suggestions/help for long roadtrip from los angeles to st. louis!?!

I am moving to st. louis from Los angeles and me and my buddy decided we are gonna take a roadtrip there instead of flying. we will be leaving los angeles sometime around auguest 5th and can take anywhere up to 13 days to get there (trying to stay around 7-8 days though unless something really cool comes up)

what would you guys suggest the best route would be? we both like nature a lot and we are gonna try to camp most of the nights, and/or stay at hostels. We are both 23, and into into the festival culture, so if you guys have any suggestions on any electronic music events along the way that would be great as well!

this is my last road trip before i start law school in st. louis so i wanna see a lot, and have a lot of fun:)

any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

There's no one "best route" because all the routes between LA and STL are good! It depends on what you two want to do. Nature and camping are all fine and dandy, and as for festivals, you might want to do some research to see if there are any during the time you will be traveling.

Here are a few thoughts, as my hubby and I have gone between SoCal and Mid-Missouri many times by road, due to many family members in MO:

1) I-10 to I-15 to I-70. Along the way you could camp and see Zion in SW Utah, Arches in east-central UT, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, which are all great places to see and camp. The drive between Salina and Green River, UT, along I-70, is spectacular. Or you could take the "long route" from Zion to Bryce Canyon then up to Moab by way of Canyonlands. This is one of the most discussed vacation areas on this website, so check out the various threads. The area around Glenwood Springs, into west Denver, is also spectacular via I-70, but if you shoot up to Rocky Mt Park, you'll get even better views. (Check out an atlas or good map to see what routes are there.)

2) I-10 to I-15 to I-40 to I-44. Along the way you could check out Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest/Painted Desert National Park, El Malpais National Monument (NM - it's on my "to do" list), and more.

These two are the more direct routes to St. Louis from SoCal. There are others that circle round further south or further north, before you turn back towards St Louis.

BTW, St Louis itself has a lot of things to offer. When you get a break during law school, take a "stay-cation"!

For the hostels bit, there are others here at RTA that have more experience with these than I do. (My husband and I have tent-camped, RV'd with both a tent trailer and a 5th wheel, and have also done the motel-route as well as combinations of tenting and motels, but never hostels.)

Once you decide what YOU like to do, come back and see if we can help you put the trip together the way YOU like it.

Best wishes in law school,

Donna