How long will it take to drive from California to New York?
Gaeta I’m from Norway and is planning a vacation where I want to drive through the US. The question is, how many weeks should I plan on using? If would like to stop in cities and see things etc.
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4 Responses
Joe C
03 Aug 2013
Adam J
03 Aug 2013
According to Google Maps, it’s 4,677 kilometers from San Francisco to New York City on Interstate-80 (roughly a 42 hour drive) and 4,492 kilometers from Los Angeles to NYC (a 40 hour drive) by a route that takes a couple of different highways. So if you drive 10 hours a day (which is very doable but not especially pleasant) you can cross the US in four days.
Now obviously just driving across the country isn’t likely to be that interesting.
In general I’d suggest picking up a guidebook and working out exactly what you want to see. The US is a very large country of course, and you’ll have no trouble finding enough interesting stuff to do to fill up any reasonable length of time. In general you might consider making a big loop around California–for example fly into LA, drive up along the coast to San Francisco, head inland to Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia/King’s Canyon National Park, then down to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. From there you can head up to major national parks in Utah and Colorado, and then move on to Chicago and major cities in the east like New York City, Boston and Washington DC.
Note that you might consider flying, especially across the middle of the US–it’s very big, takes a long time to cross, and tends to be quite empty and is just generally boring. Flying is quicker and, for long distances not all that much more expensive.
_gkyp
03 Aug 2013
About 3 days.
emgee
03 Aug 2013
Take 8 days, New York to Pennsylvania Amish country, Lancaster PA, to Chicago, Illinois, to St Louis, Missouri to see the Gateway Arch, to Denver, Colorado, to the Grand Canyon, to Los Angeles. From LA to San Francisco.
The country is really vast and most of it isn’t interesting. Driving all the way cross country will be a waste of your time here. There absolutely nothing but empty space in the Great Plains and will take at least a day to cross by car.
Concentrate on California and the West Coast, then drive to Las Vegas and/or Denver and fly to New York and the East Coast from there. There is so much to see in the state of California from the beaches to the mountains to the deserts. Lots of amusement parks, attractions, National Parks, and places to see before you die. If you want to get a flavor of the US, California has it all. You can spend many years here and not see everything.
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/
Head to San Diego and see the best zoo in the world. You can take the train to/from L.A. The Surf Line Route has been voted one of the most scenic rail routes in the country. It runs along the coast with the tracks just yards from the Pacific Ocean. The train also stops in Anaheim, just minutes from Disneyland.
Some must see attractions in San Diego are the world famous Zoo, Sea World, and Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the country. You can get a park passport which allows you entry to a dozen museums as well as the zoo.
Check out these sites for discount coupons and other info
http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors
Los Angeles has all the major tourist traps like Disneyland, Magic Mountain and Universal Studios, but try and take in some sights like the Getty Center. It has one of the largest art collections in the world and because of its large endowment, it’s free.
The American West is all about vast spaces and natural wonder and the National Park System has preserved them. California has several.
Yosemite is one of the most unique places on earth. It’s one of those places you must see before you die.
http://www.nps.gov/Yose/index.htm
If you want stunning vistas, Yosemite is the place. Glacier Point is breathtaking.
http://www.yosemitefun.com/glacier_point.htm
If you want to see big trees, there are groves of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite (they are the largest trees on earth, bigger then the redwoods)
San Franciso is one of the great cities of the world. Ride the Cable Cars to Fisherman’s Wharf, visit Coit Tower, see the Golden Gate.
http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/
On the central coast there is Hearst Castle.
http://www.hearstcastle.org/
Here is a suggested itinerary
Start in San Diego – it’s a must see and there are tons of things to do. After a few days, take the train to LA or Disneyland. Head up to the Central Coast by car on US 101 past Santa Barbara. Go to San Simeon and spend the night. The next morning, tour Hearst Castle. After lunch, continue up the coast on CA 1 to Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula. Stay the night and the next day visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium then ride along 17 mile drive in Carmel. From there, head to SF. If you have the time, go to Yosemite. If you really feel adventurous, drive to Las Vegas. You”ll cross Yosemite along CA Route 120. It takes you to the east entrance to Lee Vining near Mono Lake. The lake is in a caldera of an extinct volcano. CA 120 crosses Tioga Pass, the highest vehicle pass in CA. You climb thousands of feet on a mountain road and reach the Alpine meadows of Yosemite. From CA 120 take US 395 to CA 58 to I-15 to Las Vegas. Spend a day or two in Vegas (you can get a midweek room on the strip for $40), and head to the canyon country of Southern Utah. Get an early morning (dawn) start from Las Vegas, head north on I-15 to St. George, UT and turn off there for Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. You’ll be at Zion by 11 AM and spend a couple of hours touring the canyons of the park. Then head to Bryce Canyon. If you time it right you can see sundown on the Hoodos (very impressive). From there you can head to Arches National Park, Monument Valley and Denver.
http://www.desertusa.com/mag03/feb/hoodo.html
At Bryce Canyon everyone stays at Ruby’s Inn.
http://www.rubysinn.com/
Utah Route 12 is one of the most scenic roads in the country. Red Canyon and Big Thunder Road in Dixie National Forest is the inspiration for Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain (see the picture I took in link below)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RedRockUtah.jpg
http://scenicbyway12.com/