Looking for the perfect road trip? Alaska-based climate scientist Brian Brettschneider has done the hard work for you. His cross-country map traverses the continental United States with one important bonus: the weather is always an ideal 70 degrees.
Brian originally created a perfect weather road trip map back in 2015. That map was based on the 1981-2010 temperature information released by the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI). "That map was a hypothetical trip through the U.S. with the route tracking where the normal daily high temperature was approximately 70°F (21°C). I have been contacted numerous times over the years since from people who want to bike or drive the trip. It has resonated with people in a way I never imagined," Brian says on his blog.
Now, he has released a new map with the 1991-2020 averages from the NCEI. His original map had just one route, but his updated version includes three options: A coastal route, an interior U.S. route, and a third option that includes the U.S. and Canada, with a stop in Alaska.
Brian's blog gives step-by-step directions for the year-long trip. The coastal and interior routes are both over 7,000 miles. The coastal version begins in Tampa, Florida, and travels all the way to San Diego, California. The interior map takes road trippers from Corpus Christi, Texas, to San Diego.
Brian's U.S. and Canada version comes in at almost 14,000 miles and includes a stop in Fairbanks, Alaska, still keeping the temperature at 70 degrees at every stop along the way.
Now, the only thing left to do is gas up the car and hit the road! You'll want to roll down the windows and blast your favorite road trip playlist.
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers gift guides, product reviews, crafts, and TV shows like Yellowstone. She’s currently stitching up a cross-stitch pattern for the magazine’s next issue
