Mark Saengsoury/Getty Images I asked the commentariat of Jalopnik over the weekend which road trips they would still opt to go on in a hypothetical future where gasoline is $10 for a single gallon. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised, but there were very few answers to the question and much more bickering about the state of geopolitics and international trade in this theoretical land of make-believe. I just want to get out and see some of the natural splendor of this country before it's strip mined for shareholder value and turned into an AI data center or whatever. I suppose it's human nature to fight over stuff like this, so let's discuss it a bit deeper, shall we? With fuel prices ping-ponging all over the place, and the state of many oil-producing nations in a bit of turmoil right now, I suppose it's entirely possible that we will see $10 per gallon prices at the pumps before long. It's also possible that everyone on earth gets real chill for a while and the prices deflate back to our traditional few bucks. It's impossible to say what will happen with the current selection of chaos demons in positions of power across the globe. Thankfully there were a few comments that actually provided some good suggestions for gorgeous and entertaining road trips in North America. Most, you probably won't be surprised to read, include large bodies of water or big mountain ranges. Yeah, those usually make for both scenic vistas and wonderful driving roads. If you can't decide where to go, just point your car at a big mountain and you'll probably have a good time. So, without further ado, these are some of my favorite answers submitted by our readers this weekend: Actual road trip suggestions Emmanuelle Burtin /Getty Images I think this summer is going to include another trip to the east coast to hang out in Nova Scotia and do another lap of the Cabot Trail. It's an amazing road, worthy of anyone who enjoys driving. I'll just have to budget a bit more for gas... I just filled the Miata at $2.02/L the other day which adds $25 – 30 to each tank in comparison to when I went out there last. Suggested by dolsh That's the equivalent of about $5.58 per gallon in US dollars. These increased prices are definitely putting the squeeze on things, but it's great that you can still take your Miata out for some gorgeous drives. I haven't been, but I'll have to add Nova Scotia to my road trip list. I would vote for The Gorge. It runs from Eastern Washington to Portland Oregon. Every turn is a new climate, as you transition from almost a rain forest to a desert. It's not that far a drive either so it doesn't use an insane amount of fuel. However, there is an Amtrak train that runs the same route, so at $10/gallon gas.... Suggested by hoser68 I love a good train trip, myself. Have you ever taken the California Zephyr through the Sierra mountains? It's breathtaking. Utah 12 – Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Goblin Valley, over to Canyonlands, Arches, Moab, and down through Monument Valley. It's the best drive in the country and it'll only get better with less people on the road and in the parks. Suggested by Dan Putnam I've been to Zion, Bryce, and Moab, but definitely need to link them all together in one big trip. That sounds amazing. Tonopah, NV to Big Pine, CA via NV95 and CA168. From parched desert to spectacular Sierra Nevada peaks, including Mt. Whitney to the south in 100 miles or so. At one point, you go through an imposing granite 'gate' to reveal the back/east side of the Sierra Nevadas, rising from a flat valley floor several thousand feet in just a mile or so. I think a lot of the Chevy truck ads are shot there. Also, to the south is Independence, where 'Tremors' was shot. Be careful, Tonopah is a notorious speed trap. Suggested by Bob While you're in Tonopah, make sure you stay the night at the haunted clown motel. Great Lakes Circle tour. Suggested by Richard I can't recommend this one enough. Lake Michigan in particular is my favorite lake to trip. Nothing changes Photo Spirit/Shutterstock Last weekend I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to LA. Gas was $7.80. I would totally do it again for $10 Suggested by Rollerrobb The Pacific Coast is brutally beautiful. I kinda get it. Planning a 1200 mile road trip /vacation this summer to include Mackinac Island. The car gets in the mid to high twenties, but figure 50 gallons to make the math easier. The extra $350 in gas won't stop us from going, but I would look at other spending more carefully and so on to salvage some of that budget if gas gets that high. Suggested by GreenGrassAndHighTidesForEver Adding $350 to your fuel budget might mean staying in some less expensive hotels (or camping) or packing your own food instead of buying at restaurants. Good luck! Gas prices aren't a factor. If I want to go somewhere, I go there. Most of the EU is already at $9.00ish per gallon of petrol. Granted, they don't travel as far as we might in North America, but the roads are jammed with people towing camper trailers all summer over there. For us, it's more about the sudden shock of a temporary spike in fuel costs. If it were permanent, we'd adapt and continue on with road trips as usual, but eventually driving much higher MPG vehicles. I think the road trip question is more about who is running tight on their expenses vs. those who aren't. If you