Melissa Dewalt caught the travel bug a decade ago when she drove from her home state of Pennsylvania across the country to California to visit her then-boyfriend. She then road-tripped north to Seattle.
“That was my first trip out west, and I was hooked,” Dewalt, a 31-year-old chiropractor, told Business Insider.
In 2018, while in Louisiana on a trip for her sister’s birthday, Dewalt realized she had traveled to her 37th state — and resolved to make it to all 50.
She carefully mapped out which states she would hit over the next few years and aimed to visit her last state, Hawaii, on vacation to celebrate her 30th birthday.
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, thwarted many of the trips she had planned, so while she still traveled to Hawaii as she turned 30, it was state No. 46. In August, she completed a road trip through her final states: Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota.
Dewalt said she prefers spending her money on stateside travel rather than hopping overseas because she is most drawn to natural wonders across America.
“I’ve never really had the desire to go to Europe. I’m very much a mountain girl,” she said. “I would rather see natural things created by, like, glaciers and rivers.”
Alaska was her favorite state, but Florida didn’t impress her
Growing up, Dewalt didn’t think much of Alaska because it was so far away.
Going into her 50-state journey, she expected Montana to be her favorite destination, but the landscapes of The Last Frontier captured her heart.
“It’s just a fairy tale up there,” Dewalt said. “Growing up, one of my favorite things was to go to Maine, and it always stuck with me how special it is to see mountains and the ocean in one view.”
Dewalt and her husband took a northbound cruise from Vancouver and arrived on land in the port city of Seward. They then took a picturesque train ride up to Fairbanks.
They also stopped in Alaska’s biggest city, its capital Anchorage, and Denali, a national park that is home to the highest mountain peak in North America.
They saw wildlife and even the northern lights.
Dewalt said it was the trip of a lifetime.
“It should be a bucket list trip for everybody,” she said.
To Dewalt, Florida was the least impressive state, mostly because she felt her itinerary included only overdeveloped and touristy spots. She said she didn’t see enough natural beauty for her liking during her time in Florida.
“We went up to the 10th floor of the hotel,” Dewalt said. “But it felt like there was nothing here, just a bunch of roads and theme parks.”
However, she added that she’s open to changing her mind about the Sunshine State.
Dewalt said she and her husband are traveling back to Florida next year for a wedding and plan to visit the Everglades, wetlands known for mangroves and crocodiles, and Biscayne National Park, famous for its lagoons.
She suggested other 50-state travelers try to plan their visits to include the types of attractions they know they’re interested in.
“Look at things that inspire you. If you like the beach, look at different beaches in different states. If you like lakes, look at different lakes,” she said.
She almost didn’t make it to her 50th state
Dewalt and her husband had a special plan for her last state: North Dakota.
They decided to drive four hours from northern Montana, where they were staying, to Banff, a town in Alberta, Canada, known for its mountains in the Canadian Rockies and lakes with turquoise waters.
They planned to drive southeast back toward the US, entering North Dakota from the Canadian side.
But a border snafu almost foiled the plan.
“We got to the border crossing at 6 p.m., and we found out that the US side closed at 4 p.m.,” Dewalt told BI. “We had to detour up through Saskatchewan province, enter into Montana, and then still drive another hour to get to North Dakota.”
They eventually crossed the border late at night, but Dewalt said she’ll never forget the crushing feeling of almost not making it.
“I was so excited to get into North Dakota, and then we had to turn around maybe 10 feet in front of the border,” Dewalt said. “That was the lowest point.”
Tips for planning trips to all 50 states
Dewalt said it’s best to plan trips that combine states in regions where you’re missing the most.
When she set out to tackle 50, she noticed she was missing a group of northern states and a cluster of southern states. She figured out ways to visit several at once, mostly by driving.
Being strategic about the times of year to visit different states is important, Dewalt said, especially if you want to see certain outdoor sites.
National parks like Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier are closed for major chunks of the year, she cautioned.
“You’re not going to drive out to Glacier in April,” Dewalt said. “It’s still snow-covered.”
Sometimes, though, being spontaneous can help on long driving days, Dewalt added.
She said she preferred booking some hotel stays last-minute. She and her husband would often check Expedia or Hotwire during the day while on the road, when they had a better sense of where they might end up ready to rest for the night.
In Nebraska, she said they found a budget option for $70 a night, but in Banff, they were willing to splurge on a resort in a prime location for around $250 a night.
Dewalt also suggested buying the America the Beautiful pass, which costs up to $80 for a year of unlimited entrance to national parks. Day passes can add up quickly — especially if you are hitting multiple parks in one trip, she added.
Ultimately, Dewalt said, she encourages everyone to soak up the sights of 50 states as much as possible.
“There’s so much to see in our country. It’s humongous,” she said. “You think about countries in Europe: They’re smaller and people bounce around easily. Whereas you can be from the US and not even see half of what we have to offer.”
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