Southern Pacific / Route 80 - General Advice and Recommendations

Hi Everyone, I've just joined this forum in preparation for a road trip to the US next July.

I'm currently planning on driving with a friend in July 2014 from L.A to the east coast (i.e. Georgia, Carolina's) in hopefully around 2 weeks.

I've done a brief look on the internet and found that there are similar trips that others have undertaken, but being my first real road trip I'm just a little unsure of time frames and the possibility of fitting everything in.

The plan is to start in L.A and do the following:

L.A
-> Las Vegas (2)
-> Flagstaff (South Rim of Grand Canyon) (1)
-> Albuquerque (2)
-> Carlsbad Caverns (1) (Also Roswell... just to say we have :D)
-> Fort Worth/Dallas (2)
-> New Orleans (2)
-> Jackson -> Montgomery (1)
-> Nashville (1)
-> Charlotte (1)
-> Wilmington (1)
-> Down the coast to Savannah (Dropping car off and flying back to L.A. - maybe an extra week in New York)

Firstly, is that actually a doable feat within 2 weeks? I've plugged it all into https://roadtrippers.com/ and it's given me 3835mi with a total travel time of 60:29 hours driving and the longest driving day will be Dallas - New Orleans at 7hr:48min and secondly the Carlsbad - Fort Worth at 6hr:53min. Not being a particularly long distance driver, is this a reasonable amount in a day? Obviously will be broken up every 3 hours or so to get fuel and walk around. (My mapped out trip is HERE if anyone is interested in the website I used it on. Handy tool to gauge fuel costs as well :D)

Secondly, I'm definitely not an expert on the areas we're heading through and would appreciate any help or suggestions in maybe varying the trip to places that may be more interesting than in places that we've got. I'm not really sure about New Mexico and whether it would be better to maybe go to Sante Fe, or even go south through Pheonix and Tucson... Same goes for Texas, we'll obviously be driving through a lot of smaller town that may have lots of cool things but I haven't heard of any of them in order to know.

I think I'm leaning towards renting an SUV just for reassurance that we'll have enough durability to do the trip and room for everything.

I'd appreciate any and all suggestions and assistance, even if it's pointing out the flaws in the plan (especially then!). Thanks in advance!!!

Clay

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

For planning purposes we think of a full days driving of 550-600 miles to be equal to 9-10 hours of travel time with appropriate rest stops, to fill with gas, eat and cater for construction and congestion delays, but with no sight seeing. Therefor your drives are perfectly reasonable but will take longer than you are expecting, mapping programs are always over optimistic as they don't account for 'real world driving' conditions. I also usually allow a little extra time for unexpected stops/treats along the way and city congestion either end of a days drive and would 'budget' for 8.5 hours [and up to 9 hours] for the journey from Dallas to New Orleans from 'door to door'.

I think your plan itself looks pretty solid, but I see a few potential red flags.

First, clearly you've been reading Jamie Jensen's book/website Roadtrip USA. He's the only one who uses terms like "Southern Pacific" and "Route 80." There is nothing wrong with using his information, but many people fall into the trap of thinking his suggested trips are the only, or even best, options for a roadtrip. The beauty of a roadtrip is that you can build your own trip to take in all the places you want to see, without having to follow someone else's plan. It looks like you have still done that, but its just a standard warning I have anytime I see people using Jamie's stuff.

I'd also rethink a couple things with your rental car. An SUV really isn't going to be needed and is likely going to make your trip much more expensive. A regular mid to full sized sedan is generally your best bet for value, often hundreds of dollars cheaper than an SUV. An SUV really won't provide you any more durability, as your rental contract will forbid you from taking it off-road or really anyplace you can't easily get to in a sedan. I also doubt you would really need the extra space, especially if this is just 2 people. If you can't fit all of your stuff into a sedan, you probably can't take it with you on the plane either!

I'd also guess that Savannah will likely be a very expensive city to end your trip, just because it is relatively small, and thus your airfare and rental car costs will likely be much higher. Even if you consider that your final destination, it will probably worth your time to double back to Atlanta or Charlotte to actually end your trip. Another option, if you're going to be visiting NY, is just to drive all the way to NY and turn in your rental car there.

