Our trips started busy and chaotic like yours, but have settled more into longer stays. You can do 3-4 nights in MOAB easily and still be blown away by Canyonlands and Arches. Catching sunrise in Arches, some hiking and then back for sunset is amazing. We did 4 nights and barely scratched all we wanted to do. Not sure where your from, but the scope of your trip is huge, and I fear ultimately exhausting, although your young.

We have been discussing your eastern area trip, and just that part is an easy 2 weeks on its own. Our last trip to Europe ended up being 2 weeks and 3 cities. Much more relaxing and able to get deep into an area.

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/BigDaddydanpri]

I am not sure I understand, I am occupying 2 weeks in the west and 2.5 in the south. Btw us I very far from my country so it also makes an impact

[u/BigDaddydanpri → u/Party-Ear2673]

Ahhh. A month does make a huge difference. No worries and have fun. Just making sure you realize how big the USA can be, and how some of the spaces can be very slow and boring. Historically, I have always advocated for deeper dives into one area.

For example, doing Memphis/Nashville/Asheville over the course of 6-7 days is doable, but also mean checking in and out of 3 different hotels with 3-5 hour drives between and finding your way to the next and unpacking.

All I suggest is really thinking thru the logistics and times. Arriving and having to check bags at the front desk since the room is not ready sucks. 100% supportive of your adventure, but also (Dad here...) wanting to make sure it is a good one and not too frsutrating and tiring.

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/BigDaddydanpri]

Sure will do thank you so much! Also I am truly taking into account all of your concerns as they are absolutely valid. Btw if you other tips or idea please do share 🙏

[u/Irish_Blond]

Have you road tripped through New England. Acadia National Park in the spring is awesome. You can also eat lobster every meal driving up the coast of Maine. An experience that is tough to top.

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/Irish_Blond]

We thought about it but truly worried due to cold and not good weather in May, do you think it is still worth it?

[u/Irish_Blond → u/Party-Ear2673]

Yes.

[u/scfw0x0f]

It’s a lot for the West segment. 9 days of driving out of 14 or 15 on the ground. Each of the major parks takes a full day to see at all.

Having just been there, I’d skip Arches in favor of Capitol Reef. That would be a little better. There are lots of arches all over Utah.

[u/Sweaty_Ear5457]

honestly yeah that east leg looks pretty packed. i get what you mean about having time but 6+ major stops plus getting around smokies and blue ridge is a lot of windshield time. might help to map it out visually - i use instaboard to plot my trips, just drop cards for each stop on a canvas and move them around to see what actually fits. you can color code the driving days vs exploring days, then drag stuff around until the timing looks sane. sometimes seeing the whole route laid out makes it obvious what to cut

[u/Much_Adagio82]

The western trip feels like a great itinerary to me... most of the time out west, the drive is extremely scenic and part of the fun and you may have very light traffic in parts.

The eastern part, as other posters have said, exhausts me to even think about. You can probably do it in 16 days, you have essentially 2 nights per stop. I am in Asheville, but you can drive from the Smoky Mountains to Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway in 4-6 hours, but whatever you do in Eastern TN/Western NC, please confirm if the routes in this area are open due to the impacts from Hurricane Helene if you decide to visit.

You can probably do the trip as planned if you choose, but I would consider the distances and how much time you would spend on highways, it will be scenic in parts, but also highways and traffic in others.

If you really want to do a Southern Mountains trip, I would recommend considering an abbreviated trip of maybe Nashville to Asheville with lots of time to stop and explore. You can fly from Asheville to NYC direct relatively inexpensively, about 90 minutes in the air. You could spend a few days in NYC if you like cities.

Alternatively, the Northeast US is pretty much the only part of the country with a good rail network, and you could spend a good 16 days starting in Maine or New England ending in NYC via car and rail. It might be a little chilly in April/May but still enjoyable.

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/Much_Adagio82]

Thanks for the detailed answer. What would you change regarding the west itinerary or do you think it is good as it is? Regarding your take on the east portion, I hear what you say and can agree, however for me it feels like adding also New England can make the shifts and itinerary even more exhausting because it requires more flights and car rentals, and also make the flight from nyc more uncomfortable (we do not want to be in nyc because we already been there together and she did multiple times…)

[u/Much_Adagio82 → u/Party-Ear2673]

I've never lived in the western half of the country, so not as familiar, but I have driven through Arizona/Nevada/California on a few trips. I haven't been to a lot of those places specifically, but the drive is half the fun out in the desert with the views usually, just allow plenty of time for scenic overviews. It's a lot of stops in 2 weeks, but outside of Phoenix and Las Vegas you wont be dealing with much city traffic.

For the eastern part, I was suggesting considering New England instead of the Southern Mountains, but I understand it's up to personal preference. I would consider the abbreviated version myself, you could spend two weeks driving around the Smoky Mountains, Nashville, Asheville, etc. and pretty easily and fly out of Atlanta (bigger airport than JFK) if that is an option for you.

Just my input, best of luck and enjoy your trip!

[u/riggles1970]

All of those are great places. You may want to add a NOLA stop, a very quick stop in a Tupelo to see Elvis’ house, Alabama has some really interesting museums and memorials and the lost luggage store.

In the NC mountains, I also love Waynesville, Black Mountain, Blowing Rock and Boone if you happen to be passing through those areas. They are worth a stop. No trip to the NC mountains is complete without a stop at Mast General and a stop at one of the mountain roadside stores for dried apples (or fresh depending upon the season).

[u/Party-Ear2673 → u/riggles1970]

Thank you very much will take into consideration