Planning to road trip from one U.S. coast to another? Use our cross country road trip planner: San Diego to Pittsburgh for inspiration or as a guide as you make your way through the U.S.A.
CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP LEG 1: SAN DIEGO, CA TO BRYCE CANYON, UT
Time: 9-11 hours
Accommodations: Red Canyon Campground – for camping and RVs
We departed at 7:00AM from San Diego, CA on our cross country road trip with our first destination being Bryce Canyon, UT. Utah is covered in sprawling national parks that boast hoodoos, scenic overlooks, and rocky canyons. If you like nature, this is a great stop for you on your trek to the east coast. Because we rented an SUV, we only stopped once for gas in Las Vegas, NV and refueled with food in time for lunch. We arrived to Bryce around 6:00PM. Even though the sun was out, we took a short hike in the Dixie National Forest, where we spent the night. The next day, we went to Bryce Point to snap some pictures of the red hoodoos, and left by 9:30AM to avoid the incoming tour buses.
Tips:
- Entrance: To get into Bryce Canyon National Park, there is a park entrance where you’ll be able to purchase a park pass. Be sure to check out the park’s website to view fees, operating hours, and other information for your visit.
- Accommodations: There are several options for overnight accommodations near Bryce Canyon. Because we had a dog and wanted to “ruff it”, we opted to stay at the Red Canyon Campground, which is part of the Dixie National Forest. Keep in mind that Bryce is a fairly popular reserve and depending on when you go, hotels/Airbnbs might booked. So, you may want to reserve ahead of time. Luckily for us, we were able to drive up to the campground and reserve a spot on the day of.
- Visit: Zion and Arches, both great National Parks, are also nearby. If you have the time, I’d recommend you check those out.
- Stop at: St. George is a small town near the Utah-Arizona border. It’s described as a year-round destination where you can hike to beautiful rivers, ride on horseback through mountains, and explore sand dunes in dune buggys. We drove past it on our way to Red Canyon but where unable to explore because of our schedule. I’m definitely adding this to my list for my next trip to Utah!
CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP LEG 2: BRYCE CANYON, UT TO DENVER, CO
Time: ~9 hours
Accommodations: We stayed at a relative’s house in Park Hill, near the Denver Zoo.
Our drive from Utah into Denver started around 10:00AM. It was scenic to say the least: we drove through lush forests, giant plains, and by running rivers. When we finally stopped to refuel our gas tank and stomach, it was in Grand Junction, CO. Grand Junction is known as the hub of Colorado’s wine country – so be sure to stop and sample some of the regional Merlot. We arrived around 9:00PM and opted to stay in and cook a late dinner. The next day, we slept in and took advantage of the running water and indoor plumbing and resumed our drive after lunchtime.
Tips:
- Where to stay: Park Hill is close to breweries and cute restaurants. It is more residential, so if you want to be within walking distance of these, you should stay on the west side of the zoo.
- Weather: Denver’s temperature in August averages around 80 degrees, but because of the mugginess and humidity, it feels more like 90. Keep this in mind when you visit as there are many outdoor activities the city has to offer like botanical gardens and outdoor museums.
- Stop at: The Red Rocks Amphitheater is located in Denver. It’s an open air locale that’s hosted the likes of The Beatles, Jimi Hendricks, and most recently The Lumineers. Unfortunately, the day we were there there was no concert, but if you plan accordingly, you may be able to visit and enjoy a concert in a beautiful setting.
CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP LEG 3: DENVER, CO TO JUNCTION CITY, KS
Time: ~7 hours
Accommodations: Salina KOA – for camping, clamping, and RVs
Because of our late departure from Denver, we decided to stop between Denver and St. Louis (our second to last stop before reaching Pennsylvania). We drove until dusk and the town we reached was Salina, on the outskirts of Junction City. We’d already camped in a tent, crashed at a house, and had a hotel lined up for our next stop, so the only lodging to check off our list was glamping. We stayed at KOA, or Campgrounds of America, which are privately owned campgrounds across the US. Our glamping experience was great! We had Wi-Fi, showers, and were in a remote campground away from the freeway. The next day, we resumed our drive around 9:00AM.
Tips:
- Glamping: If you’re interested in trying the KOA experience, you should check out their website where you can find more than 500 locations across the country.
- Drive a little: Junction City and Kansas City are both fairly close to where we stayed and are far more metropolitan than Salina. If you’re up for it, the drive to either is only about an hour or so and will have access to more hotels, restaurants and things to do.
- Stop at: Kansas houses the Monument Rocks, also known as Chalk Pyramids, which are these massive naturally occurring rock structures. If you have the time, these and these other stops are recommended across your drive form Kansas.
CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TRIP LEG 4: JUNCTION CITY, KS TO ST. LOUIS, MO
Time: ~6 hours
Accommodations: Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch
We departed early from Kansas and resumed our drive to St. Louis. Before leaving Kansas though, we had to stop at Q39 in Overland Park for some BBQ. It’s so popular that we had to get our ribs to go. Even though we didn’t get the full restaurant experience (and missed out on the sweet tea), all the food was delicious! A pork belly sandwich, pork spare ribs, smoked chicken and fries tided us over until we arrived to our hotel in St. Louis. After check in, we walked around Gateway Arch National Park. Our night in St. Louis culminated with a visit to 4 Hands, a brewery and tasting room nearby our hotel.
Tips:
- Canine Friends: If you’re traveling with dogs, finding a hotel that allows pets can be tricky. Finding a restaurant with an outdoor patio for Fido is even trickier. We used Petlas to help us find locations that were dog-friendly.
- Beer: St. Louis is home to many craft breweries and brew pubs, but they also are the home of the Anheuser-Busch brewery. You don’t have to be a beer lover to enjoy the tour.
- Stop at: Are you a fan of baseball or hot dogs? If so and you don’t have any time constraints, be sure to check out the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch stadium.
LAST LEG: ST. LOUIS, MO TO PITTSBURGH, PA
Time: ~9 hours
For the final stretch of cross country road trip, we departed from St. Louis. Final destination: Pittsburgh. We left Missouri around 10:00AM and decided to power through to Pittsburgh. We stopped in Indianapolis for food and in Columbus for dessert. Why not live a little on the last day of our trip?
Tips:
- Racing: Although our stop in Indianapolis was brief, the city hosts the famous Indy 500. Even if you’re not in town for the race itself, the track hosts other events throughout the year that are worthwhile to check out at the track.
- Ice cream stop: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams came highly recommended to us from friends in Ohio. This artisan ice cream shop has unique flavors and uses high-quality ingredients. Note: don’t have time to stop? Find them at Whole Foods!
- Alternate route: If you’re traveling from St. Louis to Pittsburgh, an alternate route to take is through Cincinnati. While there are many things to do, we wanted to stop and visit Findlay Market, but it wasn’t open on Monday. If you’re interested in visiting Ohio’s oldest public market (think farmers market on steroids), be sure to make a pit stop here!
