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It's difficult to get to the Bay Area and San Francisco in the afternoon and do anything there, so take your time in the morning near Mt. Shasta, departing from your campground or room at 11:00 a.m. Drive for about 1 hour and 45 minutes south on Interstate-5 to Corning California and stop at the Rolling Hills Casino for gas and a lunch at the all-you-can-eat buffet in the casino.

After finishing lunch (probably around 2:00 p.m.), continue south toward San Francisco. Arrive at hotel or campground around 4:30 (since you are driving into San Francisco instead of away from it, the rush hour traffic will not not be too bad, and you will arrive before the worst traffic anyway).

Check into hotel or set up camp, and then enjoy the evening.

Lower cost hotel option is the Town House Motel 1650 Lombard Street, Marina District, San Francisco, CA 94123
Higher cost hotel recommendation is Beck's Motor Lodge 2222 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
Camping suggestions would include Samuel P. Taylor State Park (31 miles from San Francisco), Mount Diablo State Park (43 miles from San Francisco), or Mt. Tamalpais State Park (which is only first-come first-serve, (and, with reservations long in advance, a spot at Kirby Cove would be great, only 7 miles from San Francisco).

There is a lot of driving today, but start out the day with your California hike. Assuming you were in a motel in San Francisco, you should leave your motel by 8:00 a.m. (or 8:15 a.m.), and drive out to the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve 5175 Somersville Rd, Antioch, CA 94509. You'll be driving the opposite direction from the rush hour traffic, but there still will be slow spots, and this 48 mile drive will take about 90 minutes. Park your car near the Somersville town site around 9:30 a.m., and hike around for about 90 minutes (a 2.25 mile hike on the Nortonville Trail to Black Diamond Trail, and then down the Canyon Trail, crossing the foot bridge over to continue on the Chaparral Loop Trail, and then down the stairs at the Eureka Slope back out to the parking lot). You should be done with your hike by 11:00 a.m., or 11:30 at the latest.

It is a long drive to Las Vegas. Stop at exit 441 in I-5 (about an hour and ten minutes from Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, 55 miles). Take a 40 minute break for gas and lunch, and get back on the road at 1:20 p.m. Drive 342 miles on I-15 and State Highway 58 to Barstow. Driving time will be about 5 hours and 15 minutes, but with rest stops to stretch legs, allow 5 hours and 40 minutes. Arrive in Barstow at about 7:00 p.m., and stop there (probably at the Valero station on exit 183) for dinner and gas. Get back on the road at 8:00 p.m. and take I-15 northeast toward Las Vegas. The drive is about 160 miles, and will take about 2 hours and 20 minutes.
You arrive in Las Vegas at your hotel between 10:10 p.m. and 10:20 p.m.

Stay up late, walking around downtown or the Las Vegas strip, enjoying the lights and the sights. Get to bed around 12:30 a.m.

Lower cost hotel option is the Circus Circus Las Vegas 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Higher cost hotel recommendation is Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club - Center Strip 80 East Harmon Drive, Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109
Since you are arriving after 10:00 p.m. into Las Vegas, it will be cool enough to set up a tent, but you may be too tired and feel it's too late to set up a tent (summer temperatures in Las Vegas are very high, and there are almost no places for tent camping in the summer near Las Vegas). Probably you could camp at Las Vegas KOA at Sam’s Town 5225 Boulder Highway Las Vegas, NV 89122

In the morning, visit the Hot Springs National Park and take a hike there. Allow a an hour and 45 minutes for hiking the Goat Rock Trail, and then also allow about two-and-a-half hours for seeing the visitor center and the hot springs in the park, plus getting lunch in the old part of the town of Hot Springs. If you get out of your motel or campground by 8:30 a.m., you should be ready for lunch by 12:15 p.m. Have lunch in Hot Springs, and leave the area around 1:15 p.m.
Stop in Pine Bluff, Arkansas around 2:45 p.m. for gas, and get back on the road by 3:00 p.m.

Stop in Vicksburg and go downtown to stretch legs by walking in the central part of the town. Between 6:10 and 7:00 p.m. there will probably be nothing open, so perhaps settle for fast food as dinner tonight. Get out of Vicksburg after having dinner, departing at 7:30 p.m. Drive for about two-and-a-half hours (162 miles) to Ponchatoula. Stop there for gas, and get back on I-55 toward New Orleans by 10:00 p.m. Arrive at the hotel or campground in New Orleans before 11:00 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Best Western Plus Westbank 1700 Lapalco Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70058
The recommended more expensive motel is the Q & C at 344 Camp Street, New Orleans Central Business District , New Orleans, LA 70130
The suggested campground is New Orleans West KOA 11129 Jefferson Highway River Ridge, LA 70123

A day in New Orleans. Since you arrived late the previous night (11:00 p.m.), you may sleep in a bit, and start your exploring of New Orleans around 10:00 a.m.

Your hike for Louisiana is to do an urban hike in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. A thorough walk around the French Quarter in which you visit Jackson Square, the Old U.S. Mint, Congo Square, Canal Street, and walk at least a few blocks on Bourbon Street, should require at least 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) of walking and an hour of your time (maybe two hours if you stop to look in shops and take lots of photographs).

Second night in New Orleans.

Go to the Davis Bayou section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and hike on the Nature's Way Trail (only half a mile, allow about 30 minutes for the hike). Also visit the William M. Colmer Visitor Center and walk down to Davis Bayou from the visitor center. Have a picnic lunch near the visitor center. Finish up around 1:30 and drive to the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion in Mobile.

Arrive at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion around 2:30, and take a tour. Departing the mansion around 4:00 or 4:30, there should be time to go to the Battleship Memorial USS Alabama.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is La Quinta Inn Mobile at 816 West I-65 Service Road South, Mobile, AL 36609-1302
The recommended more expensive motel is the Drury Inn - Mobile at 824 West I-65 Service Road South, Mobile, AL 36609-1302
The suggested campground is Chickasabogue Park 60 Aldock Road
Eight Mile, AL 36613 Phone: (251) 574-2267

Morning is a little early; leave your hotel or campground by 8:30 a.m., and drive to Orange Beach, Alabama. Hike on the Twin Bridges Trail. Park at the Orange Beach Sportsplex (4385 William Silvers Parkway). Walk a mile on the Twin Bridges Trail to Rattlesnake Ridge Trail, and then turn around and go back. Finish the hike and leave the sports complex at about 10:45 a.m., and then drive on from Orange Beach to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida, and go into the museum around noon. Have lunch in the museum and enjoy the exhibits until about 2:30 p.m. As there are no good vegetarian options in the museum cafeteria (and therefore vegetarians would only have had a light refreshment), you may need to stop in Pensacola for more food after exiting the museum. Buy gas in Pensacola.

