Mark Coper
Ok, so my two friends and I are going on a cross country road trip. From east coast to the pacific. We want to spend as little money as possible. We all can drive and we are taking one car and we know the gas will be pricey along with food, we are aware of that. We want to visit national parks and camp there. And we do not want to be stuck on the highway seeing nothing but factories and roadkill...we are leaving from VA. What roads/ byways are the best and most scenic roads toward colorado and arizona? What should we bring? Do you have any suggestions what we should see, how we should camp? Overall we want to see the REAL America. What do you suggest doing?
Answer
I would head south to New Orleans for a night. Stay in the hostel. From there, take Interstate 10 through Texas. I-10 is a historically scenic route that will take you all the way through the southwest. If you turn off of I-10 at Fort Stockton, a 2 hr drive will take you down to Big Bend National Park. Here's a picture: http://www.wallpaperweb.org/wallpaper/nature/1600x1200/Rio_Grande_River_Big_Bend_National_Park_Texas.jpg
New Mexico has a lot more parks & forests in it, which should make finding places to camp a little easier. Before here, I would check out state and county parks and recreation sites for places to stay each night.
Continue on I-1 into Arizona. You'll soon come to Saguaro N P. It is home the saguaro cactus, which is known as the symbol of the west. From there, visit Tucson. Very cool town to stop and have a drink in and chat with the locals. That's one of my favorite parts of seeing "the real America" - learning about it through the eyes of the people who live there.
Head north towards the Grand Canyon. To camp there, reservations must be made up to 6 months in advance, so I would look into it asap before it books up.
Then head north into Utah. Utah has 5 different national parks to choose from: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Here's Bryce Canyon: http://rentmyskihome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bryce-canyon-2.jpg
All of them are equally as beautiful, so I would choose one that works best for the route you plan. Here's a link with helpful info: http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/
From Utah, head east to Colorado. Take more scenic route 50 through CO, seeing Black Canyon of the Gunnison N P and Great Sand Dunes N P. Here's a pic of the sand dunes: http://www.nationalparkguides.com/images/great-sand-dunes/great-sand-dunes-l.jpg
Route 50 would take you out to Interstate 25. From here, head north. In Colorado Springs there is a cog train that will take you to the top of Pike's Peak. The round trip takes a little over three hours to visit the peak of a 14000ft mtn.
Colorado is also full of national forests and parks. There should be plenty of camping available here. Once you get up into this mountainous area you should prepare for colder nights. Often in the mountains it can be in the 70s during the day and get down into the 30s and 40s at night.
North of Denver is a town called Boulder. It is a MUST SEE. It's an awesome hippie, outdoorsy place full of interesting people and local breweries. Definitely plan to spend a few hours there at the very least.
Then head north into Wyoming. Head towards Jackson.
Grand Teton N P and Yellowstone N P share a border and together they cover over 2.5 million acres. The Tetons are incredible. Imagine unzipping your tent to see this in the morning: http://www.tips-how.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/snake-river-grand-teton-national-park-wyoming.jpg
Yellowstone is home to Old Faithful and hundreds of geysers. It houses wild herds of bison, elk, moose, wolves, bear, and many more. This is a pretty normal car ride there: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lHfrMu1Xngc/R1hWU8vYPSI/AAAAAAAAA2U/BlMjsP6qPxo/s640/100_0973.JPG
After Yellowstone, head north towards Missoula, Montana. Missoula is an awesome, pretty little hippie town. Go north from there to Glacier National Park: This is the view from the lodge there: http://www.parkcamper.com/Glacier-National-Park/Glacier-National-Park-Lake-Main.jpg
Head west to Washington state.Olympic National Park hascliffside beaches and is home to the Hoh Rainforest.
Head south to Portland, Oregon.
South of Oregon is California. Yosemite N P is the true gem of California.
--Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, quality tent, dri-wicked clothing (under armour - wear often without washing), hiking boots, maps, bear spray, single burner camp stove, bug spray, rain gear
I would head south to New Orleans for a night. Stay in the hostel. From there, take Interstate 10 through Texas. I-10 is a historically scenic route that will take you all the way through the southwest. If you turn off of I-10 at Fort Stockton, a 2 hr drive will take you down to Big Bend National Park. Here's a picture: http://www.wallpaperweb.org/wallpaper/nature/1600x1200/Rio_Grande_River_Big_Bend_National_Park_Texas.jpg
New Mexico has a lot more parks & forests in it, which should make finding places to camp a little easier. Before here, I would check out state and county parks and recreation sites for places to stay each night.
Continue on I-1 into Arizona. You'll soon come to Saguaro N P. It is home the saguaro cactus, which is known as the symbol of the west. From there, visit Tucson. Very cool town to stop and have a drink in and chat with the locals. That's one of my favorite parts of seeing "the real America" - learning about it through the eyes of the people who live there.
Head north towards the Grand Canyon. To camp there, reservations must be made up to 6 months in advance, so I would look into it asap before it books up.
Then head north into Utah. Utah has 5 different national parks to choose from: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Here's Bryce Canyon: http://rentmyskihome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bryce-canyon-2.jpg
All of them are equally as beautiful, so I would choose one that works best for the route you plan. Here's a link with helpful info: http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/
From Utah, head east to Colorado. Take more scenic route 50 through CO, seeing Black Canyon of the Gunnison N P and Great Sand Dunes N P. Here's a pic of the sand dunes: http://www.nationalparkguides.com/images/great-sand-dunes/great-sand-dunes-l.jpg
Route 50 would take you out to Interstate 25. From here, head north. In Colorado Springs there is a cog train that will take you to the top of Pike's Peak. The round trip takes a little over three hours to visit the peak of a 14000ft mtn.
Colorado is also full of national forests and parks. There should be plenty of camping available here. Once you get up into this mountainous area you should prepare for colder nights. Often in the mountains it can be in the 70s during the day and get down into the 30s and 40s at night.
North of Denver is a town called Boulder. It is a MUST SEE. It's an awesome hippie, outdoorsy place full of interesting people and local breweries. Definitely plan to spend a few hours there at the very least.
Then head north into Wyoming. Head towards Jackson.
Grand Teton N P and Yellowstone N P share a border and together they cover over 2.5 million acres. The Tetons are incredible. Imagine unzipping your tent to see this in the morning: http://www.tips-how.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/snake-river-grand-teton-national-park-wyoming.jpg
Yellowstone is home to Old Faithful and hundreds of geysers. It houses wild herds of bison, elk, moose, wolves, bear, and many more. This is a pretty normal car ride there: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lHfrMu1Xngc/R1hWU8vYPSI/AAAAAAAAA2U/BlMjsP6qPxo/s640/100_0973.JPG
After Yellowstone, head north towards Missoula, Montana. Missoula is an awesome, pretty little hippie town. Go north from there to Glacier National Park: This is the view from the lodge there: http://www.parkcamper.com/Glacier-National-Park/Glacier-National-Park-Lake-Main.jpg
Head west to Washington state.Olympic National Park hascliffside beaches and is home to the Hoh Rainforest.
Head south to Portland, Oregon.
South of Oregon is California. Yosemite N P is the true gem of California.
--Sleeping bag, sleeping pad, quality tent, dri-wicked clothing (under armour - wear often without washing), hiking boots, maps, bear spray, single burner camp stove, bug spray, rain gear
How much money is recommended for 4 weeks in the USA?
>__<
Hey all! I've just booked tickets with a friend of mine to spend 4 weeks in the USA, departing next April. We are flying into Arizona, and are planning on spending some time here before making our way to California and eventually Oregon to return home. We know that is quite a long journey, but we are prepared to spend a few days bussing it.
Whenever possible, we are going to try to camp or stay in a hostel. Money really won't be a problem, but we want to do it on as low a budget as possible, therefore we don't want to bring more than required. We won't be purchasing much souvenirs, but how much money would be recommended for 4 weeks in these states?
If the cost would be uneconomic, we will book another transfer flight from Phoenix to Oregon and skip California. It is costing about £150.
Answer
You describe a low budget approach to travelingâa refreshing bit of detail in this kind of question. Still, the answer greatly depends on you and your choices.
Hostels are present only in large cities, like Portland, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. There are quite a few in Californiaâsee map http://www.hihostels.com/dba/cmap-US.en.htm The combination of large city plus hostel still amounts to a minimum daily expense of $40â$50 per day per person, just for food and lodging. Transportation and visitor attractions can vary from almost free to very expensive. Without knowing more about you, it is hard to estimate. If you are satisfied with mass transit, most cities offer an all-day pass for $5â$10. In some cases a transit pass provides discounts for popular visitor attractions like zoos and museums.
Camping is generally not available near cities in these states and would require a private auto for access (due to distance and lack of mass transit). The combination of those factors means that towns and small cities would only have motels to offer. You probably won't want to camp in April in Oregon, Northern California, or Arizona: it will be uncomfortably cold and/or rainy. But if you are hearty and have appropriate clothing, tent, and sleeping bags, it can be quite enjoyable. (Buy or rent from REI when you arrive: http://www.rei.com/stores/56 ) Camping in April in the forests and mountains of Oregon and California is not practical for most people. The Cascades will have 15 to 30 feet of snow (depending on elevation) in April with a high likelihood of snow storms. Camping is usually feasible east of the Cascades if you have an auto or use of oneâlike by hitchhiking. In the SE quadrant of the state, from Bend south and east, is mostly arid BLM land: free camping sometimes with facilities. It has hundreds of miles of scenic beauty and wildlife, but no motels, stores, or people. For example, see the Oregon Badlands: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Badlands
Hitchhiking in Oregon is completely legal if you don't violate the rules for pedestrians: don't stand in the road nor where unsafe, like hidden behind an obstacle inside a turn so that you cannot be seen in time to be avoided. Use a sidewalk if available. Hitchhiking in California is legal, but due to an unfortunate phrasing of the law, many communities think it is illegal.
If it were me, I'd blend wilderness with urban experiences, so figure on $100 per day in the city (hostels+food+tourist sites), $75 per day in towns (motels + food), and $15 per day in wilderness (for food).
Feel free to email me for details.
You describe a low budget approach to travelingâa refreshing bit of detail in this kind of question. Still, the answer greatly depends on you and your choices.
Hostels are present only in large cities, like Portland, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. There are quite a few in Californiaâsee map http://www.hihostels.com/dba/cmap-US.en.htm The combination of large city plus hostel still amounts to a minimum daily expense of $40â$50 per day per person, just for food and lodging. Transportation and visitor attractions can vary from almost free to very expensive. Without knowing more about you, it is hard to estimate. If you are satisfied with mass transit, most cities offer an all-day pass for $5â$10. In some cases a transit pass provides discounts for popular visitor attractions like zoos and museums.
Camping is generally not available near cities in these states and would require a private auto for access (due to distance and lack of mass transit). The combination of those factors means that towns and small cities would only have motels to offer. You probably won't want to camp in April in Oregon, Northern California, or Arizona: it will be uncomfortably cold and/or rainy. But if you are hearty and have appropriate clothing, tent, and sleeping bags, it can be quite enjoyable. (Buy or rent from REI when you arrive: http://www.rei.com/stores/56 ) Camping in April in the forests and mountains of Oregon and California is not practical for most people. The Cascades will have 15 to 30 feet of snow (depending on elevation) in April with a high likelihood of snow storms. Camping is usually feasible east of the Cascades if you have an auto or use of oneâlike by hitchhiking. In the SE quadrant of the state, from Bend south and east, is mostly arid BLM land: free camping sometimes with facilities. It has hundreds of miles of scenic beauty and wildlife, but no motels, stores, or people. For example, see the Oregon Badlands: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Badlands
Hitchhiking in Oregon is completely legal if you don't violate the rules for pedestrians: don't stand in the road nor where unsafe, like hidden behind an obstacle inside a turn so that you cannot be seen in time to be avoided. Use a sidewalk if available. Hitchhiking in California is legal, but due to an unfortunate phrasing of the law, many communities think it is illegal.
If it were me, I'd blend wilderness with urban experiences, so figure on $100 per day in the city (hostels+food+tourist sites), $75 per day in towns (motels + food), and $15 per day in wilderness (for food).
Feel free to email me for details.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment