Destination: USA
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: The cross-country journey
TWO WEEKS TO ONE MONTH/NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES
Gas up, check your oil and start your engine - here is one of several unforgettable routes across the continent. But watch out, the rhythm of driving can sometimes take over and before you know it you're staring at the Pacific. If you wind up in LA long before you mean to be, go to Disneyland.
This is the trip you have to do at least once - coast to coast, sunrise over the Atlantic to sunset over the Pacific. It's 3000 miles, give or take. Some do it in days, like it's a competition. Others take months, as if savoring a rich meal. There's no right or wrong, no rules, no 'best' route. Just go.
Start with a few days in New York City, then go east on I-80. At the Pennsylvania state line is the lovely Delaware Water Gap; from here make tracks for Cleveland, where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum beckons. From here, detour south on I-71 and back in time by visiting Ohio's Amish Country. Then, back on I-80, at Toledo make a detour north on I-75 to Detroit before returning again to I-80 and beelining for the Windy City, Chicago.
Head into the heartland on I-80. In Iowa, check out the Iowa 80 Truckstop Hall of Fame on the state line, then enjoy a good steak in Omaha. As I-80 unfurls through Nebraska, pick up I-76 and head southwest to the 'Mile High City,' Denver.
From here, make a loop through Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park and back to I-70, where the ski resorts of Breckenridge and Vail beckon in winter. Once in Utah, detour to Moab, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
Take I-70 to I-15 and head south, stopping for the red rocks of Zion National Park and, further, the neon of Las Vegas. From here, it's a straight shot through the Mojave Desert to stylish Los Angeles. Whew!
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance
