Visit Boston, Niagara Falls, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Mt Rushmore, Devils Tower, Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Glacier NP, Mt Rainier NP and Seattle.
Our Northern Crossover road trip connects many of America’s most sophisticated and exciting cities, from Boston in the east to Seattle on the west coast. Along this epic 4-week and 4,000-mile route, you’ll visit some of the world’s most staggering natural wonders, like Yellowstone and Niagara Falls, creating lifelong memories by the basket load.
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 28 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Fly directly to Boston from the UK to start your road trip adventure that crosses the entire country via its most northerly States. After a short transfer from Boston Logan International, you’ll enjoy a delightful evening meal in this fabulous city. You’ll then have two full days to enjoy this beautiful, historic city.
Spend your first full day discovering Boston. The most historic part of the city is the North End. Famous for its cobbled streets, characterful churches and revolutionary past. If you’re visiting in the autumn, try to fit in a whale-watching trip. Boats depart regularly from next to the Aquarium. Tonight, enjoy traditional New England hospitality in the North End with Seafood or Italian. Both are superb!
Discover more of Boston’s must-see and do places, including a stroll along the Longfellow Bridge, seeking out 17th-Century gravestones, exploring some of Boston’s charming neighbourhoods like Beacon Hill and cheering on one of Boston’s iconic sporting teams.
Today, you’ll collect your hire car and start your cross country road trip adventure. On your way to Niagara Falls, you could opt for an overnight pit stop in Albany, Lake George or The Finger Lakes region. Our helpful Road Trip Experts will help you decide which stop is right for you. Whichever overnight stop you opt for, you’ll get to explore the lovely Berkshires region in western Massachusetts en route.
Niagara Falls is made up of three massive, separate waterfalls. The largest of the three is on the Canadian side of Niagara River, named Horseshoe Falls, whilst Bridal Veil and American Falls are on the US side of the border. Such is the volume and power of the water that passes over Niagara Falls, that the falls has actually moved 7 miles upriver since they were formed.
Enjoy the day exploring Niagara Falls attractions. A must-do is to take to the water and experience the power of the falls close up. Hornblower Niagara Cruises operates thrilling boat rides from the Canadian side of the border.
From Niagara, you’ll continue west, following the northern shoreline of Lake Erie. Using Highway 3, you’ll shortcut through Ontario on your way to the home of Motown – Detroit. This city is in an exciting renaissance of late, and it’s home to two of America’s very best museums. No self-respecting music fan should miss the magnificent Motown Museum, whilst The Henry Ford Museum is also very impressive. It includes uniquely historic exhibits like the car in which JFK was assassinated.
Spend the morning visiting either the Motown Museum or The Henry Ford Museum, whichever you didn’t fit in yesterday. You’ll then leave for Chicago at lunch, passing by picturesque Ann Arbor and the beaches of Lake Michigan on your way. As you approach the Windy City in the late afternoon, you’ll see Chicago in the distance, as it boasts some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, including Willis Tower, which stands some 1450 feet high. Chicago has an incredible range of architecture, tasty deep-dish pizza and an array of world-class museums. You’ll have three nights and two full days to enjoy all the attractions.
Chicago is best explored by trolley, bus, boat or bike. Most visitors head to ‘Magnificent Mile’, a vibrant, bustling area home to upscale shops, trendy restaurants and luxury hotels. Landmarks include the historic Chicago Water Tower, the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower, and the 100-story John Hancock Center with a rooftop observation deck. Exceptionally cold in winter, the city and its beaches come alive in the spring, summer and fall.
Your detailed Road Trip Pack will show you all of Chicago’s must-see places, including Cloud Gate, Navy Pier, and the lovely Lake Michigan shoreline. Before leaving town, make sure you spend at least one evening partying at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues club.
Day eleven brings an optional detour to visit beer-obsessed Milwaukee, which is Wisconsin’s biggest city and an excellent place for a lunch stop. You’ll then make your way west through farmland to picturesque Madison, which sits neatly between two lakes. Just be sure not to sample too much beer in Milwaukee if you are driving!
Drive northwest to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul. Fans of the 1980s musical iconic Prince will want to visit Paisley Park, which has been opened up to the public in a similar fashion to Elvis’ Graceland in Memphis following the star’s untimely death. Art lovers might prefer to spend the afternoon at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Leave Minnesota and drive clean across the open planes of the American Mid-West into neighbouring South Dakota. Finish the day with a visit to Falls Park in Sioux Falls, where waterfalls flow over many tiers of Sioux quartz. Tonight, you can explore a lively downtown district with a burgeoning foodie scene and some of the best eats in the region.
