United States

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Land of the free. My adopted country. I’ve driven hundreds of miles of its roads. I’ve hiked hundreds of miles of its trails. I’ve been to 50+ countries and I don’t hesitate to say that The United States is the most beautiful country I’ve been to. It has deserts, icebergs, glaciers, tropical forests, mountains, beaches, ancient civilizations, volcanoes… travel this vast country enough and it’ll spoil you for the rest.

There are a lot of things that this country does wrong, but the great thing it’s done right is the creation of public lands. Lands set aside for the enjoyment and recreation of everyone: national parks, national monuments, national forests, etc.

Where to begin?

Getting Around

Because of its size, the combination of flying and car rental
is the best way to explore the United States.

A lot of people would fly into either Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Las Vegas to start their road trip. Due to high fee of one-way car rental, I recommend trying to make a loop, and then fly to your next city.

An example itinerary could look like this:

Fly to San Francisco and pick up a rental car, visit Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Los Angeles, then drive up along the coast visiting the beach towns on Highway One (Big Sur, Morro Bay, etc). Return car in San Francisco.

Then you can fly to Las Vegas to visit the national parks in Utah and Nevada.

National Parks

One of my life’s goals is to visit all of the 59 national parks. So far I’ve been to 40+? This has led me to believe that the US has one of the most diverse ecosystems and landscapes in the world.

For the mountains, lakes, and waterfalls:
My favorites include Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Denali, Death Valley, Zion… so many more.

For the unique landscape:
Badlands is gorgeously bizarre. Arches and Bryce for their hoodoos and arches. I also love Wind Cave NP for its unique cave formations.

Epic Roadtrips

That one time I organized a Southwest roadtrip with 2 strangers I met on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum.
The one year Jack and I spent in our converted Sprinter van.
My solo roadtrip down to Florida Keys and ended up swimming with wild manatees
Taking Highway One north of SF is always a great weekend getaway idea.

California

San Francisco has been our home for the past 8 years. I wrote a short post on what it’s like to live in San Francisco. Learn about San Francisco’s rich history through the ghosts of the pasts: SF Best Ghost Tours.

Winter activity: go skiing in Tahoe.

Lousiana

Mardi Gras, French Quarter, beignets… I liked New Orleans but I didn’t fall in love with New Orleans. I did LOVE my visit to Mardi Gras World where I got to see how the mardi gras floats are being made. So cool!

Nevada

I think Las Vegas is an ugly city in a beautiful surrounding. Valley of Fire State Park and Red Rock are a must visit if you’re looking to escape from the artificial world that is the Vegas Strip. We go to Vegas for the climbing and the shows. Some of our favorite shows are “Ka” (from Cirque du Soleil) and “Absinthe” (so offensive in a good way).

In 2017 I finally made it to Great Basin National Park. I made the trip specifically to visit this remote park and I was so surprised to see that it’s has alpine lakes, snow-capped peaks, and a beautiful cave system

New York

“Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.”

I love New York City, but in small doses :)

Florida

See the mermaid show in Florida. Party in Miami. And of course, you have to take the classic American roadtrip, a roadtrip down the Keys to eat some conch and key lime pies. Soon you’ll find yourself weirdly entertaining the idea of moving to live there. Florida, please stay weird.

Colorado

We briefly entertained the idea of moving to Boulder, we loved the city and the state that much!

If you’re in Telluride, make sure to do the Telluride via ferrata. The exposure! The views!

Utah

One of my favorite states! Utah is home to 5 very popular national parks: Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capitol Reef, and Canyonland. So much public land = so many outdoor opportunities: hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, canyoning, rafting… it’s endless outdoor fun anytime of the year.

Winter Hiking in St. George, the mild weather of St. George makes it a perfect destination in winter.
Going canyoning in Zion, one of the funnest experiences I’ve had and I can’t wait to do it again.

Wyoming

The Wind River Range stole our hearts! Climbing Freemont Peak and the Cirque of Towers were both great adventures to be had at the Wind.

Swimming with manatees is one of the best things to do in Florida

Florida, Top Adventures February 20, 2017

How to Swim With Wild Manatees in Florida

I came to Crystal River, Florida to snorkel with manatees and the experience went above my already ridiculously-high expectation. Manatees are officially my new favorite water animals.

Florida February 15, 2017

The Mermaid Show of Weeki Wachee, Florida

In Weeki Wachee, Florida, mermaids are real enough. As a matter of fact, there are more mermaids here in than the town’s inhabitants (Weeki Wachee, pop: 12, slogan: “The Only City Of Live Mermaids!”).

Epic Hikes, Wyoming July 1, 2016

Into the Winds, Freemont Peak

Wyoming’s Wind River Range is one of my favorite discoveries during our year-long climbing road trip. I can spend a whole summer here. I can keep coming back year after year. Our destination on this trip is Freemont Peak.

Morning reflection of Mt. Mitchell on Lonesome Lake in the Wind River Range. This is probably my fave part of Wyoming.

Climbing, Epic Hikes, Wyoming August 18, 2015

Into the Winds, Climbing the Cirque of Towers

Before we came to Wyoming, I’d never heard of the Cirque of Towers. Or the Wind River. I hope to return to this place again and again in the future.

Castleton Valley seen from La Sal mountain

Climbing, Top Adventures, Utah August 11, 2015

Neither Up Nor Down, Stuck on Castleton Tower

In general, I’ve been pretty lucky in all of my travels *knock on wood*. I’d never gotten sick. I’ve only been robbed once. But every now and then I encounter a string of bad lucks in one particular place that I can’t help but think that, ‘Man, this place just does NOT like me.’

Climbing, Colorado, Epic Hikes, Top Adventures July 16, 2015

Doing the Via Ferrata in Telluride, Colorado

The Via Ferrata in Telluride is just another reason to come visit the Southwest part of Colorado (I think it’s the most gorgeous part of the state.) It’s the most fun you can have scaling a rock wall while safely attached to a cable.

Arizona, VanLife March 31, 2015

Boondocking in Sedona

Living in our converted Sprinter van we found our temporary home in the wilderness around Sedona.

California March 24, 2015

Wildflower Hunting in Carizzo Plain

Carizzo Plain was an impromptu detour on our way from California to Arizona. This National Monument is located 100 miles north of Los Angeles and had a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere (because it is). We were hoping that we’d be there in time to see the wildflowers.