Phoenix to Chicago route advice needed

I'm moving to Chicago in about 10 days and I was wondering if anyone had advice on which route I should take.

I had originally planned on taking I17 -> I40 -> I44 -> I55, driving in 3 days & stopping in Tucumcari NM & Springfield MO, or maybe driving in 2 days & stopping in OK City, but i'm not sure if I want/can drive that much in two days. This is the route suggested by mapquest.

I plugged the trip into randmcnally.com and a few other trip planning websites though & they have suggested I17 -> I40 -> I25 -> I76 -> I80 -> I88.

I've never driven either of these routes so I was wondering which is more scenic ? Any ideas on what the time differences between the two are ? Does one route have more services/traffic than the other ?

I was also wondering if it would make sense to leave Phoenix & take 87 -> 260 -> 377 in order to get to 40 ? I've driven to Flagstaff on I17 before & was wondering if going up through Payson to Holbrook would be an interesting drive or is 17 to 40 much quicker ?

Thanks!
Mike

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I've never driven either of these routes so I was wondering which is more scenic ? Any ideas on what the time differences between the two are ? Does one route have more services/traffic than the other ?

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I-40 and I-25 are both very scenic stretches on this route, but I'd probably NOT choose the overall route that utilizes I-80. It's going to be a significantly longer journey that way.

If you want the MOST scenic, then go through Flagstaff and up to I-70 via Kayenta and Moab (or use US89 to I-70 via Page and Kanab) -- take I-70 to St Louis and then the direct interstate route from there to Chicago.

That said, the best combination of scenery and time on this route is SR87/SR260 or US60 from Phoenix, through Springerville, Socorro, then a short jog north via I-25 to US60 again through Mountainaire, Vaughn, and pick up I-40 at Santa Rosa. This is my favorite Phoenix to Chicago route. If you have LOTS of time on your hands, you could also take US54 from Tucumcari across the panhandle and Kansas toward Missouri. That adds a lot of time to the trip though as there are LOTS of small towns on that route (US54).

If you want the fastest route, I believe (after many trips) that it is I-17, I-40, I-44, I-55, no question. You will save MILES on the PHX to I-40 shortcuts, but not TIME.

I think i'm going to try your suggestion and take that route through kayenta & moab to 70. Thanks for the advice!

That'll be a beautiful trip -- hope you enjoy it! Bob

Bob,

We are thinking about taking the combo scenery/time route you suggested but are wondering where you would suggest stopping for the night (we plan on stopping for two nights) along the way. What states are Springerville, Socorro and Mountainaire in?

Thanks!

Katie

Welcome, ktsanbo.

This thread is 5 years old, so I'll give you my perspective on a 3 day PHX-CHI run. This is at the ragged edge of being safe in only 3 days. I would recommend you take AZ-87 to Payson, then AZ-260/AZ-277/AZ-377/AZ-77 to Holbrook, then I-40/I-44/I-55 to CHI. Suggested overnights are Tucumcari NM and Joplin MO.

This can actually save a few minutes over taking I-17 to Flagstaff. I wouldn't recommend any more than this off the Interstates due to the days that are long enough as is - you are looking at 10 to 12 hours on the road all 3 days.