Phase 5 — East Coast: South to North#

Home Base: Salt Lake City, UT
Best Season: March–May for Florida/Georgia/Carolinas; September–October for New England (fall foliage peak)
Avoid: Florida in July–August (hurricane season starts, extreme humidity); New England in January–February (ice, cold, limited attractions open)
Estimated Duration: 4–5 weeks
Estimated Miles: ~6,000–7,000 miles round trip

Why South to North#

Starting in Florida in spring before the humidity gets brutal, then working up the coast as temperatures warm northward, ending in New England in September–October for peak fall foliage. This sequencing also allows a natural loop back west via I-90 or I-80.

Recommended Route#

Salt Lake City, UT
  ↓  (I-70 E / I-40 E / I-85 S ~28 hrs — split 2–3 days through TN/GA)
Atlanta, GA
  ↓  (I-75 S ~7 hrs)
Miami, FL
  ↓  (US-1 S — Overseas Highway ~3.5 hrs)
Key West, FL
  ↓  (US-1 N / I-75 N / I-10 W ~3.5 hrs to Tampa/St. Pete area)
Gulf Coast — Naples, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, FL
  ↓  (I-75 N / I-10 E / I-95 N ~3 hrs)
Savannah, GA
  ↓  (US-17 N / I-95 N ~2 hrs)
Charleston, SC
  ↓  (I-26 E / I-95 N / US-17 N ~3 hrs)
Outer Banks, NC
  ↓  (NC-12 N / US-158 W / I-95 N ~2.5 hrs)
Raleigh, NC → Durham, NC
  ↓  (I-85 N ~2.5 hrs)
Richmond, VA → Petersburg, VA (Civil War sites)
  ↓  (I-95 N ~2 hrs)
Washington, D.C. / Arlington, VA
  ↓  (I-95 N ~1 hr)
Baltimore, MD
  ↓  (US-50 E ~1 hr)
Annapolis, MD → Eastern Shore, MD
  ↓  (US-13 N ~1 hr)
Dover, DE → Rehoboth Beach, DE
  ↓  (US-9 N / I-95 N ~2 hrs)
Philadelphia, PA
  ↓  (NJ Turnpike N / Garden State Pkwy ~1.5 hrs)
Cape May, NJ → Atlantic City, NJ → Jersey Shore
  ↓  (I-287 N / I-95 N ~1.5 hrs)
New York City, NY
  ↓  (I-87 N ~2.5 hrs)
Catskills / Hudson Valley, NY
  ↓  (I-90 E ~3 hrs)
Albany, NY → Saratoga Springs, NY
  ↓  (I-89 N ~1 hr)
Burlington, VT → Stowe, VT
  ↓  (I-89 S / I-93 N ~2 hrs)
White Mountains, NH — Franconia Notch
  ↓  (US-302 E / US-2 E ~2 hrs)
Portland, ME → Acadia National Park, ME
  ↓  (I-95 S / I-90 W ~2.5 hrs)
Boston, MA
  ↓  (I-95 S / I-95 N — loop Cape Cod and Providence ~2 days)
Cape Cod, MA → Providence, RI → Newport, RI
  ↓  (I-95 N ~1 hr)
New Haven / Hartford, CT
  ↓  (Long drive west: I-84 W / I-90 W / I-80 W ~32 hrs — split 2–3 days)
Salt Lake City, UT

State Files in This Phase#

Phase 5 Camping Strategy#

Free/dispersed:

• Ocala National Forest (FL) — excellent, underrated
• Apalachicola National Forest (FL)
• Sumter National Forest (SC)
• Pisgah National Forest (NC) — near Asheville, beautiful
• George Washington National Forest (VA)
• White Mountain National Forest (NH) — dispersed allowed in many areas
• Baxter State Park (ME) — reservations required, but worth it

Notable paid sites:

• Everglades NP: Flamingo Campground (spectacular)
• Assateague Island NS (MD/VA): beach camping, wild ponies
• Cape Hatteras NS (NC): beach camping at several sites
• Acadia NP: Blackwoods and Seawall campgrounds (book months ahead)
• Cape Cod NS (MA): Nickerson State Park adjacent

Urban overnight:

• This corridor has extensive Walmart coverage
• Florida: Walmart overnight widely accepted
• NYC/Boston/Philly area: Use campgrounds 20–30 miles outside city and drive in (or bus/subway from campground)

Phase 5 Shower Plan#

• Planet Fitness: Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, DC/NoVA, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, Providence, Hartford
• Truck stops: I-95 corridor heavily served
• Beach town recreation centers: widely available

Phase 5 Practical Notes#

• Washington D.C.: Do NOT try to sleep in your van in D.C. itself. Base camp at Greenbelt Park NPS (only campground in the NPS system near D.C.) or go to Maryland/Virginia suburbs and metro in.
• New York City: Overnight in New Jersey (Liberty State Park area) or Long Island. NYC has parking restrictions that make van camping nearly impossible and unsafe in many neighborhoods.
• Florida Keys: US-1 is the only road in and out of the Keys. Get there early — traffic can be severe. No free camping in the Keys (expensive area). Big Pine Key has some options. Stock Island KOA is the closest budget option to Key West.
• Blue Ridge Parkway: 469 miles of national parkway from Shenandoah NP (VA) to Great Smoky Mountains (NC). Speed limit 45 mph. Multiple free or low-cost campgrounds along the route. One of the great American drives.
• Assateague Island: Wild ponies live here. They are not friendly and will bite. Do not feed them. Spectacular beach camping though.
• Maine lobster: Budget for at least one lobster roll in Maine. Brown's Wharf in Boothbay Harbor or Red's Eats in Wiscasset are affordable and authentic.
• Fall foliage timing: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine typically peak late September to mid-October. Check foliage prediction maps the week you arrive — it shifts by 10–14 days year to year.

Phase 5 Drone Overview#

East Coast is more complex airspace than the West — major cities and airports create significant no-fly zones.

• No-fly: Acadia NP, Everglades NP, Congaree NP, all Washington D.C. area (strict 30-mile SFRA — Special Flight Rules Area around the capital — do not fly anywhere near D.C. without specific authorization)
• Legal standouts: Cape Hatteras National Seashore (beaches outside designated areas), Assateague Island (beach and wild ponies — dramatic), Outer Banks barrier islands, Pisgah National Forest (NC — mountain and valley shots), White Mountain National Forest (NH — above treeline shots on Franconia Ridge area), Baxter State Park (ME — check state rules, but remote wilderness), Blue Ridge Parkway pull-offs (technically NPS jurisdiction — verify)
• LAANC is essential for the entire I-95 corridor — every major city has overlapping airspace. Use Aloft for every single flight
• NYC: Essentially no-fly without Part 107 authorization. Don't attempt.
• Cape Cod: Outer Cape (Cape Cod NS) has NPS no-fly restrictions but town beaches in Wellfleet, Truro are often fine — verify locally