This helps show people, particularly Europeans (no offense meant), why so many Americans don't travel abroad as much. Especially when it comes to nature/outdoors stuff we have it all here. Not saying people shouldn't visit other countries, but as we're the size of Europe....lots to do here. Really a lifetime worthy of traveling inside our country.
This video is such a wonderful example why many of us never leave North America. There's an endless number of incredible places to visit without the expense and hassle of traveling abroad.
Also for people that live in one of the European countries it's cheap for them to fly from country to country. For Americans to travel to Europe we got to cross an ocean first making it way more expensive. So for people that live in Europe it's cheap to fly to your surrounding areas. It's the same thing for Americans but instead of flying to another country inside that's in Europe we just travel to the state we want to go to. America is huge for sure so much to see here and is just cheaper travel for us. I really don't think that Europeans realize what you and I have said. Plus it's true we sure do love our road trips.
@@antarashnia84 also because everything is so much smaller in Europe, for us it's a downgrade/adjustment. "Our room will be how many square feet?? Ugh." The roads are tiny, the cars are tiny, just to get normal size costs luxury rates. And then of course because everybody in America travels by car, we typically have more car capacity for transporting things, which means we can bring with us on vacation our creature comforts. Everything is just so much more convenient when we're in our own element. This is not to suggest that traveling outside the U.S. wouldn't be culturally enriching and a tremendous learning experience, and in fact, many Americans DO travel outside the country, but for the average American when the costs and benefits of traveling overseas are weighed, the costs usually outweigh the benefits.
I’ve been to most of the ones mentioned in the western half of the country, tent camping along the way. I live in San Diego, CA and have taken a two week trip up the coast all the way to Canada and back. We camped along the coast and hit a lot of the places mentioned in Washington and Oregon but Northern California is beautiful as well. Check out PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) trips.
PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from northern California to Washington is in my opinion one if the most beautiful drives in the United States. I have driven Cross county many many times.
The wife and I retired and went on the road for almost 14 years full time in our RV trailer. We averaged 8,000 to 12,000 miles of travel each year. We never saw the entire country. That is a literally an impossible task. We saw many of the things listed here but also not all of them. Keep in mind that driving can eat up hours and hours. Just crossing Texas from El Paso to Orange TX on the border of Louisiana is almost 900 miles of I-10 interstate.
Bro how have you not watched Forest Gump?!?! You’re crazy for not having seen that movie. It goes through so much American History while having so many good story lines.
My favorite movie of all time. Tom Hanks is superb. Covers the good and bad in a tense time in American history. Strong emotions, relationships, action, scenery, and moments of humor. It has it all.
You’ll laugh a lot. And you’ll cry. Excellent movie. Back when Hollywood still put out original content and not just sequels, prequels, and movies based on comic books.
davidterry: If you know someone who has a AAA card, borrow it because you can get a bunch of maps, books, and information about each State and even other countries that will fascinate you. It might be different now, but when I was a kid, I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and was really interested in traveling the world. So, one day, I was with my mother who was at AAA to pay her bill, and I ended up wandering over to their travel section. I saw some of the books of the States, so the rep loaded me up with the travel books, maps, and other stuff for 3 States of my choice. I got California, Arizona, and Nevada. It was amazing. After that, whenever I went with anyone in my family, I'd get different States, Canada , Mexico, and some European countries. When I got my own membership, I started with a couple in Asia, South America, and North Africa. Now, you can likely find everything online. But, getting all those books, maps, and other things I could read, write on, and just peruse was Great
The rain forests in Washington and Oregon mentioned in the video are Temporate Rain Forests where temperatures are much cooler than Tropical Rain Forests in Brazil or Africa. They are very rainy and generally located between the Pacific Coast and Cascade Mountains.
Your first time in the U.S. I'd definitely concentrate on places you won't see elsewhere. Sante Fe and northern New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and parts of Colorado. This video is more of an outdoor adventure trip. Come in the late spring....it will be a lot less crowded than summer time.
