Detailed Road-Trips

California's Central Coast
Day One: Oceano to Montaña de Oro State Park. Mileage: 32. Drive time: About 2 hours. Route: California 1/U.S. 101 to Avila Beach. Take Canyon Road north to Los Osos Valley Road west to Montaña de Oro.
Day Two: Montaña de Oro State Park to Cambria. Mileage: 32. Drive time: About 2 hours. Route: Surface streets from Montaña de Oro through Baywood Park to Morro Bay (just follow signs), California 1 to Cambria.
Day Three: Cambria to Big Sur. Mileage: 73. Drive time: 3 hours. Route: California 1.
Day Four: Big Sur. Mileage: 54. Drive time: 2 hours. Route: California 1. Day Five: Big Sur to Monterey. Mileage: 33. Drive time: 1.5 hours. Route: California 1.

South Carolina Coast
Days One and Two: Myrtle Beach to Pawleys Island. Mileage: 28. Drive time: 45 minutes. Route: Take U.S. 17 south to Pawleys Island causeway (north or south).
Days Three and Four: Pawleys Island to the McClellanville area. Mileage: 33. Drive time: 50 minutes. Route: U.S. 17 south to McClellanville.
Day Five: McClellanville area to Edisto Island. Mileage: 75. Drive time: 2.5 hours. Route:Take U.S. 17 south through Charleston to South Carolina 174 to Edisto Island.
Day Six: Edisto Island to Hunting Island. Mileage: 88. Drive time: 2 hours. Route: Backtrack on South Carolina 174 to U.S. 17; continue south on U.S. 17 until Gardens Corner; then take U.S. 21 south to Hunting Island.

Washington and Oregon Route 97
Day One: Seattle to Brooks Memorial State Park. Mileage: 230. Drive time: 4 to 5 hours. Route: I-90 east to Ellensburg; Washington 821 south to Selah; U.S. 97 south through Yakima and Toppenish, over 3,107-foot Satus Pass.
Day Two: Brooks Memorial State Park to Maryhill State Park. Mileage: 31. Drive time: 45 minutes. Route: U.S. 97 south to the Columbia River.
Day Three: Maryhill State Park to Bend, Oregon. Mileage: 212. Drive time: 2 to 3 hours. Route: U.S. 97 south.
Day Four: Century Drive to the Three Sisters Wilderness Area. Mileage: 99. Drive time: 2 to 3 hours. Route: Cascade Lakes Highway (aka Century Drive) in a big, 87-mile loop from Bend to Sunriver; return on U.S. 97 north.
Day Five: Bend to Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Mileage: 55. Drive time: 1 to 2 hours. Route: U.S. 97 south; Paulina/East Lake Road (or County Road 21) east to the caldera.
Day Six: Newberry National Volcanic Monument to Crater Lake National Park. Mileage: 112. Drive time: 2 to 3 hours. Route: U.S. 97 south; Oregon 138 west to the Crater Lake North Entrance. Day Seven: Crater Lake to Portland, Seattle, or wherever you're preparing to return to reality. Mileage: 250 (Portland), 424 (Seattle). Drive time: 4 to 5 hours (Portland), 6 to 8 hours (Seattle). Route: Oregon 138 west to Roseburg; I-5 north for what feels like forever.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Day One: Detroit to Cheboygan State Park. Mileage: 318. Drive time: 6 hours. Route: I-75 north to Bay City State Recreation Area, then Michigan 13 north to U.S. 23.
Day Two: Cheboygan to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Mileage: 171. Drive time: 3 hours. Route: U.S. 23 north, to I-75, cross the Mackinac Bridge, drive 8 miles on I-75, then north on Michigan 123 to Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Continue southwest on 123, west on Michigan 28 to Seney National Wildlife Refuge, then north on Michigan 77 to Grand Marais and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Day Three: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to Petoskey. Mileage: 159. Drive time: 3 hours. Route: From Munising, at the western end of Pictured Rocks, drive east on Michigan 28 to Seney, south on Michigan 77, east on U.S. 2 to Mackinac Bridge, I-75 south to U.S. 31 south to Petoskey.
Day Four: Petoskey to the Sugar Loaf Resort, near Cedar. Mileage: 83. Drive time: 2 hours. Route: U.S. 31 south, to Michigan 72 west, to County Road 651.
Days Five through Seven: Sugar Loaf Resort to Glen Arbor. Mileage: 12. Drive time: 15 minutes. Route: Michigan 22 south Day Eight: Crystal Mountain Resort to Detroit. Mileage: 234. Drive time: 4 hours. Route: Michigan 115 east, to U.S. 10 east, to I-75 south.

Copyright 1999, Outside magazine