Jacksonville,FL to Denver,CO via Memphis in 2 days with a dog...need help!

Hello all, I am moving from Florida to Denver, CO this upcoming Memorial Day weekend. I will be traveling with a friend and my yellow lab and need advice on the best and quickest route to take. We will be leaving from Jacksonville Friday around 4pm and would like to travel via Memphis to stay with my brother. I think the next overnight might be in Kansas but am not sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Which way to go that is quick, and safe?
Where to stay that is safe?
Any things to see along the way?

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I'm sorry, but your plans as you've listed them are not safe - and it has nothing to do with the roads.

It is a 700 mile drive from Jacksonville to Memphis. That's more than we recommend in a single day, when you are doing a multiday trip. You might be able to do it if you had a full day on the road, but leaving at 4pm makes it impossible for you to do this safely.

Its a drive that will take you at least 13 hours, so even if everything goes perfectly (and frankly that never happens when you're talking about a move) you wouldn't even get to Memphis until after 4am with the time change. Add in Memorial Day Weekend traffic, and the extra stops for your dog, and it will almost certainly take you even more time.

No, having 2 drivers will not help.

You can certainly make this trip, and go via Memphis, but you'll need a bare minimum of 3 full days to do it safely.

Hello and welcome to RTA !

As you are not leaving until 4pm I presume you are not driving all the way to Memphis ? That would be a 12 hour plus trip and arriving at 4am [or later] would not leave you in a good state for another 2 long days on the road. Neither would it be safe to attempt, especially if your 4pm departure was following a day at work. Between Memphis and Denver, Wichita KS would be a good mid-way point for another stop.

Hello ashly,

As experienced Moderator MM noted, the first day's 700 miles, starting at 4pm on a holiday weekend Friday, is well in excess of a safe effort. Add passing through Atlanta, at night, followed by passing through the whole of the Southern Appalachians, and you'd be lucky to arrive at Memphis by 4am the next day. That puts you way, way "behind the 8-ball" in terms of the remaining 1,100 or so miles to DEN. Also confirming the "2 drivers doesn't help" comment. All that gets you is two equally tired and unfocused drivers.

You really need to find an additional day to do this, if safety and any opportunity to "see anything" other than travel plazas and Interstate rest stops are among your requirements. Cross country Road Trip travel should be time-budgeted on a "beginning of day to end of day" basis at not greater than, say, 60-62 mph, a figure which allows for zero mph during fuel, food, and nature stops which you, your co-driver, and the dog will all need. I'd hasten to add that 60-62 mph daily average would allow zero sightseeing stops, economizing on food, fuel, and nature stops (ie snagging fast food to go at the fuel stop), and driving at or slightly above the posted limits the whole way.

Foy

You've been given good advice by 3 very experienced road trippers. So here's my 2c.

Quickest way to drive is to stick to Interstates as much as possible. Even so, you're likely to run into road construction -- even if not active at the time, they often leave sections of the road down to one-lane with a 35 or 45 mph speed limit (at most).

Where to stay that is safe .... overnight in a motel/hotel that does not mind pets. From what I've been given to understand, La Quinta is one chain that allows pets. Don't be surprised if any motel makes you pay a deposit for a pet. As for "safe", just be aware of your surroundings. Avoid motels that look like they are in the seediest parts of cities.

As for things to see along the way -- that would depend if you are willing (and able) to give a little more time on the road. Otherwise, it's going to be what we call a "speed run", a road trip designed to get you from one place to another without a lot of extra stops along the way.


Donna

The fastest route from Jax to Denver does NOT take you through Memphis, and it is a FULL 3 DAYS DRIVE.

I-10/I-75/I-24/I-64/I-70, overnights in Chattanooga and KC.

Going through Memphis adds about an hour, but Memphis is not spaced out properly for an overnight.

I-10/US-231/I-65/US-78(I-22)/I-40/Muskogee Tpke/US-412/I-35/I-135/I-70, overnights in Birmingham and Tulsa.