Los Angeles to Boston in August 2009

Hi everyone!

My friend and I are planning a road trip from Los Angeles to Boston, stopping via Springfield, Missouri on the way. We are planning to take
1) the route 66 all the way from Los Angeles to Springfield, MO to Chicago,
2) then take the Oregon Trail (US 20) from Chicago to Boston.

On the first (1) leg of the journey above, we plan to drive straight through with only one night stop from Los Angeles to Springfield. On the second (2) leg, we are hoping to slow down, enjoy,and stop for a few nights and enjoy the sites along the way: the great lakes, buffalo ny, niagara falls etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations for interesting places to stop, particularly for the second Oregon Trail part of the journey, which will include Chicago, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, then Boston? Are there any alternative routes that might be interesting?

We are hoping to do the entire trip in about 10 days.

Thanks so much!

email removed

Will

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'll start by saying that there are a couple of problems with your first leg.

First, LA to Springfield is 1600 miles. That's really too much to do in 2 days, and would require you to be on the road for at least 14 hours a day if you stay at freeways speeds and make minimum stops. With just 2 drivers, that's really not safe, and you'd be setting yourself up for a serious case of burnout just as your trip is getting started.

Second, Route 66 largely doesn't exist anymore. The highway was decommission two decades ago, and much of the highway has been removed, replaced by freeway, or in very rough condition.

The third problem is actually the result of problems one and two. Most of what does still exist of Route 66 is in the western sections in California and Arizona. There is no way you'll be able to drive them, if you are trying to do a speed run to Missouri.

Now, the good news is that with 10 days for a one way trip, you've got some time to work with. There are lots of resources on this forum to help you, so I'd search around a bit, but you could start with this post, which has some highlights between Niagara and Boston.

I would like to recommend you spend the first night in Holbrook AZ, they have an excellent Motel 6 that's very affordable. Spend the second night in Amarillo TX and have dinner at the Big Texan. Then spend a night in Springfield and you can make Chicago the next day no problem - I nonstop it from Joplin to Chicago frequently.

Thank you! Holbrook and Amarillo seem like perfect stops...

While it's true that US-66 is in the history books, we do have some good resources at this link which can help you plan your route.

Taking the two-lanes as opposed to the Interstate is usually not conducive to speed runs. Interstate 40, which replaced large sections of US-66 will generally be your best bet and the stops outlined by others are roadtrip favorites of many.

In Massachusetts, both US-20 and MA-2 go through some great scenery, particularly in the Western part of the state. I think MA-2 (Mohawk Trail) gets the edge here. There are still some of the "roadside kitsch" attractions on the route, but less than there were even a couple of years ago.

Plus MA-2 goes right to Boston Common. US-20 ends before that.

Thank you Midwest Michael and Mass Tim. Both your suggestions are great and I will look more into the links you both posted. I am sure I will have more questions...