First visit to the US. How to spend 4 weeks backpacking?

Hi all,

I'm planning a 4 week backpacking trip to the US this August. I'm
coming from England. I'm a first-time backpacker and a first-time
visitor to the US and I wondered if I could get advice on the best way
to spend my 4 weeks.

My main aim is to see as many sites as possible and to take in the
whole culture of the US - see a baseball game, try the local foods
etc. I'm going to buy a Greyhound discovery pass, so I'll be able to
travel freely from city to city. I'm going to aim to spend a few
nights in each city and take in the main attractions before moving on.

I'm looking for advice on the best way to do it, but my current
thinking is this:

Fly into Boston. Spend a few nights checking it out.

Head down to New York. A few nights there.

Head down to Philadelphia. Couple of nights there.

Travel up to see the Niagra falls.

Take a quick trip across the border to somewhere in Canada (just so I
can say I've been there!). Suggestions please...

Head down to Pittsburgh and spend a night there. Spend a day at
Kennywood Park (I'm a rollercoaster addict)

Travel West to Chicago. Spend a few nights there.


At this point, I'll probably have about a week left. However, I
desparately want to see some of the backcountry as well as the city
lights. It just wouldn't feel right visiting the US without seeing one
of the National Parks.

I'd love to see the Glacier National Park, but it's a heck of a long
way away. Does this seem viable? Or can anyone suggest a different
National Park I could visit? And would travelling by bus make visiting
such places difficult?

Any suggestions would be gratefully received - on both city and
backcountry travelling.

Matt

I'm a first-time backpacker

Matt, a question -- You talk about backpacking, but most of your
destinations are cities. Do you plan to carry a tent and camping
equipment on your back for your entire trip? Or do you just mean you'll
be using a backpack-style suitcase?

Jim

On 2006-07-04 10:29:28 -0400, "Iceman" said:

Adirondack National Park in upstate New York, which you could easily
visit on your way to Niagara Falls or Canada.

Adirondack is a state park.

"Matt B" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I'm planning a 4 week backpacking trip to the US this August. I'm
coming from England. I'm a first-time backpacker and a first-time
visitor to the US and I wondered if I could get advice on the best way
to spend my 4 weeks.

My main aim is to see as many sites as possible and to take in the
whole culture of the US - see a baseball game, try the local foods
etc. I'm going to buy a Greyhound discovery pass, so I'll be able to
travel freely from city to city. I'm going to aim to spend a few
nights in each city and take in the main attractions before moving on.

I'm looking for advice on the best way to do it, but my current
thinking is this:

Fly into Boston. Spend a few nights checking it out.

Head down to New York. A few nights there.

Head down to Philadelphia. Couple of nights there.

Travel up to see the Niagra falls.

Take a quick trip across the border to somewhere in Canada (just so I
can say I've been there!). Suggestions please...

Head down to Pittsburgh and spend a night there. Spend a day at
Kennywood Park (I'm a rollercoaster addict)

Travel West to Chicago. Spend a few nights there.


If you really want to see more of the real culture of America spend
more of your time in smaller towns. NYC and Boston are probably
must sees but you could head for a small town in upstate New York
or New England instead of Philadelphia.

As an example I spent a week in a cabin in Schroon Lake in
New York State a few years back. Its a small town around halfway
between NYC and Quebec and is a completely different environment
to the big cities..



At this point, I'll probably have about a week left. However, I
desparately want to see some of the backcountry as well as the city
lights. It just wouldn't feel right visiting the US without seeing one
of the National Parks.

I'd love to see the Glacier National Park, but it's a heck of a long
way away. Does this seem viable? Or can anyone suggest a different
National Park I could visit? And would travelling by bus make visiting
such places difficult?


Pass on the National Parks for this trip. They are a LONG way
from your route and this is peak season anyway. There are
however some excellent state parks. Another poster has mentioned
Adirondack park but there are literally dozens in New York alone

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/

If you are taking a tent camping in the state parks is a really cheap option

Keith



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On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:05:01 GMT, Matt B
wrote:

Hi all,

I'm planning a 4 week backpacking trip to the US this August. I'm
coming from England. I'm a first-time backpacker and a first-time
visitor to the US and I wondered if I could get advice on the best way
to spend my 4 weeks.

My main aim is to see as many sites as possible and to take in the
whole culture of the US - see a baseball game, try the local foods
etc. I'm going to buy a Greyhound discovery pass, so I'll be able to
travel freely from city to city. I'm going to aim to spend a few
nights in each city and take in the main attractions before moving on.

I'm looking for advice on the best way to do it, but my current
thinking is this:

Fly into Boston. Spend a few nights checking it out.

Head down to New York. A few nights there.

Head down to Philadelphia. Couple of nights there.

Travel up to see the Niagra falls.

Take a quick trip across the border to somewhere in Canada (just so I
can say I've been there!). Suggestions please...

Head down to Pittsburgh and spend a night there. Spend a day at
Kennywood Park (I'm a rollercoaster addict)

Travel West to Chicago. Spend a few nights there.


At this point, I'll probably have about a week left. However, I
desparately want to see some of the backcountry as well as the city
lights. It just wouldn't feel right visiting the US without seeing one
of the National Parks.

I'd love to see the Glacier National Park, but it's a heck of a long
way away. Does this seem viable? Or can anyone suggest a different
National Park I could visit? And would travelling by bus make visiting
such places difficult?

Any suggestions would be gratefully received - on both city and
backcountry travelling.

Matt

To address just one of your questions, traveling by bus is not a
problem when you visit cities, although there can be many, many
hours spent on a bus and perhaps transfers as well. You need to
go to the Greyhound website and get time tables and figure the
traveling time involved, to decide how much you can reasonably
see. Are you planning to fly in and out from the same city -- in
other words, will you have to return to the East Coast to return?
Renting a car to visit a national park would be a good idea.
In general, U.S. public transportation outside of certain cities is
spotty and can be very, very difficult, compared to Europe. You need
to do a lot of research using the Internet and guidebooks such as
Let's Go USA and guidebooks for specific areas. I traveled a lot
in the U.S. without a car and found no problem in the cities
you mention or San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans and some
others, but many scenic places outside of the cities were not
really reachable without a car. I don't know how you would access
the "back country" without a car, although I am not sure what you
mean by "back country". Others may have suggestions on how to do
this, but I found myself stymied when I investigated public transport
access to many places I would have liked to visit without a car.

But to reach the national parks by bus and then get around in them
in much trickier. You would need to investigate connections on a case
by case basis. There may not be public transportation from the
nearest Greyhound bus stop into the park, and then the parks are
huge.

I crossed the United States and visited many national parks on a
Green Tortoise excursion. The Green Tortoise is an alternative type
of bus transport where you bring your sleeping bag and sleep on the
bus -- there are various options of cross country or visiting national
parks and if the timing was right for you it is quite cheap and
includes meals. The drivers drive at night so you sleep and have
the days to stop at various parks and other points of interest.
Check it out at http://www.greentortoise.com/

On my cross country trip from the East Coast we saw the Outer
Banks in North Carolina, went canoeing in Arkansas, stopped at
Penscola, FL, New Orleans, drove across Texas to the Big Bend
National Park, then Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park,
the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and ended up in San Francisco.
14 days.

I'm a first-time backpacker
.....
Head down to New York. A few nights there.

One thing you need to know is that New York is not luggage / back-
pack friendly. I do not know if 9/11 started it or only intensified it,
but no museums or places of interest (Empire State Building) allow
luggage of any kind even in the coat-check facility.

Head down to Philadelphia. Couple of nights there.
Travel up to see the Niagra falls.
Take a quick trip across the border to somewhere in Canada (just
so I can say I've been there!). Suggestions please...

Your itinerary is heavy on cities. I might suggest dumping Boston
or Philly and adding a few days in Canada. Toronto is a short trip
from Niagra Falls. Ottawa is about 3 hours by train and Montreal
is another 1.5 hours. You will find that Canada is enormously
cheaper than American cities. Also keep in mind that Air Canada
sells one-way flights for a reasonable fare.

If it were me, I would skip Niagra Falls and visit Montreal. Niagra
Falls is geared toward newlyweds and families. Air Canada has
flights from New York to Montreal for reasonable fares.

Head down to Pittsburgh and spend a night there. Spend a day at
Kennywood Park (I'm a rollercoaster addict)
Travel West to Chicago. Spend a few nights there.

Pittsburgh to Chicago on a Greyhound bus: Yuk! You should
know that Greyhound busses are used by people who cannot afford
a car, discount airline, or train, and conditions are spartan. I did it
once many years and I will not do it again.

I'd love to see the Glacier National Park, but it's a heck of a long
way away. Does this seem viable? Or can anyone suggest a different
National Park I could visit? And would travelling by bus make visiting
such places difficult?

Bus travel is not really practical. Look at a map of the USA / Canada
and compare distances versus Europe. A bus between Denver and
Chicago will take around 20 hours.

I have two alternatives. Denver has Rocky Mountain National Park
just a couple of hours northwest of the city. You could fly to Denver
on Frontier Airlines, a discount carrier that sells one-way flights. Or
you could visit Calgary in Canada using Air Canada, with Banff
National Park just 90 miles away to the west.


Casey

I'm a rollercoaster addict...
Travel West to Chicago

Your route may take you close to Cedar Point amusement park in northern
Ohio, which calls itself the "Roller Coaster Capitol of the World", and
many would agree. I believe it currently has 16 roller coasters,
including the 2nd fastest/tallest one in the world.

http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Jim

Iceman wrote:

Take a quick trip across the border to somewhere in Canada (just so I
can say I've been there!). Suggestions please...