Thanks Dave. Yeah I thought that the mapping was very optimistic, especially considering we'll be stopping and checking out some places along the way. For those days where the estimate driving time exceeds 5 hours I've just allocated the whole day to driving and an extra day in the destinations to actually have time to look around.

Thanks Michael, I actually planned a bit of the route prior to seeing the name, I was just able to refer to it once I saw what it had been called! :) Originally I had plans to do a 3 month trip all around the country and go to as many states as possible but it was a bit idealistic.

I have varied the route somewhat, adding the trip through Carlsbad to see the caverns, Vegas, Nashville, etc, but by and large it covered a lot of what we were looking to experience.

That's what I thought with the SUV as well. I'm fine with a reasonably smaller car, so long as it's suited to long distances, however my friend wants to go large and have opportunity to drive an SUV because he only has a small car himself. I know it's impractical and going to be more expensive but it's purely for sentimental reasons :) Not being a car enthusiast myself I don't see the difference...

About Savannah - I thought that may be the case. I was planning to fly to New York afterwards to save time but my friend has to fly back to L.A. for work so I didn't really want to be driving up the east coast by myself. I might look into it though and just take it far more slowly and cautiously. I know this sounds like a ridiculous question, but is there anything particularly appealing for a 25 year to visit between Raleigh and New York? I've been to DC many times and it seems that Richmond, VA is very much a history city judging by what I've read online. Would Baltimore be more suited?

Thank you so much for your help! I've still got a bit of research to do, particularly for things like where to go in New Mexico and Texas or even going the Pheonix route. If you have any recommendations from experience please let me know!

Thanks,

Clay

Hi Clay, with 10 months yet to plan your trip, be assured it will change many times. Most trips do, as you learn more about places, things to do and see, etc. Even last minute changes are quite usual.

May I suggest you get a good large wall sized map of the US and put it where you constantly see it. Rather than write, I prefer sticky notes to mark places and points of interest.

As for driving to NY, I say go for it. There are quite a few options as far as route is concerned, other than I-95. You could go via the Outer Banks (that route is also in Jamie's book) including the CBBT, or you could take one of the more inland routes. You could choose to do most of it in a day or two, or you could choose to take more time and check out many of the attractions along the way. I often change my route whilst on the road, either by choice or from necessity. (Only this week I was heading for Chicago when a small disaster at a campground near there caused me to skip Chicago and head for Elkhart to get repairs done a.s.a.p.)

As an aside, if you are a member of RACQ, be sure to bring your membership with you. It will entitle you to free maps and tourist information from the AAA. Their maps are excellent, well detailed with points of interest all over them. Don't be tempted to rely solely on electronic gadgets. I travel with AAA maps, a Rand McNally road atlas and pick up State maps at each Welcome Centre I see. There is always some detail on one map which is not on the other two.

Of course I have my GPS as well. How else would I find the (wrong) address. I meant to document just how often it sent me to the wrong place and down the wrong route.

Enjoy the planning.

Lifey

Lifey,

Thanks for the advice! I looked into it and the Outer Banks does look like a nice drive as opposed to going straight up the middle. I hadn't heard of the area before but it looks pretty cool, the the CBBT looks pretty interesting to drive on as well judging by the photos. I figure if I leave about 2-3 days to get from Raleigh to Baltimore I should be able to have a fairly leisurely drive through those beaches stopping overnight along the way. Thanks!

I don't have RACQ here unfortunately, not really a need for it where I am and only use other people's cars very infrequently. I'm pretty sure my friend in L.A. has AAA membership though so we can pick up a few maps and tourist info anyway.

Definitely going to use GPS! I'll have it on my phone as well as my personal system so hopefully it won't go too far off track!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ClayBolck

I'm not really sure about New Mexico and whether it would be better to maybe go to Santa Fe

---

If you go from the Grand Canyon east to Albuquerque, you should definitely take one day to drive up to Santa Fe. It would be a shame to be so close and not go. Then, from Santa Fe, you would head straight down US Hwy. 285 to Roswell and Carlsbad.