For me Appalachian mountains they’re beautiful in the fall with all the fall colors Asheville is great you just can’t beat it in my opinion and I’m talking about like the Blue Ridge in North Carolina
I was relieved to see he included Oregon and Washington! People have explained about temperate rain forests now. 😄 In August or so, even in the rain forests it's usually sunny and fairly dry, but still green, green, green. In autumn through spring, even when it's not raining (400 inches or so a year, I think), you hear water tinkling and dripping everywhere, like music. There are thick layers of moss covering everything, huge trees, baby trees growing out of big, fallen old ones rotting away, and quadruple greenness.That's one of the beauties of the West side of the Cascade Mtn. Range; the green. We're as lushly green as Ireland, and have forests *everywhere*. We don't get freaked by rain. 😄 Lots of us just wear hats and coats and don't bother with umbrellas unless it's really, really bad. Then on the East side it's dryer, and we have lava fields, high desert plateau, and rocks. (Re the lava, Oregon, Washington and Idaho had very active volcanoes. Lots of those states are simply *covered* by ancient lava flows. I'm talking miles and miles, both across and deep. Some are close to the surface, others are buried deep. Portland, for instance, has two extinct volcanos in the city limits, and much of it lies on the Boring lava field. Boring is a town several miles from Portland. 😆 Go ahead and laugh, we😅 all do. Oh, the Craters of the Moon in Idaho he mentioned? Where his GF was climbing the slope of black rock? Our astronauts trained for Moon landings there, because it was the closest to the Moon's surface they could figure on.) Also, within half an hour to an hour from Portland, and sometimes *in* Portland, you can see old growth forest (in the largest wilderness park inside city limits in the US), those volcanoes, go rock or mountain climbing, hiking, skiing or snowboarding, windsurfing, fishing, visit wineries, tulip farms, have a ton of hand-crafted beer, get to the coast, go whale watching or deep sea fishing, surfing, windsurfing again, hang gliding, go on a paddlewheel boat cruise, rodeos, kayaking, and more. Anything outdoors? It's here. And even more stuff farther away. We're the size of Spain; you could spend a month. Same for Washington.
Utah is a beautiful place. Most of the state has beautiful areas to explore. I step out my front porch in Ogden Utah and have an incredible view of the mountains. I can be up the canyons in minutes. I ❤️ living here!
Im always confused when i hear foreigners say they want to go to New York city.. america is so beautiful and has such unique geography that going to NYC is such a waste of time
Agreed, its like traveling for hours to go see a publi restroom and a bunch of cars, trucks, and people. I go there for very specific reasons so i can get in and get out, usually a weekend is more than enough for me.
I live in PNW. My cousin who works for fish and game told me once a New York City resident told her that he had never seen stars before. Only in pictures. I guess city lights drown out starlight.
@@dreamsrmadeof they absolutely do.....i hate light pollution. I can sit outside and enjoy a few cold ones while star gazing and be totally relaxed and content. I feel for that man, get out of the city once and awhile. Breathing that air cant be good for you.
It is much better vacation and much cheaper to go to Washington DC. All the important monuments are free to visit. Most of my expenses went towards food , night clubs, hotel (I was 22 then with my brother 20). With the trains you can buy a week pass for very little so you don't have to drive at all while there. My uncle lived in NY and it is very dirty (like any other large city) and smells like urine. There are a lot of things to do if you are young and have a lot of money to throw around. I visited several times and it was not my thing.
I did route 66 in my 20s... pretty iconic. I transported cars across all 48 continental states and got to see most national monuments and major cities... I only regret not being able to see Mount Rushmore because my trailer was too long for the roads into it.
Well, to be fair, while iconic, many people come away from Mount Rushmore feeling underwhelmed. I was 10 years old when I went, so I thought it was cool. But I don’t think I’d go out of my way as an adult now to see it again unless I was with someone who really wanted to see it.
These are all amazing places but one other place that's a must is the Smoky Mountains in TN and the Carolinas. The southern Appalachian mountains are gorgeous in the fall! and as you can tell I typed this during his last road trip lol
Its sad how many americans dont even realize how much there is in their own country that they can visit. Ive seen/visited a lot of what is shown here. This is a great video that shows just a fraction of whats going on at any time of the year. Btw lew, we would love to have another set of good people, so come to america and enjoy yourself. (And dont forget that you can come to kentucky and experience “the bourbon trail”)
I'd suggest doing Southern Utah in early summer. Not mid to late summer. It's cooler and not bad of a chance of being stuck in the heat as bad. Utah local who's been there before many times.
