Indiana to Vegas

In a little over a month, I will be getting transferred to Vegas for work. Where I'm currently located, in north central Indiana, I have a few options about which routes to take.

Option #1: Head down on I-65S to I-465S to I-70W all the way until I-15S. This seems like the most direct route, but I'm worried about traffic in Saint Louis and Denver if my timing is off. I'm familiar with I-70W through Saint Louis, but I've never driven west of there on that road.

Option #2: This route would take me along I-65N to I-80W just outside Chicago to I-76, which would lead me to I-70 in Denver and then finally I-15S. I'm familiar with I-80W to Omaha. I'm pretty much guaranteed to hit traffic in Chicago and will once again have to worry about mistiming an arrival in Denver and hitting more traffic there.

Option #3: This wouldn't even be an option if I was leaving today because the road I would use to get there is currently under construction, but it's projected to be finished by the time I leave so I'm including it just in case it actually is completed. I could head almost due west from my house for about an hour and jump on I-74W, which becomes I-72W and eventually US-36W, to I-35S and finally picking up I-70W in Kansas City and then on to I-15S. I've actually only driven on I-74 between Crawfordsville, IN and Indianapolis.

As you can see, I have 3 potential routes. I'm not concerned with sightseeing really, just want to get out there somewhat quickly. However, if there is something that might be just a quick detour to see, I'd definitely consider it. According to Google Maps, the 3 routes are all about 27 hours of driving time and they range in mileage from 1851 miles (option #3) to 1873 miles (option #1). Option #2 comes in at 1869 miles. So similar distances and similar drive times obviously.

So my questions are:

1) Is there any considerable advantage over taking one route over the other two?

2) Is there anything close to any of the routes (say within 25 miles of the interstate) that would be worth seeing enough that you'd pick one route over the others?

3) Regarding traffic, my first potentially bad traffic (barring a major accident) would be Chicago, Saint Louis, or Kansas City. I personally can't imagine Kansas City being too bad, but I do know that Chicago and Saint Louis can be a real mess. I'm not counting Indianapolis as potential traffic because I know I can avoid that traffic (once again, barring a major accident). So I guess my question is this, would it be better to hit what will be guaranteed traffic early in my first day of travel or hit traffic a bit later?

Some final details. Regardless of which route I take, I will most likely be leaving between 6:30-7am. If I take option #1, that would put me passing Indianapolis International Airport between 7:15-7:45am and in Saint Louis at about 10:30am St. Louis time. If I go option #2, that would put me in Chicago at 8-8:30am Chicago time. Option #3 would put me in Kansas City at about 1:30-2pm Kansas City time, but this one would probably actually be later because I'd definitely stop some and stretch my legs and I'd need gas before I got there and would probably also grab a bite to eat.

I'm also uncertain on potential overnight stops. The first day, I would like to cover as much distance as possible while still being able to drive safely. Any suggestions for overnight stops along the routes I've mentioned?

This is my first time posting here, but I have been reading posts here for awhile. I'm not asking you guys/girls to plan my trip for me as I will do my own research on any and all suggestions to see what works out for me. All I'm asking is for some suggestions based on your own experiences in case something is suggested that I hadn't considered previous.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might give.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

As you noted, all reasonable routes will take you about three and a half days to drive. (N.B.: Do not think of these drives in terms of hours, and the driving time estimates of computer-based mapping routines are pure fantasy.) So, the real question is, what are you looking for in the way of a driving experience. From your comments, it looks like your major concern is avoiding large metropolitan areas, especially at rush hour. So here's what I'd do.

