A decade ago, my family drove our Land Rover Defender into Texas after years of exploring Africa and Latin America. We had expectations, having never visited the US and having grown up with US media culture. Still, nothing could prepare us for the reality of this vast, beautiful, and generous country. Parked outside a Walmart, we loaded BBQ ribs and cold drinks into the Landy, preparing to celebrate finally making it to the States. A lady approached and asked where we had come from and, after hearing a brief summary of our adventures, welcomed us with the words, “Well, you can relax. You are home now.” That statement set the tone for our American experience, and we are forever grateful for our wonderful friends and adventures. We have had the good fortune to have explored both coasts, south to north, and have crossed the country multiple times, visiting 45 states, including Alaska. The following are our tips for exploring the utterly massive USA as outlanders with an open mind.
Forget All Preconceptions
A country as vast and diverse as the US cannot simply be summarized with generalizations; this is a mistake. You will do yourself a disservice if you allow your experience and interactions to be limited by preconceived notions about what America is and who Americans are. Yes, there are those who let the team down (in any country), but the vast majority of friends we have made have been creative, intelligent, generous, business savvy, and curious. That said, most Americans don’t like smart-asses. Keep your opinions to yourself, and understand that the American mentality is different from many other cultures as they regard fairness, humility, freedom, and the respect of good laws as essential. In all these years, we have never once had any problems with the authorities as we obey the law and comply with the rules. Do the same, and you will be just fine. Due to the vastness of the country, most Americans have a well-defined orientation of the north, south, east, and west; remember, highways with even numbers run east to west, and odd numbers run south to north.
National Parks Are Expensive But Incredibly Popular
If you intend to visit national parks, you are well advised to invest in the America the Beautiful Pass, also called the Interagency Pass. This pass includes a series of annual or lifetime passes that provide access to over 2,000 federally managed sites, including national parks, monuments, and other protected areas overseen by six federal agencies: the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and Army Corps of Engineers. The annual Pass costs $80, but that investment will soon be justified as you pay largely discounted entrance and camp fees. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor travel in the US has seen a significant surge, and it is often impossible to secure a walk-in campsite. If possible, plan your route well and book campsites well in advance to avoid disappointment.
Speaking of the pandemic, traveling in the US is not as affordable as it used to be, and fuel prices can fluctuate wildly, especially in states like California. It used to be that $50 a day would be more than enough to fill a tank with fuel, buy some food for the campfire, and pay for camping. We now find that a budget of $100 a day is required for the same experience. This cost we offset by camping at Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land as much as possible, avoiding take-out food, and eating a simpler diet. The cost of services is also very high compared to other countries, and you are well advised to do as much of your own mechanical services and repairs as possible as a trip to a mechanic could cost a few weeks’ travel budget, if not more.
The West is Best (for overlanding)
The Western USA offers endless opportunities for escape and adventure from the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest to the forests and mountains of Montana (do not skip Montana under any circumstances). The West encompasses several significant biomes, including the arid and semi-arid plateaus and plains of the American Southwest; forested mountain regions featuring three prominent ranges—the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, and the Rocky Mountains; the extensive coastline along the American Pacific; and the lush rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. Endless public land, primarily administered by the BLM, allows for endless opportunities for breathtaking and surprisingly affordable overland travel.
The BLM is your friend and manages over 247.3 million acres (1,001,000 km²) of land, accounting for one-eighth of the total land area of the United States. Yes, there are some areas where exploring BLM land can be sketchy (I am looking at you, Northern California/Southern Oregon), but in all our years exploring and camping on BLM land, we have never had an issue with criminal elements. If you prefer to camp in formal campsites with facilities, the options are endless as camping is a way of life in the USA (more so than in any country we have visited), bearing in mind that a campsite can range from $20 to $80 a night depending on the location and facilities. Generally, we will camp on BLM land as often as possible and occasionally splurge on a developed, private campsite to enjoy a hot shower and laundry facilities.
The South is Cool but Hot!
Driving from Florida up through the South to the Appalachian Trail, we soon learned that camping in Florida and the South during summer is not for the faint-hearted. We thought Africa was hot and buggy, but even Nigeria could not match the intensity of a humid July Floridian night. Torture is the best word to describe the experience. Sure, there are hundreds of people who travel down to the Keys to camp, spending a fortune on a campsite where they will park their RV, plug into the mains, and dial the AC up to the max. Camping beside a Georgian swamp may be easy on the eyes but hard on the body. Winter is, without a doubt, the best season to visit the southern states.
The highlight of a northbound journey in the Eastern USA is the Blue Ridge Parkway, a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, renowned for its stunning scenic views and quaint historic towns. Stretching 469 miles (755 kilometers) through 29 counties in Virginia and North Carolina, it connects Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Following the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a prominent chain within the Appalachian range, it stands as the longest linear park in the country. We drove this route in an old Range Rover Classic and enjoyed the meandering journey and occasional venture off-piste.
The Eastern United States is a macroregion situated east of the Mississippi River. It comprises 17 to 26 states, along with Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, and the population was most recently estimated at over 179 million, making up more than 58 percent of the total US population. This high population density means there is much less public land than in the West and fewer opportunities for remote exploration. Exploring this area is akin to exploring the mountainous regions of northern Spain, but much, much larger and more developed.
Winter Can Be Brutal
Having driven a Dodge Ram with a Nimbl camper from Mexico to the Arctic Ocean in March, we are here to bear witness to the ferocity of a North American winter. Lake Tahoe in Northern California is mild and welcoming in the summer months, but the winter weather is to be respected. The infamous Donner Pass is where I learned to drive a frozen mountain pass in a blizzard.
It was here in early November 1846 that the Donner Party of California-bound settlers encountered snow blocking their route, forcing them to endure the winter on the eastern side of the mountains (of the 81 settlers, only 45 survived the journey to California, with some resorting to cannibalism to stay alive). If you are prepared for and enjoy winter travel then, by all means, hang around and enjoy the snow. If not, head east or far south, bearing in mind that wherever there are mountains, there will be snow, even as far south as New Mexico and southern Arizona. For those few who love extremes, Alaska is on the bucket list of many North Americans, and rightly so. This sublime state is well worth the effort to visit and deserves an article dedicated entirely to it. Mary Ashley Krogh’s Alaska article will be sure to inspire you.
Tecate Beer, Fish Tacos, Offroad Routes, and Beach Camping
Lastly, no trip to the USA would be complete without spending a few months in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Yes, I know it is not part of the USA but Baja is an integral part of the US overland experience as Baja has for decades attracted overland explorers to her beautiful beaches and chilled campsites. Crossing into Baja from the US is a rite of passage and not nearly as scary as one might think. Baja is a great place to explore if you have exhausted your US visa’s six-month limit and need somewhere to go during the winter months.
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