Be careful if you want to come back into the US. It may be a problem
depending on your visa.

Matt B wrote:
Hi all,

I'm planning a 4 week backpacking trip to the US this August. I'm
coming from England. I'm a first-time backpacker and a first-time
visitor to the US and I wondered if I could get advice on the best way
to spend my 4 weeks.

In the US "backpacking" means wilderness trekking. The type of
backpacking you're talking about is comparatively rare here. Not that
it doesn't happen, but mainly it's Euros and Aussies, the natives think
it's too close to being a homeless bum.

My main aim is to see as many sites as possible and to take in the
whole culture of the US - see a baseball game, try the local foods
etc. I'm going to buy a Greyhound discovery pass, so I'll be able to
travel freely from city to city. I'm going to aim to spend a few
nights in each city and take in the main attractions before moving on.

I'm looking for advice on the best way to do it, but my current
thinking is this:

Fly into Boston. Spend a few nights checking it out.

Head down to New York. A few nights there.

Head down to Philadelphia. Couple of nights there.

Taking the train would be a better choice.

Travel up to see the Niagra falls.

Skip it. See the Adirondacks instead.

Take a quick trip across the border to somewhere in Canada (just so I
can say I've been there!). Suggestions please...

Head down to Pittsburgh and spend a night there. Spend a day at
Kennywood Park (I'm a rollercoaster addict)

Travel West to Chicago. Spend a few nights there.


At this point, I'll probably have about a week left. However, I
desparately want to see some of the backcountry as well as the city
lights. It just wouldn't feel right visiting the US without seeing one
of the National Parks.

You'd need to fly and rent a car. It's as far from Chicago to the
nearest National Park (well, you know what I mean--say the Badlands) as
it is from New York to Chicago, and there's nothing to see in between.
If you can't rent a car, fly to San Francisco and get the Amtrak
bus/train combo to Yosemite. If you have a week for this, it'll work,
and you might have time for a day in the city as well. But you'd
definitely need to fly from Chicago, and then fly back to New York.

I'd love to see the Glacier National Park, but it's a heck of a long
way away. Does this seem viable? Or can anyone suggest a different
National Park I could visit? And would travelling by bus make visiting
such places difficult?

Well, there's a train there, but I have no idea how you'd actually get
around in the park once you get off the train. Again, it's a train.
Busses typically don't get anywhere near National Parks. Yosemite is
one exception I know of, and then it's an Amtrak bus (bus run by the
national train service, connects with the train from San Francisco, or
rather, Emeryville) not Greyhound.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received - on both city and
backcountry travelling.

Matt

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:05:01 GMT, Matt B
wrote:

Hi all,

I'm planning a 4 week backpacking trip to the US this August. I'm
coming from England. I'm a first-time backpacker and a first-time
visitor to the US and I wondered if I could get advice on the best way
to spend my 4 weeks.

snip

Many thanks for all the replies. They're really useful and have given
me a lot to go on. I'll pick up on a few points below.


By backpacking, I just mean that I'll be travelling around with a
massive backpack carrying all of my stuff. I won't be doing any
camping, but rather staying at hostels / cheap hotels and motels. I'll
leave all my stuff there in the day whilst I travel around and check
out the attractions.

I'm probably going to go for an open jaw return flight, whereby I
depart from a different airport to the one I arrive at. If I'm going
to be making serious inroads into the country, I think this will be
best as it will save several days travelling back again by bus.

I'm going to drop Philadelphia on the advice given.

Cedarpoint looks absolutely awesome. That's definitely now on the list
instead of Kennywood. I will do that on my way to Chicago.

A couple of people advised dropping Niagra Falls. How come? I thought
they were regarded as one of the key things to see in the US?

I'll probably visit Montreal on the advice given. Roughly how much
would a flight be to Montreal from New York?

Car renting is something I considered and seems to be a popular
option. However, I don't know if I have the confidence to drive in
another country where the road systems are different. Driving into an
unknown city in the UK is a daunting enough activity - diong this on
the opposite side of the road in the US is liable to give me serious
stress, unless I could also hire a person to navigate for me. Is this
concern warranted? How easy are the roads to drive on in the US?
Getting involved in a car accident would definitely ruin the trip.

Would it be worth flying from Chicago to San Francisco and then using
this as my return airport? How much would that be, roughly? I quite
like the idea of doing this and combining it with a trip to Yosemite,
but then I suppose I would have to rent a car to get around Yosemite?

Lastly, are Greyhound really that awful? I'm looking at paying £240
for a 30-day discovery pass. Surely this can't be a bad deal?

Thanks again for the advice.

Matt