You don't say where you're starting from (Sorry, but "north central Indiana" is an area not a location,) but I'm guessing roughly Lafayette. In that case, get on I-74 west as soon as practicable and then, as you indicate in your option 3, I-72 and US-36 across northern Missouri. But stay on US-36 across northern Kansas and into Colorado and I-70 east of Denver rather than dropping down into Kansas City. Over the Rockies on I-70 and then drop down into Vegas on I-15. This is shorter (in miles) than any of your other options but will still take just about the same amount of time - three and a half driving days. Other advantages are the lack of any major cities besides Denver, and the fact that it will take you through Hannibal MO (Mark Twain), St. Joseph MO (Pony Express history), the Pony Express route across Kansas, Colorado National Monument, Arches National Park and Zion National Park, all within easy reach of the route. If you want to avoid Denver, you could even, at the cost of another half day or so of driving, use CO-79 and CO-52 to skirt it to the east and north and include Rocky Mountain National park in your itinerary, using US-40 (east!) to return to I-70.

As for where to stop, plan on covering about 550 miles a day if you only do minimal sight-seeing. That allows time for getting going in the morning, stops for food and fuel and bathroom breaks, a couple of short stops to get out of the car for some fresh air and mind-clearing walk, and to wind down in the evening before trying to get to sleep. It is a common mistake to try to "cover as much distance as possible" especially on the first day. But you need to treat his like a marathon, like work, and just keep a steady sustainable pace. To that end, making reservations beforehand will help you maintain that pace and not be tempted to drive 'just another hour' down the road. Having reservations also means that you won't be wasting precious RoadTrip time looking for a room or worse, not being able to find one once you really are tired. Remember, though, to factor in any longish stops you decide to make and don't plan on driving quite as far on that day.

AZBuck

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Originally Posted by AZBuck

If you want to avoid Denver, you could even, at the cost of another half day or so of driving, use CO-79 and CO-52 to skirt it to the east and north and include Rocky Mountain National park in your itinerary, using US-40 (east!) to return to I-70.

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That assumes that the Trail Ridge Road (US-34) will be open. This road which crosses the Rockies at over 12000' from Estes Park to Grandby, is subject to blizzards at a moment's notice, any day of the year. It was in a July, August and September (in different years) that I found it closed by a blizzards.

Should you be unlucky to find it closed, CO 7 and CO 72 is another magnificent drive from Estes Park back to I-70.

Lifey

As Buck indicated, having only a general area as your starting point makes it pretty difficult to help you narrow down between your options - especially because your starting point could have a big impact on which of the 3 route's I'd suggest.

One thing I will tell you from the very beginning is that you should really dismiss the time estimates of google, as they are a complete fantasy - assuming you never have to slowdown or stop for anything, including gas. That seems especially important to note based on your statement that such estimates would have you getting to KC sometime around 2. In the real world, it's going to take you roughly 9 hours on the road.

As far as routing, It really will depend on your overall goals. If your goal is to get there as fast as possible, I think I would go with either route 1 or 3 - depending upon your exact starting point - ruling out Chicago because of traffic issues. If you're just trying to get there as fast as possible, I think I would stick to taking the Interstates across Kansas. The trip is on the very outer edge of how far you can safely get in 3 days - and if you go that route, Junction City KS and Glenwood Spring are pretty much your only options for overnights. Those are going to be just over 600 mile days each, putting you on the road for 10-12 hours, and not leaving any time left for anything other than covering miles. As Buck suggested, giving yourself 3.5 days would make this a much more comfortable experience.

I'd like to propose another option, which is a modification of your #2 and #3 - take I-74 all the way to the Quad Cities and pick up I-80 there. This keeps you out of all troublesome metros except Denver. Des Moines and Omaha are no problem.

FYI, Kansas City traffic can be a real mess in rush hour - every bit as bad as St. Louis.

My limited experience with the I-270 By-Pass north of St. Louis, has been positive. It is like an outer beltway segment, connecting I-70 east and west of St. Louis. More cities, of all sizes, need "outer beltways" these days. I've seen some real messes in "small cities" such as Wichita and Albuquerque.

I've been on I-270 in rush hour. It's no fun at all. Still better than going through downtown though.

Wichita is better than it used to be, US-400 has been upgraded to freeway quality most of the way through the city.