The numerous natural and manmade wonders of The Black Hills are a just reward for the long drive across South Dakota today. This glorious area is arguably America’s most underrated region. Badlands National Park (pictured), Wind Cave National Park, Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park are just some of the beautiful sights and experiences found in this corner of the US. So get an early start, load up on road trip treats and put on your favourite songs for this five and half hour drive.
Staying in Keystone tonight, the faces of four American Presidents look out over the land they helped create. Carved into the side of Mount Rushmore during the 1930s, this famous granite sculpture is the largest in the world. Its fame grew after it appeared in the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant.
Made famous by Steven Spielberg’s classic film ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, Devils Tower National Monument is simply stunning and a must-visit as you drive west to Buffalo in Wyoming. Keep a close eye on the tower when you visit, as you can often see brave climbers scaling this gigantic 1,267-foot butte.
Bighorn National Forest and Bighorn Scenic Byway feature more wonderful wilderness like Shell Falls, a lovely waterfall along this scenic stretch. Cody acts as an eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, and it’s an absolute gem of a town. Founded by Wild West legend Buffalo Bill, Cody features western-themed events – including nightly rodeos, staged shoot-outs, and pow-wows.
Today, you’ll arrive in Yellowstone National Park, the world’s oldest and original National Park. Officially founded in 1872, it’s home to abundant wildlife, including bison, bighorn sheep and grizzly bears. Accommodation here is essential to get right, and we’ll walk you through all the options.
A full day to further discover all of Yellowstone’s wonders and wildlife. Half the world’s geysers are found in this world-renowned National Park, including the most famous, Old Faithful. This iconic natural wonder spurts water 90 feet into the air almost every hour. Consider taking in one of the Park Ranger-led talks or walks that depart daily from Old Faithful Lodge.
Spend the morning visiting any remaining Yellowstone gems like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Grand Prismatic Spring. You’ll then head south on a short drive to Grand Teton National Park, which more than holds its own against its more famous neighbour. This small but beautiful National Park offers a rich mix of extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes and stunning alpine terrain. To call it stunning would be an understatement.
Grand Teton was first conceived as a National Park by the wealthy Rockefeller family from New York. The land was secretly bought up to expand the valley area around the Teton Mountains before being handed over to the federal government for preservation. Less famous and visited than its neighbour Yellowstone, Grand Teton is a worthy destination for any road trip holiday.
Return to Yellowstone this morning and explore the northern loop of the National Park, visiting places like Blacktail Plateau Drive, the wildlife-packed Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs before leaving the National Park again via the North Entrance. Stop for a late lunch or early dinner in Bozeman, Montana, before continuing north to lovely Helena.
The spectacular scenery continues, and if anything, it’s about to go up another gear. After a leisurely breakfast in Helena, you’ll drive north in search of the eastern entrance of Glacier National Park, close to the border with Canada. Tonight, you can star gaze in this certified International Dark Sky Park.
From late June through September, you can drive the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road. This breathtaking 50-mile road was completed in 1932; it’s an uber-scenic highway that links Glacier National Park from east to west. Cross over the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot-high and drive through a varied landscape, from enormous glacial lakes and cedar groves in the lower valleys to the windswept alpine tundra at higher levels.
Spend the morning exploring the western side of Glacier National Park and the authentic cowboy town called Whitefish. After lunch, it’s time to start heading in the direction of Seattle, but we still have two amazing stops to make before this epic adventure comes to an end. The first is Coeur d’Alene in the west of Idaho. Coeur d’Alene is encircled by numerous lakes left behind by the glaciers from the last ice age. There are over fifty pristine lakes in the area, but none are more picturesque than Lake Coeur d’Alene itself.
Drive west to the majestic Mount Rainier National Park, which is located in Washington State. Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in the stunning Cascade mountain range; it is a spectacular National Park with wildflower meadows, glaciers, waterfalls and wildlife.
Spend the morning and early afternoon enjoying the incredible scenery of Mt Rainier National Park before taking the short drive to Seattle to complete this epic cross-country road trip. Seattle is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US; it’s famous for its coffee, grunge music and a booming tech sector. Seattle, also known as The Emerald City, has a laid-back charm with visitor highlights like Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and Pioneer Square, popular with visitors from around the globe.
A second full day to explore Seattle, further highlights include the Boeing Museum, Japanese Gardens and watching the sunset in Kerry Park. If you prefer less time in the city and more time in the great outdoors, then just let us know, and we’ll adjust the road trip to match your exact preferences.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
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