We do have rainforests in the mainland US. It’s called a temperate rainforest. The ones I went to was in Alaska and it’s so lush and green and everything is pretty much covered in spongy moss and ferns. Literally looked like something out of Jurassic Park
Cross country road trips are an American past time and some of the best memories of my life. I cherish the memories of hanging out and playing with my siblings in the back of the family station wagon, truck stops, diner food and chatting up truckers on the CB radio as a kid in the 70's and early 80's. As well as the numerous memories I got to make with my children on trips. We were in the Coast Guard and always drove to visit family and to our new duty stations. Our greatest trip was driving from Florida to Alaska via the west coast. We tent camped nearly the entire trip. Out of all the places I've been, Sedona Arizona is my favorite place in all of North America. Not only because of the beauty, but this incredible feeling you get there. Some say it's due ley lines and vortexs in the area. I don't know about all that, but whatever it is, it's wonderful. The best way to see and experience America and to understand just how big it really is, is by driving.
As a military family with roots in Columbia South Carolina, we’d always take at least two road trips per year from wherever we were stationed. We’d go visit my grandparents for Christmas break and go on family vacation when school let out for the summer. We’ve driven from Seattle Washington to Orlando Florida, Atlanta Georgia to San Diego California, Ft. Campbell Kentucky to Ft Jackson South Carolina, Fort Hood Texas to Bremerton Washington, Norfolk Virginia to Tampa Bay Florida, Charleston South to Kansas City Missouri, Coure D’Alene Idaho to San Francisco California, Disney World Florida to Disneyland California, San Antonio Texas to Ft. Benning Georgia, Bangor (Kitsap) Sub-base Washington to Kings Bay Sub-base Georgia, Phoenix Arizona to Colorado Springs Colorado, Jamestown New York to Charlotte North Carolina, Chicago Illinois (Navy Base) to Saint Louis Missouri . . . I’m sure I’ve left some places out and I’ve only visited or driven through about 30 of our 50 states in the past 54 years and lived in at least ten US states for three years or longer (lived in Hawaii for 12 years too).
@@DeAnne1233 I'm from San Diego and have been to most of the locations listed and of course many more that weren't. With the exception of a lot of retirees and more recently "Vanlifers", I think career military families are among the most well traveled people within our country (of those who don't do it for a living). We not only have the trips to visit family and travels between duty stations, but also visiting those we were stationed with who became like family. Not to mention all the exploration of places within a day or two drive of every new duty location. It makes a lot of us much more adventurous and restless in a way that most people don't experience. Even when it came to living somewhere... by the end of the 2nd year I was usually like, "good god, isn't it time to move yet? I"m ready for different walls to look at and new places to see." In 26 years there was only one place where I never felt like that. Instead it grew to feel like "home" and absolutely tore me up to leave... Mobile, AL. We fortunately got to stay for 6 years, but when we finally had to move it was almost as painful as when someone dies. Leaving my real hometown wasn't nearly as difficult. As hard as it was, I guess I was actually pretty fortunate to have that great of an experience being stationed somewhere. Overall, being a career military family creates a pretty unique experience in life and travels.
@@misslora3896 I understand completely. MilBrats are a different breed. Adventures taken, knowledge gained, lessons learned. Only life I’ve ever known; both Grandfathers, five uncles and Dad all career Army, brother and husband career Navy (all enlisted). Unfortunately none of the Millennial born or later chose to carry on our family tradition within the military, which is disheartening to me. Seems that life is too hard for many people these days, given our modern conveniences and choices. Doubtful they realize what’s truly being lost here but we can feel it on a society level.
If you ever get to the west coast, you HAVE to see the Redwoods and Sequoias. They will legitimately change your perception of what a tree can be. Your own trees in the UK will seem as small as a shrubbery on the side of the road in comparison.
