Going on a trip… where should we stop and enjoy the scenery?

[Labrat1970]

I will be going from West coast to East coast in a couple of month, camping our way as we go. It’s going to be my 10 almost 11 year old kid and myself. I want to make this trip a true memory for her. Show her places she won’t get to see again as a kid.
I only have 2 weeks to get there and back.
I would love ideas from folks who have been places recently and know how they actually are, because the last time I on this kind of trip I was about 6 years old and that was half a century ago. Things have changed. She loves history, fossils, nature and culture. Mining is in her bones and blood.

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[JTdiRtyD]

Do you have a general route your are taking? That will help to point out places along the way.

 

[DylanM]

Considering her age and interests, I'd say Dinosaur National Monument, the Four Corners area with associated ruins/cliff dwellings, and the Grand Canyon would be very high on the list of must see places.

 

[Sweetums]

If passing through Utah try to hit Capitol Reef and Zion if you can. Capitol Reef is the least visited park in the state and there's a ton of petroglyphs that are easily accessed from the highway. The other parks will be a more significant detour, but worth it.

If going through southern Colorado I'd say hit Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

If taking a very southern route along the Mexico border, White Sands National Park is the nation's newest National Park and has been on my bucket list for a while. There's also Death Valley national park and the short walk to Badwater Basin to say you were at the lowest point in North America. In a few months it's going to start getting very hot in Death Valley so plan on doing that either first thing in the morning or after dark.

I'm useless for anything east of the front range, sorry.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Depends on where your route is going to take you. I’d say some good ones are:
1) Grand Canyon
2) 4 Corners
3) Ft Worth TX (for the cattle drive)
4) Mt Rushmore
5) Branson Missouri
6) Niagara Falls
7) Mammoth Cave Kentucky
8) Yellowstone

This would be pretty much an Americana tour of most of the greats I can think of.

 

[CrazyCooter]

Some great suggestions listed already!

Are you really planning to drive coast to coast and back in 2 weeks? I would suggest more time or shorten the trip mileage wise to allow more time to enjoy your stops?

We rode RT66 on motos last year......The 3 week loop leaving northern CA was 7001 miles, but we never made it to the east coast or even close. Some days were even 500-700 mile days and we moteled the whole trip, so didn't have the time constraints of setting up and breaking down camp. We didn't even stop at any museums or many stops along the way. Our trip was about "The RIde" itself.

We have also done a couple of 2 week trips that were 4500-5500 mile loops towing the RV that didn't even get us close to the right coast.

I think you should consider shrinking your loop and spend more quality time enjoying the scenery and stops along the way. It will be rad either way!

 

[WestwallNF104A]

I will be going from West coast to East coast in a couple of month, camping our way as we go. It’s going to be my 10 almost 11 year old kid and myself. I want to make this trip a true memory for her. Show her places she won’t get to see again as a kid.
I only have 2 weeks to get there and back.
I would love ideas from folks who have been places recently and know how they actually are, because the last time I on this kind of trip I was about 6 years old and that was half a century ago. Things have changed. She loves history, fossils, nature and culture. Mining is in her bones and blood.

Nothing beats waking up on Muley Point overlooking Monument Valley.

 

[Free2roam]

Mt Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Wall Drug South Dakota. Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Finger Lakes area, Niagara falls.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I will be going from West coast to East coast in a couple of month, camping our way as we go. It’s going to be my 10 almost 11 year old kid and myself. I want to make this trip a true memory for her. Show her places she won’t get to see again as a kid.
I only have 2 weeks to get there and back.
I would love ideas from folks who have been places recently and know how they actually are, because the last time I on this kind of trip I was about 6 years old and that was half a century ago. Things have changed. She loves history, fossils, nature and culture. Mining is in her bones and blood.

Ok. This will sound stupid, but it’s not. In 2024 I did a very similar trip with my two girls. Casey, Illinois is a town that has tons of the “world’s largest” whatever. Chair, Pac-Man game, teeter totter, and so many more. We just walked around that silly little town and looked at these hilarious things. It was a big hit. I wouldn’t change your route too much, but if you’re going through Illinois, it’s a great spot for a break. Our trip was Colorado to New York , and back. We hit Niagara on the way home as well. They loved that as well.

 

[Gvsukids]

I will be going from West coast to East coast in a couple of month, camping our way as we go. It’s going to be my 10 almost 11 year old kid and myself. I want to make this trip a true memory for her. Show her places she won’t get to see again as a kid.
I only have 2 weeks to get there and back.
I would love ideas from folks who have been places recently and know how they actually are, because the last time I on this kind of trip I was about 6 years old and that was half a century ago. Things have changed. She loves history, fossils, nature and culture. Mining is in her bones and blood.

