The drive from LA can take you by some of America’s most eye-catching national parks or along the nostalgic Route 66. Either route could take a single day’s drive, but both offer sites worth staying overnight — or several nights!

For a trip down memory lane, take Route 66. It starts (or ends?) in Santa Monica and carves its way across the eastern California wilderness to Needles, on the border with Arizona, hitting some landmarks that transport visitors to a different time. The first attraction you’ll come to after you escape the urban sprawl is the Bottle Tree Ranch outside Oro Grande. Traveling north, you will hit Barstow and the Route 66 Mother Road Museum, a free museum open on the weekends. From there, you can deviate from Route 66 to explore the Mojave National Preserve, or keep going to the Historic Route 66 California Gateway Site in Needles.

Although there is a fairly straight drive from Phoenix to Vegas, taking a slightly longer trip opens you to scenic sights in northern Arizona. Head north on I-17 to Flagstaff for all the hiking you could dream of, especially Coconino National Forest. You can also check out Lowell Observatory or the Museum of Northern Arizona for indoor fun. Next, you can visit the Grand Canyon Deer Farm, March through October, and pet varied species of deer native to the region.

Driving to Las Vegas from Salt Lake City on I-15 will take you through picturesque mountains into what might feel like Martian landscape. Zion National Park and Valley of Fire State Park exemplify these two extremes best. You can also explore other historic landmarks on the way.

Along I-15, the Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum in Fillmore displays the state’s early history inside its oldest government building. The Frontier Homestead State Park Museum in Cedar City features historic buildings, wagons and more from the earliest settlers of Utah. Before you exit Utah, stop in St. George to see dinosaur fossils at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site.