I love a good road trip. Which seems strange considering that, with eight siblings, my childhood road trips mostly consisted of potty breaks, fights over the radio station, and long hours sitting in the middle seat. But there’s something mesmerizing about counting mile markers and watching the world fly by out the window. If you also find a certain charm in road-tripping then this next part is especially for you. The road trip of your wildest dreams.
A Perfect Road Trip Across The United States
Dr. Randy Olson, the lead data scientist at Life Epigenetics, Inc., and Tracy Staedter of Discovery News teamed up to find the most efficient and enjoyable road trip across the United States. The dream-team had three main goals.
- Create a road trip across the United States with at least one stop in the 48 contiguous United States.
- Only make stops at National Parks, National Monuments, National Natural Landmarks, or National Historic Sites.
- The trip must be able to be completed by car without leaving the U.S. (sorry Alaska and Hawaii!)
Using a series of genetic algorithms, Olsen and Staedter were able to find the perfect solution that would have otherwise taken you 9.64 x 10^52 years on your home computer, Olsen says. That number is so large I don’t even know how to say it! Thanks for saving us the headache of a lifetime! (1)
Your Next Trip, All Planned Out
This scientifically-planned road trip minimizes driving time and maximizes time spent enjoying the best part of every state. If the traffic is in your favor, the entire trip will take about 224 hours (or 9.33 days) of driving. Depending on how much time you choose to spend at each site, you could easily complete the trip in just a couple of months! (1)
Road Trip Across The United States By Landmarks
Here is a list of the landmarks planned into your road trip itinerary. And the greatest part about the route is it’s continuous so you can start wherever, whenever and still complete the trip!
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
- Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID
- Yellowstone National Park, WY
- Pikes Peak, CO
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
- The Alamo, TX
- The Platt Historic District, OK
- Toltec Mounds, AR
- Elvis Presley’s Graceland, TN
- Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
- French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
- USS Alabama, AL
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL
- Okefenokee Swamp Park, GA
- Fort Sumter National Monument, SC
- Lost World Caverns, WV
- Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, NC
- Mount Vernon, VA
- White House, Washington, DC
- Colonial Annapolis Historic District, MD
- New Castle Historic District, Delaware
- Cape May Historic District, NJ
- Liberty Bell, PA
- Statue of Liberty, NY
- The Mark Twain House & Museum, CT
- The Breakers, RI
- USS Constitution, MA
- Acadia National Park, ME
- Mount Washington Hotel, NH
- Shelburne Farms, VT
- Fox Theater, Detroit, MI
- Spring Grove Cemetery, OH
- Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
- West Baden Springs Hotel, IN
- Abraham Lincoln’s Home, IL
- Gateway Arch, MO
- C. W. Parker Carousel Museum, KS
- Terrace Hill Governor’s Mansion, IA
- Taliesin, WI
- Fort Snelling, MN
- Ashfall Fossil Bed, NE
- Mount Rushmore, SD
- Fort Union Trading Post, ND
- Glacier National Park, MT
- Hanford Site, WA
- Columbia River Highway, OR
- San Francisco Cable Cars, CA
- San Andreas Fault, CA
- Hoover Dam, NV (1)
And, just to make things that much easier, here is the route planned out using Google Maps. Because Google Maps only allows 10 stops on a route, the road trip is split into six sections.
- Arizona to Tennessee
- Tennessee to Virginia
- Virginia to Massachusetts
- Massachusetts to Illinois
- Illinois to Montana
- Montana to Arizona (1)
Time To Hit The Road
If you’ve had “road trip across the United States” on your bucket list for years, now is the time to check it off. The perfect trip is already planned out for you. All that’s left to do is pack your bags, fill up your cooler, and hit the road!
