by Sarah Gan

Sarah Gan shares her perfect roadtrip itinerary.

As the world’s travel radius is beginning to widen, taking a quick plane ride to – let’s face it – anywhere else than our same four walls is ever so tempting. But how can we travel responsibly and ethically while borders start to ease up restrictions?

In the East Coast of the States, where I’ve been for the last three months, there is no shortage of ideas and amazing locations to take a (restriction permitting) road trip. While home has never had the same allure as the traveling abroad, more and more I’ve been realizing how we can seek variety closer to home just as much as across a body of water.

With two weeks of spring break upon us and the weather finally thawing it’s the perfect time to take a trip across the States and see the many landscapes on offer. Whether you just want a beautiful Instagram shot, or are more into long hikes in quiet scenery, America’s national parks provide a covid-safe way to satiate the restlessness we’ve all been feeling. It’s only $80 for full access to any National Park in the U.S, which makes any one of these locations excellent!

There’s nothing more nostalgic than long car rides, though depending on your starting destination I recommend stringing a few of these locations together, back-to-back, for the best payout. These spots often have Airbnb options, though sleeping in the car is an excellent way to reduce expenses. I recommend the apps Allstays or Hipcamp to make sure you pick a safe spot to spend the night. Inflatable Camp mattresses are available for as cheap as $40 even if you don’t have access to a car with an open trunk or foldable seats.

So, grab your playlists, road-trip approved snack hoard, blankets, pillows, gas money and friends and let me present to you the ultimate guide to road trips across the United States.

Site One: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

This is a fairly easy trip for any East Coasters, though unfortunately if what you want is the great mountains and scenic lakes, you’ll have to go much further west. This park however, has some beautiful covered bridges and around 20 miles of trails to explore in addition to lovely views of the Ohio and Erie canal.

Site Two: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Though I’m sure most of us are excited for summer weather, Rocky Mountain National Park is excellent to explore in all seasons. I would mainly suggest hiking such as the Emerald Lake Trail which is 3.5 Miles and begins at the Bear Lake Trailhead or if you’re looking for something longer, Mt. Ida Hike is around 6-7 hours at 9.6 Miles.

The views here are absolutely stunning and if you’re not looking to hike you can drive the Trail Ridge Road to see the scenery with less sweat.

For photography Dream Lake is a sweet spot especially at sunrise, though it does require a short 2.2-mile hike roundtrip.

Site Three: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

Kings Canyon and Sequoia are nestled right next to each other and are one of the more iconic places when imagining National Parks. Of course, both of these locations are home to the massive Sequoia trees which you can wander around in almost any section of either park.

The Kings Canyon Scenic Byway is an excellent way to meander around and see rivers, mountains and just overall stunning views.

As far as trails go there are ones that span as long as five days to the more accessible ones like Mist Falls Trail at 9 miles and 4 hours—I promise it’s not as difficult as it sounds!

Site Four: Mount Rainer National Park, Washington

Mount Rainer is known to have some of the most beautiful views of wildflowers (depending on the time of year) and versatile landscapes.

To see some of the waterfalls in this park I recommend the Comet Falls trail which is only 3.8 miles and gives you views of wildflowers, both Comet and Bloucher Falls, and forest scenery. There are also numerous lakes which are amazing photography sites at sunset or sunrise: Little Tipsoo is one of the more popular.

Sight Five: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Saving the best for last, Grand Teton is an amazing alternative to nearby Yellowstone.

Similar to many of the other sites, you can easily drive the main park road and pull off at many of the lookouts to get a brief view. However, if you’re looking for a full body workout the Cascade Canyon to Lake Solitude trail is a full-day 15.3-mile hike that takes you up 2,300 feet for unparalleled sights: not to mention a lake to cool off in at the end of the trip.