SFO to CHICAGO

I am moving from SF to Chicago for school in August and taking advantage of it to take a road trip with a group of friends. I was wondering what tips people had re: routes & sites along the way. I was thinking of allotting 7 days (some flexibility) for the trip.

I haven't found anything specifically for this kind of trip except trips from So. California to Chicago on route 66, but didn't want to have to go south to begin my trip unless people say its a must.

From early research it seems it would be SF to Reno to Salt Lake to...

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

Welcome!

SF to CHI via fastest Interstates is a full 4 day drive, so you have some, but not a lot, of time to play with to sightsee and get off the beaten path. What kinds of things do you want to see? Are you more into nature or the city life?

I could add a day or two to the trip if there is something worth seeing. I prefer cities, but nature can be worthwhile if someone has soemthing specific in mind.

I would like to maximize this opportunity to see some of middle America since I have never been through most of it and sadly am pretty ignorant to what there is to see along this route.... thanks!!!

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

If cities are what are most interesting to you, then I think I would built my trip around I-70. If you take I-80 to Salt Lake, then cut down to I-70 in Utah, and take that across Colorado. That will have lots of scenic beauty, several national parks that could provide a detour, and then you could stop in Denver, Kansas City, and St. Louis before going north to Chicago on I-55. It also has a number of ski towns, like Vail and Aspen in Colorado that could be worth a stop, and there are also a handful of college towns like Lawrence, Columbia, and Champaign-Urbana that could provide some entertainment along the way.