NYC to Kansas City (MO) - Help!

[Nadia Gandini]

Hi, folks!
I need your help!

My name is Nadia and I'm writing from Brazil (sorry my bad English).

My husband and I are going to make a road trip, starting from NYC on February 16 toward Kansas City, MO, where my sister lives.

This is our first road trip in America and we are lost!

Did you have any tips for places where we can go on this trip?
Which road is best to choose?

best regards,
Nadia

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

The most important detail you left out was how much time you have for the journey ? After that it would help to know what your interests are and any other details that you think may help. There is no 'best' route but you do have choices and once again that comes down to time and interests. I would suggest you do a little research, you can search the forums and other planning pages here at RTA and check out the maps for ideas and to get a bigger picture of what's out there. After that I am sure other members can make some suggestions and ideas to help you get the best out of your time available.

[AZBuck]

Bem-Vinda! Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The roads that are best to choose are the roads that let you do and see what you want. You could drive to Kansas City in as little as two days if you that was all you wanted to do and could stand two full days of just driving. But if you could add even a third day, then you start to have time to explore a few things. More time lets you see more things and spend longer at the places you do stop. So the first decision or choice you have to make is how much time can you spend getting from New York to Kansas City.

Next, you will have to make a basic choice of what kinds of things you would like to see. Would you rather spend more time in the (low) mountains or in farming country? Would you like to see some of the Great Lakes of follow some of the larger rivers? Are you interested at all in American history? Would you like to stop in some of our major cities or stay more in the countryside? Would you rather stay on expressways or travel some of the back roads?

If you can share with us the answers to some of those questions, especially the one about how much time you have, then we can help you pick the route and stops that are best for you. In the meantime, relax. This is a trip that people make all the time and there are several choices of good roads that will get you to Kansas City and we will do our best to help you have an enjoyable American RoadTrip.

AZBuck

[Nadia Gandini]

You guys are fast!

well...
We decided just a few days go by car instead of plane.

Already we decided to spend three days in Washington DC and then continue the trip to KC.
We can spend 2 or 3 days on the road (DC to KC).

As the weather is cold and we don't have experience in driving on ice / snow, I think the best option is stay on main roads.

I did some simulations with Google Maps and gave almost a straight line (i68 and i70), going through some cities like Pitsburg, Columubus , Indianapolis and St. Luis.

I even thought of going further north, through the lake region, but for that we would have to stay more days on the road and would remain a few days to stay with my sister in KC. Back to Brazil on the 28th.

In my brief search, I did not found some MAJOR attraction. Like grand canyon or niagara falls.
Ok... I know... Maybe I went a little overboard in expectations :)

But if you could direct me to one or two "must see" attractions, I would be grateful.

Or if we go by another road (i64) we will have better views.
Maybe through The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests...

What do you think?

[Nadia Gandini]

I think I can sum up our desires to have a peaceful trip with beautiful scenery.

[AZBuck]

With two or three days to get from Washington DC to Kansas City in February, I'd suggest that you plan on taking two days and driving fairly directly between the two cities. If it snows and you are uncomfortable driving in such weather, then you will have that extra day to just stay in a motel until the weather clears and the roads have been plowed. The 'I-68/I-70' route (actually I-270/I-70/I-68/I-79/I-70) is the shortest route using all Interstate highways. Those are the roads that are kept the clearest in the event of bad weather. It is also a fairly scenic route, especially between Washington and southern Ohio. If all goes well, you should plan on staying overnight around Richmond IN. Two days won't give you time for any major stops, unless you use that third day for sight-seeing rather than visiting with your family, but you can and should take time for some short stops each day to take a break from driving.

[Nadia Gandini]

Thanks for the answer.
The bad weather really worries us.
We have made ​​long roadtrips before (Argentina/Chile/Uruguay), with several hours driving, but never with ice or snow. Even when we crossed the Andes.

You think to go through the The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is a bad idea for this time of year?
I was thinking of doing the following route (google told me it would take about 6 hours):
DC
Harrisonburg, VA
Lexington, VA
White Sulphur Springs, WV
Beckley, WV
Charleston, WV (spend the night)

On the next day we would direct Charleston for KC (I-64 / I-70).

What do you think?

[Nadia Gandini]

Here is what I was planning: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...68&usp=sharing

[AZBuck]

The route you are proposing, going through West Virginia and Kentucky, is a perfectly good alternative to the route I outlined above. It is only about 50 miles longer and can still be done in two days of good, steady driving with an overnight around Lexington KY. That is important. Charleston WV is not far enough to get on your first day, That would leave you 750 miles to drive on the second day. That is far too far to be safe. If you plan to do the drive from Washington to Kansas City in two days, you need to split it as evenly as you can between the two days. Your routing leaves a little less 'wiggle room' for scheduling your overnight but would perhaps be a bit more scenic. Also, I-64 carries considerably less traffic than I-70 and so would be a bit less stressful at least as far as St. Louis.

AZBuck

[Nadia Gandini]

tks, AZBuck,
I will think more about how to split the trip.