Best 2020 Road Trip Route for Iconic USA Landmarks

Our Cross Country Road Trip Experience During the Pandemic

Thanks to all the Covid19 travel bans, we decided to do a cross country drive across America to avoid going stir crazy. Traveling during a pandemic can be tricky, and we learned a lot from this experience. We chose the high road for our journey, starting from the east coast all the way to California. Once you’ve read this blog for everything you need to prepare for an epic American road trip, check out the intricate details of our iconic sightseeing tour.

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Road Trip Parameters

Our long drive began in Washington D.C. and continued westward to the coast of San Francisco, California. The entire road trip was 2 weeks, so we rented a car for a one-way trip and fly back to save some time. The added travel restrictions enticed us to focus on hiking outdoors at some of the nation’s best parks. Each state has its own restrictions and quarantine guidelines so check them out here. I recommend taking it slow and spending a day or two at each major destination.

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Washington D.C.

Many of the Smithsonian museums and other attractions around the city are closed due to the Coronavirus. Restaurants and other attractions are operating at limited capacity as well. If you have time to walk around, you can still see the outdoor monuments around the National Mall and Tidal Basin. Here’s an in-depth guide to what’s available to see in the district. We used this opportunity to stack up on snacks and rest well before the long road ahead of us.

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Road Trip to Chicago

Starting at the break of dawn, we drove 11 straight hours to Chicago. After retrieving the rental, we passed through Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and finally Illinois. The drive went pretty smoothly, thanks to switching drivers at gas stations frequently and dope road trip jams. I would recommend splitting this part up if you have the time. Some extra detours along the path were Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit.

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Chicago

We arrived in Chicago with just enough time to try some of that delicious deep dish pizza. Bars and restaurants closed earlier than usual so make sure to check the hours beforehand. A lot of museums are closed due to the pandemic, the area around the bean in Millennium Park is barricaded, Buckingham fountain is turned off, and The Willis Tower sky deck ledge is temporarily closed. We managed to grab tickets to the field museum which is still open. Check out more of my top 10 things to do in Chicago here.

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Road trip to South Dakota

The next leg of the trip was particularly difficult. We left Chicago in the early evening, and began the ride through Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and finally to South Dakota. We got some cheese in Wisconsin, took some pictures with the Jolly Green giant in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and stopped for some sleep in South Dakota around dawn.

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Sometimes you have to follow the wind and sees where the road takes you. This was not one of those times. As if driving through the barren mid-west wasn’t bad enough, finding a hotel at 4am made it even worse. We called several places before finding a vacant one almost an hour away. We learned from this 14 hour journey and reserved our hotels way ahead of time instead of just winging it. Also, I’m pretty sure we saw aliens in Minneapolis.

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Badlands National Park

This national park is on route to South Dakota’s other major attractions so is definitely worth the stop. We bought a national park pass at the entrance, but you can also buy a week pass for $25. You can take the Badlands loop road for some scenic overlooks or try hiking some of the trails. The rocky desert canyon offers dramatic landscapes and it’s fun to walk between the crevices and ravines. Just watch out for rattle snakes!

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Mount Rushmore

The iconic stone monument of Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a must see on any road trip. These iconic giant heads carved into a mountain include four presidents; Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. This massive sculpture is pretty impressive, but after you walk the trail loop there’s not much else to do. The museum and other facilities besides the gift shop (of course) are closed so 2 to 3 hours should be enough time to spend here. The park is also free! If you have time, stop by the other big attractions in the area like Crazy Horse and the Black Hills.

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Road Trip to Colorado

Of course I had to make a pit stop at one of my favorite mid-west cities. Only about 5 hours from Mount Rushmore, we drove all night through Wyoming to reach Colorado. Wyoming is hands down one of the worst states to drive through. Almost no cellphone service. Miles and miles of no civilization. And deer rushing out at any moment to impale themselves on your car. We had to pull over to help some guy who got his car totaled right in front of us. Just drive carefully.