Depart Pensacola around 2:30 and drive to Grayton Beach State Park, arriving there at about 4:50. Use about an hour to play in the ocean at the beach, and take the Florida hike by hiking on the 1-mile nature trail. Depart the State Park at 6:30 p.m. and drive on to Panama City Beach or Panama City, depending upon where you are staying. Arrive at 7:30 p.m. Check into room or set up tent. Have dinner in Panama City Beach or Panama City.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Red Roof Inn Panama City 217 North US Highway 231, Panama City, FL 32405
The recommended more expensive motel is La Quinta Inn & Suites Panama City Beach 7115 Coastal Palms Boulevard, Panama City Beach, FL 32408
The suggested campground is St. Andrews State Park 4607 State Park Ln., Panama City, FL 32408
Ph: 850-233-5140

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Motel 6 - Savannah at 45 Fort Argyle Road, Savannah, GA 31419
The recommended more expensive motel is the Brice, a Kimpton Hotel 601 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401
The suggested campground is in Skidaway Island State Park 52 Diamond Cswy
Savannah, GA 31411

In the morning you should go to the Fort Pulaski National Monument, and check out the old fortress on Cockspur Island. Then, go for a hike near Fort Pulaski, perhaps hiking for 45 minutes down the McQueens Island Rails to Trails path, and then turning around and coming back, to make a 90 minute hike. If you leave your campground or hotel at 10:00 a.m., you should be done with the hiking and the fortress by 1:00, and you can return to Savannah to have lunch. Perhaps you will eat at The Sentient Bean (13 E Park Ave Savannah, Georgia 31401), which faces Forsyth Park (which you must visit). Walk around the Savannah Historic District. Depart Savannah around 4:00 p.m.

Drive up US-17 to Hardeeville, stopping to purchase gas there before getting on I-95. You will arrive in Charleston and be able to start setting up your tent or checking into your motel around 6:30 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Best Western Patriots Point 259 MaGrath Darby Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, Charleston, SC 29464
The recommended more expensive motel is the Residence Inn Charleston Downtown/Riverview 90 Ripley Point Drive, West of the Ashley, Charleston, SC 29407
The suggested campground is in James Island County Park 871 Riverland Drive Charleston, SC 29412 tel: 843-795-4386

Second night in the Charleston accommodations

You should finish your breakfast and be on your way out of Charleston or your campground by 9:00 a.m. at the latest. Around 12:30 p.m. you can stop in Columbus, North Carolina (just across the border from South Carolina), and purchase gas and have a quick lunch there, before continuing on your way to the Biltmore Estate. With a 9:00 departure from Charleston and stops for lunch and gas, you should still be able to arrive at the Biltmore estate by 2:45, which would give you a couple hours to tour the Biltmore House, and then when that closes at 5:00 you would still have a couple hours to enjoy the gardens and grounds of the Biltmore Estate (which close at dusk). At about 7:00 p.m. you can leave the Biltmore Estate and go into Asheville to check into your hotel, or drive on a ways past Asheville to a campground for the night.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Best Western Biltmore Estates 501 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC 28805
The recommended more expensive motel is the Hampton Inn Asheville-Tunnel Road 204 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC 28805
The suggested campground is in Lake Junaluska Campground at 50 Camp Adventure Dr., Waynesville, NC 28786

Leave your campground or motel by 9:30 in the morning, and drive to Cherokee, North Carolina; stop there and look around for about thirty minutes in one of the gift shops, and get supplies for your picnic lunch. Go from there to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the Mountain Farm Museum. Stop there for about an hour, and enjoy a picnic lunch. Next, continue into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Walk the Kephart Prong Trail as your North Carolina hike (4.2 miles round-trip with 955 feet of elevation gain, allow about 2 hours and 30 minutes, finish by 3:00 p.m.). After the hike, drive up to Clingmans Dome, visit the visitor center, and walk up to the observation platform at the top of Clingmans Dome. By 5:30 you should be driving down into Tennessee, where you ought to stop for the night in a campground or one of the motels in Gatlinburg.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Mountain House Inn Downtown 227 Newton Lane, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
The recommended more expensive motel is the Gatlinburg Chateau Rentals 102 Baskins Creek Bypass, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
The suggested campground is the Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Begin the day with a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains, going up the Laurel Falls Trail up to Laurel Falls. Try to get to the trail head and start the hike before 9:00 a.m. (maybe 8:30 a.m. would be a good starting time). You should finish the hike by 11:00, and can spend another hour in the park, perhaps in the Sugarlands Visitor Center or on the trail to Cataract Falls near the visitor center. By 12:30 p.m. you should be leaving the Great Smoky Mountains National park and on your way through Tennessee toward Kentucky. With a 12:30 departure, you should arrive at the Harlan Sanders Museum & Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky by 3:00 p.m. The museum won't take much time. You can buy gas in Corbin, as well. You should be back on the Interstate Freeway I-75 by 4:30 p.m. at the latest. This should allow you to arrive at your motel or campground in Lexington by 6:10 p.m. You can set up your tent, or check into your motel, and then relax for the evening.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Guesthouse Inn & Suites Lexington located at 2261 Elkhorn Road, Lexington, KY 40505
The recommended more expensive motel is the Home2 Suites by Hilton Lexington University / Medical Center located at 126 East Lowry Lane, Lexington, KY 40503
The suggested campground is it the Elkhorn Campground at 165 North Scruggs Lane in Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, phone: (502) 695-9154

If you leave your campground or motel by 9:30, you should be able to arrive at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort slightly after 10:00 p.m. You can take a tour of the capital, and then go back to Lexington, and visit the International Museum of the Horse. Leave the horse museum by 2:10 p.m. and drive on to Carter Caves State Resort Park in eastern Kentucky, arriving there in time to take the 4:00 p.m. tour of Cave-X. Following the tour of Cave-X, take your Kentucky hike, walking on the Three Bridges Trail in Carter Caves State Resort Park. Finishing the hike around 7:15 p.m., you should be able to get to Charleston, West Virginia by 9:00 p.m., and set up your tent or check into your hotel for the night.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Best Western Charleston Plaza Hotel 1010 Washington Street East, Charleston, WV 25301
The recommended more expensive lodging is in the Four Points by Sheraton Charleston located at 600 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, VA 25301
The suggested campground is in the Kanawha State Forest. Kanawha State Forest 7500 Kanawha State Forest Drive. Charleston, WV 25314. (304) 558-3500

In the morning you should get up early, and get some groceries and take a look around Charleston. In order to do your hikes and still see Monticello, you need to be leaving Charleston no later than 9:00 pm.. Your first stop is your West Virginia hike, so follow I-64 to exit 133, and use County Roads 27 and 26 to get to the trail head for the Island Loop Trail and Sandstone Falls Boardwalk, where you can take your West Virginia Hike (0.9 miles). You should have time for a picnic lunch, your hike, a short (30 minute) stop in the town of Hinton, West Virginia, and a 30 minute stop at the Sandstone Visitor Center before you get back on I-64 around 2:00 p.m. Leaving the Sandstone Visitor Center, you will arrive at Monticello at 4:30. In the summer, the last house tour begins at 5:10, and the grounds close at 6:00 p.m., so you have time for the house tour and some time in the visitor center. Leaving Monticello at 6:00 p.m., you can stop in Spotsylvania or Fredericksburg for dinner and gas for your car, arriving there just after 6:00, and departing around 7:30p.m. Leaving Fredericksburg at 7:30, you should be able to check in to your hotel or campground by 8:20 p.m., and relax for the rest of the evening.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Hampton Inn Springfield located at 6550 Loisdale Court, Springfield, VA 22150.
The recommended more expensive hotel is the Homewood Suites Springfield located at 7010 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA 22150
The suggested campground is in Pohick Bay Regional Park, located at 6501 Pohick Bay Drive, Lorton, Virginia 703-339-6104

You should use this day to see Washington, DC. Your hike in Washington, DC is to walk in a loop around the National Wall, visiting the National Capitol, walking by the White House, visiting the Lincoln Memorial, and visiting various Smithsonian museums as you go around the mall (The Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of American History are all free and should be seen). The National Gallery of Art, the Freer Gallery of Art, and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are all fine museums to visit as well. Everything you need to see is right around the National Mall.