Gemini says,
This two-week cross-country trek is the perfect window to connect your daughter’s love for the earth with the history of those who worked it. Since "mining is in her bones," this route focuses on the **Central/Northern Corridor**, where you can transition from the gold and silver of the West to the "King Coal" history of the East.
### **Phase 1: The Fossil & Mining Heartland (West to Rockies)**
* **John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon:** If you're starting in the PNW, the Painted Hills are a visual masterpiece of geological time. At the Sheep Rock Unit, she can see scientists at work in the lab.
* **Bodie State Historic Park, California:** This is arguably the best-preserved gold mining ghost town in the US. It’s in a state of "arrested decay," meaning she can peer through windows and see desks still set with books from over 100 years ago.
* **Georgetown Loop Railroad & Lebanon Silver Mine, Colorado:** This is a "two-bird-one-stone" stop. You ride a historic narrow-gauge train through the mountains and can add on a tour that takes you 500 feet into a 1870s silver mine.
* **Dinosaur National Monument, Utah/Colorado:** Visit the **Quarry Exhibit Hall**, where over 1,500 dinosaur bones are still encased in a massive rock wall. It’s one of the few places she can actually touch a Jurassic-age dinosaur fossil.
### **Phase 2: The High Plains & Fossil Digs (Midwest)**
* **Agate Fossil Beds, Nebraska:** This is a hidden gem. It focuses on the "Age of Mammals" (think giant "beardogs" and "land-whales"). It’s remote and quiet, perfect for a memory where it feels like you're the only two people on the prehistoric plains.
* **Badlands National Park, South Dakota:** The "Big Pig Dig" site often has active paleontology. The nature here is alien and beautiful, and the history of the Lakota people adds deep cultural layers to the landscape.
### **Phase 3: The Industrial Roots (East Coast)**
* **Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, West Virginia:** Since she has mining in her blood, this is essential. You ride a "man-trip" car deep into a vintage coal mine. The guides are often retired miners who share firsthand stories of the "travail" of the job.
* **Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, Pennsylvania:** This tour takes you 300 feet underground into a hard coal (anthracite) mine. It’s a powerful look at the Industrial Revolution and the lives of the "Breaker Boys"—kids not much older than she is now who worked the mines.
* **Sterling Hill Mining Museum, New Jersey:** This is a world-class stop for a rock lover. They have a "Rainbow Tunnel" of fluorescent zinc ore that glows under UV light. She can also visit the "Mine Run Dump" to hunt for her own minerals to take home.
### **Making Memories: A Pro-Tip for 10-Year-Olds**
At this age, she’s right on the edge of being a "tween." To make this "stick," consider these three traditions:
1. **The "Junior Ranger" Badge:** At almost every National Park/Monument listed above, she can complete a booklet to earn a wooden or plastic badge. Collecting 5 or 6 across the country is a massive point of pride.
2. **The Fossil/Mineral Jar:** Buy a small glass jar at the start of the trip. At every mining or fossil stop, let her pick one (legally acquired from a gift shop or sanctioned dig) rock or mineral. By the time you hit the East Coast, that jar is the "weight" of the whole country.
3. **The Mining Log:** Since it's in her blood, give her a dedicated notebook to interview the guides at the coal and silver mines. Asking a retired West Virginia miner "What was your first day like?" will create a story she’ll never forget.
**A Note on Timing:** Two weeks is a brisk pace for a cross-country round trip (about 400-500 miles a day). If you find you're running low on time, focus your "deep dive" days on the **Colorado to Pennsylvania** stretch, as that contains the highest density of her specific interests.

 

[Labrat1970]

Gemini says,
This two-week cross-country trek is the perfect window to connect your daughter’s love for the earth with the history of those who worked it. Since "mining is in her bones," this route focuses on the **Central/Northern Corridor**, where you can transition from the gold and silver of the West to the "King Coal" history of the East.
### **Phase 1: The Fossil & Mining Heartland (West to Rockies)**
* **John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon:** If you're starting in the PNW, the Painted Hills are a visual masterpiece of geological time. At the Sheep Rock Unit, she can see scientists at work in the lab.
* **Bodie State Historic Park, California:** This is arguably the best-preserved gold mining ghost town in the US. It’s in a state of "arrested decay," meaning she can peer through windows and see desks still set with books from over 100 years ago.
* **Georgetown Loop Railroad & Lebanon Silver Mine, Colorado:** This is a "two-bird-one-stone" stop. You ride a historic narrow-gauge train through the mountains and can add on a tour that takes you 500 feet into a 1870s silver mine.
* **Dinosaur National Monument, Utah/Colorado:** Visit the **Quarry Exhibit Hall**, where over 1,500 dinosaur bones are still encased in a massive rock wall. It’s one of the few places she can actually touch a Jurassic-age dinosaur fossil.
### **Phase 2: The High Plains & Fossil Digs (Midwest)**
* **Agate Fossil Beds, Nebraska:** This is a hidden gem. It focuses on the "Age of Mammals" (think giant "beardogs" and "land-whales"). It’s remote and quiet, perfect for a memory where it feels like you're the only two people on the prehistoric plains.
* **Badlands National Park, South Dakota:** The "Big Pig Dig" site often has active paleontology. The nature here is alien and beautiful, and the history of the Lakota people adds deep cultural layers to the landscape.
### **Phase 3: The Industrial Roots (East Coast)**
* **Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, West Virginia:** Since she has mining in her blood, this is essential. You ride a "man-trip" car deep into a vintage coal mine. The guides are often retired miners who share firsthand stories of the "travail" of the job.
* **Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour, Pennsylvania:** This tour takes you 300 feet underground into a hard coal (anthracite) mine. It’s a powerful look at the Industrial Revolution and the lives of the "Breaker Boys"—kids not much older than she is now who worked the mines.
* **Sterling Hill Mining Museum, New Jersey:** This is a world-class stop for a rock lover. They have a "Rainbow Tunnel" of fluorescent zinc ore that glows under UV light. She can also visit the "Mine Run Dump" to hunt for her own minerals to take home.
### **Making Memories: A Pro-Tip for 10-Year-Olds**
At this age, she’s right on the edge of being a "tween." To make this "stick," consider these three traditions:
1. **The "Junior Ranger" Badge:** At almost every National Park/Monument listed above, she can complete a booklet to earn a wooden or plastic badge. Collecting 5 or 6 across the country is a massive point of pride.
2. **The Fossil/Mineral Jar:** Buy a small glass jar at the start of the trip. At every mining or fossil stop, let her pick one (legally acquired from a gift shop or sanctioned dig) rock or mineral. By the time you hit the East Coast, that jar is the "weight" of the whole country.
3. **The Mining Log:** Since it's in her blood, give her a dedicated notebook to interview the guides at the coal and silver mines. Asking a retired West Virginia miner "What was your first day like?" will create a story she’ll never forget.
**A Note on Timing:** Two weeks is a brisk pace for a cross-country round trip (about 400-500 miles a day). If you find you're running low on time, focus your "deep dive" days on the **Colorado to Pennsylvania** stretch, as that contains the highest density of her specific interests.

