15 Vintage Photos of Iconic American Road Trips
Since cars could go the distance (and we had a radio to jam to, circa 1930), road trips have been an integral part of Americana. The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 took things a step further, connecting all major cities in the U.S. through a series of easy-to-drive, wide roads. Today, there are plenty of other (read: faster) ways to get from Point A to Point B, but the spirit of the road trip—of packing up the camper, stopping to see the world's largest ball of twine, grabbing a snack at a rural gas station, and driving with the windows down—lives on today. Here, a nostalgic look at the road trip through the decades.
This gallery was originally published in July 2018. It has been updated with new information.
Getty1927
A car drives through Montana's Glacier National Park, which opened in 1910. The park is now one of the most visited in the U.S.
Getty1930s
The Chandelier Tree at the Drive-Thru Tree Park in Leggett, California, is 276 feet tall with a six-foot-wide cutout for cars to drive underneath. (You can still drive through the California redwood today.)
Getty1936
Attendants at a gas station in Florida fill up two cars, both towing Curtiss Aerocars—a precursor to today's RVs. The Aerocars usually had a few sleeping berths and a galley kitchen.
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Getty1940s
Walt's Walt's, a roadside diner, was located on U.S. Route 46 in New Jersey.
Getty1945
Travelers stop to look at Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe, sculpted out of concrete on the shores of northern Minnesota's Lake Bemidji. The sculptures still exist today as one of the most photographed roadside attractions in the U.S.—and the duo are on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Getty1950s
Travelers stop to get their tire pressure checked and gas tank filled at a Signal gas station.
Getty1960
Volkswagen caravans were released in the U.S. in the 1950s, and quickly became a road trip favorite in the U.S.
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Getty1960
Travelers create their own rest stop with a card table and a picnic on the side of the road near California's Yosemite National Park.
Getty1960s
A view of the world’s first motor hotel—or motel—in Arlington, Virginia. Motels were Marriott's first foray into the hotel business.
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Getty1960s
The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday of Route 66, which connected Chicago to Los Angeles. Here, a stretch of the road in Arizona.
Getty1967
A camper van with a popped up roof offers more headspace for travelers visiting Monument Valley, in the Navajo Nation.
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Getty1972
A woman drives a VW Beetle with a Kangaroo Camper on top. The first of its kind, the Kangaroo camper pops up, so road trippers have a tent-like shelter on the roof of their car.
Getty1980
Cadillac Ranch, near Amarillo, Texas, was once graffiti-free. Now, the line of half-buried cars is covered in colorful spray paint.
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