Taking a road trip across this fascinating country of ours is a lot of fun, and if you plan for them properly, they don’t have to be expensive. The more planning you do, the better the trip turns out.
You even have resources that can make this task much easier. Most road trips consist of seeing as much as possible in a short time, so you want to make the most of every hour that you have available.
If your mind is cluttered with ideas and you don’t know how to get started, do not worry. There are now numerous manuals, maps, and guides to point you in the right direction, so whether you’re headed out to California, Maine, North Dakota, or Florida, you can easily find the most exciting tourist attractions.
All it takes is a little shopping around to find the right one. This article will cover the best books about road trips in the USA.
Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
The 15 Best Books About Road Trips In the USA To Add To Your Bucket List
If you don’t want to be bored, these are the best books about road trips in the USA that you should add to your travel book lists:
Lonely Planet USA’s Best Trips
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Available in both paperback and a Kindle edition, this handy guide lists a total of 52 amazing trips that you can take to enjoy the best that the United States has to offer.
It contains 120 colorful road maps and detailed directions that help you get anywhere quickly. You can easily pick the route you wish to take and get convenient reviews regardless of your budget.
The book also gives tips to help you feel like an insider, including how to avoid trouble spots, find the toll roads, and learn local parking rules.
It even gives you essential information about various tourist spots, including hours of operation, prices, and how to find their websites if you need additional details. With this book, tons of valuable information is at your fingertips, so all you have to do is get in your car and start driving.
USA’s Best Trips covers areas such as Florida and the South, New England, the mid-Atlantic states, the Rocky Mountains, California, and many others.
You can enjoy a city for a day or drive until you wish to stop, and this book will have you covered regardless of your itinerary.
Are you looking for the best backpack for road trips? Check out The 5 Best Backpacks For A 5-Day Trip.
Lonely Planet Florida & The South’s Best Trips
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This book is available through Kindle and in paperback form. It is the perfect book to have when you’re interested in visiting the Deep South.
It covers the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and others and gives you the scoop on each location’s biggest and best attractions.
From the beaches of Florida to New Orleans and even tours of majestic plantation homes throughout the South, this book gives you ideas if you haven’t a clue where to go first. It includes full-color maps and reliable information that is always up to date.
You can hike the Appalachian Trail or discover the Blues Highway, and this book will help point you in the right direction every step of the way.
It comes complete with everything that you need to make your trip even more amazing and it even helps you choose the best routes so you can enjoy the most the area has to offer in the shortest period.
Even if you only plan a short trip, this book can be a true miracle worker.
Road Trip USA Pacific Coast Highway
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Driving up or down the Pacific Coast Highway allows you to enjoy views and attractions you never knew existed. This book won’t let you miss any of the important details of the trip because it includes detailed information on everything the highway has to offer.
It covers over 1500 miles of highway, starting in Oregon and ending in California’s sunny beaches, so it is a complete guide for your convenience.
With full-color photographs, beautiful illustrations, and tons of driving maps that list all of the important attractions with every mile, the book even includes information on local history and roadside curiosities, not to mention handy detours that allow you to enjoy some of the lesser-known tourist spots.
It comes in a portable design that makes it easy to carry with you from place to place, and it even includes vintage snapshots for the history buff inside everyone.
The Pacific Coast Highway has a lot of charm and is one road trip you’ll never forget. You can make the most of it by including this handy guide in your suitcase.
Fodor’s Maine, Vermont & New Hampshire
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If you want to visit the northeast during fall foliage, this book is for you. Whether you intend to ski in Vermont, visit Maine’s lighthouses, or appreciate the gorgeous leaves in the fall, you can make the most of your trip by utilizing the features included in this book.
It lists the best things to do in each area and even recommends hotels and restaurants for you to enjoy.
The book has over 15 maps to help you get to the right location and suggests several itineraries to help you choose the most convenient one.
It helps you beat the crowds, lets you know when upcoming festivals are on the town’s agenda, and saves you a lot of time and money in the long run. It is the ultimate planning guide and helps you get the most out of your next trip.
This guidebook is always up to date and is written by people who live in the area, giving you many suggestions you wouldn’t normally be able to enjoy.
Lonely Planet New England’s Best Trips
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If one of your planned road trips includes driving around the New England area, you need this book! Complete with maps, suggested routes, and sample itineraries, it is the ultimate guide to everything related to this area of the country.
