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Trip type

Road trip

A car, a highway, and a Plan B when the road is closed.

Pacific Coast, the Keys Overseas Highway, and the Smokies are the road trips we actually wrote. Check Caltrans or NPS the morning you roll.

Overseas Highway over turquoise water in the Florida Keys

Beach & highway

Florida KeysOne road, many keys. Pick a stretch and stay put overnight.

Grand Canyon South Rim at golden hour with the Colorado River far below

Parks

Grand CanyonThe South Rim is the classic U.S. park weekend. The view does the work.

Pacific Coast arch bridge over a steep cove in Big Sur, California

Road trip

Pacific Coast (Big Sur)Highway 1 between Carmel and Cambria — slides, vistas, and nights that book out.

Misty blue ridges of the Great Smoky Mountains at sunrise

Parks

Great Smoky MountainsThe busiest U.S. national park, still worth it if you leave the main drag at dawn.

Pink granite Maine shoreline and spruce trees at sunrise

Parks & coast

Maine coast (Acadia)Granite, spruce, and a park loop that still feels like a getaway from the megalopolis.