Destinations
There’s nothing like the feeling at the start of a road trip—the open road ahead, and every possibility still in play. This guide will help you plan a cross-country journey that leaves room for detours, surprises, and the joy of discovering something new.
Few adventures offer the same sense of freedom and possibility as hitting the open road. Whether you’re chasing coastlines, national parks, or quirky roadside attractions, the best cross-country road trip reflects your interests—and gives you a front-row seat to America’s diverse landscapes and cultures.
So what makes the perfect cross-country road trip? It’s a mix of thoughtful planning, flexibility, and knowing what kind of experience you want. Smart road trip planning can make all the difference. This guide will help you design your ideal route, prepare for the journey, and stay safe and confident along the way.
This route offers a safe and structured experience, with well-maintained roads and abundant visitor facilities, making it ideal for families and first-time road trippers.
Few trips compare to a national park road trip for nature lovers and wide-open-space seekers. This north-to-south route highlights some of the country’s most iconic protected landscapes—from glacier-capped peaks and misty coastal trails to towering red rock canyons and hidden desert caverns.
Plan for at least two to three weeks to explore these parks at your own pace. Due to climate variations on this route, efficient packing is essential. If you’ve got extra days, consider adding Bryce Canyon or Arches for even more red rock beauty, or swing by the Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, or Cuyahoga Valley.
A natural wonderland on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, this park offers an unusually rich mix of ecosystems. You’ll find misty beaches, ancient rainforest, alpine meadows, and glacier-studded peaks—all within a single destination.
Wander through the towering trees of the Hoh Rain Forest, take in sweeping views from Hurricane Ridge, or explore the driftwood-strewn coastline at Rialto and Second Beach. With so much variety in a single park, Olympic National Park is a perfect place to begin your national park adventure.
Yosemite is one of the crown jewels of the National Park system, famous for its towering granite cliffs, ancient sequoia groves, and cascading waterfalls. Highlights include El Capitan, a favorite among climbers, and Half Dome, which dominates the park’s iconic valley views.
Take in the scenery from Tunnel View, explore the forested trails around Glacier Point, or stand beneath the giants in Mariposa Grove. Whether you’re after scenic drives or full-day hikes, Yosemite delivers unforgettable moments at every turn.
Carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, the Grand Canyon is as vast as it is awe-inspiring. Its layered red rock walls stretch for over 270 miles, offering sweeping views that change with the light.
Most visitors head to the South Rim for classic overlooks like Mather Point and Desert View Watchtower, while more adventurous travelers can hike below the rim or book a rafting trip through the canyon’s depths. No matter how you explore it, the Grand Canyon lives up to its name.
Zion is known for its towering sandstone cliffs, narrow slot canyons, and the winding Virgin River that cuts through its dramatic landscape. The park blends rugged adventure with serene beauty, making it a favorite among hikers and photographers alike.
Popular hikes include Angels Landing for its heart-pounding views and The Narrows, where you’ll wade through water between canyon walls. Scenic drives and shuttle routes make it easy to take in the park’s highlights even without hitting the trail.
Deep beneath the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns reveals a hidden world of towering cave chambers, delicate formations, and underground silence. The park is home to more than 100 caves, including the Big Room—one of North America’s largest single cave chambers, accessible via a paved trail.
Visitors can descend into the caverns by elevator or hike down the winding natural entrance. Above ground, desert trails lead to panoramic views, and from spring through fall, you can witness the park’s famous evening bat flights, when thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats take to the sky at dusk.
This two-week road trip itinerary offers the shortest drive times between stops—ideal if you want to see a lot without spending long hours on the road.
Turn up the volume for this coast-to-coast journey through America’s musical heartland. This route follows the rise of blues, rock ’n’ roll, soul, and country, as well as the cities where they came to life.
From late-night jam sessions in New Orleans to the polished hooks of Detroit’s Motown era, each stop lets you explore music history and catch live shows that still carry the rhythm forward. A perfect option for a budget-friendly anniversary trip.
If you’re up for a few extra stops, swing through Clarksdale, Mississippi, to explore the Delta Blues Museum, head to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where soul and rock legends recorded some of their biggest hits, or visit Cleveland, Ohio, home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Kick off your Rock & Blues road trip where it all began. A true musical melting pot, New Orleans blends French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Native American rhythms, melodies, and traditions. Known as the birthplace of jazz, the city also amplified the blues traditions of the Mississippi Delta and helped shape them into what we now call rhythm and blues.
Head to Frenchmen Street to catch everything from brass bands to funk and soul. Want something classic? Visit Preservation Hall for intimate jazz sets, or Tipitina’s for a high-energy night of New Orleans funk.
As blues musicians traveled north, many settled in Memphis—changing music forever. Home to both Sun and Stax Records, the city helped launch rock ‘n’ roll and soul legends like Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, and Isaac Hayes.
Take your feet to Beale Street, once the center of Black musical culture, where clubs, bars, and street performers still keep blues and soul alive. You can also catch a show at the historic Overton Park Shell, where Elvis Presley gave his first paid concert.
Nashville earned the nickname “Music City” through its deep ties to the roots and rise of country music. It was here that the distinctive “Nashville Sound” brought smooth strings and pop polish to traditional twang. But the city’s musical story runs deeper with the gospel and R&B scenes along Jefferson Street helping to shape the city’s studio sound that later influenced Memphis and Motown.
Explore Honky Tonk Highway for a live set on Lower Broadway, where bars and venues pump out live music. For a more traditional experience, visit the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame to trace the genre’s evolution.
Chicago took Southern blues and electrified it. As artists migrated north, they plugged in—creating Chicago blues, defined by electric guitars, harmonicas, and grit. Chess Records recorded icons like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, paving the way for soul, jazz, and house music.
You can catch the spirit of those early days at Buddy Guy’s Legends, founded by the blues icon himself. For a full-immersion experience, head to Kingston Mines, where live blues bands play every night. Prefer a jazzier vibe? The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge was once frequented by Al Capone.
Motown changed the world from a modest house in Detroit. Berry Gordy’s label turned out polished, soulful pop that launched the careers of Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations. Detroit’s musical legacy also paved the way for future genres, from the gritty energy of garage rock to the city’s invention of techno in the 1980s.
During the day, you can feel the magic with a visit to the Motown Museum at Hitsville U.S.A., before grabbing a seat at Aretha’s Jazz Café or the Majestic Theatre to spend the evening enjoying local and touring soul, funk, and indie acts.
End your musical journey in New York City, where nearly every genre has found a stage and a following. From the folk revival of the 1960s in Greenwich Village to the birth of punk at CBGB and the rise of hip-hop in the Bronx, New York has long been a creative incubator for bold new sounds.
Catch a show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem or explore smaller venues like Smalls Jazz Club and Rockwood Music Hall, all of which keep the city’s rich sonic past pulsing into the present.
This route weaves through both major cities and quiet countryside, offering the greatest variety in pacing and scenery—perfect for a romantic couples getaway.
Start your literary journey where American literature took root—in the towns and cities that shaped its earliest voices—then follow the trail west to see how storytelling evolved across landscapes and generations.
Use the cross-country road trip map below to trace the route from Concord’s quiet woods to the wild counterculture of Oregon, bringing the written word to life, one chapter at a time.
Want to keep the pages turning? Add a stop in Oxford, Mississippi, to visit William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak, or head to Red Cloud, Nebraska, where Willa Cather’s prairie stories come to life.
Few places have shaped American literature like Concord. In the 1800s, it was home to writers like Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose ideas about nature, identity, and society helped define a national voice.
You can tour Orchard House, where Alcott wrote “Little Women”, or walk the path around Walden Pond, where Thoreau lived and wrote. At Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, a quiet corner called Author’s Ridge holds the graves of all four. It’s a fitting place to begin your journey through American letters.