You can get from ABQ to Santa Fe in an hour on the Interstate, but there are also two other routes that are worth looking into, if you wanted to make it a day trip ( or a half-day trip ).

Thanks Howard!

That list of routes is great, I've currently scheduled 2 days for alburqueque but I might split that up in one at each then. I realised when taking into consideration my timing and everything that I'll be in Albuqueque for 4 July which will be great!

Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking around and reading posts based on similar trips to mine which have been really helpful.

One thing I'm having trouble deciding is whether to include Jackson, MS in my trip. As it currrently stands we'll be driving from New Orleans to Jackson, spending a few hours there then heading to Montgomery, AL.

Obviously this is a very round about way to get from NO to Montgomery, but I had included it to try and see as much as possible.

I just wanted to ask if anyone has spent time in Jackson, and if so is it worth adding an extra few hours to an already long day? If it seems more a chore to get to it'll probably be easier to go to Montgomery via Mobile instead.

Thanks in advance!

Clay

Do some more research to see if there is anything in Jackson that might interest you.

My personal opinion? I think spending a bit of time on the Gulf Coast between NO and Mobile would be time better spent.

It would be an extra hundred miles or so to include Jackson in your travel plans between New Orleans and Montgomery. That's not a terrible amount of time, a couple of hours, to spend on the road if there's something or someone you want to see in Jackson, but it's a waste of time if there's no particular reason for you to visit Jackson.

Now you say that your current plans include 'spending a few hours' in Jackson, so presumably there is something in Jackson that caught your eye and that you want to visit. If that's so, then by all means do that - as long as you get an early start from New Orleans and spend no more than two or three hours in Jackson, then you can still make Montgomery comfortably by nightfall.

If, on the other hand, you'd like to spend fewer hours on the road, get to Montgomery earlier, and/or still have a scenic drive, then take the coastal route to Mobile and then head up to Montgomery on I-65. Gulfport, Biloxi and Mobile all have sites worth seeing, most notably the off-shore islands of the Gulf.

AZBuck

Thanks Guys,

I have done some research in Jackson but there was nothing overwhelming that I planned to see, quite honestly it was just so I could see how the capital of Mississippi varied from the surrounding areas.

I figured when doing the original plan that I'm probably not going to do this again so see as much as possible, but I now realise it's probably best to go through Biloxi & Mobile. I've only got the one night in Montgomery so if we get there too late then I doubt we'd have any time to actually look at anything before having to leave early the next morning to get to Atlanta via Birmingham.

Thanks for your help, I'll keep on planning. For anyone interested:

Cheers,

Clay

Having spent a night in Jackson this summer as we travelled down the Natchez Trace Parkway I would say there is nothing special to visit. A zoo, a large lake and the parkway were what I saw Jackson had to offer. I agree staying along the coast between Mobile and New Orleans would be time much better spent, with much better scenery.
-Pat

Thanks Pat, that's very helpful!

I suppose I'll reroute the trip then through Mobile. After doing some research I found that I'll probably enjoy this more as I'm a huge fan of to kill a mockingbird (what law student isn't...) and it'll take me past Monroeville where there are various monuments to the book and movie.

From there my next step will be to head to Mongomery and Birmingham. I've also done some research into these towns and I will see both but obviously will have to spend more time in one that the other for the night.

I just wanted to ask for those who have seen and done both: which of these places would you consider to be best to spend the night? Would it be better to stay in Montgomery for the night and then head to Atlanta via Birmingham for a few hours the next day or visit Montgomery for a few hours then head to Birmingham to stay the night?

Thanks for your assistance in advance!

Having passed through both Birmingham and Montgomery, with brief stops in both (not my first time in either), my vote would go to Birmingham. Just looiks like more options for most things.

Lifey

Thanks Lifey - it seems to be the best option.

And to Mark Sedenquist re: the mapping software - sorry! I didn't realise this site had mapping software as well, had only really looked on the forum part... Such a bad faux pas! I'll use this site's mapping software now to make up for it!

