Portland to NYC in October with Dog. First time Road Tripper. Best route?

[nextup]

I will be traveling with my friend and our 2 20 somethings daughters and a dog. Lifetime opportunity. Best route? Only two drivers, not 4... Is October too late in the year for a Northern route? Anyone have a fun trip to recommend?

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

How much time do you have for this trip?. You are looking at a minimum of six days on the road.

We don't actually do 'best' routes on this forum. The best route for you is the route which will take you to the places you want to see and visit. Only the weather can tell you if the northern route is a good route. Keep an eye on the forecast for any possible adverse weather, and make sure you have a day up your sleeve to sit out a storm, should you happen to strike one.

(The myth that a southern route is better in winter months, is just that, a myth. Even I-10 does see snow and ice, as it did last winter.)

Get hold of some good maps or a road atlas, and follow the suggestions in this paragraph:-

Start with maps. Not GPS, not software, not Google, but real honest-to-god paper maps that show you your entire route, that you can mark up (and erase), that you can stick pins in, and that show something about the land you'll be driving through. Those are your essential tool in any RoadTrip planning process. Start by marking all the places you know you want to visit. Then connect the dots. Then look for more places of interest and scenic routes along the lines connecting the dots. Repeat until you've got as many sites and roads as you think you want.

Good maps are invaluable when planning a trip, and essential when on the road. Don't be tempted to rely solely on your electronics.

What do you regard as fun things?

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

As Lifey mentioned, there is no such thing as a generic best route. October can be a fantastic time to travel. In addition to your interests, another thing you didn't mention is time. How long do you have for this trip, and is it one way or a round trip?

[nextup]

Thanks guys. We are not on a set deadline, so we do have a day up our sleeve to ride out a storm, but good advice already! I also have a good paper road atlas, so thanks for that as well. I was wondering if there are some "shouldn't " miss things along the way that folks want to throw out there.

[Midwest Michael]

Just like there are not any generic best routes, there also aren't any generic "must sees." It all depends upon your interests, and how much time you have available (a week, a month?), neither of which you've yet to tell us. There are lots of tools here to help you find some ideas for yourself - including the RTA Map Center - but if you want to anyone in a forum setting to provide you any specific advice, you're going to have to provide some specific information.