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There is no greater way to connect with your kids than spending quality time together, exploring, and going on an adventure.
Road trips are one of our favorite ways to travel – there’s nothing like that liberating feeling that comes with loading up the car and getting out on the open road. You get an amazing sense of freedom. It gives you the chance to pop the daily routine bubble and allow life to show you how great it really is.
Road tripping is one thing, but road trips with your daughter is something else.
No husband, no friends, just you and your main girl, hitting the open road.
If you are thinking of taking a mother daughter road trip in the USA, here are some ideas of where to go and what to do.
Mother-Daughter Road Trip Ideas For The USA
Below are a series of mother-daughter trip ideas that vary in duration and travel styles, so hopefully there will be one road trip that speaks to you.
1. Great River Road from Illinois to Iowa
- START | END: Chicago – St Louis
- DISTANCE: 297 miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 4-7 days
The Great River Road from Chicago, Illinois to St. Louis, a city just over the border into Missouri, is a great route for a girls trip as it’s all about outdoor activities, small towns, nature, historic sites, and bonding time.
This scenic road extends on the border between Illinois and Iowa, following the Mississippi River.
The road also extends into the National Scenic Byway, which extends into Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Nauvoo
Some of the most iconic attractions along the way are Crystal Lake Cave, Iowa’s longest living cavern, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a United Nations World Heritage Site near East St. Louis and Collinsville, Monk’s Mound, a 100-foot-tall, four-tiered platform that took 300 years to build and much more.
Some small towns and villages to stop by for a night in are Maeystown, Galena, and Nauvoo, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
2. New York City to Boston
- START | END: New York City – Boston
- DISTANCE: 216 miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 2-3 days
NYC is an iconic destination to visit with your daughter. You could easily spend a weekend there watching a Broadway Show, doing some shopping, or visiting the city’s parks.
But if you want to get out of the chaos and into the quaint and charming, consider a short New England road trip up to Boston.
This road trip could easily be done within a weekend, making a stop at Newport, Rhode Island, which is roughly halfway.
This route is part of the Revolutionary War Road Trip. There’s no better experience for a mom and daughter to have together than to go on an educational journey – learning and diving deep into culture and history.
Ditch the textbooks, jump in the car, and head to the areas along the east coast where the story was born.
Some iconic stops along this road trip are Amazing World of Dr. Seuss in Springfield, birthplace of the children’s author, Hudson Highlands State Park and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, The Breakers in Newport, RI.
3. Charleston, South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia
- START | END: Charleston SC to Savannah GE
- DISTANCE: 154 miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 2 days
A great weekend getaway road trip is from Charleston in South Carolina to Savannah in Georgia – a short but scenic drive.
The Southeast Coast is one of our favorite regions in the USA, of course we may be biased living only 3 hours drive from it.
What I love about Charleston is its packed full of Southern charm and historic architecture. Here’s your chance to stay in a boutique hotel in downtown Charleston, nestled inside a historic inn, or go for some rest and relaxation with spa treatments.
As the USA first national seashore, you will find endless lighthouses, wild beaches, Victorian-era mansions, and a laid-back vibe. Be sure to go on a carriage tour, a unique way to see the city.
Be prepared for delicious food, friendly locals, and tons of natural beauty on the way to Georgia.
Extend the trip up the South Carolina coast to Myrtle Beach, known for its white-sand beaches and excellent surf, if you have more time on your side.
Need some help planning your activities? Check out these additional resources:
4. Grand Circle Road Trip, Southwest USA
Airport Overlook, Sedona, Arizona
- START | END: Las Vegas
- DISTANCE: 1,000+ miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 12-14 days
The Grand Circle road trip takes you through some of the most famous National Parks and outdoor adventure spots in the American Southwest.
It goes mostly through Utah, passing sites such as Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Zion National Park, but it also crosses into Arizona for a while as well to visit the Grand Canyon National Park.
This road trip is all about the color red. Red rock formations, red hued canyons, as well as buttes, mesas, arches, and more.
If you love hiking trails, then you will find more than enough hikes to do together on this route.
The entire route is about 1,000 miles long depending on how many detours you take, one of which should be to Sedona, Arizona to experience the vortex’s. This is such a unique experience!
