Planning holidays in USA? This map has got you covered for a great American road trip this year.
A few years back a savvy University of Michigan researcher figured out the fastest route to drive across the US, hitting all the country’s major landmarks before coming full circle.
Using a carefully calculated algorithm, it would take about nine days of driving – or 224 total hours – to complete the 13,699-mile (22,046-kilometre) journey across the United States, according to Randy Olson‘s calculations.
If you’ve got the time to complete the full circuit, you’ll encounter some of the United States’ most famous sights, including Arizona’s Grand Canyon, Washington DC’s White House, New York’s Statue of Liberty and Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. And if you were curious, Randy calculated the whole thing in less than a minute. Genius.
Here’s a full list (in order) of everything you’ll encounter on your holidays in USA for an epic road trip:
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Pikes Peak, Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
The Alamo, Texas
The Platt Historic District, Oklahoma
Toltec Mounds, Arkansas
Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Tennessee
The Statue of Liberty
Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi
French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
USS Alabama, Alabama
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Okefenokee Swamp Park, Georgia
Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina
Glacier National Park
Lost World Caverns, West Virginia
Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, North Carolina
Mount Vernon, Virginia
White House, Washington DC
Colonial Annapolis Historic District, Maryland
New Castle Historic District, Delaware
Cape May Historic District, New Jersey
Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania
Statue of Liberty, New York
The Mark Twain House and Museum, Connecticut
The Breakers, Rhode Island
The Liberty Bell
USS Constitution, Massachusetts
Acadia National Park, Maine
Mount Washington Hotel, New Hampshire
Shelburne Farms, Vermont
Fox Theater, Michigan
Spring Grove Cemetery, Ohio
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
The White House
West Baden Springs Hotel, Indiana
Abraham Lincoln’s Home, Illinois
Gateway Arch, Missouri
C. W. Parker Carousel Museum, Kansas
Terrace Hill Governor’s Mansion, Iowa
Taliesin, Wisconsin
Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Ashfall Fossil Bed, Nebraska
Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Mt. Rushmore
Fort Union Trading Post, North Dakota
Glacier National Park, Montana
Hanford Site, Washington
Columbia River Highway, Oregon
San Francisco Cable Cars, California
Golden Gate Bridge
San Andreas Fault, California
Hoover Dam, Nevada
Trips and Tours in the United States of America
Historical Landmark
Wake up and smell the coffee! It’s time for you to find your dream American road trip. From the sweeping national parks of the Wild West to the winding Californian coast, passing the thumping pulse of New York City and the surreal wetlands of Florida – this is a journey of a life time. Check out the best trips across the USA with Culture Trip.