I live in California and have travelled up and down the West Coast. Highlights include Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake National Park, the Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast, the Olympic Peninsula loop, Mt. Hood National Park, and Mt. Rainer National Park. I also recommend visiting the major cities (San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle). This is just the tip of the iceberg. So many sights to see and places to visit. Lots of good food to be found as well.
Even just driving through Shenandoah in the fall is like a fireworks display you travel through. The colors are so vibrant and there are plenty of places to stop for scenic views. I live relatively close in Richmond VA and I don't make this trip often enough. However, every time I do it takes my breath away.
I can remember driving from my home town in western Colorado to Denver for a weekend trip in my 20's. It was late June and we hit a snow storm going over Vail pass.
I've driven across Oregon where Oregon alone has a little bit of everything, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, been to Pikes Peak, Garden of the gods, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and many others... Each road trip of thousands of miles and tbere are still many places I still have to see..
In Southern California you can surf in the ocean, snow ski a real mountain, and dirt bike the desert, in one day! America is beautiful. As a newer country, we were able to set aside a lot of the most beautiful places to preserve them before they got destroyed. Notice that most of the scenic places are in the West. The East has some great places, but they are all so similar: Woods, lakes and rivers.
When I was young (maybe 10-ish) my family drove from Indianapolis all the way to the west coast. It was about a 2 week trip because we drove around and saw all kinds of things on the way. Some notable sights were the Rocky Mountains, Meteor Crater, The Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert of Arizona (which is so beautiful it doesn't seem real) and vast deserts of Nevada, the Redwood Forest amongst others. At 10 years old, I realized what my country was like, and ever since I've never really had any desire to leave it. As you said, there's everything here. Mountains, deserts, grand forests, never-ending plains, Tropical coastlines, Cliffside Coastlines, big cities, small cities, areas where there are seemingly NO cities... It's just all here. You don't need a passport, or ask permission to go see any of it. You just get in a car and go. While I love my country (Patriotically speaking), it's not just the country I love. It's the whole thing. The geography, the people, all of it. I will never bash on other countries and say they don't have great things or good people as well. But before a human dies, I hope they get a chance to just drive across America. In this single country you CAN see just about anything, and you WILL find things you will never forget. Especially the Grand Canyon. NO picture or video can ever do it justice. It's just one of those things you have to see in person for yourself to even get a grasp on how massive and beautiful it really is.
My parents moved to Southern California in 1970 before I was even a year old. All of our road trips during my childhood were between San Diego and Fort Wayne to visit all our relatives. We'd go at least every other year. And along the way stopped at many of the same locations/attractions you did. No matter how many times we went, it never got old.
My family did that same thing when I was 8 yrs old from Minnesota. And then the Eastern states a few years later. Those were 2 week road trips. I’ve been to all but 3 states in the U.S. I have not been to Washington state, Oregon and Hawaii. But… I will get there! And then to Europe. Maybe Greece. Who knows where else. Mexico and Canada are great!
This is very western US biased, but good. I'd add the Bourbon Trail in western Kentucky, Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, sea islands in South Carolina, and the Miami Keys. All are great road trips with tons to do, but he obviously doesn't get out to the eastern US much.
New Hampshire resident here, I highly recommend hiking Mount Monadnock, then following Route 12 along the Connecticut river north. Stop at Alyson's Orchard and the Walpole Creamery in Walpole. Make sure to continue north, crossing into Vermont via the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge, then getting on I-91N. Once you hit I-89, head west towards South Royalton, VT and stop at Worthy Burger for one of the best burgers you'll ever have.