That is actually really cool. My grandfather, dad and uncle were coal miners. Grandpa actually was the owner of a coal mine in Colorado for a time. He had to sell it after a collapse that put him in the hospital. Picture is of grandpa, dad and uncle. Grandpa in the middle, dad in the front.
Dad ended up being a chemist and a prospector and uncle is still a geologist. Dad and grandpa are gone now.
When my ex was alive, he used to spend weeks looking for gold in the creeks and rivers of Northern California. I learned how to find some of it from him. I’ve since taught our granddaughter, the kiddo I will be road tripping with.

 

[Labrat1970]

Some great suggestions listed already!

Are you really planning to drive coast to coast and back in 2 weeks? I would suggest more time or shorten the trip mileage wise to allow more time to enjoy your stops?

We rode RT66 on motos last year......The 3 week loop leaving northern CA was 7001 miles, but we never made it to the east coast or even close. Some days were even 500-700 mile days and we moteled the whole trip, so didn't have the time constraints of setting up and breaking down camp. We didn't even stop at any museums or many stops along the way. Our trip was about "The RIde" itself.

We have also done a couple of 2 week trips that were 4500-5500 mile loops towing the RV that didn't even get us close to the right coast.

I think you should consider shrinking your loop and spend more quality time enjoying the scenery and stops along the way. It will be rad either way!

I am going to see a family member in NC with a stop to see another family member on the way. Recently had a death in the family and need to pick up some items. Flying just won’t do the trick and these two weeks are what I have to work with. I want to make memories for her while doing the road trip.

 

[Labrat1970]

Depends on where your route is going to take you. I’d say some good ones are:
1) Grand Canyon
2) 4 Corners
3) Ft Worth TX (for the cattle drive)
4) Mt Rushmore
5) Branson Missouri
6) Niagara Falls
7) Mammoth Cave Kentucky
8) Yellowstone

This would be pretty much an Americana tour of most of the greats I can think of.

I’m definitely looking at Yellowstone If we can get in. 4 corners would be cool. Might be able to work in Mesa Verde as well while in the area. Mt. Rushmore is something I remember as being amazing but I’ve heard it’s hard to get into these days.I have to look up the mammoth cave. That sounds amazing.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

I’m definitely looking at Yellowstone If we can get in. 4 corners would be cool. Might be able to work in Mesa Verde as well while in the area. Mt. Rushmore is something I remember as being amazing but I’ve heard it’s hard to get into these days.I have to look up the mammoth cave. That sounds amazing.

The best time to get into Yellowstone is early. Like through the gate at 8am, which means arriving at the gate earlier than that. Wait too long and you'll sit in line waiting to get through, just to sit in line trying to get anywhere else. If you want to do the loop AND stop to see things, plan on it taking an entire day, Yellowstone is huge.

I've never had issues getting into Mt. Rushmore. There's tons of parking now.

However, 2 weeks to make it to NC and back is going to limit you to be honest. Just driving one way from coast to coast is a good 40-50 hours non-stop on freeways.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Pensacola to San Diego is @21 hours non stop. I think it took me 36 because I’m not as young as I used to be so I had to stop to rest.

I forgot about Mesa Verde!!!! That place was cool. Mt. Rushmore is fun even if you don’t get to go up to the rocks. The town I remember being super cool and GREAT salt water taffy. It was too foggy to see much when I was there.

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