For many, the main symbol of American freedom is the open road. In US culture, the road is a synonym for adventure and self-discovery, represented as such in various works of art like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Dennis Hopper’s indie counterculture classic, Easy Rider. In artists’ eyes, this is rooted in the nation’s history of westward expansion and the pioneering spirit. Thus, the road evokes a sense of limitless possibility.
In the past few years, wandering off the beaten path has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon in the United States, primarily driven by renewed interest in RV travel and the surge of young people adopting van life due to financial struggles or a desire for a different lifestyle. Today, younger adults, especially, are more curious about discovering hidden gems than heading to well-known tourist stops. Because of this sizzling trend sweeping the country, we will give you a few destinations that are lesser-known corners of America and are worth exploring by all.
Route 66’s Ghost Towns
Route 66, also known as Highway 66, is one of the original US numbered roads, created in 1926, cutting through the country, running almost two thousand five hundred miles, from Santa Monica, California, to Chicago, Illinois. During the 1930s Dust Bowl, this was the chief route for those who migrated west, but its decline began in the mid-1950s with President Eisenhower signing the Interstate Highway Act. In 1985, it was removed from the US Highway System, as it was replaced by parts of Interstate 1, with portions passing through Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, and New Mexico.
What was once a cross-country pulsing artery is now a travel path packed with ghost towns that should be any photographer’s and YouTuber’s dream. Rusted gas pumps that appear frozen in time, abandoned motels, and diners await on this road that is an ode to a bygone era.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Trail
It is not advertised enough that the largest group of freshwater lakes on the planet is in the US and that the Great Lakes are the second-largest on Earth by total volume. What also rarely gets talked about in this part of the nation is its rich maritime history, and that North America’s greatest waterways are estimated to be home to some six thousand shipwrecks, with the first dating back to the 17th century.
If one were to take on this task, the best starting point would be the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan. The fate of vessels like the SS Edmund Fitzgerald is depicted in great detail there. After that gets soaked in, cruising along Lake Superior’s rugged coast to Marquette should be the next step, en route to the Marquette Maritime Museum. Then, heading to Wisconsin to see the SS Meteor, the last whaleback ship, is a must. The Au Sable Light Station and quaint towns like Bayfield, Wisconsin, are also worth a visit, and sights of charming fisheries and eco-friendly lodging.
The Extraterrestrial Highway
Without question, when people think of Nevada, they think of Las Vegas and this dazzling city’s vast collection of casinos. That is more than understandable, as the most famous place in the Silver State houses over one hundred and fifty gaming venues, while Nevada has around three hundred and thirty in total. Thus, even those not into games of chance look up a guide to play blackjack when they go there, just in case. However, Nevada is also famous as the UFO capital of the US, and one of its most renowned havens for unidentified flying objects is State Route 375, also called the Extraterrestrial Highway.
This is an almost one-hundred-thousand-mile highway whose inception begins at Crystal Springs’ State Route 318. That is a Lincoln County ghost town in the Pahranagat Valley in the center of Lincoln County. It ends at US Route 6 at Warm Springs, a former town in Nye County, in the Tonopah Basin. Allegedly, this road has been witness to more than seventeen hundred UFO sightings, and it has multiple alien-themed souvenir shops and restaurants, skirting into the famous Area 51, which tourists cannot reach. But what they can do is go stargazing at Great Basin National Park, where dark skies are perfect for spotting celestial wonders.
The Pacific Northwest Cryptid Quest
This is a phrase that refers to the search for mythical creatures. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience that researches disputed or yet-to-be-discovered beings, many of which have a basis in folklore. The Pacific Northwest is famed for Bigfoot and other cryptids that may or may not hide in its misty forests. It is a major hotbed for cryptid lore.
Fans of giant apes living in the woods would have a hoot on this trip, starting it at the Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton, California. That place should provide a decent enough crash course in Sasquatch history. Then, Oregon’s Ape Canyon should be a required spot, the site of a famous 1924 Bigfoot encounter. Washington is home to the Olympic National Forest, a less publicized Bigfoot sighting area, as is the Sasquatch Outpost in Bailey, Colorado. Small towns like Port Angeles are also worth visiting, primarily for their lush landscapes and local charm.
