The Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary
Road trips are one of those great American pastimes. From covered wagons to Easy Rider, traveling is in our national DNA. Road trips can last anywhere from a day to a year (or more), but if you want to take a shot at the Great American Road Trip, you might want to try a coast-to-coast itinerary this summer.
Niagara Falls, NY
Straddling the border between the United States and Canada, Niagara Falls comprises three waterfalls – the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. These falls are immense, and they spread across 400 acres and empty 3,160 tons of water into Niagara Gorge every second. You can even take a boat up to where the river laps against boulders that seem to froth with the white torrent thundering over the cliff.
Fair warning, though: Mist sprays everywhere, which could make you nervous if your hair is thinning and you hate the feeling of loose strands plastered to your forehead (especially if you’re in a crowd). Losing your hair is one of the biggest insecurities that men deal with. One clinical solution is robotic hair restoration. Not for you? A more low-budget way to figure out your look is just to work out. You’ll feel good because you’re in shape, which will give you more energy for, you know, this huge road trip you’re on.
Mount Crazy Horse, SD
Next stop: Mount Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore’s zany next-door neighbor. From Niagara Falls, head due west 1,500 miles along the I-90 to the western edge of South Dakota, where the prairie slips behind you and the tree-lined slopes of the Rockies begin to rise. Crazy Horse is a half-hour drive from Rushmore, and it’s basically a mountain that a single man, a certain Korczak Ziolkowski, dedicated his life to carving into the likeness of the Lakota hero Crazy Horse.
So far, only the head is complete, but when it’s finished, it’s supposed to show Crazy Horse astride his horse and pointing to the ancestral lands of the Lakotas. (With billowing, Fabio-like hair, to boot.) Ziolkowski sported what can only be described as a manly beard, which – now that you’re smelling the pine air and accessing your inner Ron Swanson – you should feel free to unleash, too.
3. LA Beaches, CA
One of the quintessential American experiences is to drive west out of the plains, through the mountains and the desert, and on toward the California coastline. From redwoods to Joshua trees to ice-capped peaks, California has one of the most diverse ecosystems of any state. But perhaps California’s most stunning landscape is its beaches, especially around Los Angeles. Point Sal State Beach, Crystal Cove, Ormond Beach – these ones have miles of soaring palms, lucid waters and prime areas to go surfing. After all those days cooped up in a car, look at yourself in the rearview mirror and decide whether it’s time to head over to Barber Surgeons Guild in West Hollywood for a signature haircut.
Feel free to criss-cross the country any way you want. For more tips on where to stop and what to see, scope out ideas from the pros at Travel + Leisure. But whichever route you take, LA is a great destination to end up in. Yes, your hair will get mussed from all the times you let down the window and gaze across salt flats, crater lakes or pink-striped badlands. Just be sure to clean up once you’ve arrived. You can then hit the beach and take a breather before you dash out on another road trip.