Denver, Co to Madison, WI round trip

Hello,

We (two adults and a toddler) live in Denver, CO and would like to go to Madison, WI for a wedding. However, we like to make this a road trip. I would appreciate your comments on routes, places to see and visit on the way.

Thank you!

We need to know how many days you have to take this trip, each way. We also need to know what your interests are.

At 970 miles one-way by the quickest route, this is a day-and-a-half journey. (We recommend no more than 600 miles per day, or 10 hours.) So we do need to know how much time you have for the trip, as GLC said, above, in order to give you some ideas.



Donna

While it's true that we can't give you the best advice without knowing both your timeframe and interests, we can give you some of the defining parameters of such a trip to help you start your own planning. The first thing you need to realize is that, despite what mapping software may tell you, is that it is a minimum two day drive from Denver to Madison by the most direct all-Interstate route and only taking minimal stops for nothing more than quick photos. If you want a more leisurely adventure taking time to see something of what America has to offer on the way, you'll need at least three days (one way) plus any other time you can spare to enjoy the places you'll have driven to.

Describing the two day, direct, 'all'-Interstate route is relatively easy. It's just I-76 up to I-80 and thence across to Iowa City where you'd take I-380 north to Cedar Rapids and US-151 the rest of the way to Madison. Note that I-80 follows the Platte River, which defined the Oregon Trail, so there will be some scenic and historic sites for quick visits. Lincoln NE would be about halfway and would make a good overnight stopping point.

The longer, relaxed option is more open to allowing you to do what you want and so more a matter of discussion amongst yourselves. But one possible routing would have you use routes such as US-36 in eastern Colorado and northern Missouri, the Great River Road along the Mississippi River, and finally state highways through northern Illinois and Wisconsin. Such a routing would allow you to tie together Pony Express outposts, Mark Twain's boyhood home, a Mormon living history town, and other bits of small town America.

AZBuck

If the trip is planned for the middle of winter the usual tourist opportunities might be closed or on very reduced hours.

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Originally Posted by glc

We need to know how many days you have to take this trip, each way. We also need to know what your interests are.

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Sorry about that. Our schedule is very flexible. We consider like spending 2-3 days each way.
We definitely enjoy natural places and scenic roads. I love history but my wife does not that much. Another common interest of ours is food. We love to experiment different foods and restaurants :)

Luckily we plan to do this trip around June 12.

Thank you very much these are great ideas!