It's funny he mentioned Mt. Rainier on the Pacific Northwest Trip. Welcome to Mt. Rainier! One of the best spots to hike on the West side of the country...and one of the most famous places to disappear from! If the wildlife don't get you, the aliens sure will knap you right up!😂😳
In my work and play, I have visited 22 countries, and in America, all 48 contiguous states (and lived in 12 of them) and the most beautiful place is a road trip through Northern California up through Oregon and Washibgton state! 2nd favorite is Smoky Mountain National Park in East Tennessee and North Carolina! Get your Brit Butt on over here! Lol great vid, bro! 😊😊😊😊
Lewis I made the mistake of going a similar route as his (recommended by a friend) in the Great Smoky/Appalachian Mountains. Which caused us to totally skip going a lil further south to Grandfather Mountain and the Mile-High Swinging Bridge. I was so mad we skipped it!! We eventually went there and to Biltmore Estate. Holy crap what a huge home!! I knew it was huge but I didn't know it was that huge!! 😳
Love, love, love Colorado - I have done two road trips around the state, and have skied there several times. Saw the Grand Tetons on a Wyoming / Montana / Idaho road trip, and they are literally picture perfect to the point they didn’t look real. It also makes sense how they got their name. The only downside of that day was that it was 9/11/01 - seeing the Grand Tetons was a sweet, brief distraction.
I'm from Nashville. We go to the Smokey Mtns all the time for vacation. My family has been going for 20+ yrs. Always fun and new things to do! Great video!
Cadillac Ranch is an art installation; one example of each year of tailfin Cadillacs, buried halfway in the dirt at the angle of the sides of the Great Pyramid. They are continually covered in layer upon layer of spray paint graffiti.
I look forward to when you visit and share your experience. My biggest suggestion is decide how long and plan from there giving yourself extra time for each stop and/or driive if you decide to roadtrip to allow for stops along the way. Take your time and enjoy yourself and don't try to see everything in one trip because there is just too much.
Gutzon Borglum carved Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, but before that, he started the carving on Stone Mountain in Georgia. He lived in a house just down the street from us. (but this was the 1920s, so long before us)
There are many rain forests in the US. Much of the west coast of North America from Northern California through Oregon, Washington State, and Alaska (and British Columbia in Canada as well) has Temperate Rain Forests. Not all rain forests are Tropical, but the US has those too. Hawaii and the US Territories of Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and American Samoa all have Tropical Rain Forests
If you come to Utah make sure that it is before mid to late summer or maybe in the fall. It gets over 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) which is hot for hiking. It is so worth it though. I live in the Salt Lake Valley surrounded by the beautiful Wasatch mountains and my sister lives about 4 hours away in St. George, Utah. It could take me way more than four hours (even more than four days) to get there if I stopped at any of the national parks between here and there. It is beautiful. We have beautiful hiking and camping in the Wasatch mountains as well.
San Diego over Los Angeles, hands down. No comparison. Cool beaches in LA, but LA is dirty and gross. San Diego has texture to the landscape, way prettier, nicer people and BETTER food, on the border, so the Mexican food is way better than LA, and yes I can say that, my mom is from Mexico. Joshua Tree National Park is very cool, don't miss it when you are here. Utah is unreal, and 100% deserves a visit.
Highly recommend the Wyoming,Montana parks for gorgeous mountains National Park lodges, rivers, lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife. Start at the Tetons, then Yellowstone, then north to Glacier, and even continue into Waterton Canadian National Park and Banff. From there you can take the train through the mountains in a scenic loop or one way. Absolutely breath taking beauty!
Even if you’re planning a short trip, Denver is a good place to start, especially in snow season. In Denver, you can get a taste of those “melt in your mouth” tender steaks you’ve been dying for. Then, the drive from Denver to Breckenridge or Arapahoe Basin (A Basin) for some skiing or snowboarding will take your breath away. That’s a trip you could do in three or four days. And no, America doesn’t have every biome. Individual states have every biome in them. From coast and high mountain desert to rain forests and mountain lakes, each of the western states will suit your needs.
I’ve been to Cadillac Mountain in Maine and we stayed in Bar Harbor. I did get a picture of the sunset from on top of the mountain there. Also, this past summer, I went to Seattle. I didn’t go to Mount Rainier but I did see it the last day I was there.
The bonus road trip is where I live (East Tennessee.) I didn't realize how beautiful it was until I lived overseas and decided to return to the mountains. He mentions Cummin's Falls. That is by the university I went to. It wasn't even a park back then. You had to park on the side of the road and just know where the trail cut was.
