Coast to Coast

[dmcgiffin]

Suggestions for route from Arizona....then return to Idaho.

[2gypsies1]

You can't see the country in one trip. If leaving from Arizona to the eastern coast, pick up some secondary highways instead of staying on the interstates.

Do the same when returning to Idaho. You'd either do the southern route or the northern.

What you need to do is to perhaps get a good road atlas and highlight things you really want to see on this trip. Then connect the dots and that's your route.

There is just too much out there to give you a direct route without knowing what your interests are. When you can break your route down more to specific areas, then come back and ask on that one specific area as to RV parks, etc.

This all depends on what time of year you plan to head out of Arizona. I wouldn't start this trip Dec - the end of Feb. It's too cold even in the southern states.

[tatest]

Smoky Mountains are near the southern end of the Appalachian chain that runs north from NE Alabama up into New York and the western edge of New England. The cross-country route that takes you closest is I-40; near its intersection with I-75, US-321 takes you into the gateway city of Gatlinburg, where you pick up US-441 to go through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On the east side of the park you can get on the Blue Ridge Parkway to go through the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachians all the way north to Waynesboro, where the road becomes Skyline Drive going through Shenandoah National Park (I just now got home from that trip). Or you can get back to I-40 and move on the the coast of North Carolina, US-74 taking you to Wilmington and either US-17 or the route up the Outer Banks.

To see what used to be fishing villages, you need to go where the fish used to be. For the fisherman exploiting the big cod fisheries, that would be Cape Cod and up the coast of Maine. Other fisheries include Pamlico Sound (the small towns are on the east coast of North Carolina, not connected by a single highway, a lot of side trips from US-17) and Chesapeake Bay (the Annapolis side is easier to visit than the Delmarva side). Long Island Sound was another big fishery, worked from Cape Cod, south shore of Connecticut, north shore of Long Island. Many of the small towns and former fishing villages are now busy resort communities, in the places where they have not yet fully developed into commuter suburbs for big East Coast cities.

Big storms in the middle of the U.S. are pretty much year round, with the latitude of the most frequent activity being determined by the position of the jet stream. Thus the South (East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, southern Georgia) is stormiest in winter months, the mid-south (N. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, southern Illinois and Indiana) in spring, and Colorado into the northern Plains and Great Lakes states gets hit in late spring and on through the summer. I deal with this by watching forecasts (which are pretty good for 3 to 5 days ahead) and not moving when the storms are coming through. At any given location the duration of these storm systems is short, the mistake is to be moving with the front, or along the front (usually a SW to NE diagonal).

[kohldad]

Smoky Mtns must see is Cades Cove and Deep Creek. Unless you feel comfortable pulling a long steep grade followed by a long steep descent, plan on going north to I40 to get from one side of the mountains to the other.

For historical, check out Charleston (James Island County Park or MT Pleasant KOA) or Savanah (Skidaway State Park). Neither are big towns and both have a lot of southern Charm. Best time is around Easter as when the flowers are most likely in bloom and before the mosquitos break out in force.

Then head up the coast a bit to the NC outer banks (OBX). Either pay the fee for the ferry to Ocracoke and enjoy the entire stretch, or stay inland to experience some nice small towns catch the OBX at the north end. Just after spring break is idea, still cool so you can enjoy getting out for the sites. Water will be to cool for swimming (unless you are a Canadian).

Now move inland to I81 so you can avoid the congestion. Go up as far as time allows, Acadia and the Maine coast if you have enough time. Lots of fishing villages to explore. If you are really enjoying what you are seeing and want more, more, more of it, don't rule out going up to Novia Scotia (make sure you have your passports).

If you went to Maine, come back down through the inland NH, VT, and NY. I would go on the NW side of the Adirondacks as we went through them and was a bit disappointed because we never seemed to be able to get away from the power lines. Then travel along the Ontario Lake shoreline until you get near Buffalo where you can spend a couple days at Four Mile Creek State Park while you explore the American and Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Drop down to southern Ohia to keep heading west, or just bite the bullet dealing with a bit of traffic by staying near the lakes. Either cut up into the upper Michigan or go past Chicago and up into Wisconson.

From here, I'll leave it to others more familiar with the area.

If you time it right, you can do most of the trip without any long planned reservations. Just call you next stop or two a few days out before arrival. Plan on Memorial Day being away from civilization and you should have any problems up until July 4th. If you travel into Canada, remember they celebrate on a different day.

[dmcgiffin]

We don't have a time line, retired. Just want to see more of the US...love to see the Smokey Mountains and the history of the east coast. Little fishing villages and historic buildings. Want to avoid the big cities as we travel east then west. Not sure what time of the year is best to avoid the big storms of the plains.

[Old-Biscuit]

Go EAST until you see big pond of water
Turn around and go west

WE did that 12 times ...took us 7 yrs

[tatest]

How much time and what do you want to see on which coast?

To East Coast from southern Arizona you could take I-10 (or US-90 or US-98 where available as more interesting alternatives with more to see) to Jacksonville. Guadalupe Mountains, San Antonio, Goliad, Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola would be interesting stops enroute.

You can go up the East Coast on US-17 to Hampton Roads, US-13 to the Delaware River, before getting dumped onto Megalopolis toll roads from New Jersey through Massachusetts. On up the coast from Boston on US-1 to US-2 (as one west-bound alternative) or into Canada to connect with the Trans-Canada Highway.

Going north you can catch Savannah, Charleston, the Grand Strand, Wilmington. From Wilmington an alternative route will take you through the Outer Banks on the way to Hampton Roads. Beyond Hampton Roads be sure to take in Colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown Settlement. US-17 follows I-95 to Savannah, then I-95 moves inland to run higher on the Atlantic Coastal Plain, but doesn't go through much of interest until Richmond and on in to D.C and Baltimore.

Going west you have to decide U.S. or Canada. To stay in the U.S. you'll have to go around the bottom of the Great Lakes, so whether you start with US-2, US-6 or I-90, by the time you get to Cleveland you'll have merged with I-80 which is the NYC to San Francisco Interstate route. A route across Canada can take you through Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa to pick up Highway 17 across Ontario to Sault Sainte Marie, from which a trip across the north shore of Michigan's Upper Peninsula will re-connect you with US-2 across the northern U.S. into northern Idaho. Or US-8 out of the U.P. will take you to I-94 north of Minneapolis, crossing the middle of North Dakota into Montana, where it connects with I-90 to cross the Rockies into northern Idaho.

If your destination is southern Idaho, you might be better off with a more southern route, I-80 out of Chicago to Salt Lake City, where you can pick up I-15 to go north.

You should pace this to use the whole winter to go across the southern part, maybe spend the winter in Florida, then slowly follow spring weather northward, so that your journey west in the northern part of the continent takes place next summer.

If your plan includes traveling up or down the West Coast, I can't help you, I have no experience there. All the routes I've suggested, I've followed at one time or another during the past 55 years.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Pick three or four places you absolutely want to visit - on your bucket list - then folks can help you better with specific suggestions.

[cruiserjs]

Need more info. before we can help you!

[DrewE]

It would be most helpful to have a slightly more fleshed out itinerary. Which order do you wish to see the coasts in? Southern or northern or mid-coasts? What time(s) of year, and if in winter how averse are you to wintery conditions? Would you prefer to avoid mountains where practical, or are they not a concern? How much time is involved in the trip?