American Sky shares their top tailor-made trips
The USA does the outdoors on a scale that's hard to
picture until you're standing in it. There are canyons with no visible far
side, geysers that erupt on cue, ranch trails that start at the stable door and
coral reefs a short boat ride from the road. What makes it such a rewarding
place for an active holiday is how easily it all connects.
At American Sky, we put together tailor-made road
trips across the USA, and these are our picks to make the most of the great
outdoors.
California: Yosemite and Lake Tahoe
Start with a couple of days in San Francisco, where
you can be active without leaving the city. Hire a bike and cycle over the
Golden Gate Bridge, or ride the street cars if your legs need a rest. Then
collect your hire car and head east towards Yosemite National Park, stopping
for lunch in Mariposa, a Gold Rush town that still has plenty of Wild West
character.
Yosemite is the heart of the San Francisco, Yosemite
& Lake Tahoe road trip, and three nights gives you time to set your own
pace. Drive to the viewpoints for El Capitan, hire bikes to explore the valley,
or take a picnic to the meadows beside the river. Fit hikers will have Half
Dome in mind, which is often described as the ultimate Yosemite day hike, so
check the National Park Service for current permit rules before you plan around
it. For something gentler, book a kayak or rafting trip on the Merced River, a
gushing torrent in spring and a gentle float by summer, or seek out Mirror Lake
and Tenaya Lake.
The drive to Lake Tahoe is a highlight in its own
right. Route 120 climbs over Tioga Pass through the Sierra Nevada, with
snow-capped peaks, alpine meadows and plenty of places to stop. Once there,
rent bikes, hire kayaks or take a cruise, then spend a lazy afternoon on Pope
Beach, Secret Cove or family-friendly Commons Beach.
Utah: Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon
If you want to see a remarkable stretch of America's
red rock country in a single week, the Canyon Adventure road trip packs a lot
in. After a couple of nights in Las Vegas, you'll reach Zion National Park,
with its sandstone cliffs and green valleys, before continuing to Bryce Canyon.
Here wind and rain have carved the red rock into spires known as hoodoos, and
it's worth staying up after dark, as we suggest stargazing from your hotel.
The following days are about variety. Drive through
Kodachrome Basin State Park and Capitol Reef National Park to reach Moab, your
base for Arches National Park, a red rock wonderland shaped by erosion, and
Canyonlands National Park, where canyons and buttes carved by the Colorado
River took more than 300 million years to form. Then it's on to Mesa Verde
National Park, home to some of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the
country, and the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley, where sandstone monoliths
rise out of the desert floor.
You finish at the rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the
natural wonders of the world, before returning to Las Vegas via the Hoover Dam.
Wyoming: Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Jackson
If you'd rather focus on Wyoming's mountains and take
the children along, then consider the Big Sky Adventure family road trip. The
drives are split up with family stamina in mind – but it’s an equally great
itinerary for couples too!
Jackson Hole suits every energy level. Go white water
rafting, mountain bike for miles along the trails, take a scenic float trip
down the river, or ride the aerial tram at Teton Village. The Grand Adventure
Pass adds a day of unlimited use of the tram, ropes course, bungee trampoline,
climbing wall and bike park.
Then it's on to Yellowstone, a 3,500 square mile
wilderness of canyons, rivers, forests, hot springs and geysers. Watch Old
Faithful erupt, stroll the walkways to other geysers and waterfalls, and look
out for bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope, keeping a sensible distance.
Heading back south, stop at Colter Bay to rent a kayak or motor boat on Jackson
Lake, with the Grand Teton mountains as a backdrop. Two nights at Togwotee
Mountain Lodge, just outside the national park, leave time for horse riding,
fishing, mountain biking, hiking or a raft trip on the Snake River, where
bison, moose, elk and eagles are all possible sightings.
Texas: Ranch Life and Gulf Coast Beaches
The Saddle Up to Texas family road trip is a good pick
when everyone in the family wants something different from the outdoors. It
runs for nine nights from Dallas to Houston, and begins with two nights around
Dallas and Fort Worth, where the Fort Worth Historic Stockyards bring the
sights and sounds of the Old West to life.
The real outdoor action starts in Bandera, the
self-styled "Cowboy Capital of the World", where you'll spend three
nights at the Mayan Dude Ranch, a working ranch of 340 acres. All meals are
included, along with two scenic horseback rides a day, so you can head out on
rugged trails through wildflower-dotted fields in the morning and do something
different in the afternoon. Options include catch-and-release fishing, hiking,
tubing down the Medina River and an old-fashioned hayride. Cowboy breakfasts
are served out on the range, and evenings end with campfire sing-alongs.
From there, stop in San Antonio for a narrated boat
cruise along the River Walk and a visit to the Alamo, before reaching Corpus
Christi on the Gulf Coast. This is where the pace shifts from saddle to sand.
Warm Gulf waters and long white beaches make it ideal for families, and you can
try parasailing, kayaking, horseback riding along the shore or a nature tour,
and you may spot dolphins offshore.
The trip ends in Houston, where a day at Space Center
Houston adds one more kind of adventure, though this one is firmly indoors.
