San Francisco to NYC in 8 days

Hey All, three of us are planning to drive from San Fransisco to NYC in the first week of September. We have 8 days (maybe 9). I doubt if we will be able to spend time seeing sites or exploring cities on the way. So, we'd like to chose a route that is as scenic as possible so that we can enjoy 8 odd hours of driving as much as we can.

Any suggestions of which route to go? What parts to pass through? Some ideas we thought of are

California->Utah->Colorado->Kansas->Missouri->dip down to Tenesee for a day in nashville-> Kentucky ->ohio -> PA -> NY

or

CA -> Oregon-> Idaho->Wyoming/Montana->North Dakota->Minnesotta->dip down to Chicago->Ohio->PA->NY

or

CA->Arizona->new mexico-> Texas-> Lousiana-> Alabama-> Georgia ->Carolinas->Virginia->Delaware->....->NY

Any recommendation of the route? Dos and Don'ts?

JFYI - we all have been living in the states for a long time so this is more just as a road trip experience rather than seeing the country for the first time.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

The only people that can really decide on your route, are the three of you built on your common interests. Once you have decided on what you really want to see and have got an outline of a route laid down, I'm sure members will be able to offer suggestions and help to 'fine tune' your route.

As you are aware, you will not have a lot of time for detours and sight seeing, so building a route where you will end the day at a place you might enjoy for a few hours, before turning in for the night is quite important.

Have a look around RTA forums and trip planning pages above with a good map to hand and see what you come up with, enjoy !

All of the routes have something to offer. Dave made a good suggestion, to build your route where you can end at a place you can enjoy for a few hours. SF to NYC is about a 6 day haul, and if you choose the more southern route, it will be a 7 day haul. That's at 500-600 miles per day!

The first route sounds like I-80 to I-15 down to I-70, then down to I-40 some before heading back up to I-70? If so, the stretch of I-70 from its start at I-15, to Denver, is about the most beautiful stretch of interstate in the US. The San Rafael Swell in UT, the Glenwood Canyon "hanging freeway", and the mountains at Vail and surroundings, are all gorgeous!


Donna

To get from I-80 to I-70, you could take US-50 (The Loneliest Road). This is a better way than going all the way to SLC and backtracking down I-15. Get off I-80 in Fernley and take Alt-50 to Fallon to pick it up. Do not leave Fallon without a full tank of gas, there's gas in Austin but you don't want to pay the price if you can help it. You should be able to make it from SF to Ely in one day, it's an interesting place to spend the night. You could stay at the Nevada Hotel and go across the street to the Jailhouse Steakhouse for dinner. Fill your gas tank again.

Stay on 50 and it will put you on I-70 in Salina. Fill your gas tank there, the next services are over 100 miles on I-70. Your next overnight will probably need to be in Glenwood Springs.

Thanks guys for the helpful suggestions. To Dave's point. Here is what we like to do We are three guys who went to college together a long time ago. We have spent most of our time after that in cities (me in NYC, my friends in San Francisco). We want to see a part of America city slickers don't get to go to. That's the main priority. Other things we like (or at least one or two of us do :)) is a good drink, a good piece of barbecued meat, a good conversation.

Seems from your advises (and a few things I have been looking into), we can pick up some good routes to drive uptill halfway point . Be it I70, or going up to Yellowstone and coming back down via the Dakotas. Problem is that after the halfway point scenery seems to settle down and it's a mad rush to get to NYC. Any suggestions on what routes we could take say beginning of midwest to new york?

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Originally Posted by parth

Other things we like (or at least one or two of us do :)) is a good drink, a good piece of barbecued meat, a good conversation.

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I can't help you much with the first two... but when it comes to conversation, well, it's all up to you. Take the initiative. A simple "Hi, my name is .......", with an outstretched hand to shake, to a total stranger could open doors you don't even know exist.

Check out route 6 through PA. As the brochure says, not so much a route, as a destination in itself. Slow... but worth all the time you can devote to it. I think they also have a website.

Lifey