I can’t believe the time has finally come for my big cross country road trip! My dog was staying with my parents back in Michigan while I was in Asia for the winter, and I decided to take a leisurely cross country road trip back to California with him rather than flying. It’s been so much fun to plan the route out and discover new places I never imagined I would be so excited to visit – South Dakota? Idaho? Full of hidden gems!
What started initially as a week long trip with a couple of pullovers to see a site or two has turned into an entire journey of its own because there was so much that I just couldn’t bear to miss. Here are the highlights of my plans so far:
Chicago
The first stop on my trip will be to the windy city to visit some old friends and stomping grounds. It’s crazy to think that it’s been so many years since my last visit. I’m looking forward to spending some time walking around the lakeshore with friends and visiting my old favourite restaurants.
Badlands National Bark
I’m really looking forward to experiencing the vast, serene beauty of the Badlands. Researching the hikes and trails in the area led me down a rabbit hole of history, and has led me to a lot of learning about the native history in the area. In addition to the hikes and wildlife, I’m really looking forward to connecting with the nature on a deeper and more spiritual level and paying my respects to the injustices of the past. I’ll also be heading to Wall Drug while I’m there to try their ‘world famous’ donuts and coffee.
Black Hills & Custer State Park
To be totally honest, I don’t think I’d ever really heard of the Black Hills before planning this trip. And boy, was I missing out. It’s a region full of towering pines and dramatic vistas. I’m looking forward to hiking to the top of Black Elk Peak, cruising through the Wildlife Loop in search of prairie dogs and free roaming bison, kayaking around the crystal clear lakes, and hopping aboard an old fashioned steam train. There’s also the old western themed town of Deadwood not too far, which hasn’t changed all too much since its gun-totin’ days.
Yellowstone National Park
It’s a classic park that somehow I’ve never made the time for. There’s more to choose from in this park than one could even fit in one lifetime, so it’s been tough to narrow it down. Top on my list for this trip are Uncle Tom’s Trail, Avalanche Peak, Artist’s Point, and the Grand Prismatic Spring.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
This is another totally underrated park that I had never paid much attention to. Craters, as its called for short, is a park the size of Rhode Island that formed its unique crater like appearance as the result of lava explosions. I’m looking forward to exploring a small slice of this vast beauty while I’m here, especially the ranger-led stargazing tour.
Sawtooth Mountains National Forest
Immediately after researching the Sawtooth Mountain Range, I called my boyfriend to plan our next trip back there. It’s full of oversized beauty that rivals that of the most famous national parks, and I can’t believe it wasn’t even on my radar before this. I’m excited to go on a day-long hike to Goat Lake, a snow capped alpine lake framed by towering pines. I also really want to check out one of the many geothermal hot springs in the area for a little r&r after two weeks of camping out.
Snake River Valley AVA
I love experiencing new vineyards, so I was thrilled to discover that I’d be driving right through one of the nation’s most up-and-coming regions. The Snake River Valley AVA stretches from southwest Idaho to southern Oregon, but the region I’ll be visiting within that is known as Sunnyslope Trail. How cute is that? I’m having a tough time narrowing down which ones to visit, but top on my list are Ste Chappelle, Sawtooth Winery, Hat Ranch, Koenig Vineyards, and Scoria.
