Chicago to San Diego - late spring or early summer

[MilOst]

We're planning a road trip out to California and would like to get some advice on interesting places to stop along the way. Currently thinking of doing a southern route there & more north or central home. Looking for ideas/suggestions. Probably a 2-1/2 week trip. Thanks.

[DonnaR57]

Welcome to RTA!

OK, 2-1/2 weeks -- it is a 4 day drive from Chicago to San Diego by the most direct route. Is this is a round trip or a one-way? What are you interested in? Nature? Grandeur? Whimsical? History? Science? Aeronautics? Cities? If we knew more about what kinds of things you like, it would save us offering a bunch of ideas that you may not be interested in.


Donna who welcomes you early to San Diego

[Southwest Dave]

Uisng a "central route" there and heading towards Colorado and Utah would take you through some amazing and diverse scenery with a number of great National parks on offer. You could enter California a little further north and drive across the Sierra Nevada into Yosemite and San Francisco before headibng down the scenic coast around Big Sur. On the way home you could drive through Joshua Tree NP on the way to the Grand canyon and Monument Valley etc. There are no end of great places to visit in both directions so you will have to pick and choose based on what appeals to you the most and how much time you will have to spare around your San Diego visit. Take a look around RTA and study a good map and when you have a few more places earmarked a route will start to take shape as you start to join the dots. When you have got that far we can offer more meaningful advice.