You can enjoy the White Mountains, eat fresh lobster in Maine, and experience a bit of history in Massachusetts, all while getting detailed information that makes the trip even more fascinating.
New England’s Best Trips also includes avoiding toll roads, finding the hidden gems that many guidebooks overlook, and even finding the best walking tours in the area.
The full-color, easy-to-read maps help you stay on the right track, and the guide even gives you suggestions for eating and sleeping places when you’re on a budget.
Whether you travel when it’s cool outside or during the warm summer months, this book will make your trip even better. It is a handy and valuable guide that you won’t regret purchasing.
Compass American Guides: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
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Published by Fodor’s, this guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks includes everything you need to know to make sure that your road trip to this area of the country is as amazing as it can be.
It includes up-to-date information on lodging, things to do, and places to eat that you may not find in other guidebooks.
Enjoy Yellowstone’s natural beauty, abundant wildlife, and the Grand Teton’s beautiful snow-capped peaks. Don’t worry about missing a thing because this guide will ensure you catch everything the parks offer.
Whether you want to participate in a day hike, take pictures for your vacation photo book, or enjoy the natural beauty of these two parks, this guidebook is a great item to take with you.
The best part about visiting these parks is that they are amazing regardless of the season because you can enjoy them all year. The area’s geology is just one of its many attributes, and you’ll never forget the list of winter activities available when it’s cold outside.
Road Trip USA Appalachian Trail
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The Appalachian Trail stretches across nearly the entire eastern section of the country. It consists of more than 2,000 miles, starting in Maine and ending in the heart of Dixie.
Along the way, you can visit Gettysburg or the Great Smoky Mountains and enjoy local amusements, tours, and roadside curiosities you didn’t know existed.
Available in both a Kindle edition and in paperback, this guidebook contains detailed driving maps and mile-by-mile highlights of the area, ensuring that you will miss nothing important or exciting.
It includes full-color photographs, vintage snapshots, and all the details you need to make the most out of your trip. It even comes in a convenient and portable design that makes it easy to slip it into any of your suitcases.
Whether you intend to tackle just part of the Appalachian Trail or would like to see just how far you can go in one day, you need Road Trip USA Appalachian Trail. It is a comprehensive guidebook that helps you see everything the area offers, all in one very detailed book.
Fodor’s Utah
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Utah is a beautiful state that is the perfect way to complement any of your road trips, and this guidebook is guaranteed to help you make the most of your trip regardless of how long you plan to be away.
It is filled with full-color maps and lists of restaurants, lodging facilities, and tourist spots that you can enjoy regardless of which city you visit. Whether you’re interested in hiking, fishing, or horseback riding once you get to your destination, this book is a must for you to have.
Fodor’s has a reputation for creating comprehensive guides to just about every city in the United States, and this book is no different. Whatever you need to know about Utah is included in this book, so you can count on it regardless of where you’re going or what you wish to do once you get there.
It covers everything from the state’s natural parks to the most scenic drives, so you are guaranteed to find an activity you’ll love every time.
Fodor’s New Orleans
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Let’s face it: New Orleans is one of the most exciting cities on the planet, and if you want to ensure you don’t miss anything while you’re there, you need this guidebook.
From experiencing their yummy foods to taking a ghost tour of their cemeteries, New Orleans truly offers something for everyone, and you are guaranteed not to miss anything if you take this book with you.
The book is filled with places to visit and spend the night. Whether you want to enjoy a little jazz music or visit the city during the Mardi Gras season, it will tell you everything you need to know so that nothing important is overlooked.
It also gives you insight into some of the lesser-known attractions that the locals sometimes want to keep hidden, including off-the-map plantation homes and mom-and-pop restaurants that will have your mouth watering just thinking about them.
Don’t visit New Orleans without Fodor’s guidebook because it provides photographs and suggestions to make sure that you see everything there is to see in the city. It is one book that you won’t regret purchasing.
Fodor’s Arizona and the Grand Canyon
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If one of your planned road trips is the Grand Canyon in Arizona, ensure this guidebook accompanies you to your destination.
More than anything else, the Grand Canyon has a landscape that few other scenic views can match, and the guidebook makes certain that you don’t miss anything important while you’re there.
It has a fold-out map and gives suggestions for enjoying yourself, whether you wish to see the canyons, the mountains, the deserts, or the flora and fauna found along the way.
In addition to the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, this book also provides information on nearby places you can enjoy, including the Colorado River, the Native American reservations, and the many beautiful golfing locations in the area.