Lewis I have 2 recommendations for you both in Oregon: 1.) Jerry's Jet Boat Rides, located in Gold Beach Oregon, it's an 8 hour long jet boat ride up an down the Rogue River canyon its a beautiful trip, but go during July, or August as you are going to get wet, it's a ton of fun 😁. 2nd, is Crater Lake Oregon, make sure and stop for the springs you see along the drive getting there, the water is all snow melt and purified by the volcanic rock, best tasting water you'll find, they are deceptively deep as the water is clean and still it looks like you can put arm in and touch bottom, but in reality if drop a small pebble it may take a good 30 seconds to bottom, say 8 meters in depth.
Looks like a video of the top scenic drives of the western U.S. with a brief mention of the Appalachian area. Lewis, I think you'll need about 6 months to a year to see much of the U.S.
There is a reason in My Country Tis of Thee we have the line God Shed is Grace on Thee. There is just so much amazing piled up mile after mile on this land. Rainforests happen anywhere the forest is large enough for the canopy to be a water source in evaporation for cloud generation. Even Germany has a few but people keep getting surprised to hear of ones that aren't tropical.
Read the distances on the maps and you understand the scale of the US and these trips. I have done a few of these and they were anazing, Come on over and move to the US!
My parents made the trip from Seattle to the east coast and visited major cities there. Yes New York too. We drove back by a different route. Awesome trip.
And now you know why Americans dont travel abroad as often. We are hard pressed to just see our own country. The US is a BIG country and we are seriously spoiled with insanely beautiful landscapes. As a Utahn, the Mighty 5 are unspeakably vast and beautiful. Blazing reds and oranges against a deep blue sky, sometimes with deep greens of the trees. It is stunning. That whole road trip, even the most mundane part, is breathtaking. Arizona also has Monument Valley... butnif you backtrack into UT a little bit you get Valley of the Gods. Nearly as beautiful but almost always deserted, leaving the whole area to yourself. There is also the Moki Dugway, a ridiculous winding road up a nearly sheer cliff with a stunning view from above the whole valley. I am a natuve Coloradan, Denver born and raised, and I will swear by the beauty of CO and UT till the day I die. CO has nearly all of the peaks in the US that are iver 14,000 ft tall. It's a state wide thing to hike them in the summer and stand on the peaks. From Royal Gorge to numerous rivers to white water raft, more ski resorts than you can count (Vail and Aspen among the best in the world), modern amd fast paced cities, amd the beauty of the American great plains which start in Denver. Man, I've done a fair few of these it turns out. The Black Hills are beautiful. Lush greens and winding rivers. A gold mine you can tour. Caves. Fishing. Rushmore is beautiful. Devil's Tower is such a unique place.
I currently live in Portland, Oregon after having moved from Seattle, Washington about a year ago. I cannot even express how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is. I love both states and all the outdoor things there are to do.
I’m a Colorado native! I barely travel outside of Colorado because of how much I have to do here! I take my kids on new hikes and camping trips all the time! Some just 15 minutes away! Colorado is so gorgeous and lovely and you never have to repeat the same outdoor activity twice because of how much beauty is here!!
Lewis, I am six minutes into your video and you are amazed that you are only four minutes into watching yours. You dear sir crack me up with big smiles and laughter. We need to get you over here. I love how passionately you are exploring all things USA. Like Laurence from "Lost in The pond" podcast fame, you will have the time of your life.... As I heard you say, "It's like 50 different little countries" and it takes five to six hours to fly coast to coast. No passports or borders once you arrive. Get here soon lad :) Edit: 10:35 "I would definitely hurt myself here" XD
As a native Oregonian i have to agree with the guy in the video, we get crazy fires here almost daily due to some areas in oregon being very dry and suffering drought. Where i live i cant even have a campfire in the summer. No matter what. If im caught with fire, no matter how safe i am even if i have an extinguisher. i will get a huge ticket.
You can add the Great River Road trip to that list as an honorable mention. It’s a marked route up and down the Mississippi River. There are a lot of pretty cool sites to see on this journey.
Ive done the black Hills trip - he left off half of the things worth doing in the area. Badlands, Wall Drug, Mammoth Dig Site, and I also really liked the spring water pool In Hot Springs. Insanely underated area. Also, For the Needles, gotta hike around!
