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to the USA

Free, independent guides to 12 cities, 22 national parks and 15 road trips — with real drive times, where to sleep, the 2026 park fees and what to book ahead. Start below: we’ll draft your itinerary.

Get a road trip that fits your dates

A free itinerary planner: four questions, then a day-by-day route with a map, drive times and where to sleep.

I’m into

Matched against our 9 road trips, their seasons and drive times.

See theNational parks

Canyons, geysers, glaciers — 22 parks and the 2026 fees. →

Drive theGreat roads

Route 66, Highway 1 and 13 more, day by day. →

Walk theBig cities

New York to New Orleans, where to sleep and eat. →

Find thePostcard places

Monument Valley, Niagara, the Keys, the Virgin Islands. →

Four things to know before you fly

$40.27

ESTA

The official fee. Sites charging $90 are middlemen.

Read →

+$100

Park surcharge

Per non-resident adult at 11 parks since 2026.

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20%

Tip

Expected at sit-down restaurants, on top of tax.

Read →

2,800

Miles

New York to Los Angeles. Pick one region.

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Road trip itineraries, mapped day by day

All road trips
All America Traveller road trips on a mapALAKAZCOFLGAINKSMEMAMNNCNDOKPASDTXWYMOWVILNMARCAHIIAKYMDMIMSMTNHNYOHORTNUTVAWAWINESCIDNVVTLARoute 66Pacific Coast HighwayThe Grand CircleThe West Coast ClassicThe East Coast CitiesTetons, Yellowstone & GlacierThe Deep South Music TrailNew England in the FallThe Overseas HighwayUtah’s Mighty 5 in 7 DaysColorado Scenic Byways in 5 DaysPacific Northwest Loop in 7 DaysArizona Beyond the Grand CanyonVermont & New Hampshire in the FallCalifornia Highway 1 in 5 DaysN0500 mi

The routes

I took photo with Canon camera in Shamrock, TX, on old Route 66ROUTE66

Route 66

The Mother Road, from Lake Michigan to the Santa Monica Pier.

2,400 mi14–21 daysMay–Jun · Sep–Oct

Bixby Creek Bridge, viewed from the northern side near Big Sur on the Central Californian Coast in the United StatesROUTE1

Pacific Coast Highway

San Francisco to San Diego on Highway 1, with the Pacific always on your right.

640 mi5–7 daysApr–Jun · Sep–Oct

Monument Valley, Utah, USAROUTE89

The Grand Circle

Utah’s Mighty 5, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon in one loop from Las Vegas.

1,300 mi10–14 daysApr–May · Sep–Oct

National park guides, with 2026 fees

All 22 parks
dawn on the S rim of the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

A mile deep, 277 river miles long, and still bigger than you imagined.

GRAND CANYONNATIONAL PARKAZEST. 1919
Zion Canyon at sunset in Zion National Park as seen from Angels Landing looking south

Zion

Walk up a river between 2,000-foot walls of red and cream sandstone.

ZIONNATIONAL PARKUTEST. 1919
Four-segment panorama of Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon

An amphitheater of orange hoodoos, at its best when the sun comes up.

BRYCE CANYONNATIONAL PARKUTEST. 1928
Sunset at Delicate Arch (Arches National Park, Utah)

Arches

Two thousand stone arches, one of them on Utah’s license plates.

ARCHESNATIONAL PARKUTEST. 1971
Lower Falls and Yellowstone River in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone

Geysers, bison and a supervolcano: the world’s first national park.

YELLOWSTONENATIONAL PARKWYEST. 1872
View from Glacier Point on Half Dome and Eastern Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Yosemite

Granite walls, giant waterfalls and the sequoias that started it all.

YOSEMITENATIONAL PARKCAEST. 1890

City guides: what to do, where to stay

All 12 cities
View of Empire State Building from Rockefeller Center New York City dllu (cropped)

New York

Eight million people, five boroughs, one subway that never sleeps.

NY
Las Vegas Center Strip Before Sunrise

Las Vegas

Neon in the Mojave, and the best base camp for the Southwest parks.

NV
GoldenGateBridge BakerBeach MC

San Francisco

Forty-nine hills, one orange bridge and fog with a name.

CA
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis King of France

New Orleans

Brass bands, balconies and beignets on the bend of the Mississippi.

LA
February shot of downtown Los Angeles sunset with Mount Baldy in the background after a large snow storm

Los Angeles

Palm trees, freeways and a sunset that ends at the Pacific.

CA
Chicago Skyline in April 2024 b

Chicago

The skyline that invented the skyscraper, on a lake that looks like a sea.

IL

Four more rooms in the same house

Where is it good in May?

