City life can be stressful; you and your family are constantly contending with noise, crowds, and pollution. To put it simply, city life can be unnatural and unhealthy. The antidote to the stress of city life is an all-American road trip. There is nothing like the open road to clear your mind and refresh the spirit. Let’s look at four different road trips you can take right now with your family.
The Pacific Coast
Driving south along the coast from the Seattle area will give you an incredible, Instagram-worthy road trip. Driving from Washington to Oregon and ending up in northern California, US Highway 101 follows the Pacific Coast. Near the tiny hamlet of Leggett, California, US Highway 101 transitions into the incredibly scenic Highway 1. This is the most beautiful stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway and is considered to be the classic California Coast road trip. However, if you’re taking this trip in an RV, use caution, the PCH can be tight and twisty.
The Mountains
A road trip high into the mountains is a perfect way to escape in the summer. An RV trip to Mount Rainier or Olympic National Park has everything you’ll need to detox from the city. Olympic National Park has nearly one million acres of coastline, rain forests, and mountains. It’s a fantastic place to take your new rig from Kitsap RV, there are several RV friendly campgrounds, some overlooking the ocean. Magnificent Mount Rainier National Park also has RV camping, nestled in the deep forest. You and your family can enjoy the fresh fragrance of wildflowers and waterfalls all summer long on the astounding 14,410-foot tall Mount Rainier.
The Wild West
Traveling across the west is the quintessential All-American road trip. You could say the West begins at Ellensburg, Washington; this historic, small town is home to the Ellensburg Rodeo, ranked among the top ten rodeos in the country. From there, just keep driving east on I-90, to discover the real West. That road will take you to scenic Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, Missoula, Montana, and then pick up I-15 south through the incredible red rocks of Utah. You could spend an entire summer exploring the American West.
Go North
Driving north through Canada to Alaska is a road trip on a lot of bucket lists. Aim for Anchorage, it is the jump-off point for a visit to Denali National Park and the Kenai Fjords. Keep in mind, many of the facilities at Denali do not open until late June. June is the driest month, but it gets rainy by August.
While not everyone has the resources for a long road trip, there are often areas near where you live that have scenic driving routes. Whether you’re going out for a few hours or even a few days, it’s always fun to take the road less traveled for a great family trip.
Author Bio
Anita Ginsburg is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.