I am born and raised in Washington state. We have a little bit of everything. The beaches are a bit cooler than California. But, many you can drive on as they are hard sand. I like the Oregon beaches on occasion as those are soft sand. The rainforests are not the same as the Amazon, but beautiful. The central state is desert. I grew up 30 miles from the base of Mt. Rainier and prefer the South Sound area but Seattle is great to visit. We do have many lakes as well, on both sides of the Cascades. Really, I love my state.
Im less than 2 hours away from Cummins Natuonal Park in Tennessee and its on my list to hike! I have an entire notebook page filled with hikes thar are within 2 hours distance from me and I'm checking them off as I go. We have a ton of great hikes nearby. My sister lives in North Carolina and we try to do one or two if the hikes whenever she comes to visit .
Hey Lewis! This is a fun video and the photography is spectacular. Ive driven across USA twice. It was completely routed in advance, drove for one week, 8hrs per day, sight seeing and settling into hotel each day. Took a swim, had a shower, dinner, then to bed to wake early have breakfast and hit the road. I would recommend you pick what you'd like to see and if going to State Parks, Federal Parks you can purchase a pass to see any or all you want for a flat rate. You can rent a car say on east coast, drive and leave w/company on west coast. But planning is key.You can get off Interstates and take Scenic Routes which is what I like to do. I'm not big on camping but many people like to stay outdoors. I'm excited for you to come to the USA 😊
When I lived west of Seattle my friends and I would do a long weekend roadtrip..... We started out in the desert to the far of washington where we would hike a few hours. We would then pile into the vehicle and go for a short drive to a petrified forest where we would again hike for a short bit and eat lunch. Then pile into the car and head to Mt. Rainier where we would either snow trek on the glacier or if we were fresh enough, ski the glacier. Pack back into the car and drive home to cap the night off with some water skiing. Wake up REALLY early and head to the dryest town the US for breakfast then hike Lightning Ridge for an hour or two. Another 2 hours took us to Neah Bay and a quick visit. Pack back into the car and drive the the Hoh Rain Forest. We would camp on the beach the night before going for an all day hike in the Hoh.... Desert hike, Petrified Forest hike, Glacier hike, snow skiing, water skiing, mountain hike, farthest west point of the state, beach camping, rain forest hiking.....3 days. lots of smiles, lots of beers, and great memories....all within a 1 day drive of home.
The Hoh rain forest isn't the classical tropical rain forest you think of. It's cool and relies on ground water. It's mentioned in one of the common travel videos people have reacted to.
It would take 10 lifetimes & 18/7 time wise (gotta sleep), plus the $$ to see 1% of what the USA has to see. For example- 5 years per 50 states= yes, that many years to just get a taste of what's available. UK is still on my bucket list. 6 months min. 2 months- London. Then 1 month for Wales, Ireland and Scotland respectively. Then 1 week- York/Yorkshire, 1 week- Hay on Wye, 1 week island(s) knitting tour and 1 week- running a bookstore in Scotland. To be truthful, I would really need 6 months in London. Not to mention Christmas. 😊
I would suggest before making the commitment to move to the States, take a couple trips to visit different parts of the country to see where you feel most comfortable. The country is so vast that you have a lot of different places to choose from - from snowy northern areas to warm southern areas, coastal areas etc......that way you don't have any regrets if and when the day comes you do make the move.
Been to several places. I live in Oregon… sooo coming up hwy 101 is very nice. Crescent city, gold city, Coos Bay sand dunes, Cannon Beach, now there is a little known place called The Vortex absolute must see. Also just stay on the costal roads.. Depot Bay is a popular Whale watch place. This isn’t even including Washington State. Been to the South Dakota love it. Been to Four corners.. Standing in four states is very cool. There is just soooo much to see and I have been to the east coast once..
