No country on Earth offers more variety — ancient forests, active volcanoes, slot canyons, glaciers, the world's greatest national parks, and cities unlike anywhere else. The sheer scale of America means every trip is genuinely different. It rewards the adventurous like nowhere else.
📅 Day-by-Day Itinerary
📅 Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
Fly into San Francisco, pick up a car, and drive 4 hours to Yosemite. Hike the Mist Trail — through the rainbow spray of Vernal Fall and up to Nevada Fall with Half Dome dominating the skyline. Spend a second morning in the valley before driving south to Sequoia National Park. Stand at the base of General Sherman — the largest living thing on Earth by volume. The scale is genuinely humbling.
📅 Grand Canyon & Zion
Drive east through the Mojave to the Grand Canyon's South Rim — arrive at sunset when the light turns the canyon walls copper and violet. Next morning, begin your Colorado River rafting trip if booked (multi-day), or hike the Bright Angel Trail deep into the gorge. From the canyon, head north to Zion National Park for canyoneering — rappelling into the Narrows and the Subway, slot canyons with walls glowing orange and pink above you.
📅 Wyoming — Dude Ranch & Yellowstone
Fly to Jackson Hole and check into a working dude ranch outside of town. Ride horses through open sage flats at sunset with the Tetons as a backdrop — the archetypal American scene. Spend a day in Grand Teton National Park, then drive north into Yellowstone: Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring (best viewed from the overlook trail), bison herds on the Lamar Valley road, and wolves if you're lucky at dawn.
📅 Alaska — Glaciers & Wilderness
Fly to Anchorage. Drive the Seward Highway — one of America's most scenic roads — to Exit Glacier. Strap on crampons and trek across ancient blue ice with a guide, stepping over meltwater crevasses. Back in Anchorage, take a flightseeing tour over Denali — North America's highest peak rising 6,190m above the tundra. Spend a night in a wilderness lodge and listen to the silence.
📅 Hawaii — Big Island & Kauai
Fly from Anchorage to Honolulu, then connect to the Big Island. Take a helicopter over Kilauea's active lava fields — molten rock pouring into the Pacific in plumes of steam — then north over the Kohala valleys and sea cliffs. Hop to Kauai for a second helicopter flight over the Nā Pali Coast: 1,200m sea cliffs, waterfalls dropping directly into the ocean, and valleys untouched since the Hawaiian kingdom. End with a sunset on Hanalei Bay.
📅 New Orleans & Kennedy Space Center
Fly to New Orleans. Walk the French Quarter, eat beignets at Café Du Monde at midnight, and if the timing aligns, join a second line jazz parade — a moving street party of brass bands, dancing, and the most joyful public spectacle in America. Fly to Florida for your final days. Visit Kennedy Space Center and if a launch is scheduled, position yourself on the coast as a rocket ignites — the sound hits your chest before you hear it. End with a few days on the Florida Keys.
🏨 Where to Stay
The Ahwahnee, Yosemite
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Historic granite lodge inside Yosemite Valley — views of Half Dome from the dining room
Experience the second line parade — a jazz procession through the French Quarter that transforms grief into joyful celebration. Nothing like it on Earth.
💡 Key tips: Book national park accommodation 6–12 months ahead — the Ahwahnee, Zion Lodge, and Yellowstone lodges sell out instantly. Get an America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) — it covers entry to every national park. Rent a car everywhere outside of cities; the USA's greatest experiences are on the road. Tipping is 18–20% at restaurants and for guides — it's not optional. For rocket launches, check the Kennedy Space Center launch schedule before booking flights to Florida.