Denver, Colorado

We decided to spend a brief intermission from the road trip here and regain some energy. If you’re interested in the best 3 day itinerary for Colorado, check out this post. We walked around down town Denver, went to Buffalo Bill’s grave site, and did some hiking around Golden. The museum at buffalo Bill’s grave is closed but you can still pay respects to the tomb and stop by the gift shop. All bars are mandated to close by 11pm, but we did have a scorpion shot at the Retro Room Bar. Tastes like adventure.

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Rocky Mountain National Park

We took a day trip for some amazing views at Colorado’s most famous national park. Rocky Mountain National Park is huge, so do your research on which trails to hike before hand. We hiked the Calypso Falls, and we enjoyed riverside hiking and a few water falls. Some other trails you may want to consider include Ouzel and Blue Bird Lakes, Mt. Ida, Gem Lake, Chasm Lake, or Emerald Lake. Check on current trail or road conditions here. You can also use your national park pass.

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Road Trip to Yellowstone

Another long drive through Wyoming, consisting of open fields and no cell phone service. And lots and lots of cows. We reserved a hotel about an hour away from Yellowstone to save on costs. The problem is that even around 9pm everything is closed. It took a awhile to find something to eat. And the bars in Dubois, Wyoming are not very welcoming to people of different shades. I recommend staying inside Yellowstone if possible, which can save you a lot of time and energy.

Yellowstone National Park

Wyoming’s one redemption is the magnificent Yellowstone National Park. This vast wilderness is about 3,500 square miles, and took about 3 hours to drive from south to north! The park is located atop a massive super volcano, the largest on the North American continent. It is home to half of the worlds geysers and hydrothermal features too. We decided to spend 2 days exploring the park, but I would recommend at least 3 or 4 full days to really experience the epic nature reserve.

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I’ll probably create another in-depth post about Yellowstone, but here’s some of the highlights during our road trip. The first day we drove about 2 hours to the Upper Geyser Basin to reach the iconic Old Faithful. It erupts about every 90mins or so. We spent the rest of the day hiking the trails around the countless other geysers and the Grand Prismatic Spring. We spent the second day at the north end of the park, exploring the Mammoth Hot springs and finished off with dinner in Montana. We saw so much wildlife including herds of bison and elk, birds, and even a lone wolf!

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The Road Trip to California

The final stretch was upon us, but we decided to split the 14 hour trip in half. We drove westward from Yellowstone at dusk through Wyoming, Idaho, and stopped at a hotel in Nevada for the night. It’s another long and boring drive so prepare yourself. The stars in Yellowstone are absolutely incredible. The hotels in Elko Nevada were pretty cheap though.

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Reno, Nevada

Since it was only a few minute detour, we decided to make a pitstop at Reno; the biggest little city in the world. It’s no Las Vegas, but there’s lots of casinos to gamble at. Most table games were closed and you need to wear a mask inside all casinos. I think about an hour here is enough to experience the city.

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San Francisco, California

7,000 miles, 15 states, and a whole week later, we finally reached the end of our road trip. We arrived in the Bay area around sunset, just as the smog from the wild fires cleared up. We spent a few days exploring the city, eating tons of food, and sightseeing. I’ll be making a more in-depth travel blog for San Francisco so stay tuned. Thanks to covid, you can’t dine in at many restaurants and it’s required to order food to drink alcohol at any bar.

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Driving across the United States was an awesome experience. There’s so much natural beauty and unique cities to visit. The miles of endless driving can be tedious at times, but it’s analogous to the journey of life. The road may be long between our destinations, but most of the time is the boring, uneventful middle. If we can learn to embrace every moment, we can maximize our time on the path. I hope our 2020 road trip can inspire you to plan your own adventure. Thanks for reading and keep leveling up!

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Here’s part 1 of our road trip travel vlog series! Road Trip stories from DC to Chicago!

And here’s part 2 of our road trip! South Dakota to Colorado.

Here’s part 3 of our road trip! Exploring Yellowstone National Park.

Here’s part 4 of our road trip! San Francisco bucket list tour.