Need Advice - New York to San Francisco Road Trip.

Hi, i've spent many an hour browsing this fab forum and thought i'd dip my toe in to see what you experienced folk could suggest as the best way/direction that we could take for our first cross country road trip from New York to San Francisco during late May'12. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

We are two friends and Honda Accord Coupe 2003; we are hoping to cover this trip in 9 days from May 20th to May 28th.

Rough plan is like NYC > Chicago > Mt. Rushmore > Yellowstone East Entrance > Old Faithful > Exit from West > Idaho Falls > Reno > SFO > Fly back to NYC (Google map link >> http://g.co/maps/f8yu7)

We are into nature and amateur photography and thinking to make more stop once we enter into Yellowstone spending less until Mt. Rushmore

We don't want to run into any clear risk (which we don't see) or miss anything good at all on this trip so experienced advice/suggestions/off the beaten track stuff will all be greatly appreciated

Cheers!!

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

I think if you are into nature and photography you certainly have picked the right places to go! Nothing strikes me as particularly troublesome about the route you've planned or the amount of time you've allotted to this trip. Figure a straight-shot to San Francisco would be five days, so that gives you 3-4 days extra and a chance to meander. I'd think your primary area of focus would be the Yellowstone area, spending a couple of days there before moving on.

That's encouraging. Thanks Tim!!!

Any advice on budget motel/bread & breakfast kind of place to stay in Yellowstone??? Also can we rely on Garmin GPS + AAA custom road maps for this trip?

I tend to rely on paper maps [as most regulars seem to] for travelling through the day to ensure I go exactly where I want to go and to make sure I don't drive an extra 100 miles of Interstate, to save 5 mins travel time over taking a shorter, slower scenic Highway.

The GPS I find most handy when in a City or looking for a specific address of lodgings etc. I have no personal recommendations for lodgings, but if you look at the 'Hotel & Cars' link in the green tool bar above you can get some ideas.

If you are a AAA member, you should pick up detailed maps of each state you will be going through.

I can personally recommend the Evergreen Motel in West Yellowstone. Before Memorial Day, rooms are 60 bucks a night. After Memorial Day, they go up to $100. They are one of the least expensive places in town, and it's a very nice little place.