Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Whether exploring your own backyard or somewhere new, discover the freedom of open road with Lonely Planet's full-colour Road Trips series. With over 164,000 miles of highway to explore, the road trip just might be America's true national pastime. Visit spots others zoom right by: the hidden viewpoint, the local coffee shop, the secret beach. To kick-start your perfect Americana adventure, our FREE SAMPLER '3 of the USA's Best Road Trips' features three of our all-time favourite US excursions. Excerpted from Route 66 Road Trips, Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips, and San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Road Trips, this is your passport to uniquely encountering the US by car. Inside '3 of the USA's Best Road Trips' (A Sampler): Get inspired - regional highlights, expert recommendations, gorgeous photography Planning advice - illustrated itineraries to help you design your ideal road trip Discover even more - detours, local secrets, walking routes, ways to link trips Get around easily - full-colour maps of featured routes, detailed directions, up-to-date advice Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Covers: Western Route 66 (From Route 66 Road Trips) - Needles, CA to Santa Monica, CA. Search for your own American dream along promised-land California's stretch of the Mother Road - Mojave Desert ghost towns, railway whistle-stops, the Cajon Summit, historic Los Angeles, the sparkling Pacific Big Sur (From Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips) - Bixby Bridge to Gorda. Get to know the secretive, rocky, raw and unspoiled Big Sur coast like locals do, visiting wild beaches, waterfalls and hot springs - redwood forests, breathtaking views, mystical atmosphere, crashing Pacific waves Sonoma Valley (From San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Road Trips) - Cornerstone to Kenwood. Take a slow ride through the sunny, laid-back, food-and-wine filled Sonoma Valley - one historic town square, sundrenched, bucolic hills, bountiful, folksy roadside farms and unassuming, top-notch wineries There's more in Store for You: Ready to hit the road, or inspired to read more? Check out the featured Lonely Planet Road Trips guides for additional itineraries. Each guide features all of a region's best routes, from 2-day escapes to week-long adventures, helping you to get out of the major cities and into picturesque landscapes and unforgettable experiences. Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's California's Best Trips or USA's Best Trips. Don't stop there. Check out our FREE SAMPLER '3 of France's Best Trips' and Chateaux of the Loire Valley Road Trips, Normandy & D-Day Beaches Road Trips, and Provence & Southeast France Road Trips for some European road trip inspiration. Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet.