Nothing quite says summer like planning your next big foreign adventure. Works out, plane tickets are purchased and you’re ready to hit that open road! And what better way to do it that embarking on one of these dreamy American road trips? Whether you go with friends, your partner, or totally solo- these famous routes will feed your soul. The beauty is in the simplicity, all you really need for an epic road trip is a pair of sunglasses, a good playlist and a convertible car to feel that wind through your hair. And in the spirit of carefree simplicity, the NetCredit folks have come up with these breezily minimalist roadmaps to eight of the most iconic American road trips. Buckle up!
Pacific Highway
West Coast, baby! The hippie spirit lives on along the Frisco-San Diego route. From the pricy utopia of Golden Gate City across the eponymous bridge, you’ll pass through the scenes of many an acid casualty at Santa Cruz and Monterey along the sun-drenched hilltops and down to the beaches of Malibu and west LA. Rock n’roll!
Route 66
The road-tripper’s road trip, iconic Route 66 is Americana in a nutshell. America’s first year-round transcontinental highway has always been an escapist’s dream, because whether you’re east-west or west-east bound you’re sure to find a new way of thinking and some serious adventure along the way.
US Route 20
America’s longest road reaches from Boston to Newport (Oregon), right through the middle of the country. This one is ideal for those who imagine shaking off their dusty boots after a romantic stop-off in the wild: the route leads past both Nebraska’s Ashfall Fossil Beds and Yellowstone National Park.
Florida Keys
You like to chill in the hot, hot heat? Florida is corny as hell, and its fans would have it no other way. Glistening blue waters and tropical flora and fauna will give you that Miami Vice feeling as you sleaze your way to the Key West so beloved to writer-adventurer Ernest Hemingway.
Hana Coast
The east coast of Maui, Hawaii, remains how nature intended. Sometimes a little frighteningly so! It’s no wonder the area’s 25-acre Garden of Eden Arboretum was chosen to feature in the opening sequence of Jurassic Park. But among the wild surprises and exotic beaches and waterfalls, you’ll find a welcome as warm as that sweet, sweet air.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Connecting the National Parks of Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway is real countryside-country. Virginia’s Shenandoah is 200,000 acres of sheer beauty, from the cathedral-scale caves of Luray Caverns to the waterfalls up above.
Four Corners
Sadly, ‘Four Corners’ doesn’t describe a perfect square route from corner to corner of the States, but happily it will give you a historic overview of that strange and troubled land. In addition to being the only meeting point of four separate states, between the grand old landscapes of the national parks is the Trail of the Ancients, an exploration of America’s native heritage.
Seward Highway
To the north, then, and the final map offers a chilly route from Anchorage to Seward, Alaska. The wildlife knows no fear of the cold, so you’ll spot seabirds, moose, and many more colourful characters as you descend from the mountains to the wetlands of the Kenai Peninsula.
Fuel up, it’s time to go!
Check out more American road trips with Bamba Experience to get your epic journey started!
