Imagine packing up your SUV with enough supplies for 52 straight days on the road. You’re a 33-year-old woman, a Black woman, heading out all alone across 22 states and part of Canada. Sound crazy? That’s what I did in the summer of 2023. Below is the itinerary I drafted from scratch with no return date in mind and a bag full of dreams of seeing as many national parks as possible. I ended up driving 10,800 miles/ 17,380 kilometers in total.
A word about my motivation: I’ve been an avid long-distance hiker and camper for many years, mainly in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It was the end of summer when most tourists were back home, and I felt ready for a new adventure. I love travel, so I thought, “Why not?” I packed my Osprey gear and lots of supplies in my Toyota 4 Runner. The Toyota was big enough to sleep in, so most often, it was my bed on the road.
I chose to travel in a loop, going south from my base in Seattle, down the west coast, then east through the plains and south and up north, finally to Canada westward and back to Seattle. You’ll find on the following pages my basic itinerary for traveling state to state with routes, locations, state parks, cities, and what I encountered. My experiences and what I learned along the way will follow in the next blog post.
Here is the list of states and Canada in the order of my trip.
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Arkansas
- Georgia (drive through Mississippi and Alabama)
- Tennessee
- North Carolina
- Virginia (drive through Maryland and Pennsylvania)
- New York
- Niagara Falls, USA & Canada
- Toronto, Canada
- Indiana (drive through Michigan State)
- Minnesota (drive through Illinois & Wisconsin)
- North Dakota
- Alberta, Canada (Drive through Montana)
- Vancouver, Canada, and back to Seattle, Washington.
Here is my location-by-location itinerary. You can also read more about my 52-day solo journey across America and Canada and the lessons I learned here.
America and Canada, and I learned lessons here.
Washington to Oregon State. Starting Point: Seattle. Alternative Routes: I-5 through Portland.
Highway 101 (I highly recommend stopping to see Cannon Beach or Ecola State Park.
OREGON
Where to stay: State or National campgrounds. Duration of Stay: 2-5 days.
Places to visit: Bandon Beach- Island National Wildlife Refuge. Cape Blanco State Park.
Kissing Rock. Gold Beach. Arch Rock State Park. Natural Bridge Viewpoint- Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor.
CALIFORNIA
Highlights: Redwoods. San Francisco. Big Surf. Yosemite National Park. Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park. Los Angeles. Joshua Tree National Park. California Redwoods.
Where to stay: Howonquet Lodge-Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel or State Campground.
Duration of Stay: 2-4 days.
Places to visit and things to see/do along Highway 101: The Redwoods National and State Park (Beware: this is bear, mountain lion, and elk country). Check out Crescent Beach Overlook. Hike the California Coastal Trail- Last Chance Section to Ender’s Beach. Visit the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The Big Tree Wayside is just off the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway. Visit the Wedding Rock Trail at the Sue-Meg State Park. Drive through Avenue of the Giants scenic highway. Drive through a Redwood- Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree, whose height is 315ft with a diameter of 21ft and 2,400 years old. Good Earth Natural Foods is a great place to stop and buy groceries.
San Francisco
Where to stay: Nob Hill Motor Inn (budget accommodation).
Duration: 2-5 days.
Things to do: Stop by the Marin Headlands: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Rodeo Beach—a great place to enjoy lunch and stretch your legs. Visit Point Bonita Lighthouse. Golden Gate Bridge. Fisherman’s Wharf of San Francisco. Point Lobos State Reserve. Big Sur.
Things to Do south of San Francisco: Bixby Bridge. Pfeiffer Beach. Mc Way Falls. Yosemite National Park. Where to stay: Wawona Campground. Duration: 2-3 days. Things to do: Hike Bridal Veil Falls. Mirror Lake. Yosemite Falls Trail, Lower or Upper. Stop by Tunnel Viewpoint.
Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park
Where to Stay: Princess Campground, Sequoia National Forest. Duration: 2-4 days.
Things to do: Hikes- Grant Tree. Hike Tokopah Falls Trail. Congress Trail. Sherman Tree Trail. General Sherman Tree Trail. Pro Trip: Suggest parking your car at the Lodge Visitor Center and Village and taking the Sequoia Shuttle.
Los Angeles
Stops to visit: The Griffith Observatory and see the Hollywood Sign. Joshua Tree National Park
Where to Stay: Jumbo Rocks, Cottonwood, Black Rock, and Indian Cove Campground.
Duration: 1 Day. Things to do: Drive around the park- lots of pull-out sections and short trail hikes. I suggest arriving in the evening to check out the sunset and going on a sunrise drive the following morning.
Palm Springs
I decided to take a longer route. Palm Springs is a great destination for a rest ahead of a long drive.