really have to think hard about not going on a road trip at $10 per gallon, you should probably stay home. For me, $10 per gallon would be an irritation, but not something that would change any plans. A loop up to the Apostle Islands is booked later this summer regardless of gas prices. We could also take our EV, but it's more of a pain in the ass than necessary on a road trip. Suggested by Factoryhack I think I would suffer the indignity of public fast charging infrastructure to avoid paying $10 per gallon. I promise, road tripping an EV isn't as much of a "pain in the ass" as you make it sound. Diesel and premium have reached over $9.00 a gallon a few times already in Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦.You would think that fuel is still 99 cents a gallon. There is absolutely no change in traffic patterns. People are still accelerating full throttle from every traffic light. Suggested by ZedMan You would be amazed how much money you can save by employing some throttle restraint, staying on top of your tire pressures, and keeping your car properly maintained. All of them. Getting out and seeing the country is worth every penny. Suggested by Chris Wagner That's the spirit! Take a more efficient vehicle Octavian Lazar/Shutterstock All of them, we have an EV. Suggested by DieselOx Electric is the move, if you ask me. See the countryside for a lot less money! I'm thinking of getting a model S with free supercharging when I finally decide to tour the US and make Elon pay for my trip... Suggested by SurvivedAPintoCrash You'll be looking for a Model S between 2012 and 2016, so they're over a decade old now, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't considering doing the same. Some of the early models may not have had Supercharging enabled, so make sure the original buyer opted for that. First I'd have to buy the new Honda Prelude – excellent handling and very good fuel mileage – then ALL the great twisty roads are my oyster! Suggested by Radar Lover Gone I'm not sure I want to commit to a new car, but the Prelude does look pretty cool. We'll be driving from the Sonoma Coast to Reno/Tahoe hopefully in May... I've been plotting different routes off-highway in case my lovely wife can stand a couple long days in my Scout 800. I shudder to think what the round trip will cost running my 196 at 4k both ways. If she doesn't want to take the Scout, I think we'll drive the Audi rather than her Volvo to save a few dollars at the pump. Suggested by IHC Demoman While you're in Reno, make sure you take Mount Rose Highway up to Incline Village, run down the coast of Lake Tahoe to highway 50, cut across Carson City and take route 341 up to Virginia City and down Geiger Grade on the other side back to Reno. That's my favorite 100-ish mile route in the world, my old stomping grounds, and I've done it at least 100 times with all manner of bikes and cars. Looking forward to it Yelena Shestakova /Getty Images Frankly, $10 gas could make every trip more enjoyable. Think less traffic, far fewer rvs clogging every parking lot and road on our national parks, and the enjoyment of a slower pace along back and coastal roads. Suggested by Buddy S I think I recall a poem about the road less taken being a good one. If all roads are less taken, then everyone should be out there driving them! All of them. We bought our retirement road-trip vehicle, a 2024 Trax LS, specifically for road trips in retirement. At 34 mpg on the highway, a road trip to somewhere 800 miles away and back uses less than 50 gallons. At $10/gallon, that's $500. The two of us couldn't fly from where we live to the same location for $500, and that doesn't even include the cost of a rental car (+ gas!) once we got there. So the price of fuel won't change anything for us this summer. Suggested by Anonymous Person Flying is maybe the worst way to get anywhere, so I totally get you. I'd much rather drive to my destination than take a flight, especially if it's less expensive. Every single time getting into the car will be enjoyable if the roads are as empty as they were during Covid. Suggested by hawaii_mike Yeah, the global disease that killed seven million people was pretty chill, wasn't it My next road trip is from the bay area where I live to Burney Falls. I hope gas prices keep going up up up. That's what America voted for and that's what it needs to get. Sometimes a good punishment is what you need to learn your lesson. Suggested by Gabriel S So this is the finding out stage? I'm goin' nowhere John_lamb/Getty Images I guess work to pay for the gas. Suggested by Bruno This isn't exactly story hour, but I remember when I worked at a store in the mall in college, and my boss called me in to cover a shift for two hours. My old farm truck would have burned two gallons getting there and two gallons getting back, and my minimum wage pay wouldn't have covered the cost, so I told her I wasn't feeling well. How optimistic of you. $10 a gallon gas. Thinking more like fuel rationing and shortages. There's always the black market. Suggested by Frank C. Maybe I can trade a kidney for some gas? The grocery store. Suggested by Michael Rosenfeld You can afford groceries? Check out Mister Moneybags over here! The trip to the funeral home since I'm sure my cardiac arrest would put me there with $10 petrol prices. Suggested by CatfishandGrits I'll be right there beside you.