This is the second night in the accommodations in the area around Washington, DC.

Today you just do three hikes. You begin with a morning hike on the Henry Hill Loop Trail at the Manassas National Battlefield Park. (1.2 miles, allow an hour). You should try to arrive at the Manassas National Battlefield by 9:00, which means you ought to leave your campground or motel by 8:20 a.m., and then leave the battlefield by 11:00. Then, you drive to Annapolis, although you can stop for a quick lunch along the way or when you get there. After lunch, go to the National Naval Academy and see the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center, and then, for your Maryland hike, you take a guided tour of the Naval Academy. You should finish at the U.S. Naval Academy and get back on the road by 3:00 p.m. Drive to Delaware and go to Cape Henlopen State Park. Arrive at the state park at 5:00, and spend a little over an hour doing your Delaware hike on the Seaside Nature Trail (it's only a little over half a mile), and then going to the Point Comfort Station parking lot where you can walk along the Atlantic Ocean beach and then cross over to the Delaware Beach before returning to the parking lot and concluding your visit to the state park. Leave the park by 6:30, and drive to New Castle, Delaware, where can stop for gas and a fast food dinner. You then continue on to your campground or hotel near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, arriving to check in and set up your tent or go to your room sometime between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Parkway Inn Springfield (formerly a Rodeway Inn) located at 675 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, PA 19064
The recommended more expensive stay is at the Queens Village Studio apartment at 128 Pemberton Street #2, Philadelphia, PA 19147
The suggested campground is the Timberlane Campground at 117 Timberlane Road Clarksboro, NJ 08020 tel. 856-423-66677

Today is a day in which you explore Philadelphia. You may want to see the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Independence National Historic Park, Bartram's Garden, or the Shofuso House and Garden. The older 18th century neighborhood of Philadelphia is a lovely place to hang out.

This is the second night in the accommodations in the area around Philadelphia Museum of Art,

Assuming you leave the campground or motel near Philadelphia by 9:00 a.m., you can be in Princeton, New Jersey by 10:00 (probably by 9:45), and you can park your car there (in Lot 21, near Jadwin Gym, or in the visitor parking area in Lot 23, near the West Garage) and do your New Jersey hike walking around the Princeton University campus. A three mile hike could start in Parking Lot 21, go to the Class of 1887 Boathouse, go up through campus to McCormick Hall and the Princeton University Art Museum, and then stop to see the art museum. After finishing at the art museum, continue up to Palmer House, make your way to Washington Road, and come down Washington Road to the Lewis Library, and then from there return to Parking Lot 21. It shouldn't require much more than two hours to complete this hike, but if you stay in Princeton for lunch, you will probably leave Princeton around 1:30. If you are camping, the campground at Cheesequake is only about 28 miles away (less than an hour to drive there). If you are staying in Meadowlands or Brooklyn, you need nearly two hours to get to your hotel or apartment.

Driving and parking in Manhattan are quite difficult. During your visit, if you are in Meadowlands you can use the hotel shuttle to get into New York, and use mass transit. Busses and subways are also useful if you are staying in Bedford-Stuyvesant. If you are camping in the Cheesequake State Park, your best bet for getting into New York is to drive a couple miles from the state park to the South Amboy train station, park your car in parking lot 4 (Augusta Street and Mason Street, a few dollars for a day of parking), and then take the North Jersey Coast Line train into Penn Station in Manhattan, and from there use mass transit to get where you want to go in New York City; also, near Cheesequake you can take the Belford/Harbor Way ferry at 8:40 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. or return from Midtown / W 39th Street on the 5:35 p.m. or 6:45 p.m. ferry. The ferry costs about four times more than the train, but if you love ferry rides, it might be worth it to you.

Since with this schedule you arrive at your hotel/apartment/campground in the middle of the afternoon, you probably will want to go into New York City tonight.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Meadowlands View Hotel at 2750 Tonnelle Avenue, North Bergen, NJ 07047
The recommended more expensive place to stay is in Debbie's Place (an apartment), located at Madison Street & Marcus Garvey Boulevard, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY 11221
The suggested campground is in Cheesequake State Park at 300 Gordon Road, Matawan, NJ 07747

A full day in New York City. If you like art museums, keep in mind that the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of those museums that requires a full day to appreciate. It isn't the sort of museum where you just need a few hours to see everything. The same is true for the American Natural History Museum (which is also located in the Central Park area).

This is the second night in the accommodations in the area around New York City.

A second full day in New York City.

This is the second night in the accommodations in the area around New York City.

Today you will experience Connecticut, so start right after rush hour, departing your campground/hotel/apartment around 9:00 a.m. Drive first to New Haven, Connecticut, for lunch and a stroll around the Yale University campus (compare it to the Princeton University campus). With a 9:00 departure from New York, you'll arrive at Yale University sometime between noon and 12:30. You will probably want to see the Peabody Museum of Natural History. You can have lunch in New Haven before you go. You should get gas in New Haven as well. You should be able to get out of New Haven by 2:30 p.m., and go along I-95 to exit 88, where you take State Route 117 south to Bluff Point State Park for your hike. Your hike in Connecticut will be at Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve. You'll hike from the parking lot by the Poquonnock River out to Bluff Point, and then back on the trails that take you by the Winthrop House foundation and Mumford Cove (4.3 miles total hiking, allow two hours). It will be nearly 6:00 when you finish and leave Bluff Point State Park, so stop in Mystic, Connecticut for dinner (perhaps at a pizza restaurant, if you remember the movie). Then, drive to your campground or hotel (the hotels I'm recommending are less than an hour away, but the campground is about 80 minutes away). You should arrive at your hotel or campground around 8:45 p.m. at the latest.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel located at 1850 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886
The recommended more expensive motel is the SpringHill Suites Providence West Warwick located at 14 James P. Murphy Industrial Highway, West Warwick, RI 02893
The suggested campground is in Melville Ponds Campground at 181 Bradford Avenue Portsmouth, RI 02871

Leave your campground or hotel by 10:00 a.m., and you can get to Newport by 10:45 (if you were at the recommended campground, the drive is about 25 minutes shorter). You should bring along a picnic lunch to eat during your hike. In Newport you should take your Rhode Island hike by walking on the Cliff Walk. You can do this as a 7-mile out and back hike, but you should instead either start the hike by walking along Belleview Avenue or at least come back along it (making this hike a total of about 8 miles, but about the same amount of time, 5-6 hours for the full round-trip as you would use doing the 7-mile out-and-back on the Cliff Walk only). You might start on Bellview Avenue so you can visit one of the mansions earlier in the day. You will certainly want to tour at least of one of the mansions in Newport. You could see, for example, The Breakers, Rosecliff, Marble House, or Rough Point. When you complete your hike and your tour of a mansion. Assuming you began your hike just before 11:00 a.m., you should complete the hike and your house tour by 7:00 p.m., or perhaps slightly later.
Your next task is to get to your hotel or campground near Boston. The expensive option is in downtown Boston, about 75 miles away, and you can reach there by 8:45 p.m. The less expensive place is in Lexington, about 85 miles away, and you can also reach there by 8:45 p.m. The campground is way north in Gloucester, about 110 miles away, and you probably can get there by 9:15 p.m. if you leave Providence at 7:00 and don't stop for dinner along the way. If you finish Newport at 6:00 or even 5:00, you should have time to stop for dinner in Newport, Portsmouth, Rhode Island (or Fall River, Massachusetts).

You should be in your hotel room or your tent by 9:45 p.m., ready to relax and prepare for the next day, your day in Boston.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Quality Inn & Suites - Boston/Lexington located at 440 Bedford Street, Lexington, MA 02420
The recommended more expensive motel is The Lenox at 61 Exeter Street, Back Bay, Boston, MA 02116
The suggested campground is the Cape Ann Camp Site located at 80 Atlantic St, Gloucester, MA 01930. tel: (978) 283-8683

This is your day in Boston. If you are camping way out in Gloucester, you need to allow about 70 minutes to drive into the historic downtown part of Boston or Cambridge. From Lexington (the least expensive good hotel near Boston I could find was in Lexington) the drive time is closer to 40 minutes. You could also just park your car in a suburban station for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and ride the Red Line or Blue Line into town (it is notoriously difficult to drive around in the Boston area). This may add some time to your commute into and out of the city, but it is what I would do if I were going (I have driven in Boston twice before, and I don't care to repeat the experience).

In Boston you will probably want to follow the redbrick Freedom Trail from Boston Common to Bunker Hill, and stop along the way at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the Bell in Hand Tavern. You may also want to check out the USS Constitution, or walk around Harvard University (or take a free student-led historic tour of the campus). If you are staying in Lexington, you may want to take a look at the Concord and Lexington sites in the Minute Man National Historic Park (where the American Revolution started)

This is the second night in the accommodations in Boston.

Begin this day with a drive out to Gloucester, where you will take your Massachusetts hike in Ravenswood Park (if you camped at Cape Ann Camp Site, this is only six miles away, and will require only 15 minutes of driving; from Lexington or downtown Boston allow 70 minutes). Try to start your hike by 10:00 a.m. (requiring a 9:45 departure from your campground, or 8:50 a.m. departure from your hotel). I suggest the yellow route (Magnolia Swamp Trail) combined with the Boulder Field Trail (red route), which can be connected by some of the roads and a short bit of the Ledge Hill Trail (orange) to make a loop hike I estimate at 2.4 miles. Assuming a start at 10:00, I think your hike will be done by noon. Go into Gloucester for lunch and a look around (park at Stage Fort Park). You will probably be ready to leave Gloucester at 3:00 p.m., and you can stop for gas on your way through Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, or Beverly as you head west to get on I-95. With a 20 minute stop for gas, you should be able to arrive at your motel or campground in the Freeport, Maine area by 5:30 p.m. After checking in or setting up your tent, you can have dinner in Freeport.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Super 8 Freeport at 506 US Route 1, Freeport, ME 04032
The recommended more expensive motel is the Hampton Inn Freeport/Brunswick located at 194 Lower Main Street, Freeport, ME 04032
The suggested campground is the Recompence Shore Campground at Wolfe's Neck Farm, 134 Burnett Road, Freeport, Maine 04032; or you might camp at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park. But you can also consider the Winslow Park and Campground at Staples Point Road and Winslow Park Way, Freeport, Maine 04032

In the morning, take your Maine hike in Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park (you must pay an admission fee to get into the park). Depart your campground or hotel at 8:30, and you will be ready to start your hike by 8:50. Your two-and-a-half mile hike includes White Pines Trail, Casco Bay Trail, and Harraseeket Trail. You will probably finish the hike by 11:00 a.m., and be ready to head out toward New Hampshire. It's a long drive (110 miles, 2 hours and 50 minutes) to Franconia Notch State Park, and you'll want to add thirty minutes to the time for a lunch stop in Bridgeton Maine; Fryeburg Maine; or Conway, New Hampshire. So, you ought to arrive at Franconia Notch around 2:30 pm.. This only gives you about two-and-a-half hours before the 5:00 closing time of the Flume Gorge and Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway. If you go straight to the aerial tramway and can get up on top of Cannon Mountain by 3:00, then you will have time to do both. You can come down from Cannon Mountain around 4:00 (or shortly after 4:00, as long as you are down by 4:30 you should have time to get back to the Flume Gorge Visitor Center and get into the gorge before the last admission at 5:00), and then drive the 7 miles (9 minutes) back to the Flume Gorge. That gives you time to go up through the Flume Gorge. However, you will probably miss the last bus back, which is good, because that gives you an opportunity to make this a real hike by completing your way down on foot using the Ridge Path (to make a 2-mile loop hike).

Finish your visit to Franconia Notch State Park by 6:00 at the latest, and start driving down to Brattleboro, Vermont. Use the route on State Highways 112 and 116 to US-Highway 5 and Interstate I-91. You should stop for dinner and gas at exit 13 off of I-91 (Norwich, Vermont and Hanover, New Hampshire). You will arrive at your campsite or hotel in Brattleboro around 9:00 p.m. assuming you spend about an hour during your dinner-and-gas stop along the way from Franconia Notch.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Super 8 Brattleboro at 1043 Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 05301
The recommended more expensive motel is the Hampton Inn Brattleboro at 1378 Putney Road, Brattleboro, VT 05301
The suggested campground is in Fort Dummer State Park, just south of Brattleboro at

In the morning you can take your Vermont hike, and there are several trails near Brattleboro to choose from, although the Sunset and Sunrise trails in Fort Dummer State Park (which, hiked together, would present a 1.5 mile hike) are perhaps the best options if you are camping in that state park. The Summit Trail up Wantastiquet Mountain would be good, but it is across the river in New Hampshire. Assuming you look around the town of Brattleboro for a little while in the morning (and buy what you need for a picnic lunch later in the day), and use about one hour for the hike, you should be be able to leave Brattleboro by 11:30.
From Brattleboro, drive to the Saratoga National Historic Park near Saratoga Springs, New York. If you leave Brattleboro at 11:30, you should arrive at the visitor center before 1:30. You can have your picnic lunch there, and then hike the Wilkinson National Recreation Trail. (4.2 miles). You can leave Saratoga National Historic Park by 4:30 p.m. and drive to Amsterdam where you get on the I-90 New York Thruway heading west. You can stop at a rest area for dinner along the way.

