Classic American Road Trips – Cross Country
Driving Across the Top, Middle or Bottom of America, and Route 66
Aug 19, 2009
America is a classic road trip country; there are many routes to choose from including coastal road trips of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and many routes across the country. For those with time and a passion to drive from coast to coast, there are three classic American cross country options; for those with limited time, or who wish to drive one of the most famous classic American road trips, there is route 66.
Classic Route 66, A Popular US Road Trip
Route 66 stretches between Chicago and Los Angeles and is popular because it passes through, what a lot of people believe, is classic America. Once the Main Street of America, so-called because the road passed through the major towns and cities of mid and southwest America, route 66 is now mainly traveled by those seeking classic America; the original use of route 66 itself, to allow ease of travel across the USA, has today been replaced by faster interstate routes.
Route 66 may be driven in its entirety or sampled in sections, depending on interests and time available. A road trip on route 66 will include sights such as classic American neon signs, American truck stops, a wide array of American diners and motels and some quirky 'alternative' American sights. In addition to classic Americana, a drive along route 66 takes in:
- the So Cal lifestyle of Los Angeles
- the majesty of the Grand Canyon
- the wild desert southwest
- the back streets of Chicago.
Total length of route 66 (excluding side trips): approximately 2,000 miles
A Cross Country Road Trip Across the Top of America
There is more than one classic American road trip to drive across America from the west to the east coast (or vice versa); driving across the top of America includes driving from Seattle, Washington to Acadia National Park, Maine (or vice versa). The road passes through the states of Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and runs along (and over) the Canadian border. A road trip across the top of America takes in national parks, small towns and a lot of wilderness.
Total length of top America road trip (excluding side trips): approximately 3,200 miles
A Cross Country Road Trip Across the Middle of America
A classic American road trip across the middle of America follows in the footsteps of some of the early pioneers who traveled west; the road passes through the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, West Virgina and Washington D.C., before ending on the eastern coast line. From San Francisco in the west to Washington D.C. in the east, a cross country road trip across middle America includes the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, the Nevada desert and the mid-western plains.
Total length of middle America road trip (excluding side trips): approximately 3,200 miles
A Cross Country Road Trip Across the Bottom of America
A classic American road trip across the bottom of America includes the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia; the road runs from San Diego, California to Savannah, Georgia (or vice versa). The classic bottom of America road trip takes in southwestern deserts, a mix of cultures and southern hospitality.
Total length of bottom America road trip (excluding side trips) : approximately 3,000 miles
Driving Across America – the Classic Road Trip
To drive just one of the classic road trips across America is the ambition of many; deciding on a route to take may, in fact, take as long as the actual road trip, with so many choices to choose ! The Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast, across the top, middle or bottom of America offers a diversity of cultures, landscapes and climates; and then there is always route 66 for those looking for a true classic road trip experience of Americana.
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