Highways tips

Crisscrossed with an impressive web of highways and byways, Washington is a typical US state. Driving is king for those who can afford it and public transportation outside of cities is relatively meager compared to countries in Europe, Asia or South America. Many visitors elect to rent cars and partake in that most romantic of American vacations: the road trip.

When speed limits on highways are raised, the result could be more crashes on nearby roads.

On the shores of the blustery North Atlantic, Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s trio of Maritime Provinces. But you don’t (necessarily) need a boat to get around.

Traveling aboard an Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) – the ferry network that connects Alaska's coastal communities – offers the same views as the cruise ships, but without the fluff.

One of California's best resorts and a World of Hyatt favorite, Alila Ventana Big Sur will remain closed through at least May 26. This is due to the closure of Highway 1 for construction following a series of events, including storms and multiple landslides, that seriously damaged the road over the last few weeks and months.

While getting to Sedona might require more planning than most U.S. destinations, at least the journey here is an unforgettable one. Like most Americans, you’ll probably fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, then hop into a car and cruise down Arizona State Route 89A for two hours.

Millions of people are expected to travel to see the total solar eclipse on April 8. As a result, large swaths of the country could be faced with traffic jams and flight delays in the coming days, government agencies warn.

Several California State Parks remained closed on Tuesday following a partial collapse and road slip out on Highway 1 in the Big Sur area.

The roads around Yosemite National Park are a driving utopia – these routes carve through expansive backcountry, sublime valleys and pretty meadows, and loop by deep gorges dotted with emerald-green forests, shimmering lakes and ancient sequoias.

Distracted driving fell in four states after they implemented hands-free laws. An analysis of cell phone data from Alabama, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio following legislation to prevent holding a cellphone while driving found that hands-free laws made a positive impact.

Fatal traffic crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths each year in the United States. Nearly 40% of deaths on the job occur on American roads, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In a land of mind-boggling wilderness, rugged roadside pit stops and some of the world's most impressive big fauna, Alaska’s epic highways offer unlimited possibilities for adventurous drivers.

Camping along California’s popular Big Sur region is about to get a bit pricier when officials implement a two year ban of the only free camping spot.

Before the fire, Lytton, British Columbia, was the kind of tiny town visitors alighted upon mid-road trip, pulling off the Trans-Canada Highway to get a drink, or take in views of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, running slate gray and deep blue more than 200 feet below. A mile up the road, also known as Highway 1, Kumsheen Rafting Resort drew 8,000 visitors annually to take half-day trips on raging rapids. Backpackers heading out on the Stein Valley Traverse stopped at the grocery store — known to locals as Ken Mart, after its owner, Ken Wong — to pick up rope, ramen and fuel before they hit the trail.

Nearly 200 miles of roads have reopened in Death Valley National Park after they were damaged by a hurricane last year.

Nearly 50 million vehicles on U.S. roads have unrepaired safety recalls – that’s about one of 5 vehicles. It’s a serious issue, as many recalls involve defective parts that can pose life-threatening risks to drivers and passengers, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit advocacy group.

Drivers in the United States struck and killed an estimated 3,373 walkers in the first six months of 2023, for an average of 18 deaths every day. Those numbers represent a 4% decline from the same period a year before.

Looking for a cool way to vacation in Canada this summer? How about a road trip hitting all the highlights of Alberta, the big Western province where the prairie meets the Rocky Mountains.

“In July 2021, two years before my twins were born, my husband, Philip, and I took a road trip through the American West. Road trips are my favorite kind of trip—between Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby, I drove from Los Angeles through the South to New York using only highways and byways, never freeways, because then you just speed past everything. I always love the sense of discovery when you don't plan ahead. This time around, we had no plan beyond keeping a route in mind. I'd also run out of motels that would let me stay with all of my dogs—Kai, Teddy, Sufi, Moon, and Dunton, plus whomever we picked up along the way, as there are so many homeless dogs—so we were in our Tiffin RV. We started in Colorado and ended in the Pacific Northwest, but one of my favorite days came when we were somewhere between Santa Fe and Taos, when we had all of this drastic weather, like having four seasons in one day. It was raining so hard—a crazy summer thunderstorm. And then all of a sudden, it cleared, first with intense wind but then stillness, and as we drove we watched the heat from the road, the condensation going up, the mirages in the distance, and this big beautiful blue sky. That led us into the night—we stopped and built a bonfire and just sat by it. Sometimes we chatted about something that crossed our minds, but it was really then that we found and welcomed the endless stillness, beneath the unpolluted night skies. A moment like that is why I keep doing this.” —as told to Charlie Hobbs and Matt Ortile

If there’s a better place for seafood in California than the Mendocino Coast, I haven’t found it. And right about now is high season for Mendo’s crown jewel: Dungeness crab.

If there's such a thing as a perfect road trip country, Belize might be it.