An Epic Road Trip from New York City to Los Angeles
From the Big Apple (New York City) to the City of Angels (Los Angeles) is
2,718 miles or about a
one day 18 hour 30 minute drive. To fully experience the cities, landscapes and attractions on a road trip from New York City to Los Angeles would require at least a two weeks trip.
Here is our suggested itinerary for you from coast to coast and we call it an epic road trip from New York City to Los Angeles:
Pittsburgh
Your road trip of
6 hours 21 minutes from New York City will bring you to your first stop at Pittsburg Pennsylvania. We chose Pittsburgh because Pittsburgh is also known as Kidsburgh.
Visit Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Duquesne Incline with beautifully restored cable cars used by commuters in the 1900s and get a panoramic view of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Zoo and more.
Toledo
A short
233 mile ride will bring you to Toledo Ohio. Visit Cedar Point Amusement Park, voted as the planet’s number-one rated amusement park for 15 years in a row. Ride on 16 roller coasters including GateKeeper, the world record-breaking wing coaster, Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick.
Your younger kids can enjoy Camp Snoopy or Planet Snoopy and more.
Chicago
Chicago is a great place for fine dining and shopping at the Magnificent Mile. Or rent a bike and explore the city’s 20 mile lake shore at your own pace. Another great place to view the city skyline is the Skydeck at Sears Tower.
They say on a clear day you can see Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois from the tower. Or you may want to try John Hancock Center where drinks are served on 95th floor while catching the city’s view.
Maquoketa Caves State Park, Iowa
Drive for
3 hours 17 minutes to the town of Dubuque Iowa to visit Maquoketa Caves State Park. The state park is filled with native trees, wildflowers, creek, trails and the caves. There are 15 caves and you are free to discover these underground formations on your own. You can take a 6 mile hike on the trail that connects to the caves.
The trail’s highlights include Natural Bridge, Balanced Rock and Dancehall Cave.
Mosquoketa Caves is Iowa’s most unique state park and visitors can step back in time to view geological formations that happened thousands of years ago.
Remember to bring flashlights and wear comfortable shoes. Temperature in caves usually is lower than the outside. Bring a light jacket with you.
Lincoln
Lincoln Nebraska is
6 hours 15 minutes away. If you like quilting, check out a special quilting tour package in Lincoln. This all inclusive package includes a one night hotel stay, coupons to local area quilting stores, ticket to the
International Quilt Study Center and Museum. Or if you prefer Dinosaurs and the Old West, take a tour to the University of Nebraska State Museum-Morrill Hall and the
Nebraska History Museum and see the world’s premier collection of fossil elephants and monsters of Nebraska’s ancient seas.
Denver
Your drive from Lincoln to Denver Colorado will take you
6 hours 58 minutes. Take a tour behind-the-scenes to one of Denver’s breweries. Denver has the world’s largest single-site brewery, Coors Brewery. Coors Brewery can brew about 22 million barrels of beer a year. It has been producing about 16 million barrels per year.
Tours are available. Check availability on their
website. Breckenridge Brewery, Great Divide Brewery and Culinary Connections Craft Beer Tour are some of the tours you could take while in Denver.
Salt Lake City
Your scenic drive from Denver to Salt Lake City Utah is
7 hours 44 minutes. Salt Lake City was Olympic Winter Games 2002 host. You can visit all the sites and attractions that were made available during the Winter Olympics and watch future Olympians practice in various locations.
Some of the
attractions include Utah Olympic Oval, Deer Valley Resort and Olympic Cauldron Park.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas isn’t just for gamblers. It is a destination for everyone. Your road trip to Los Angeles’ last stop is Las Vegas. In about
6 hours 10 minutes you will get to Las Vegas from Salt Lake City.
Shopping, nightlife, gambling, spa, golf and tours are some of the activities you can do in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is also known for its international cuisine, the special all-you-can-eat meals and food courts. Check out Border Grill if you like Tex-Mex, Carne Vino for steak, China Poblano for Chinese or Otta Enoteca Pizzaria a restaurant owned by celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Get a taste of Italy in this newest addition in
Las Vegas.
Los Angeles
Finally you have arrived in Los Angeles. It is a short ride of
4 hours 10 minutes from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
For more tools and ways to use Travelmath’s calculator to plan your trip, check out our free guide.