Where to stay: Hampton Inn & Suites Cathedral City. Stay: 1-2 days. Visit: Downtown.
ARIZONA
Where to stay: Hotel McCoy, Tucson. Duration of Stay: 2-5 days. National Park: Saguaro National Park. Places to visit: Check out the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum & Sonoran Desert. Visit both the East and West sides of the Saguaro National Park.
NEW MEXICO
National Park: White Sands National Park. Where to stay: Oliver Lee State Park. Stay: 1 day. Things to do: Drive around the park and go sliding. One of my favorite national parks- Carlsbad Caverns. Things to do: Go on a self-guided tour and explore the Cavern (estimated time, 2 hours).
TEXAS
Where to stay: Guadalupe Mountains National Park or motel near Dell City, Texas. Duration: 1 day.
Dallas. Duration: 2-3 days. Things to do: Explore downtown Dallas. Visit the Dallas Museum of Art. Giant Eyeball.
ARKANSAS
National Park: Hot Springs National Park. Where to Stay: Lake Catherine State Park.
Duration: 1-2 days. Things to do: Explore around the visitor center, and if you are still in good spirits, explore some more!
GEORGIA
Where to stay: Any downtown Atlanta hotel. Duration: 2-4 days. Things to do: Explore Atlanta downtown. Visit Georgia Aquarium, which is the largest in the United States, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
NORTH CAROLINA & TENNESSEE
National Park: Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Where to stay: Cades Cove and/or Elkmont Campground. Duration: 2-4 days. Things to do: Hike Falls trail and Abrams Falls trail
(cross state lines within the national park- North Carolina and Tennessee).
VIRGINIA
National Park: Shenandoah National Park. Where to stay: Big Meadows Campground. Duration: 2-4 days. Things to do: Drive through the Skyline Drive. Hike the Rose River Loop trail. Bear fence Trailhead. Stony Man Trail.
WASHINGTON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (DC) The State Capitol
Where to stay: Hotel in downtown DC. Duration: 4-7 days. Things to do: Check out The White House. Reflection Lake. Washington Monument. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Hirshhorn Museum. National Museum of African American History and Culture.
NEW YORK
State Park: Niagara Falls. Where to stay: Camped on the Canadian side, KOA Niagara Falls. Duration: 1-2 days. Things to do: Visit the Niagara Falls State Park on the USA side, then cross to the Canadian side by crossing the Rainbow International Bridge for better views of the falls. Then it’s time to hit the road again and drive to Toronto, Canada.
CANADA, Toronto
Things to do: Visit the Toronto waterfront. Go on a sightseeing Harbor Tour on Lake Ontario- one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Visit the CN Tower, and be sure to stop by the AU Pain Dore Bakery for a latte and a pastry. Drive from Canada to Indiana through Michigan State.
INDIANA
National Park: Indiana Dunes National Park. Where to stay: Dunewood Campground. Duration: 1 day. Things To Do: Check out Lake Michigan- the Great Lakes of North America and hike around the park.
MINNESOTA
Where to stay: downtown hotel. Stay: 1-2 days. Things to do: Visit Lake Superior and downtown.
NORTH DAKOTA
National Park: Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Where to stay: Cottonwood Campground.
Duration: 1-2 days. Things to do: Drive around the park, lots of Bison. The next morning, drive through Montana.
CANADA, Alberta
National Parks: Banff. Yoho. Jasper. Where to stay: Lake Louise Inn & Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. Duration: 5-10 days. Things to do: Visit Lake Louise. Drive through the Icefields Parkway. Visit Sunwapta Falls, Natural Bridge, Emerald Lake, Athabasca Falls, Lake Minnewaska, and Johnston Canyon.
CANADA, Vancouver
Drive through the Glacier National Park of Canada to Vancouver, Canada. Where to stay: a downtown hotel. Duration: 1-2 days. Things to do: Explore the downtown Vancouver waterfront.
WASHINGTON (Additional recommendations if Washington State is not your home state.)
Where to stay: Campgrounds in/near national parks. Duration: 7-14 days. Things to do: Visit Seattle downtown, the North Cascades National Park, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and Olympic National Park, and end your trip by hiking around Mount Rainer National Park.
And there you have it, my complete epic cross-country road trip itinerary across the United States and Canada. Have you ever taken a long road trip alone? If so, how was your experience, and if not, what might be holding you back? Please share your experiences here and any additional tips. Happy travels.
**Indigenous Land Acknowledgment**
I want to acknowledge that most of the places I visited, National Parks during this trip, are lands where Indigenous people were forcefully removed, resulting in hardship and the loss of their cultural practices. I honor all Indigenous people and hope that one day, what is rightfully theirs will be returned.
You can connect with me on Instagram and Twitter at Travel with Irine.
Leave a Reply