Exploring Nature's Diversity Between Utah and Maine in a Fall Road Trip

Enjoy filling your Road Trip Planner with a road trip and discover the places between the dry desert climate surrounding Salt Lake City, Utah and the salty sea air found in Bar Harbor, Maine.

This great road trip covers more than 2600 miles and 13 states so pencil in at least two weeks in your road trip planner. Three weeks would be ideal if you're making it a Round Trip Road Trip.

So, with thirteen states to cover, how does one choose among the 1000s of things to do? Narrow the field by sticking as close as possible to the direct route. With the price of gas these days, concentrate on the free and affordable activities along the route.

I recommend filling your road trip planner with the following cities, where you'll drive about 200 miles per day.

With Salt Lake City sitting on the edge of the Wasatch Mountains, spend a few hours hiking along the paths or have a picnic at the Wasatch Mountain State Park. Enjoy the Rock Springs Historic Museum once you cross over into Wyoming, spending your first night at the Rock Springs Days Inn.

The next day, remain in Wyoming while still traveling about 250 miles to the state capital, Cheyenne for your second night. Consider adding Colorado to your road trip planner by taking a short side-trip into Fort Collins, Colorado and spend the night in Lexington, Nebraska, where you can enjoy antique shopping and fishing while staying at a Victorian house, converted into a B & B. About 220 miles down the road from Lexington, you'll find Omaha, the spot for your 4th night stay. Be sure to shop & stroll through the Old Market, where you'll find a bit of everything; art, shops, cafes, restaurants and music!

The fourth state to add to your road trip planner is Iowa as you'll be stopping at your second state capital, Des Moines before continuing on for an overnight at Iowa City, where you'll find a number of very affordable hotels.

Cut north a bit past Joliet, Illinois so you can enjoy the Chicago nightlife. Chicago has lots of things to do so you might want to stay a second night there and drive the following morning through Indiana (about 250 miles) to Toledo, Ohio. Be sure to check out the Maumee Antique Mall, which has over 120,000 square feet for you to wander through (there's also a smaller Antique Mall in downtown Toledo).

Hit the road again, passing through Cleveland, Ohio, and enjoy the view along Lake Erie, spending night in Erie, Pennsylvania (you should be able to find a room with a view). The next morning, enjoy the waterfront area in Buffalo, New York before continuing east to spend the night at Syracuse. You'll want to add your 3rd state capital in Albany to your road trip planner before heading towards Boston. Here you might also want to stay two nights for a rich, historical experience.

You can actually travel through 3 states in one day in less than 250 miles as you leave Boston, with stops in Salem, then Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and passing through Portland, Maine and staying at a cozy lodge in Bangor, Maine.

At this point, you're near your final destination of Bar Harbor, Maine. Reward yourself by adding the Acadia National Park to your Road Trip Planner and revel in the Fall colors, a perfect ending to a remarkable road trip.