Top East Coast USA Road Trip Destinations

The east coast of the USA was made for driving. From Maine to Florida, you'll experience big cities, small towns, National Parks, beautiful beaches, and some of America's best known historical sites. It's one of the most popular road trip routes in the USA, and it's easy to navigate. Here are some of the highlights that you'll experience on an east coast road trip:

Acadia National Park
This stunning Maine coastal National Park is located on Mount Desert Island, in northern Maine. It is one of the few east coast destinations that has mountains on the water. From here, you can witness what most consider the first sunrise of the east coast, Cadillac Mountain. Pristine ponds and winding backroads take you to luscious Maine forests and rugged coastline that stretches for miles. This should be a must-see on your trip to Maine.

Boston
The hub of New England, Boston isn't just a town full of sports rivalries and old statues. It's a great place to eat, walk around, and enjoy history. Even if history isn't your thing, you'll be able to soak up amazing food in the North End, experience great shopping on Newbury Street, or take a scenic harbor lighthouse tour to some of the most breathtaking lighthouses in America. There are also a lot of beautiful hotels in Boston to choose from (you should really stay at a nice place in this city - it's worth it).

New York City Times Square Cabs - Print from AllPosters

New York
It's difficult to get "in and out" of New York City, and it can be a maddening experience for those that haven't driven amongst the local New Yorkers before, so be sure that you're up for an adventure before you plan out this trip! If you're up for a challenge, New York has some the best food and some of the most famous views and attractions in the world. Since most bypass New York on a road trip in favor of more car friendly destinations, we're going to pass on to the next city (though you should really visit sometime!).

Baltimore
Some have described similarities between Boston and Baltimore before, and they wouldn't be entirely incorrect. Both cities share a deep history with roots from Colonial times, both share historical memories from famous leaders, and they both have some of the most intact cobblestone streets from the "old days". This city is only 26 miles from Washington DC, but boasts its own set of attractions you shouldn't miss out on like the National Aquarium and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Washington DC
Our nation's capitol is a city that's all about being free. No, not freedom and liberty, we're talking about free admissions! It's incredible how many amazing museums and national treasures are absolutely free to see, and can't beat anything else in the USA. From the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument to the Smithsonian, it's all free, and all unbelievably cool.

Florida
There's so much to do and see in Florida, it's hard to sum it up in one paragraph, but here goes nothing... the sunshine state has more beaches than anywhere else in the USA. It's also the warmest state in the United States, and can brag about it's world class cities like Tampa and Miami, but also it's tropical destinations like Key West and Naples. The driving aspect of Florida is really a treat. Try taking scenic Route 1 along the coast to catch a closer glimpse in towns like Daytona Beach, the Florida Keys, and Fort Lauderdale.

The east coast has many more great destinations in South Carolina like Myrtle Beach, Savannah, Georgia, and the Outer Banks. For these small towns and regions, you'll have to leave the major highway and hit the all American backroads. Ready for the journey?
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Boston to California Road Trip

Left: Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, Boston
Photographic Print
Boston to California, are you nuts? Driving from Mass to California will take roughly five days of continuous 8 hour driving per day, but more comfortably, will take about a week. If you live in Massachusetts or California, you're in luck, because you're in the perfect area to drive to via road trip. You'll get to see the best the country has to offer and you can switch up your driving route on the way back to see a whole new set of destinations.

So what will you see along this route?

Starting in Boston, you'll see the Berkshires of Massachusetts along I-90, the upstate part of New York, which is close to the Hudson River Valley, the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls, and you'll have the option to either drive through Canada above Lake Ontario or south of it. Go south and you'll drive through the Cleveland, Ohio, and right underneath Michigan into Indiana (be sure to stop at the Indiana Sand Dunes!). This should take two days, or more if you're planning on spending some time in any of the local areas (which you should).

Further west, you'll drive through the city of Chicago and into the heartland. This is where the trip might get a little bit boring. From a few miles outside of Chicago to South Dakota and Nebraska, you'll drive through endless corn fields and farmlands. My suggestion would be to make these long driving days if you can handle it, since there's not much to do around (sorry Nebraska and Iowa) these areas.

After much driving, you'll approach a recognizable crinkle in the earth. The land will start to slope upwards as you head up I-90 towards the Badlands area of the United States. The Badlands is kind of like a dividing line between the grassy, flat farmlands and the wide open, dusty, hilly, yet interesting terrain of the west. Progressively the landscape gets more mountainous as you head further west. Consider it a foreshadowing of the western scenery to come.

Further to the west in South Dakota lies Mount Rushmore, along with the Black Hills region. This area is very close to the Wyoming border, and again the elevation starts to rise up from the flat lands to the east. As you cross over to Wyoming, you'll be near the famous Devil's Tower National Monument. This monument you would recognize from Close Encounter's of the Third Kind. It's slightly off the main path, but worth the drive out. The famous biker rally, Sturgis, is also nearby.


Grand Teton with Barn
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Head west again and you'll find Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. These two parks are amongst the best in the United States, known for their geysers, amazing mountain scenery, bison herds, and spectacular landscape of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. If you're staying in the area, Jackson Hole is a nice town to spend a few days and enjoy the scenery. It's also central to many of the attractions nearby.

You're getting close to California at this point, but you've still got a few more states to pass through. Heading southwest, you'll pass through Utah. This state is a road trip in itself, so you'll have to decide whether you have more time to spend in this incredible state.

Last stop before California: Nevada. Don't let the state fool you, it's one of the biggest in the country and can take a sizable amount of time to travel through. On the north side of the state, you'll find Lake Tahoe and Reno, to the south, Death Valley, Las Vegas, and Great Basin National Park. Like Utah, there's a lot to see in this state, but they are very spread out. Plan accordingly!

Finally, last stop, California. California is an easy vacation, with vineyards, sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, beautiful National Parks, desert cities, Disneyland, Hollywood, the list goes on and on. The best approach to seeing the most in California is to break it down into two mini road trips. Start in the northern section and pinpoint what you'd like to see. Make a circular tour arcing back towards the coast, and travel south. In the southern portion of the state, also take the arc approach. Once you pass below Santa Barbara, you can plan to head southeast towards Palm Springs, then back to the southwest towards San Diego, and back north to Los Angeles. Then, if you have time, you can take the southern road trip route home to see a whole new set of destinations.