Regardless of gas prices topping $4.25 per gallon in some spots, I've already argued that folks are still packing their gear, their kids, their music, their kids, and hitting road. Here is my top 4 list of utterly jaw-dropping scenery and adventure to be had well worth the gas dime:
Yellowstone National Park is more than you imagined. Visitors should allow multiple days to explore this national wonder. No guidebook, school teacher, encyclopedia or Flickr photo album can convey the immensity and geologic phenomenon collected in the space of this park. I never would have thought I could be so intrigued by hot water spewing from the earth or the sight of a bison plodding within feet of our car. Here it is--the nation's first national park, a real gem: go hiking, drive it from stem to stern, explore the gateway towns, try fly fishing, camp, raft, take pictures, study the geology...soak up every second of it. Don't miss the dramatic snow capped Grand Tetons.
The California Big Sur Coast Highway is historic Route 1 and hugs every notch along the California coast. This is a dramatic and really pleasurable drive that runs between Monterrey and Ragged Point, about 250 miles north of Los Angeles. The landscape curves around steep coastal mountains, and from the road visitors have sweeping views of ocean, rocky coast and uplifted mountain faces. Before setting alogn this stretch of highway make sure you gas up--there is little of commerce along the Big Sur Highway.
The highway between Ragged Point and Los Angeles is worth it as well--the drive becomes a spectacle for fame. You'll pass right through Santa Monica, past Malibu mansions and straight through Beverly Hills--just a left turn in the middle of town and you're on historic and romantic Rodeo Drive.
The drive through the South Dakota Black Hills and the Badlands, the western half of interstate 90 in SD is an unexpected visual surprise. I've done an extensive post on this trip. All I have to say is do it. Plan on staying in the area for a day or two, visit Mount Rushmore and stop by Crazy Horse. Lodging options are plentiful and diverse. We stayed a night in a cute one room log cabin, all modern amenities and plenty of room for a small family.
Route 66, any segment of it is a slice of Americana. This strip of roadway traverses hundreds of miles between Chicago and Santa Monica, California. In between are cities like Tucumcari, Oklahoma City (don't miss the Oklahoma City bombing memorial-extremely beautiful and moving at night), Albuquerque and Flagstaff, Amarillo, and Tulsa, not in any particular order. The roadside is punctuated with kitschy 50s motels, greasy spoons that still serve some of the best travel food in America, and large swaths of landscape between map points.
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