Allowing an hour for dinner in one of the rest areas along the Thruway, you should be able to get to exit #35 in Syracuse, New York by 8:00 p.m. If you are staying at a hotel, you can stop there and check in. If you are camping, drive on another 50 miles to exit #41 and go to Cayuga Lake State Park (you will arrive there before 9:00 p.m.).

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Red Roof Inn Syracuse at 6614 N. Thompson Road, East Syracuse, NY 13206
The recommended more expensive motel is the Cresthill Suites Syracuse at 6410 New Venture Gear Drive, East Syracuse, NY 13057
The suggested campground is in Cayuga Lake State Park at 2678 Lower Lake Rd in Seneca Falls, NY 131484

In the morning you should go to Seneca Falls to see the Women's Rights National Historic Park and the National Women's Hall of Fame. If you camped at Cayuga Lake State Park, you can leave the campground at 9:20 to get to the Women's Rights National Historic Park by 9:30, but if you were staying in a motel in Syracuse, you ought to leave your motel by 8:40 to arrive in Seneca Falls at 9:30. In Seneca Falls, you can also have lunch, and perhaps buy gas, or you could buy gas in Waterloo on your way back to the I-90 New York Thruway. If you leave Seneca Falls by 12:10, and stop for gas along the way, you should arrive at Niagara Falls State Park before 2:30. You can spend about over an hour looking at Niagara Falls (perhaps go out on Goat Island), and then depart Niagara Falls around 4:00 p.m. This should allow you to reach Presque Isle State Park by 6:15 p.m. Park near the Presque Isle lighthouse and do your o your Pennsylvania hike in Presque Isle State Park, walking on the Sidewalk Trail to the intersection with the Fox Trail. Follow the Fox Trail to the intersection with the Ridge Trail, and then follow the Ridge Trail to the Intersection with the Marsh Trail. Then, when that trail intersects with the Sidewalk Trail, return back to where you parked your car. This will give you a hike of about 1.4 miles, which you should be able to complete in an hour or less.

Leaving Presque Isle State Park at 7:30, you may want to have dinner in Eire, Pennsylvania. From Presque Isle State Park you have a two hour drive to Stow (if you are camping) or a 1 hour and 45 minute drive to either of the recommended hotels. Assuming a 30 minute stop for dinner, you should be able to reach your hotel by 9:45 p.m., or get to the campground at 10:00 p.m. Keep in mind that the check-in deadline for the Stow's Silver Springs campground is 10:00 p.m., so if you can get out of the Presque Isle State Park by 7:10, and make a very short stop for dinner (only 20 minutes), you should be able to get to the campground before 9:30 p.m., which will give you plenty of time to register and set up your tent before quiet hours and the registration deadline.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the La Quinta Inn Cleveland Independence at 6161 Quarry Ln, Independence, OH 44131
The recommended more expensive motel is the Crowne Plaza Cleveland South-Independence at 5300 Rockside Road, Independence, OH 44131
The suggested campground is in Stow Silver Springs Park at 5238 Young Road, Silver Springs Park, Stow, OH 44224

This is your day in Cleveland. In the morning, before heading into Cleveland, get gas. Then, get take your Ohio hike, by driving to the Brandywine Falls area (13 miles and 23 minutes from the suggested hotels, and 10 miles and 16 minutes from the suggested campgrounds) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. If you leave your hotel or campground by 9:30, you can be at Brandywine before 10:00, and finish the Brandywine Gorge Trail (it's only 1.2 miles) by 11:00. After this, you can drive into Cleveland to see one of the cultural institutions, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, or the Cleveland Botanical Garden (actually, these last three all right together, so you could easily see two of them, or all three of them). On your way into Cleveland, you could drive on the scenic route along the Canal Road and Ohio & Erie Canalway Byway, stopping for a while at the Canal Visitor Center and Alexander's Mill. Even on the slower route, with stops, you could be at one of the attractions in downtown Cleveland by 12:30, and have lunch before starting your afternoon of seeing Cleveland.

This is the second night in the accommodations near Cleveland.

You should leave your campground or hotel by 8:30 in the morning. Your first stop will be the Toledo Art Museum, and you can arrive there by 10:40 a.m. Be sure to see the Glass Pavilion. The museum is free (but you must pay for parking). You might have lunch in the museum's café, or you might grab some fast food in Toledo. By 12:20 be on your way up to Dearborn, Michigan, and you can arrive at the Henry Ford Museum before 1:30. That will give you 3-and-a-half hours to see the Henry Ford Museum and the Greenfield Village.

At 5:00 when the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village close you can drive to Ann Arbor and visit the Nichols Arboretum (free, and open until sunset or 8:00 p.m., whichever is earlier). Your Michigan hike is to walk for 45 minutes on the Clean Water Trail. Finishing the trail at 6:30, you could stop for dinner and get a tank of gas in Ann Arbor, and then depart at 7:30 on your way to South Bend.

You will arrive at your hotel or the KOA campground around 10:15 p.m. (assuming you leave Ann Arbor at 7:30).

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Extended Stay America - South Bend - Mishawaka - South located at 4715 North Main, South Bend, IN 46545
The recommended more expensive motel is the Ivy Court Inn and Suites at 1404 Ivy Court, South Bend, IN 46637
The suggested campground is in the South Bend / Elkhart North KOA located at 50707 Princess Way in Granger, IN 46530

In the morning, take a walk around the University of Notre Dame. If you like old cars, visit the Studebaker National Museum. Have lunch in South Bend, and then drive out to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Your Indiana hike is the five-mile Cowles Bog Trail. It is a one hour drive from South Bend, so if you leave South Bend at 1:00, you'll be able to start your hike around 2:00 and finish it by 4:30. After the hike, drive into Chicago and go to your hotel or campground.

You will cross into the Central Time Zone as you go into Illinois (or possibly earlier, as the northwestern corner of Indiana is also in the Central Time Zone. This will give you an extra hour. So, if you finish your hike at 4:30 and cross into Illinois, it will suddenly be 3:30 p.m. Also, the Illinois state taxes on gasoline are higher than those in Indiana, so you should purchase gas at one of the stations on Highway US-20 just before you get on I-94

The campground is in western Elgin, Illinois, 90 miles away and it will take about 2 hours of driving to get there from the Cowles Bog Trail. The downtown hotel is about 50 miles away and only will need 70 minutes of driving. The less expensive hotel in Skokie is 63 miles away and will need about 90 minutes of driving. These times assume you are driving in on a Saturday or Sunday. On a weekday, try to finish your hike an hour earlier so you can avoid the rush hour traffic going out toward Skokie or Elgin.

Adding 20 minutes for getting gas after your hike, you should be able to arrive at your campground around 5:50, or the hotel in Skokie at 5:20, or the hotel in downtown Chicago at 5:00 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Extended Stay America - Chicago - Skokie located at 5211 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077
The recommended more expensive motel is the Raffaello Hotel at 201 East Delaware Place, Gold Coast, Chicago, IL 60611
The suggested campground is the Paul Wolff Campground in the Burnidge Forest Preserve located at 38 W235 Big Timber Rd. om Elgin, Illinois.