It's not terrible -- use whatever software is the easiest for you. Both Roadtrippers.net and RoadTrip America use the same Google Maps API source data -- we just do different things with it.

Mark

there we go :D

Um....

Oh my goodness -- You used the line drawn map. That tool was created for off-highway use or in places where no roads existed. If you have used the RTA Custom Mapping program, the application would have built the map for you (a lot easier) and it would actually follow the roads -- making it a lot easier to use. And then I could have displayed the map correctly above. (It's there -- you have to scroll over a bit to get it to display).

So, I created this one in about 3 minutes -- it doesn't go to all of your stops, because this program is limited to 8 way points + beginning and ending



Weird, it's still not displaying correctly -- got to work on this...

Using the RTA Custom Maps you could of also created this same map but asked the program to search for attractions within 10 miles of the route (or other distances). And it would have looked like this:

to open a new page -- easier to view look at this

Or you could have removed the way points and still added some attractions



or click here to see the whole page at normal size.


Mark

Hi Mark,

Yeah I did originally use the Mapping Tool which would have done all the points but as you said it was limited to 8 stops unfortunately. I just did the line trip to tell the destinations rather than the routes. It's good for general routing but I think I'm a little too specific in my plans compared to ordinary use :D

I might just redo it when I have some spare time into maybe 2-3 maps for different legs of the trip and have everything fit. I like the attractions bit though, it's going to be very helpful!

Thanks,

Clay

Carlsbad to Ft. Worth will take loooong Texas day to cover. If you are taking non-interstate then US Hwy 180 is a good option.

Yeah I thought about that, something like a 6hr drive assuming everything goes according to google maps which will hardly be the case.

I thought maybe about continuing to Odessa and spending the night there. It's a little bit further on an already long broken-up day from Albuqueque through Santa Rosa, Roswell and Carlsbad but seeing as it'll just be for sleeping I think it's probably better to get as close to Ft Worth as possible to shorten the drive the next day.

If that's the case would it be better to travel along the interstate 20 to Fort Worth or go through a quieter highway?

Thanks!

It's 450 miles from Carlsbad NM to Ft Worth. Add miles if you are staying in/near the National Park. That's not really a 6 hour drive. I would count on that being about an 8 or 9 hour drive. (Mapquest says it's 6-3/4 hours. Add 15% for rest area, fuel, and food stops. Add more if you stop to sightsee, take photos, etc. My husband and I would take at least 8 hours to do 450 miles.)


Donna

Hi Donna,

Thanks for that, I'm one of those weirdo's who check out all of the interesting roadside attractions like giant rocking chairs and things on the trip. I've decided that for any driving amounts over 4 hours (according to google maps) I've added an extra 50% of the trip time for me to satisfy my curio interests and amateur photography along the way :)

I think if we make that next step on the same day from carlsbad to odessa to spent the night it will be less of a mission the next day. I suppose it just means that we won't have much time to spent checking out odessa if there's anything of interest.

Thanks!

Clay

Good thing about west Texas travel is traffic is light on I20 and US highways so you can pick how ever you like. You can always turn south from US380/180 to I20 and be on I20 within an hour. Big Spring, Midland have some hotels/motels there are other towns like Cisco TX (where Conrad Hilton started his motel business) before building Hilton hotel empire.

Thanks, would Midland or Odessa be better for accomodation? I'll be heading from Carlsbad Caverns and trying to find a hotel to stay in either Odessa or Midland so the drive the next day to Fort Worth won't be so arduous.

Also, I've had a rethink about driving from Dallas to New Orleans though Shreveport. Even though it's a little bit quicker to go via this route, I can't seem to find a lot of attractions along the way that would make the drive less tedious. I'm thinking maybe to instead head to Houston and stay a night and then continue from Houston to New Orleans.

Has anyone done both of those trips and would be able to provide insight as to what would be more interesting/worth seeing?

Thank you,

Clay

Both Midland and Odessa have a wide selection of hotels, RTA's hotel search comes up with 24 hotels in each city.

Houston has the Johnson Space Center, if that interests you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ClayBolck

I can't seem to find a lot of attractions along the way that would make the drive less tedious.