I've actually done a huge part of this list: - Four of the five parks in Utah, a small part of the Colorado loop (Colorado Springs, Denver, Estes Park, the eastern half of Rocky Mountain NP), and Grand Teton in a single two-week trip (did not get to the Idaho or Montana sections he mentioned, though). Also hit Carlsbad Caverns and a big chunk of west Texas. - Sedona, Antelope Canyon, and the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona - Most of the places he mentioned in New England (Acadia, Stowe, Smuggler's Notch, the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire) as part of a long 3-week trip (along with Shenandoah NP, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Great Smoky Mountains, which I was kind of surprised not to see mentioned on here) - Joshua Tree NP and the western Coachella Valley in California - The Black Hills and Badlands NP in South Dakota Only the southern Nevada and Pacific Northwest trips are ones I've never done. One international road trip that I would like to do at some point is the Lake Superior Circle Tour. I've done most of the US half, but not the Canadian side.
At the end of the video when he talks about Appalacha and West Virginia and some of the places he loves to hike and visit there are where I'm from, where I was born and raised, and it is a very beautiful state. However I ended up moving to South Carolina for the past 35 years so I went from the West Virginia mountains and rivers to the oceans, beaches and palm trees of South Carolina. Along with 112 degree F (44 C) summer days!
I've been lucky enough to travel to Zion, Arches ,Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, Sand Dunes, Badlands, Joshua Tree, Custard National park, Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills, Great Smoky Mt. and the Grand Canyon. America is beautiful. I sincerely hope you get to visit our great country at some point. There's so much to see and do..
The Appalachian Mountains were the only road trip east of the Mississippi. There is so much to see in the eastern part of the country. We did a lot of road trips last summer and never got out of the Pennsylvania/New York area...so much to see, although we are more interested in historical sites than mountain climbing.. This summer we are camping our way up to Maine.
Its funny how you can tell when one of these types videos are made by an east coaster, they are always heavily weighted towards the southwest and west because they just have not been exposed to that type of desert and rugged moutain terrian. East of the rockies to the atlantic ocean has some of the most beautiful nature and views that you will find. I mean seriously, ive been all over the west and i love it, but these videos rob great experiences from foreign visitors that just dont know. To me, a red rock is a red rock after seeing nothing but red rock for years. Im not tryin to hate but i am tryin to show love to the center and eastern parts of this vast beautiful country. Hope you get to see some of it soon, just dont try to see to much all at once. I will take multiple trips to see just what this video shows, and each portion would be a double digit days trip. Have fun....stay safe
Lew, those trips are okay, but I thought for sure your top American road trip would be to find a place in Texas with two BBQ restaurants across the highway from one another so that you could take a "road trip" back and forth for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Admit I'm right. :)
I live in the Black Hills. Love it here. So much to explore, but personally I recommend Spearfish Canyon in late Sept when all the leaves change. Devil's Tower is actually in the Black Hills. 😊
I have done road trips 1, 2, 3, 10, and 11 (parts of 4 and 6)... after watching this, I need to go back and check out more areas. I saw and hiked a ton, but these areas are so huge that there is way more than whats listed and i apparently missed some of these wonderful spots. This year I have trips to New River Gorge (West Virginia), Shenandoah in Virginia, New Orleans, Alaska, and Hawaii already planned... but next year I have to finally do the yellowstone- tetons- sawtooths- glacier trip. It's been on my wishlist for too long. My best advice, if you are serious about wanting to see around the USA: start now. Too many people wait until they have a lot of money or time to take lengthy vacations, but it's too late by then. You'll have to choose between locations. I started my bucket list entry to see all 50 states 12 years ago and I still have only been to 32 of the states and there are states I need to return to so I can see different regions. (I try to do 3-4 vacations/holidays a year)
And to answer your question...yes...wildfires - particularly west of the Mississippi River, are a real issue. Particularly on the West Coast for many years up to last winter as they were under nearly a decade long severe drought.
feel like it's worth mentioning that california, the state you normally hear about being ravaged by wildfires doesn't do controlled burns to get rid of the dead trees and scrub so they just let kindling build up higher and higher until something catches
We now live in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. Dolly Sods and Spruce Knob are nice. The New River gorge is nice. The single span arch bridge is now the 3rd longest (used to be the first). The bridge is 876’ above the river. As far as Texas, go south east to my home of Corpus Christi with it beautiful bay-front. Padre Island is a long natural barrier island that extends from there towards Mexico.