This is your day in Chicago. At most, you could visit two of the major sights in Chicago in one day. The Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago would each demand the better part of a full day (four or five hours at least for each), but if you enter one right when it opens, visit for three or four hours, and then go to the second one, two can be seen in a single day (the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium are a short walk from each other, and the Chicago Institute of Art is within walking distance of those two). Parking is very expensive in Chicago, so consider using public transportation to get into the city. You can use the Metra train from Elgin to Union Station in downtown Chicago; or the Skokie Swift Yellow Line to get into the downtown CTA network of elevated trains (the Yellow Line connects with the Red Line and Purple Lines at Howard Station). You can find bus routes and schedules to help you plan how to get to the museums or sights you want to see in Chicago. However, on Sunday the traffic will be light and you would be wiser to just drive into the city. For example, on a Sunday, driving from the campground in Elgin would take a little over an hour to get to the Museum of Science and Industry, and the alternative is to catch the 7:54 a.m. Metra train and then use Bus 6 to get you to the Museum of Science and Industry just before 10:00. If you are up in Skokie, you might want to try visiting the Botanical Garden and the Baha'i House of Worship, which are way up on the north side of the metro area.

This is the second night in the accommodations in Chicago.

This day presents you with a choice. You could start the day by doing something in Chicago in the morning, perhaps using two or three hours to see one more attraction (perhaps the Botanical Gardens or Baha'i House of Worship if you are in Skokie, or the Brookfield Zoo if you were camping in Elgin, or one of the downtown attractions if you were downtown). If you do this, you will leave Chicago around 12:30, or perhaps closer to 1:00 if you have lunch in Chicago before leaving. This way you will miss rush hour traffic when you drive south to Springfield, but there will still be traffic, and you can count on the drive requiring four hours to four-and-a-half hours. (By the way, if you linger in central Chicago past 3:00 p.m., but leave before 6:00 p.m., you can count on the drive time to Springfield requiring nearly six hours.) Alternatively, you could leave in the morning without doing much in Chicago, possibly leaving Chicago around 10:00 in the morning. If you were camping in Elgin, you won't need to contend with traffic at all, and you can get to Springfield in three-and-a-half hours. From Skokie or Downtown you should be able to get to Springfield in less than four hours. So, if you don't see anything this morning in Chicago, you can get to Springfield by 2:00 or 3:00 p.m., and that gives you time to see the Lincoln Home before it closes at 5:00 p.m. as well as the Dana-Thomas House (last tour at 3:45) or the State Capitol.

On your way down to Springfield, stop in Bloomington-Normal to get gas and take a break. If you have come straight down from Chicago without seeing anything this morning, you might want to get lunch in Springfield or during your stop in Bloomington or Normal. If you were in Chicago until mid day and had lunch there, you can have dinner when you get to Springfield.

Depending upon what you did this morning, you will either get to Springfield fairly early in the afternoon, and thus have time to see the Lincoln home and the Dana Thomas House; or you will arrive near 5:00 p.m., and there won't be much to do or see.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Northfield Inn Suites and Conference Center at 3280 Northfield Drive, Springfield, IL 62702
If the Northfield Inn Suites is full, a second choice, slightly more expensive, is the Fairfield Inn Springfield, Illinois located at 3446 Freedom Drive, Springfield, IL 62704
The suggested campground is in Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site
15588 History Lane, Petersburg, Illinois 62675

In Springfield you can see the Lincoln Home, the Lincoln Presidential Library Museum, the Lincoln Tomb, the Dana-Thomas House, the Old State Capitol, and the Illinois State Capitol, and the Illinois State Museum. You'll need about two (or three) hours to see the museum, but the other attractions require about one hour each. You should also consider going out to New Salem (if you were camping, this is where I suggested you stay) and spending a couple hours there. Springfield could certainly take up nine hours of time sightseeing. But you also want to see Hannibal today, so you need to leave Springfield by 2:30 p.m.

Your Illinois hike is to walk around downtown Springfield. I will assume you park where there is free parking, near the Dana Thomas House on Lawrence Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets, although there is also free parking on the street a couple blocks south of Lincoln's home (down on 8th street south of Cook). From there, walk to the Illinois State Museum on Edwards Street, walk around the west side of the Capitol (where you can enter it), then from the capitol walk to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, using Monroe and 5th Street. After seeing the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library, walk down 6th Street to the Old State Capitol, then go down 6th Street to Capitol Avenue and visit the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. From Lincoln's home walk down Edwards Street to the Governor's Mansion and the Vachel Lindsey Home (corner of 5th and Edwards), and then walk down 5th street to Lawrence, and you're near the Dana-Thomas home again. The whole hike is 2.5 miles. The walking time will be less than an hour, but you will probably stop at a few of the sights, so this could take four or five hours.

Assuming you start your hike at 9:00 a.m., and stop to see several of the landmarks and museums, and also stop for lunch along the way, this hike will take up your time in Springfield, and you will finish around 2:00, leaving you with enough time to make a quick run to Lincoln's Tomb before you drive to Hannibal.

Leaving Springfield at 2:30, you can get to Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal at 4:15 p.m.

This only leaves you 45 minutes to see the properties. This may not make it worthwhile to purchase a ticket, so you might decide to just walk around and look at the outside of the buildings. On the other hand, you might cut short your time in Springfield, and try to leave there by 1:00 or 1:30 instead of 2:30, which would get you to Hannibal by 2:45 or 3:15, giving you enough time to make it worthwhile to purchase a ticket and go inside the museum and see some of the historic building interiors.

Around 5:00 you can do your Missouri Hike and have dinner in Hannibal. The Missouri hike is to walk around the trails in Riverview Park, just north of Hannibal. Using an hour for the hike and an hour for dinner, you should be ready to leave Hannibal by 7:00 p.m. Driving north, you can stop for gas in Iowa City (exit 91 on Highway US-218 has several gas stations). Assuming you have filled up your tank and can leave Iowa City at 9:30 p.m., you will get to your hotel or campground near Cedar Rapids around 10:15 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Red Roof Inn Cedar Rapids at 3243 S Ridge Dr Sw Cedar Rapids IA 52404. tel. 1-855-873-6562
The recommended more expensive motel is the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Cedar Rapids at 605 32nd Avenue South West , Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
The suggested campground is in Squaw Creek County Park at 4305 Squaw Lane, southeast of Marion, IA 52302

Leave your Cedar Rapids motel or campground at 9:30, and around 10:40 start your Iowa hike the Horseshoe Bluff trail in the Mines of Spain Recreation Area. You will probably want to look at some other things in the Mines of Spain Recreation Area. Then, go to Dubuque; while there, see the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, and also the Mathias Ham House. Have lunch in Dubuque, and then a little after 3:00, cross over to Wisconsin. Stop to admire the Dickeyville Grotto. At about 4:00, leave Dickeyville and drive to Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Check into motel or campground by 4:45. Set up tent or rest in motel room until 5:30, and then have dinner. At around 6:30, drive to the trail head for the Lost Canyon Trail in Governor Dodge State Park. Do your Wisconsin hike as an early evening hike, and finish by 8:00 p.m. Then, return to your tent or motel room for the night.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Super 8 Dodgeville at 1308 Johns Street, Dodgeville, WI 53533
The recommended more expensive motel is the House on the Rock Inn at 3591 State Road 23, Dodgeville, WI 53533
The suggested campground is in Governor Dodge State Park 4175 State Highway 23 N, Dodgeville, WI 53533. tel. 608-935-2315