Other detours and stops you can take are to Monument Valley and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
5. North California Road Trip (10 days)
- START | END: San Francisco
- DISTANCE: 297 miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 10-14 days
California is full of iconic destinations, from Los Angeles to San Francisco to San Diego.
On a California road trip, we recommend getting out of the big city and to check out California’s nature, small towns, and wine region.
On a NorCal road trip, you can start and end in San Francisco, and drive to Sacramento, Redwood National and State Park, Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay State Park, Mammoth Mountains and Yosemite, before heading back to San Fran.
If your daughter is of legal drinking age, consider stopping in Napa Valley, the most prestigious wine country in California, for some wine tasting at the many vineyards and tasting rooms.
6. The Texas Triangle
Austin Cityscape with Colorado River | Deposit Photos
- START | END: Fort Worth or Austin
- DISTANCE: 1,000+ miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 12 days
The Texas Triangle is a route taking you to the top five cities in Texas – Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas.
Start in either Fort Worth or Austin, depending on which is easier for you, and head in a clockwise loop.
We recommend basing yourself in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, and taking day trips from each city.
Some iconic stops to check out are the Houston Space Centre, historic San Antonio and the San Antonio Riverwalk, The Alamo, Fort Worth Stockyards, the site of JFK’s assassination in Dallas, Dealey Plaza and Texas Hill Country.
You may want to spend more time in Texas Hill Country visiting small towns and ranches. Go horseback riding around a ranch, or visit wineries and vineyards! Texas Hill Country is the USA’s fastest-growing wine region.
7. Yellowstone to Glacier National Park
Hidden Lake Trail
- START | END: Glacier National Park – Yellowstone National Park
- DISTANCE: 373 miles
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 5-7 days
One of the best mother-daughter trips for those who love nature is to drive from two iconic national parks in Montana – Yellowstone and Glacier National Park.
The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain ranges in the USA, and also extend into Canada. Yellowstone and Glacier National Park are right next to each other, and offer very different perspectives of this mountain range.
Glacier National Park is filled with stunning glacial views, adventurous hikes and the exhilarating Going to the Sun Road – one of America’s most loved scenic drives. Some popular hikes are the Upper Grinnell Lake Hike and Avalanche Lake Hike.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone National Park is unlike anywhere else in the world. It has swirling, bubbling, geyser-shooting land, bison, wolves and bears, and hikes for all skill levels. Don’t miss Lamar Valley, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs / Boiling River, Grand Prismatic Spring, and Old Faithful.
Need help planning activities for each stop? Check out these additional resources:
8. Olympic Peninsula Loop Road Trip, Washington State
Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park
- START | END: Seattle
- DISTANCE: 375 miles round trip
- TIME RECOMMENDED: 6-9 days
Another one of the beautiful nature-inspired girls trips both mom and daughter will enjoy, head to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in the state’s northwestern corner. Here you will find Olympic National Park, where the Twilight movies were filmed.
If you or your daughter are Twilight Fans, this road takes you along the Highway 101, starting in Seattle and past the Hoh River rainforest, Sitka spruce, and western hemlock. You can stop by Fawks, Port Angeles and La Push, which were used as the setting for Twilight.
Even if you don’t like Twilight, it’s a beautiful drive. This pristine region is full of ancient cedar spruce trees, glacial lakes, sub-alpine meadows, verdant old-growth rainforests, and remote and rugged coastlines.
Some iconic stops are Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and the Hoh Rain Forest, and the charming and historic town of Port Townsend, bordered by Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Final Thoughts
On Mother-Daughter vacations, it’s just the two of you, facing the world and making decisions together. The two of you, free to sing your favourite songs at the top of your lungs without an ounce of self-consciousness.
Your kids get to see you as you, not as Mum, but as an individual.
It doesn’t mean they will respect you any less. In fact, they may respect you more, because they see that you are like them, yet not like them at all. That’s a priceless experience.
I knew as a mother, the days of hanging out with my daughter were limited. Soon, I’d be tossed aside for the girlfriends, and then boyfriends.
My daughter is now sixteen and we have a great relationship. After our first road trips together, we have committed to a road trip every year.
We’ve since updated this guide with some of our favorite road trips we’ve taken, so you can pick destinations that work for you and your daughter.
More Road Trip Ideas
Need more inspiration about planning a road trip? Here are some other helpful guides…
Have you ever taken a mother daughter trip? Please share your experiences with us in the comments!
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