After all, there is more to do and see than the Grand Canyon, although that alone is worth the trip.
Fodor’s book on the Grand Canyon even contains information on places to eat and stay. It can help you save both money and time so that all you have to do is concentrate on the trip itself. It would be best to have this book for your next trip to the Grand Canyon area.
The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip
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If you’re a baseball fan, add this guidebook to your collection. Regardless of how far you’re traveling, there is likely to be a baseball field somewhere nearby.
This guidebook tells you a little about each so you’ll know what to do when you arrive. If you’re planning a road trip and aren’t sure if there’s a baseball field nearby, you can check this guidebook and see for sure.
The book contains everything about each field that you’re likely interested in, including the maximum capacity, the history, and interesting facts that you probably don’t know about it.
It even suggests nearby restaurants and lodging facilities for you to enjoy once your daily activities are complete, and its full-color photographs are certain to whet your appetite for more.
The guidebook is current and includes newer baseball fields, so you’ll know exactly where each field is and how long it’s been there. Whether you want to catch a live game or learn about the history of a particular baseball field, this guidebook can accommodate you.
Road Trip USA Route 66
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Route 66 is famous — or infamous? — the strip of highway that includes over 400,000 miles of roads. This full-color guidebook provides a mile-by-mile description of everything that makes the highway unique.
Whether you’re planning to visit Meramac Caverns or the gritty streets of Chicago, it will point you in the right direction so that you don’t miss anything special. You’ll discover obscure towns, roadside curiosities, and even local lore with the help of this very informative guidebook.
Even though Route 66 is now a major interstate, it still follows the same path; therefore, you still have many unique opportunities to visit some of the fascinating sites in the country.
From large landmarks to lesser-known tourist attractions, this guidebook helps you visit the sites you’ll consider important, helping to make your road trip a true once-in-a-lifetime experience. There is no better way to learn about and enjoy the iconic Route 66.
Lonely Planet Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trips
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The Blue Ridge Parkway offers beautiful mountainous areas throughout the route, and the Lonely Planet guidebook helps you make the most of them.
From the mile-high suspension bridge at Grandfather Mountain to the microbreweries and indie shops in downtown Asheville, you’ll find lots to do when you travel this parkway. This guidebook will make certain that you don’t miss anything important along the way.
The book is available in both paperback and Kindle form. It provides the valuable information you need to make each adventure special and unforgettable. Road trips are meant to be special and a trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway is all that and more.
You’ll discover some of the most remarkable scenery you’ve ever seen and popular and offbeat attractions that you’ll remember for many years.
Oregon Road Trips – Mt. Hood Edition
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There is a lot to enjoy in the Mount Hood area, so whether you’re planning a day trip you’d like to stay for a week, you can jump in your car and go once you have this excellent guidebook to help you.
The book gives you suggested itineraries so that you get to enjoy everything the area has to offer. Whether you like hiking, shopping, or just viewing the scenery, you can find a place to do that quickly and easily.
This guidebook also helps you decide what to do depending on your likes and preferences. You can view the world from 7000 feet up in the Magic Mile Chairlift, fly in a vintage airplane with just two seats, enjoy the graceful waterfalls that dot the area, or watch a master glassblower at work.
Mt. Hood truly offers something for everyone, so you’ll never have to worry about being bored if you visit this area of the country.
DK Eyewitness New York City (Travel Guide)
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Okay, what list of road trips would be complete without a guidebook about New York City? This amazing city of 12 million people still provides a warm, personal experience every time you visit it, and you’ll never run out of things to do.
From Broadway shows to visiting the Statue of Liberty, New York is a unique city that offers a variety of tourist spots that most people have read about their entire lives.
This guidebook helps you enjoy the city as never before, whether you want to view skyscrapers, attend a jazz club, or visit the cobblestone streets of SoHo.
It gives suggestions on the best places to stay and eat, includes detailed maps of all the attractions, suggests itineraries for you to follow, and even has color-coded chapters to help you determine which part of the city to explore first.
Whether you spend your time in Central Park, Times Square, or Saks Fifth Avenue, you’ll find something you’ll love to do in New York City, and this guidebook will make sure that you have the tools you need to make the most out of your experience.
It is also perfect regardless of how long your road trip is planned because it lists everything you need to know about the tourist spots in a compact list to make everything easier for you.
Don’t even think about going to New York City without this guidebook; it is a comprehensive book that explores all of the many things that make New York one of the most spectacular cities in the world.
