Arizona to Pennsylvania (with cats!)

Hi there!

My family and I are moving from Arizona to Pennsylvania and I will be the one who is driving with our two cats (lucky me). I'm taking them to the vet for normal checkups and to have some medication on hand if they get too anxious, and have purchased disposable litter boxes and comfortable (non-vet) transport that can be buckled into the back seat.

But I'm wondering if there is any advice for which route to take that has some pet-friendly hotels along the way, and any recommendations for how long I can anticipate the drive to take each day to figure out where to stop. Ideally, I'd like the trip to take 5 days, 4 nights, and I was hoping to take the northern route since we took the southern route when moving out to Arizona from Maryland years ago (without the cats). It won't really be a sight-seeing trip, but I kind of wanted to drive through Colorado and maybe Chicago, going through Pittsburgh to visit some family prior to reaching my eventual destination in Harrisburg.

Any recommendations/advice for driving with cats? Best pet-friendly hotels/chains? Is this route doable in 5 days, 4 nights?

Thanks!

Welcome to RTA!

It would help greatly if you could be more specific with your start point. Arizona is a relatively large state. However, I'm going to assume Phoenix area, and if you want to go via Colorado, Chicago, and Pittsburgh you will be hard pressed to find ANY time for doing anything in either city other than get a hotel room and spend the night. I'd recommend you either add some more days and/or eliminate Chicago. Also, Pittsburgh is close enough to Harrisburg so you can go see family just about any time. Also, tolls between Chicago and Harrisburg are considerable, by avoiding Chicago and Pittsburgh you can virutally eliminate almost all tolls.

The two most pet-friendly hotel chains are Motel 6 and La Quinta. Other chains' policies vary, even among individual properties, and there are frequently deposits and/or surcharges involved.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Some of your questions are relatively easy to answer, such as a list of pet-friendly hotels along the way". Major chains that advertise a pet-friendly corporate policy include La Quinta, Best Western, Motel 6, and Red Roof Inns. It needs to be pointed out that each local franchise sets its own policy and you will need to check with the actual motel where you plan to stop, but most will try to follow corporate (advertised) policy.

Secondly, you should plan on covering about 500-550 miles per day on an extended, marathon RoadTrip such as the one you are contemplating. Such a pace will let you get the good night's sleep you'll need each evening in order to keep going day after day. It would also leave you time to take a few short stops each day to let your cats run around a bit.

What we can't tell you is what route you should take or where you should stop each night, not because we don't want to or wouldn't have useful ideas, but because we don't know where you're starting from or where you're ending. 'Arizona' and 'Pennsylvania' are big targets, and Yuma to Philadelphia would require a significantly different route and overnight stopping points than would Flagstaff to Erie. I can tell you that Phoenix to Harrisburg (capitals) can be driven in four solid days, so if you can take five days you should be in relatively good shape for making the trip without undue pressure.

AZBuck

Thanks for the response! Starting point is Tempe. Definitely a good point about Pittsburgh, now that I think about it, especially because I'm not sure about the cat situation with said relatives.

Thanks for the advice about the hotels and checking with them in advance; much appreciated!

Excellent link about the stops; much appreciated! Heading out from Tempe, AZ to Harrisburg, PA. Not planning on doing too much in the evenings, other than maybe getting a decent dinner in Colorado, and sleeping. Really just wanted to see the scenery of Colorado, and cityscape of Chicago, but Chicago is not a deal breaker for me. Thanks so much for the response and advice!

Here is what I'd recommend:

Take I-17 to Flagstaff, then US-89 to US-160 to Kayenta. Then take US-163 through Monument Valley to US-191. Take that to Moab and spend the night.

Next day, take UT-128 out of Moab through Castle Valley to I-70, take that through Colorado. Spend the night in Burlington CO or Goodland KS.

Third day - stay on I-70, spend the night in Columbia MO.

4th day - still on I-70, spend the night in Columbus OH.

Last day, take I-70 to Washington PA, then I-79 south to I-68 and back to I-70. Take that to I-81 to Harrisburg.

You will have a $3 toll in Kansas between Topeka and Kansas City. The rest of the route is toll-free.

I'd probably take a slightly different route at the beginning than the one glc offered. I'd stay on US-160 through northeastern Arizona and southern Colorado. Yes, taking US-163/US-191 up through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and Arches National Park would let you 'see' those places, you wouldn't have time to get back into the truly beautiful parts of Monument Valley, nor would you have time to hike to the best arches, let alone dealing with the cats in both places. I also wouldn't bother with Chicago. About all you'd have time for if you detoured north to it would be to get stuck in traffic for a few hours. It's skyline or 'cityscape' is best viewed from out on Lake Michigan.

Instead, US-160 is a gorgeous road over the Colorado Plateau and San Juan Mountains that is about 130 miles shorter, but only saves you an hour's drive due to the slower nature of the road. Once you're get out onto the high plains at Walsenburg CO, even the smaller state highways are straight and flat with fairly high speed limits, so CO-10 to La Junta and then US-50 to Garden City KS would let you see some small plains towns without costing too much in the way of time. As you get farther east, though, and the population starts to pick up, you will want to use Interstates more and I-70 is the perfect choice. From Garden City, use KS-156 up to I-70 just west of Salina and follow that the rest of the way to Harrisburg.

Overnight stops going this way would be roughly Durango CO, Garden City KS, Columbia MO, and Richmond IN.

AZBuck

I see both gentlemen have suggested one of your overnight stops at Columbia, MO. I know it pretty well.

La Quinta, Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn are all pet-friendly, and don't appear to charge a fee. While Columbia's "rush hour" is easy compared to Phoenix's, if you are looking to stay on the east side, you would be better off in Red Roof or Motel 6, or Candlewood Suites (which charges a fee for pets), because they are all further east.

Red Roof Inn is at Exit 126, Providence Rd., and is on the north side. The restaurant choices nearby are mostly fast food, except for Country Kitchen. Motel 6 and Candlewood Suites are both at Exit 128, US-63, and can be a bit tricky to get to. That area has a lot of choices in restaurants, or you can run over to Hy-Vee (grocery) or Walmart and pick up food to cook in your suite, if you're at Candlewood (which has kitchenettes).

There are a few higher end places that also accept pets in Columbia. Check Bring Fido website. (They are pet friendly, not just dogs.)


Donna

If you stay on I-70 through PA, the toll on the turnpike is $25 between New Stanton and Carlisle. This is why I recommended I-79 to I-68 to I-70 to I-81.

I also think you need to make it to Columbus instead of Richmond, the last day's drive would be a bit long otherwise.

If you follow Buck's suggestion, be mindful of your fuel - you will be going through some areas with few services. There is NO gas between Walsenburg and La Junta, for example.

This is all excellent and very helpful advice. Appreciate all the hints on routes as well as pet-friendly hotels. This will definitely help me narrow down the route! Thanks again!