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my 14 yo daughter must be transferred from her current treatment program in dc to denver. She, her brother (13), me and our dog will travel together.
I am looking for advice on the best route (fastest) from dc to denver.
Our 44 lb rescue dog is coming with; we need to find lodging for her.
I don't know where to start.
Scared single parent with hands too full.
The best way from DC to Denver is quite simple - take I-270 to Frederick and pick up I-70. Take that all the way to Denver. It's about 1700 miles, which is possible to do in 3 long days on the road - about 12 hours a day. The best bet for lodging with a dog if all you want is a clean room to sleep in at minimal expense would be Motel 6, they all allow a pet, free. I went to motel6.com and used their planner - between DC and Denver along that route, there are 42 of them. If you are going to do this in 3 days, the one in Richmond IN falls into place for the first night, and the one in Blue Springs MO (KC suburb) would work for the second night.
If you wish to use different hotels, you should check on their pet policies. I am not endorsing Motel 6 per se - I just know that their one free pet policy is chain-wide and they are a leader in the budget class hotel chains. I have stayed in a Motel 6 quite frequently, and the only ones I will not stay in any more are those inside larger cities away from the Interstates, they tend to be either run down or in areas I don't consider very safe. The ones in smaller towns and more rural areas at the Interstate exits have all been satisfactory.
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It looks like you've got the basic parameters of your trip already set, so first you'll need to look at the big decisions that still have to be made. The most direct route from Washington to Denver is to head west on I-270/I-70 to around Hancock, MD and then use I-68/I-79 to bypass the Pennsylvania Turnpike and rejoin I-70 at Washington, PA. I-70 will then take you the rest of the way to Denver. At around 1,650 miles that drive could either be done in three relatively full 550 mile days or on a more relaxed pace of four 400 mile days. If you decide to do it in three days, then your overnight stops would be in roughly New Castle, IN and Topeka, KS. If you decide to take four days, then your stops would be around Columbus, OH, St. Louis, MO and Salina, KS. In either case, once you know where you'll want to stay each night, you can use websites such as hotel-guides.us, tripadvisor.com, hotels.com and others to see what accommodations are in the area and check on their pet policies. If you want to be 100% certain, call the actual motel, not their corporate headquarters or the chain's central reservation service, and ask if your dog will be welcome. Be sure to get a confirmation number and the name of the person you talk to. With that major hassle out of the way before you ever hit the road, you'll be in a much better position to just enjoy the trip with your family. Be sure to take advantage of the many great parks on your route to give your children and the dog some much needed exercise and fresh air, and you a break from driving.
AZBuck
If the Rescue Dog is considered to be "working" much like a service dog for the blind, then you may not need to worry about a pet policy. Hotels will allow such animals even if they don't allow pets.
You may, however, need to bring some documentation showing that the dog is a necessity and not just a pet.