Road trip Durham NC to Chicago

Hi

Novice road tripper here! I am planning to drive from Durham NC to Chicago IL (staying in Irving Park). I am hoping to get some suggestions for the best route and whether to break this in to a 2 day or 3 day trip (need to arrive in Chicago by 9:00 am on a Wednesday morning). I am hoping to have some scenic stops along the way and looking for suggestions on where to stop and spend the night? I can leave on a Monday or a Tuesday but need to be there by 9:00 am on Wednesday. I was thinking I should get past Indianapolis maybe towards Lafeyette? Thanks in adavance for your advice!

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Durham to Chicago is about 800 miles, so it's a good day and a half drive. Personally, if I had to be in Chicago at 9 am on Wednesday, I would want to actually be in Chicago Tuesday night. The thought of having to wake up and fight traffic into the city, especially when your destination is on the north side and you're coming from the south, to get to wherever you're going by 9am doesn't sound fun to me. What I would do is leave Monday afternoon, cover about 300 miles, and then finish the trip Tuesday.

You posted this under camping trips, so are you planning to camp? You could aim to spend your first night at New River Gorge National Park, or somewhere else in West Virginia like Charleston.

If you are going to do your long day of driving on your first day, then Indianapolis is as far as we'd recommend. That's 600 miles and a full day on the road that will take 10-12 hours, factoring in only basic stops, and doesn't leave much extra time for other scenic detours or stops.

Hi!

Thank you so much for this information! This is very helpful! I did not realize I posted in the camping trips but this is something we are considering, so it was a happy accident. We actually looked at the New River Gorge National Park as an option so this may end up perfect! Thank you for the advice!

I just returned from a trip to the Chicago area, and I have one piece of advice. Do NOT take the Tri-State Tollway (I-294). It is an ungodly construction mess. I also do not advise you to use the Chicago Skyway out of Indiana (I-90) which is toll. Best way to the Irving Park area is take I-80/94 off of I-65, then I-94 right through downtown to your desired exit. For timing, I'd wait around the NW Indiana area till evening rush hour is over, perhaps get off I-65 in Merrillville on US-30 and have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area. From there to the Irving Park Road exit shouldn't take more than an hour and a half.

Note - You may take the express lanes into downtown, but do NOT take them coming out of downtown as you can't get off them before your exit.

Note 2 - I would also fill your gas tank in Merrillville, gas in Chicago is between $4.50 and $5 right now. If you have a Sam's or Costco card, they have both in Merrillville at around $3.60.

If you're aiming to arrive in Chicago by 9:00 am on Wednesday, breaking the drive into two days should work well. You could leave on Monday, take your time with scenic stops, and spend the night in Lexington, KY. On Tuesday, you could continue toward Indianapolis and stay overnight around Lafayette, IN, which would give you an easy drive into Chicago on Wednesday morning. The drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains offers some beautiful scenery, so take advantage of that on your first day.

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stay overnight around Lafayette, IN, which would give you an easy drive into Chicago on Wednesday morning

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No no no. You would have to fight rush hour going into Chicago on Wednesday morning. Go through Chicago on the previous evening so you know you will be there on time.

Yes, Chicago is going to be a major headache on your way to Irving Park, but it won't be your only one. There's also Indianapolis to worry about. My suggestion would be to pull up at the end of your first day of driving in Richmond IN, about 70 miles east of Indianapolis. That would make for a drive of around 530 miles on the first day. That should be quite doable and let you get a good night's sleep before starting out the next, hard, day. From Richmond start at about 8:00 am which should have you going through Indianapolis from say 9:00 to 9:30, just after its morning rush hour. It would also put you in the Chicago area around 1:00 to 2:00 pm (depending on meal and other stops), well before Chicago's evening rush hour. You can let the whole thing slip as much as an hour later if that works better for you. Similarly, you could spend your overnight on the west side of Dayton OH rather than Richmond IN. That would even out your driving a bit better over the two days, and still let you miss the rush hours in the two major cities you have to traverse.

AZBuck

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My suggestion would be to pull up at the end of your first day of driving in Richmond IN, about 70 miles east of Indianapolis.

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That also depends on what route you take to get to Indy. If you go through Cincinnati or Louisville, Dayton or Richmond is not an option.