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This might help you.

Lifey

Thanks for the post - sorry for the delay, finals exams have been on.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound arrogant or disinterested in the trip - I reread my post and it looks like I'm being a snob!

My meaning was that I was going to be doing the whole trip between Dallas - New Orleans with a stop at Shreveport for a few hours. I've since decided that is a ridiculous idea for me to do a minimum 7-8hr trip and add additional time to get to stop at all the cool places along the way, opting for a night in Houston instead and a more leisurely pace from there to New Orleans.

Plus my friend I'm travel with loves space related things so seeing the space centre will probably be a must-see destination for us anyway! :D

Thanks for all of your help! Now exams are over it's back to planning!

Sorry to bring up old posts but I thought it would be the best way.

Unfortunately my financial situation means I won't be doing this trip this summer. Won't be able to save enough money and the airfares to the US for my exact dates are over double what they ordinarily are :(

Instead I'm looking at doing the same thing between the dates of 21 November -19 December. Having always imagined this trip during the summer, can any people experienced with the South during the beginning of winter please let me know if it's still manageable? Being from Northern Australia I'm definitely not familiar with driving in snowy/icy conditions, however if it won't be that difficult in those regions specified then I'll continue on with what's planned. Even still, whether December in this area detracts from it's appeal at all. If not I might just have to wait until summer next year.

Thanks in advance for your assistance, hopefully it's still on the cards!

Climate Change makes responding in a responsible way a bit of a puzzle these days. The southern states have been ravaged by unusually cold weather this winter. Odds are it will only be worse next winter. It's really impossible at this stage to know how much, if any, ice storms will impact the area you're considering driving through in late November, early December 2015.

That being said, any day spent on a road trip trumps one spent at home!

Some of the attractions might be closed or less active during the time frame you're now considering, but the thing to remember is that the weather is USUALLY a lot nicer for roadtripping in the fall and winter months than in summer in the southern states.

For that reason, I'd say you should consider taking the trip when you can. But you have to know that climate change is affecting just about everything these days.

Mark

Clay, I'd second the above. You might need to take a trip to Melbourne, and stock up on some winter woollies and / or thermals. Even in Florida this year, my daughter wore warmer clothes than usual.

Off season travel has many advantages which outweigh the disadvantages. The accommodation will be cheaper and as a rule won't need to be booked in advance. The exception would be if you are there over the Thanksgiving weekend. There won't be the summer crowds. Chances are you could see some autumn leafs, and, something which will be even more foreign to you than it was to me - trees without leafs. Not a sight I liked. [In OH and MD at the weekend I struck snow on the ground. Even though the roads were clear, getting into the truck stop and into Macca's carpark was through muddy slush. And it was COLD!]

Chances of running into a winter storm might be equivalent to running into a hurricane when visiting FL, etc., or getting hit by a tornado almost anywhere.

Go for it!

Lifey

Thanks for your advice! I agree Mark - I'd rather be road tripping than sitting at home!

I've noticed that the changes in weather seem to be getting a little bit more unpredictable recently, though I can see winter seems to be starting later. Again this might be the year it decides to start early though!!!

Thanks Lifey - I might need to do so! I'm going to Melbourne in September anyway so it'll be a good opportunity to get all the post-winter sales! I lived in New York for a year a few years ago so I can deal with the cold, but have never had to drive on slushy/icy/snowy roads which is what I'm most concerned about.

You're also right about the cost factor - flights are ridiculously cheaper the time I'm looking at (around $1100 down from $2700!!!) and hopefully accommodation will be the same. Is Thanksgiving Weekend a 4-day long weekend there?

I think I'll proceed with the road trip route and just move it to November/December. I'll just have to come back for another Summer!

Thanks for your help!

Yes, Thanksgiving is a 4 day Thursday through Sunday weekend.

Accommodations should be reasonable except in winter resort (skiing) areas.

The only portion of your trip that has a good chance of being snowy is around the Grand Canyon and (to a lesser extent) from there to Albuquerque. It's all due to elevation, you will be going over 8000 feet. The road crews in those areas are very experienced and competent.