Arizona: Red Rocks, Desert Trails and Dude Ranches
The Grand Canyon, Sedona & Dude Ranches Arizona
road trip is a relaxed 10 nights that begins and ends in Phoenix, with the
landscape changing at almost every stop.
Prescott is the first night, a historic town with a
lively Whiskey Row and easy access to the trails of Prescott National Forest.
Next is Flagstaff, surrounded by mountains, desert and ponderosa pine forest,
where you can pick up a stretch of Route 66 for photographs.
Then comes the Grand Canyon, with two nights to take
it in properly. From the visitor centre, it's a short walk to Mather Point for
your first view, and from there you can follow the Canyon Rim Trail east or
west. In summer, start early to beat the crowds, and take plenty of water. For
a different approach, stay in Williams and ride the Grand Canyon Railway up to
the rim.
Sedona's red rock scenery is next. Cathedral Rock is
the best known viewpoint, and the Red Rock Scenic Byway links galleries, wine
rooms and craft breweries for when you want to slow down. In Scottsdale, the
McDowell Sonoran Preserve has 230 miles of trails through the Sonoran Desert,
where saguaro cacti hundreds of years old stand against mountain and valley
views.
Your last two nights are on a Tucson-area ranch, and
you can choose between two. White Stallion Ranch is a family-owned guest ranch
with horse riding, hiking and rock climbing. Rancho De La Osa, Arizona's most
historic guest ranch, adds clay pigeon shooting, archery and guided off-road
tours to the horse riding. You can extend your ranch stay if you'd like more
time in the saddle.
New England: Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont
The Highlights of New England road trip swaps big
skies for rugged coastline and mountain ridges. You'll cover Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, the Berkshires, Rhode Island and Cape Cod. Warm up on the
Freedom Trail, a 4-mile walking route through Boston that passes 16 historic
landmarks, then head north along the coast to Kennebunkport.
Acadia National Park is the outdoor centre piece - one
of America's oldest national parks, it has soaring peaks, glacier-carved
valleys, clear lakes and a rugged shoreline. Drive the Park Loop Road or head
up Cadillac Mountain, which at 1,530 feet is the highest point on the US
Atlantic seaboard.
Inland, the White Mountains, bring covered bridges,
historic villages and forest views, before the route crosses into Vermont's
Green Mountains and on to Stowe. Follow Route 100, where the dense forests are
home to bears, moose, wild turkey and deer. The trip finishes with two nights
on Cape Cod, where high cliffs, rolling dunes, broad beaches and miles of
walking trails make an easy final day outdoors.
The Florida Keys: Adventures Above and Below the Water
Not every outdoor adventure involves boots. The Miami
and The Keys road trip spends 11 nights moving from Miami down the Overseas
Highway, with stays in Key Largo, Islamorada, Key West and Marathon, and the
water is the main attraction at every stop.
Key Largo is the gateway to John Pennekamp Coral Reef
State Park, where you can snorkel on a guided excursion or see the reef from a
glass-bottom boat if you'd rather stay dry. Back on the surface, kayak through
winding mangrove creeks that feel a long way from the highway.
Islamorada, known as the Village of Islands, calls
itself the sport fishing capital of the world and has the largest fishing fleet
per square mile. That makes it a natural place to book a deep sea fishing
charter, and it's also a good base for diving, snorkelling and eco-tours.
Between trips, paddle boarding on calm, shallow water is an easy way to spend a
morning.
Key West is the southernmost point in the United
States, and has a reputation for water sports to go with its beaches and lively
evenings on Duval Street. Hire a paddle board or kayak, or simply swim, then
explore the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum on foot.
On the way back, Marathon is a laid-back and
family-friendly stop. Drive across the Seven Mile Bridge, then spend an
afternoon on Sombrero Beach, where powdery white sand meets shallow, azure
water.
Choosing Your Outdoor Adventure
Whether you picture yourself strolling through
California’s beautiful national parks, getting hands on at a Texas ranch or
exploring through the canyons of Utah, each of these itineraries can be
tailored around the way you like to travel, from the length of your stay to the
style of hotels and activities in between. Browse our full range of USA road
trips or call one of our travel specialists on 01342 395427.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the
best time to go?
It depends on the trip. For the Yosemite and Lake
Tahoe road trip we recommend late June to October, because Tioga Pass is closed
in winter. For the desert itineraries in Utah and Arizona, spring and autumn
are the most comfortable times for walking. Our specialists can advise on the
best months for whichever trip you choose.
Do I need to
be very fit?
Not at all! Every itinerary has an array of walking
trails, viewpoints and activities to suit your capability. Your tailormade
holiday is flexible to what you wish to see and do.
Are these
road trips suitable for families?
Many are. The Saddle Up to Texas and Big Sky Adventure
road trips are designed for families, and the Yosemite, Arizona and Florica
Keys itineraries both suit families too.
What's
included, and what isn't?
Our road trips include return international flights,
hire car and hotel accommodation throughout, plus an electronic roadbook with
hints, tips and driving instructions of your personalised holiday all on a
handy mobile app. Meals, excursions, entrance fees, fuel, road tolls and
parking aren't included, unless stated such as our ranching packages. Some
hotels also charge mandatory resort fees, payable locally, so ask us what
applies to your itinerary.