Baltimore’s most haunting literary claim to fame is Edgar Allan Poe, master of mystery and the macabre. He lived, wrote, and died here—and the city continues to embrace his legacy. Visit the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, then stop by his gravesite at Westminster Hall, where fans leave pennies or roses in tribute.
The city’s literary roots run deeper, too. Baltimore has been home to writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates, Anne Tyler, and John Waters, who’ve captured everything from race and identity to domestic life.
Southern Gothic fiction lives and breathes in Milledgeville, where writer Flannery O’Connor spent her final years crafting darkly witty short stories and novels. Her family home, Andalusia Farm, inspired many of her characters and settings, which are filled with mystery, religion, and rural oddities.
Today, you can visit the Andalusia Interpretive Center, where her writing desk and peacocks remain on view. This offers a glimpse into the life behind “Wise Blood” and “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”.
Writers have long been drawn to Santa Fe’s desert light and layered histories. D.H. Lawrence lived and wrote in nearby Taos, finding spiritual and creative renewal in the Southwest’s stark beauty, a landscape that shaped his novel “The Plumed Serpent” and several essays. Willa Cather also captured the region’s cultures and Catholic heritage in “Death Comes for the Archbishop”.
Today, you can visit the D.H. Lawrence Ranch near Taos (open by appointment), browse indie bookstores and galleries along Canyon Road, or plan your trip around the Santa Fe International Literary Festival.
This coastal region profoundly influenced John Steinbeck, whose works like “Cannery Row” and “East of Eden” draw directly from its landscapes and communities. In Salinas, the National Steinbeck Center offers insights into his life and writings, while his childhood home, the Steinbeck House, now operates as a restaurant and gift shop.
Over in Monterey, a stroll along Cannery Row brings you face-to-face with settings from his novels. The area’s literary heritage also includes Robert Louis Stevenson, who resided in Monterey and found inspiration for “Treasure Island”.
End your trip in Eugene, a creative hub in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and home to Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. A statue in Kesey Square honors the counterculture icon, while the University of Oregon preserves his original papers.
The city also nurtured sci-fi author Kate Wilhelm and poet-novelist Richard Brautigan. Today, Eugene’s literary spirit lives on through indie bookstores and the annual Authors & Artists Fair.
Planning an epic cross-country road trip takes more than just picking a destination and hitting the gas. A little foresight can go a long way in helping you avoid hiccups and enjoy the journey. Whether heading coast to coast or tracing one of the themed itineraries above, this quick planner will help you get started:
There’s nothing quite like a cross-country road trip to help you connect with the landscape, discover new places, and explore at your own pace. Whether you’re drawn to national parks, historic towns, or cultural landmarks, choose a route that reflects your interests and be sure to give yourself the freedom to follow unexpected turns along the way.
Taking basic safety precautions, like sharing your itinerary and packing an emergency kit, can go a long way toward keeping your trip on track. But it’s also smart to plan ahead for what happens during travel emergencies.
EA+ offers travel assistance services that can help with medical transport, travel coordination, and other unexpected emergencies. Learn more and enroll in EA+ before your next adventure.
Most cross-country road trips take at least two to three weeks, depending on your route and how often you stop. If you want time to explore multiple destinations along the way, plan for closer to a month.
Costs vary widely based on your transportation, lodging, food, and activities. On average, a cross-country road trip can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 per person—more if you’re staying in hotels or traveling by RV.
Absolutely. A cross-country road trip can be great for sightseeing and reconnecting with your love of travel at any age. It allows you to explore at your own pace, discover hidden gems, and experience various landscapes and cultures. Perfect if you’re planning an epic retirement trip.
Spring travel is particularly refreshing, but any time from May to September is good for cross-country road trips for the best weather and road conditions. If you’re traveling in cold weather, be sure to check forecasts and brush up on winter driving tips, especially in mountainous or northern regions.
Destinations
Destinations
Destinations
