Jersey Baby!

Hi there! I am trying to plan a road trip sometime around July (this summer of 2022). We are driving a car from Los Angeles to the Jersey Shore (close to Long Branch). We are two people with two dogs. Trying to save as much money as possible and would like to make the trip in about 6 days-ish)
Obviously, we would love to avoid any natural disasters at this time of the year. i.e.-fires, tornadoes, etc...HOWEVER, with that said we are open to any and all suggestions. ANY routes that any of you think are worth a stop or drive through are very appreciated!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

First and foremost: neither we nor anyone else can predict the weather more than a couple of days in advance, and even then it can only be in broad generalities over significant swaths of terrain. so we simply can't help you there. I will say that any route you choose will necessarily go through Tornado Alley, roughly from north Texas into South Dakota, so you will need to set aside a little time just in case you have to sit out a day when conditions favor tornado formation in your area.

That brings us to the next point. Five days would be the absolute minimum required to complete this trip safely. Add in a weather delay day and you've used up your 'six-ish' available days. Remember that the driving time estimates that you get from mapping apps are total fantasy. They do not include breaks for gas, food or bathrooms, nor do they know about or account for traffic or construction delays. The two dogs will require even more frequent time-outs from your drive. Having two drivers will not help much since being a passenger in a moving vehicle does not allow for meaningful sleep or even rest.

So for starters, stick to the shortest possible all-Interstate route which is simply I-15/I-40 to OKC, I-44 to St. Louis, I-70 to Pittsburgh, I-76/I-676 through Philadelphia, I-295 to Barclay NJ, and NJ-70 to the Jersey Shore area. That will still leave you time for a couple of short stops each day but only if they are not far off your route. Many of those stops can serve double duty as places to exercise the dogs or have a picnic lunch, giving you a chance to take your eyes off the road and break up the monotony.

AZbuck

I have some issues with the latter part of Buck's route recommendation. As long as you don't mind the steep tolls on the PA Turnpike and points east, do not go through Philadelphia, stay on the turnpike (I-76/I-276/I-95) into NJ, take the NJ Turnpike (I-95) north to Exit 7A, then I-195 east to the Garden State Parkway north to Exit 105, then NJ-36 east to Long Branch. This is going to be the quickest way and will avoid a lot of Philly traffic. If you plan on this route, before you leave it would be to your advantage to order a EZ-Pass from one of the EZ-Pass states to make the tolls less inconvenient and less costly.

Now, you can completely eliminate tolls (except on I-44 in Oklahoma, $10 cash plus $2.65 pay by plate if you take the Kilpatrick bypass around OKC, do not take the Creek bypass around Tulsa, I-44 through town is faster) by driving an extra 50 miles.

At Columbus OH, take I-71 north to I-76 through Akron to I-80 east. Take that to Exit 27A/B to US-206 south to Somerville. Merge onto I-287 south to Exit 8, follow the signs to NJ-18 South. Take that to Exit 13B to NJ-36 into Long Branch.

(I grew up in Red Bank so I know that area very well)

Having driven in the opposite direction once....NJ to San Diego....here's another thought for a gorgeous drive:

Take I-15 north to I-70 east. I-70 will take you through the most beautiful scenery, from about Salina, UT all the way into Denver. Do NOT take any belt routes around Denver, it just isn't worth it! From Denver, continue on I-70 all the way to Columbus, OH, where you pick up I-76 up to I-80 and across. The good thing about THIS route's tolls, is that KS will cost you $4 one way (cash price) and there's a bridge toll at Delaware Water Gap but it's cheap (IF they charge you in the east direction; can't remember which direction they collect money). That puts you in NJ. It's about 2800 miles for that route, about 6 days at just under 500 miles each day. You MIGHT get some bad weather -- as stated above, no one can predict it in advance. My suggestion would be to carry a good set of maps or an atlas and be prepared to drive around predicted bad weather.


Donna

That's also a good alternative - follow my directions from Columbus. No eastbound toll at the Delaware Water Gap. Kansas does still take cash.

Take the I-270 bypass around the NW side of Columbus to get to I-71.