90 days in USA - road/train trip - Final plan
Replies: 17 - Last Post: Feb 4, 2013 2:14 PM Last Post By: Kym_n_James
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90 days in USA - road/train trip - Final plan
Just wanted to share our plan for the USA now that we've been researching and rearranging for a couple of months now. We have a 90 day visa waiver (from Australia). I have seen many posts coming through Thorn Tree and TA alike requesting information about ambitious cross country trips (that's how ours started) from travellers who are keen to get a taste of the variety of land and cityscapes that the USA has to offer. I thought our itinerary might help anybody who is searching for ideas on a longer USA trip with a few different flavours. We've done lots of reading and researching on this itinerary and although it is personalised for our interests, it could easily be adapted to another's tastes.Bear in mind that this trip has left out Hawaii and the North-East corner. The main reason for this is because we don't want to stretch ourselves too thin and have hopefully balanced out a trip of wide open spaces and exciting cities. We've also left out Los Angeles as we've already spent 4 days there on a previous trip.
We also haven't done this trip yet so I guess that our trip report will be more useful, but until that time... ;-) Trip begins in first week September and finishes end November, so we are visiting national parks first to avoid possibility of weather conditions causing too much of a hindrance. We also have kept one night stays to a minimum, in favour of longer stays, as we prefer the kind of itinerary which allows of freedom to relax and soak up an area and check out local eateries, etc.
Night 1-3: San Francisco
Nt 4-5: Yosemite - Camping tour with IncAdventures
Nt 6: San Francisco
Nt 7: Overnight California Zephyr train
Nt 8: Denver - Arr late from train and collect hire car
Nt 9: Casper, WY
Nt 10: Cody, WY
Nt 11-12: Tower Lodge, Yellowstone NP
Nt 13-14: Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone NP
Nt 15-16: Jackson, Grand Teton NP
Nt 17: Salt Lake City
Nt 18-20: Moab, UT
Nt 21: Torrey, UT (Drive Byway 12)
Nt 22: Bryce Canyon NP
Nt 23-24: Zion NP
Nt 25-27: Las Vegas, NV
Nt 28-29: Sedona
Nt 30-31: Grand Canyon Village, South Rim
Nt 32-33: Page - Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, etc
Nt 34: Chinle/Canyon de Chelly
Nt 35-37: Santa Fe, NM
Nt 38: Taos, NM
Nt 39-40: Cortez/ Mesa Verder NP
Nt 41: Ouray, CO
Nt 42: Salida, CO - Drive to Denver Airport, drop off rental vehicle and fly to Chicago
Nt 43-46: Chicago - Amtrak train to St Louis, MO
Nt 47-49: St Louis, MO - Pick up rental vehicle
Nt 50-51: Memphis, TN
Nt 52-53: Clarksdale, MS
Nt 54: Natchez, MS
Nt 55-58: New Orleans, LA - Drop off rental vehicle. Fly from NO to Orlando
Nt 59-63: Orlando, FL - Theme parks and Kennedy Space Centre, Amtrak train to Savannah
Nt 64-66: Savannah, GA - Amtrak train to Charleston
Nt 67-69: Charleston, SC - Fly to Boston
Nt 70-72: Boston - Bus/train to NY
Nt 73-77: New York - Bus/train to Philly
Nt 78-80: Philadelphia - Bus/train to DC
Nt 80-84: Washington DC
On the round trip from Denver through Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado driving times between stops vary from 2hrs to 5hrs. Comfortably done with 2 drivers and stops/sightseeing on the way. Nothing excessive (IMO) like 8hrs+.
The first part of the trip (Nt 1-42) is centred around open spaces and national parks. Time for short hikes, wandering around towns, photography, etc. The next part of the trip is centering around the trip down the Mississippi, Blues, Rock 'N' Roll, plantations, swamps and New Orleans!! Then the last part (after Orlando) is about exciting cites, museums and history.
You could definitely cover more territory in 90 days but this is what we are happy with. I hope this helps somebody in their planning. :)
2
I would hold off on the rental until Memphis, unless you get a really good deal.Megabus now runs that route cheaply.
Nt 52-53: Clarksdale, MS
You might want to split these nights between Clarksdale and Vicksburg.
5
I recall your earlier posts (though not every detail) and the TT search function is not operating correctly so I cannot go back and check them.Nt 70-72: Boston - Bus/train to NY
Nt 73-77: New York - Bus/train to Philly
Nt 78-80: Philadelphia - Bus/train to DC
Nt 80-84: Washington DC
Nt 73-77: New York - Bus/train to Philly
Nt 78-80: Philadelphia - Bus/train to DC
Nt 80-84: Washington DC
I live in this (Mid-Atlantic) area and have traveled it extensively.
Overall this part of your trip sounds good.
- Keep in mind that part of the beauty of Boston is it's side trips. Those can mean tour buses or one-day car rentals, etc..
- In DC, hotel value is all bout access to the metro.
- Normally at this point I would suggest adding Baltimore as a side trip from DC, but in November, I'm not so sure.
- I probably mentioned this before, but while in DC, take advantage of the free guided tour of the Capitol building, the monuments are kinda cool, otherwise consider it the free museum capital of the world (and they are some pretty cool museums).
- While in Philly don't forget toe have scrapple and eggs for breakfast, and a cheese steak for lunch. If that makes you worry about cholesterol, you can always jog the Rocky Steps. It's a great town for sports fans.
Overall, good plan.
6
Thanks. We are still open to Baltimore at this point but we're still umming and ahhing about it.9
Thanks. We are still open to Baltimore at this point but we're still umming and ahhing about it.
Yeah Baltimore is a place where, (except for the great aquarium) you spend time on boats or walking along the harbor, either one of which could be nice. . . . . or could be brutally cold. It's a great place, but the thought of going there in November, involves a lot of umming and ahhing.
10
Just make sure you hit Vicksburg National Military Park in MS. One of the most important battles of the Civil War. It was won by siege, and Ulysses Grant was then brought east to use that strategy successfully to gain control of Petersburg, the final protection for Richmond. Do the auto tour.There's an old saying: "the Mississippi Delta flows from the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis to Catfish Row in Vicksburg." This is fertile cotton country, with the Mississippi River bending in sharp S-curves, often overflowing (hence the levees), and providing the richness to the black soil for the cotton. Memphis was a major slave trading city, and you can visit Slavehaven, an early stop on the underground railroad. You can also visit a cotton gin in Mississippi.
Nowadays, across the levee, on land which was once condemned by the government, they have built casinos (technically on the river for legal gambling).
12
Just looking at adding Springfield, IL and Vicksburg, MS into the Mississippi part of the trip. The one way fee for a pick up from Illinois and drop off in Nawlins is $300. From Missouri it's only $100. Also, it looks like we don't really need a vehicle in Springfield anyway as the historical sites appear to be in the centre. So was thinking of catching train to Springfield (2nts), the train/bus to St Louis (2nts), pick up car drive to Memphis (2nts).To have a look at Vicksburg though on the way to Natchez I was wondering if we should spend a night? We also want to drive to Natchez via the Natchez Trace Parkway (at least part of this byway). Any ideas how we could do both? Spend one night in Vicksburg and one in Natchez, or just pass through Vicksburg and spend 2 nights in Natchez? Any ideas are welcome. Cheers.
14
To have a look at Vicksburg though on the way to Natchez I was wondering if we should spend a night?
You should. Touring Vicksburg can take a day, and you want to drive the Trace as well.Your route from Vicksburg to Natchez (it's what I did in October, only reverse).
That should give you about half a day in Natchez on arrival, and the next morning.
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