  1. 1Los AngelesCity · 74°F / 58°F (23° / 15°C) · 0.3 in rainIdeal
  2. 2San DiegoCity · 70°F / 60°F (21° / 16°C) · 0.3 in rainIdeal
  3. 3Grand Canyon National ParkNational park · 70°F / 36°F (21° / 2°C) · 0.4 in rainIdeal
  4. 4Arches National ParkNational park · 80°F / 53°F (27° / 12°C) · 0.8 in rainIdeal
  5. 5Yosemite National ParkNational park · 71°F / 45°F (21° / 7°C) · 1.9 in rainIdeal
  6. 6Big SurIcon · 71°F / 46°F (21° / 8°C) · 1.1 in rainIdeal
  7. 7Monument ValleyIcon · 82°F / 51°F (28° / 10°C) · 0.5 in rainIdeal
  8. 8Antelope CanyonIcon · 81°F / 54°F (27° / 12°C) · 0.4 in rainIdeal
  9. 9Horseshoe BendIcon · 81°F / 54°F (27° / 12°C) · 0.4 in rainIdeal
  10. 10Napa ValleyIcon · 77°F / 50°F (25° / 10°C) · 1.1 in rainIdeal
  11. 11SeattleCity · 66°F / 49°F (19° / 9°C) · 1.9 in rainIdeal
  12. 12Zion National ParkNational park · 84°F / 53°F (29° / 11°C) · 0.8 in rainIdeal
  13. 13SedonaIcon · 84°F / 53°F (29° / 12°C) · 0.7 in rainIdeal
  14. 14Niagara FallsIcon · 69°F / 48°F (20° / 9°C) · 3.1 in rainIdeal
  15. 15San FranciscoCity · 64°F / 51°F (18° / 11°C) · 0.7 in rainIdeal
  16. 16BostonCity · 67°F / 50°F (19° / 10°C) · 3.2 in rainIdeal
  17. 17MauiIcon · 87°F / 68°F (30° / 20°C) · 0.7 in rainIdeal
  18. 18Bryce Canyon National ParkNational park · 63°F / 37°F (17° / 3°C) · 0.9 in rainIdeal
  19. 19Washington, D.C.City · 77°F / 58°F (25° / 14°C) · 3.9 in rainIdeal
  20. 20New York CityCity · 71°F / 55°F (22° / 13°C) · 4.0 in rainIdeal
  21. 21ChicagoCity · 71°F / 51°F (21° / 10°C) · 4.5 in rainIdeal
  22. 22Florida KeysIcon · 86°F / 76°F (30° / 25°C) · 3.1 in rainIdeal
  23. 23Las VegasCity · 89°F / 66°F (31° / 19°C) · 0.1 in rainIdeal
  24. 24Grand Teton National ParkNational park · 62°F / 33°F (16° / 0°C) · 2.0 in rainIdeal
  25. 25U.S. Virgin IslandsIcon · 87°F / 78°F (31° / 25°C) · 3.0 in rainIdeal
  26. 26NashvilleCity · 80°F / 58°F (27° / 15°C) · 5.0 in rainGood
  27. 27Joshua Tree National ParkNational park · 90°F / 63°F (32° / 17°C) · 0.1 in rainGood
  28. 28Everglades National ParkNational park · 87°F / 70°F (30° / 21°C) · 3.6 in rainGood
  29. 29Yellowstone National ParkNational park · 60°F / 35°F (15° / 1°C) · 1.8 in rainGood
  30. 30Great Smoky Mountains National ParkNational park · 75°F / 51°F (24° / 11°C) · 5.5 in rainGood
  31. 31Acadia National ParkNational park · 65°F / 45°F (18° / 7°C) · 4.5 in rainGood
  32. 32New OrleansCity · 85°F / 69°F (30° / 21°C) · 5.6 in rainGood
  33. 33MiamiCity · 87°F / 73°F (30° / 23°C) · 6.3 in rainSo-so
  34. 34Glacier National ParkNational park · 65°F / 38°F (18° / 3°C) · 1.8 in rain · Going-to-the-Sun Road closedSo-so
  35. 35Death Valley National ParkNational park · 101°F / 75°F (38° / 24°C) · 0.0 in rainSo-so
  36. 36Rocky Mountain National ParkNational park · 61°F / 35°F (16° / 2°C) · 2.3 in rain · Trail Ridge Road closedSkip

Ranking from average highs and lows and monthly rainfall at the nearest NOAA weather station (1991–2020 normals), adjusted for closed roads (Glacier, Tioga Pass) and the peak of hurricane season. Park stations are near the main visitor area; summits are colder.

The full month-by-month guide →