Leave your campground or motel by 8:45 and go to House on the Rock. Visit House on the Rock and have lunch there, departing by 1:15 p.m. to drive to Taliesin. Take the Highlights Tour from 1:45 until 3:45 (you must reserve this tour months before you arrive). When the tour is over, depart the Taliesin area around 4:00. Drive to Eau Claire (exit 68 off of I-94), and stop there for dinner and gas. Leave Eau Claire by 7:15 p.m. Arrive at your motel or campground near (or in) the Twin Cities by 8:45 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the LivINN Hotel Maplewood located at 285 Century Avenue, Maplewood, MN 55119
The recommended more expensive lodging is in the Minnehaha Lofts – Minneapolis at 3625 East 43rd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406
The suggested campground is Lebanon Hills Campground 12100 Johnny Cake Ridge Road in Apple Valley, MN 55124-8151

This is a day in Minneapolis - Saint Paul, the Twin Cities of Minnesota. You might go to the Mall of America, or the Minnesota State Capitol and the Saint Paul Cathedral, or the Alexander Ramsey House, or in Minneapolis, the The Mill City Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, or the Walker Art Center.

This is the second night in the accommodations in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul (Twin Cities) area.

Depart your campground or hotel at 9:00 a.m., and drive for about three hours until you get to exit 54 on I-94. You can stop at exit 54 in Fergus Falls to get gas and have lunch. By 1:00 p.m. you can continue on your way, taking US-59 to County Road 9 and Cross Point Road toward Maplewood State Park. You should be able to park your car and start your hike by 1:40.

Your Minnesota hike is in Maplewood State Park. You can consult the park map to find a good route. The suggested hike is to start near the trail head close to Grass Lake, half way between Knoll Loop and Main Loop, near the center of the state park. Take the trail that goes for a mile south past Bass Lake and Little Grass Lake, then curves south of Cow Lake heading east, then follow the trail north toward Beers Lake, and then follow it as it cuts west back toward Cow Lake. From Cow Lake, follow the trail that goes north between Bass Lake and Beers Lake through the Group Camp site and past the boat ramp into Beers Lake, then return to your car. The total distance is about 4.6 miles, and you should be able to hike this in 90 minutes to 2 hours. Some of these trails are only for hikers, but some are shared with horses.

Around 3:45 you leave Maplewood State Park and head west to Rothsay, where you can see the world's largest "booming" prairie chicken and buy what you need for your picnic dinner out in the grasslands. From Rothsay, continue east to the Sheyenne National Grassland section of the Dakota Prairie National Grassland, to Oak Leaf Trail. This trail is a 4-mile loop. You can have your picnic dinner at the trail head, and you will probably start your hike a little after 6:00 p.m., and finish before 8:00 p.m.

You should be able to get to your hotel or campground in Aberdeen, SD before 10:30 p.m. The route to use is State Route 27 west through Lisbon to State Route 1 south through Verona and Oakes into South Dakota, then State Route 37 to State Route 10 through Houghton to Highway US-281, which you can take south down to Aberdeen.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Super 8 Aberdeen North at 1023 8th Ave NW, Aberdeen, SD 57401
The recommended more expensive motel is the Hampton Inn & Suites Aberdeen at 3216 7th Avenue South East, Aberdeen, SD 57401
The suggested campground is Wylie Park Campground at 2310 24th Ave NW, Aberdeen, SD 57401

Gas stations are few in rural South Dakota, so get a full tank of gas before you leave Aberdeen. Leave Aberdeen by 9:30 a.m., and drive to the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre, South Dakota. The route going west out of Aberdeen on US Highway 12 to US Highway 83, which you can then take down to Pierre is probably the best route if you leave Aberdeen with a full tank of gas. You should be able to get to Pierre around noon, have lunch there, visit the Cultural Heritage Center on Governors Drive for an hour or two, and possibly take a look at the state capital, or the parks down by the Missouri River.

Leave Pierre by 3:00 p.m., and head to the Badlands National Park. You will cross into the Mountain Time Zone as you drive to the Badlands National Park, so you will gain an hour. Although it takes about two hours to reach the Badlands, it will only be 4:00, not 5:00 when you reach there. The most scenic drive (almost no difference in time compared to the other route) is to take US-14 west and then State Highway 63 down to I-90 (you save about a minute or two if you go straight down US-83 to I-90 from Pierre, and that is also scenic). You will probably get to the visitor center by 4:30, and that gives you 30 minutes to learn about the park before you take your South Dakota hike in the Badlands.

A decent 1-hour (1.5 mile) hike for South Dakota would be the Notch Trail. You can finish the Notch Trail and leave Badlands National park by 6:30 p.m. On your way out of the park on State Route 377 you will, just outside the park, see gas for sale in the intersection called "Interior", and you ought to purchase gas there. You will have one other opportunity to buy gas at Sharpe's Corner, at the Common Cents Food Stores, about 51 miles away.

Stop at the Common Cents grocery at Sharpe's Corner (open until 9:00 p.m.) for some food (you'll probably get here around 7:45 p.m.). Then, continue south to Chadron, 90 miles away (1 hour 40 minutes driving time). You can arrive at Chadron and check into your motel around 9:45 p.m., or if you are camping at Fort Robinson State Park, you need another 30 minutes to get there (arrive at 10:15 p.m.).

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Super 8 Chadron located at 840 West Highway 20, Chadron, NE 69337. Another option would be to get a lodge room in the Fort Robinson State Park, although those rooms cannot accommodate four guests, and getting two such rooms, or staying in a cabin there, would cost more than the Best Western hotel in Chadron..
The recommended more expensive motel is the Best Western West Hills Inn located at 1100 W 10th Street, Chadron, NE 69337-2931
The suggested campground is in Fort Robinson State Park 3200 US-20
Crawford, NE 69339

This morning you will take your Nebraska hike in Fort Robinson State Park. If you were in a motel in Chadron, you need to leave by 9:15 a.m., so you can get your Nebraska State Park sticker and drive out into the state park to the trail head You will hike the Red Cloud Buttes loop trail (either the western or the eastern loop). Allow a little over two hours for this hike of about five miles. If you start between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m., you will finish around noon. You can have lunch in Fort Robinson State Park or in Crawford, Nebraska, and leave on your way west into Wyoming around 1:00 p.m. Your next stop will be Douglas, Wyoming, where you can get out to walk around and perhaps get a snack. From Douglas, go to the Ayres Natural Bridge Park, and spend half-an-hour there. After you've seen the natural bridge, continue on to Casper, Wyoming, where you will have dinner and buy gas. Departing Casper between 6:00 and 6:30, you should be able to get to your campground or motel in Dubois, Wyoming by 9:30 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Super 8 Dubois located at 1412 Warm Springs Drive, Dubois, WY 82513
The recommended more expensive motel is The Longhorn Ranch Lodge & RV Resort located at 5810 US Highway 26, Dubois, WY 82513
The suggested campground is in also in the Longorn Range RV Resort, but instead of staying in the lodge, get a tent camping site. There are Forest Service campsites to the west of Dubois, but due to Grizzly Bear activity, it is unwise (and unlawful) to camp in tents at those campsites in the Shoshone National Forest.

In the morning before you leave Dubois, you should buy gas, as it will be quite expensive in the National Parks. For that matter, get food for a picnic lunch, as food is also extremely expensive in Grand Teton and Yellowstone. So, with a full tank of gas, leave Dubois at 9:45 a.m. You will be driving to Jenny Lake Road and parking near Jenny Lake Lodge, and then hiking the String Lake loop trail (3.8 miles), but instead of using 90 minutes to drive to the trail head, you will want to stop at scenic stops five or six times along the route, and you probably won't start your hike until noon. With the hike and your picnic lunch, you should be ready to move on around 2:30 p.m. Drive to Colter Bay, and spend about an hour there, and then drive north into Yellowstone National Park, stopping for about an hour at the West Thumb Geyser Basin, and then for another hour at Old Faithful. Continue on to your motel or campground in West Yellowstone, and with many stops to admire the scenery, you should arrive by 9:00 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Sawtelle Mountain Resort at 4133 Quakie Lane Island Park ID 83429. tel. 1-866-599-6674
The recommended more expensive motel is the Best Western Desert Inn located at 133 N Canyon St, West Yellowstone, MT 59758
The suggested campground is Bakers Hole Campground West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (3 miles north of West Yellowstone on US Highway 191). This is a first-come, first-serve campground, so if you prefer to reserve a camping site, try reserving a place at Rainbow Point Campground.

This is a day to see Yellowstone. You will want to see Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and some of the geyser basins (probably you will want to visit Old Faithful again). Driving all the way around the north and south loop would be 185 miles of driving, and would require over five hours of driving time, but in the National Park you would want to make many stops, and each stop might take between 10 minutes and 2 hours. So, if you leave your motel or campground at 8:30 a.m., you could easily spend 12 hours in Yellowstone. A less ambitious plan would be to simply see four of the most significant spots: Mammoth Hot Springs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Norris Geyser Basin, and a return to the Upper Geyser Basin (where Old Faithful is). This would cut your driving time to 4-and-a-half hours for 170 miles. At any rate, you will probably return to your motel or tent around 9:00 p.m.

This is the second night in the accommodations in West Yellowstone.

Before leaving West Yellowstone, you will need to purchase gas. Depart West Yellowstone around 9:30 in the morning, and go on to Butte, where you can stop for lunch. You should be able to leave Butte just before 1:00, and get to Missoula, where you go out to the Maclay Flat area and do your Montana hike. You'll do the interpretive trail (1.8 mile loop trail), and you should finish by 3:45 or 4:00. Leaving Missoula, you drive on west to Saint Regis, Montana, where you buy gas and have dinner. After dinner, around 6:30, you continue on your way west into Idaho, and as you enter Idaho, you go into the Pacific Time Zone, and gain an hour. By 7:15, you can arrive at Coeur d'Alene where you check into a hotel. If you are camping, you'll get to your campground before 8:00.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Ramada Inn COEUR D'ALENE located at 2303 N 4th St, Coeur d Alene, ID 83814-3603
The recommended more expensive motel is the SpringHill Suites Coeur d’Alene located at 2250 West Seltice Way, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
The suggested campground is in Liberty Lake Regional Park at 3707 S Zephyr Rd in Liberty Lake, WA 99019

Today is your last day on the road. Begin by leaving your campground or hotel around 9:00, and driving to Heyburn State Park (you could leave a little earlier and have your breakfast at the Coeur D'Alene Casino's High Mountain Buffet). In Heyburn State Park, you will hike the Indian Cliffs Trail (2.6 miles), and you should finish your hike around noon. Drive on to Spokane (about an hour away) and eat lunch there. After lunch, buy gas, and then head out toward Seattle. Assuming you leave Spokane at 2:45, and stop a couple times for 20-30 minute breaks on your way to Seattle, you should arrive in Seattle by 7:45 p.m.

The recommended inexpensive hotel is the Panama Hotel, located at 605 1/2 South Main Street, International District, Seattle.
The recommended more expensive motel is the

Turn in your rental car in the morning. You have driven it about 12,800 miles. You have the rest of the day in Seattle.

This is the second night in the accommodations in Seattle.

Costs. (Day, expense, Cost in 2015 U.S. Dollars, Cost in percent of median year-round full-time income)
(I use a Myrfti, a fraction of a percentage of median year-round full-time incomes, as a time-resistant measure of the cost of trips I design. I make 100 Myrfti equal to 1% of the most recent reported median full-time year-round worker's income. For example, 1,080 Myrfti is 10.8% of a median year-round full-time American income, while 230 Myrfti is 2.3% of median year-round full-time income. To convert costs into current dollars, simply multiply the costs in the far right column times the current median year-round full-time American income, and you'll have an idea of current costs. Otherwise, use a Consumer Price Inflation adjustment to 2015 with the dollar figures. The resulting cost estimates should be similar, at least if travel costs and incomes have matched inflation). By my estimates, the median full-time year-round American worker earned in 2013 an income of $45,401.
The two-person prices assume an adult couple sharing a bed, and the four-person costs assume a family of four with two children aged between 12 and 17.

2015 US Dollars

2 persons $5,920
4 persons $6,400

MYRFTIs

2 persons 1,305
4 persons 1,410

2 persons $1,665
4 persons $1,715

2 persons $5,860
4 persons $6,330

2 persons $9,930
4 persons $10,760

2 persons $1,770
4 persons $3,540

2 persons $4,130
4 persons $8,260

2 persons $1,850
4 persons $3,500

Total expenses for the whole trip

For a family of four, this trip will cost about 48% of a median year-round full-time worker’s salary. For two persons the trip will cost about 36% (assuming you sometimes go camping).

Generally speaking, I will say this trip would cost $19,000 in 2015 US dollars. (4,185 Myrfti, or 41.84% of the median year-round full-time American worker's income).

2 persons $11,250
4 persons $15,155

2 persons $16,580
4 persons $22,130

2 persons $21,830
4 persons $28,920

To afford a vacation like this every eight years, a typical family budget for a family earning 120% of the median year-round full-time income ($54,500 would be 120% of about the median year-round-full-time income of $45,400 in 2015), might allocate money in this way each month:

Housing and utilities: 27.7% ($1260 per month)
All taxes: 16% ($730 per month)
Car expenses (gas, insurance, maintenance, purchasing): 12% ($545 per month)
Groceries, food, and household supplies: 10% ($455 per month)
Savings for a big trip like this one every eight years: 4.9% ($220 per month)
Savings for a smaller trip every year: 6.1% ($275 per month)
Savings for retirement: 5% ($230 per month)
Savings for children's college expenses: 5% ($230 per month)
Health insurance and health care expenses: 5% ($230 per month)
Charitable giving: 2.3% ($105 per month)
Miscellaneous other expenses: 2% ($90 per month)
Clothing: 2% ($90 per month)
Other entertainment, Internet, cable television, movies, etc.: 2% ($90 per month)

Hikes:

Washington