Yeah, if you can avoid St Louis in any rush hour, you're probably best off. When we head west or east, we use a combination of I-70 to I-270 to MO-370 to I-70, or vice versa (heading east). We plan our departure very well to avoid STL *or* Kansas City during rush hour.

Referring to MWMichael's suggestions for Junction City and Glenwood Springs, both places have a number of different lodging options. Exit 299 in KS has 4 choices including an Econo Lodge and Super 8. Exit 298 has 5 more choices, all of them a bit more upscale (BW, Candlewood, Courtyard by Marriott, Holiday Inn, and Quality Inn). Exit 296 gives you back to budget-minded Budget Host, Days Inn, Ho Jo, Ramada, and ValuePlace.

Glenwood Springs, because it's a bit more resort-like, is going to be a little higher priced. There are oodles of offerings at exit 116 and 114. There are budget-minded places if that's what you're looking for.


Donna

Sorry it took a few days to get back to you guys. I've had a couple long days of work and had internet issues one day.

I live about 20 miles SE of Lafayette, near Frankfort. The one problem right now with any route involving I-74 is the road for me to get there (SR28) is completely shut down right now between US52 and US231 so to get to I-74, I have to go either through Lebanon and take SR32, which is in dire need of repair at the moment, or go to Indy and pick on I-74 down there, in which case I would only be like 3 miles away from I-70. The construction on SR28 is projected to be done before I leave, but if it's not, then I'll at least have to take another route to get to I-74.

I'm not afraid of driving in the larger cities during rush hour, but I do want to make my trip without a lot of delays. I did get my official schedule from work just yesterday concerning the transfer. My last work day at my current office is June 21. My first work day at the new office will be on June 27. I know I'll make it in time, but I'd like to avoid any delays that can be avoided so I can have a little more time to get things organized in my new home.

I see your trip as three very full days of driving, or four more leisurely ones, giving you a day to get moved into your new place before beginning work. That's if you're ready to go on the morning of the 22nd. It's 1850 miles, which means 3 days of hard driving around 620 miles per day (just a hair more than commercial drivers are allowed to do), or 4 days of about 465 miles per day.

Or, if you really want that extra half day to help you move in, do about 550 miles per day for 3 days, then the last 200 on the 4th day. If you did something like this, you could spend your first night in Topeka, KS (about 560 mi), your second night on the WEST side of Denver (to avoid rush hour in the morning, about 540 mi), third night either in Beaver, UT (527 mi) or Cedar City, UT (580 mi - there isn't much between Beaver and Cedar City), then on the 4th day you'd arrive in Las Vegas after 170-220 mi of driving, depending on what you chose to do on the 3rd day.

You know your local roads better than I do, but if it were me, I'd put up with the 18 or 20 miles of bad roads on SR32 to catch it to I-74, then take I-72. US-36 across Missouri is divided four lane most of the way, then use US-59 and KS-4 to drop down to I-70. This route will help you avoid St Louis *and* Kansas City.



Donna

There is another way to get to I-74 from the Frankfort area that does not involve the under construction portion of IN-28, but instead uses very local farm-to-market kinds of roads for about 30 miles. From the Frankfort Municipal Airport take IN-28 west to the (very) small town of Jefferson and turn south onto S 450 West. At another (very) small town, Manson, turn right onto W Manson Colfax Road and continue straight on that to Colfax. Leaving Colfax, this will bear left and become 850 West Road and then N 1050 W, but you're only on 'both' of them for about a mile and a half before turning right onto W 900 N. Another five and a half miles and you'd turn left onto 700 East down to the town or Darlington Woods. Do a jog right (turn right, go a couple of blocks and then turn left) onto Madison St. and take that through town to IN-47. Make a right onto that and follow it into Crawfordsville and then US-231 onto I-74.

Now, while that may sound like a lot of navigating on tiny roads, but I'm sure that you're relatively familiar with them and at least some of the towns you'll be navigating between. And the standard speed limit on rural two-lane Indiana roads is 55 mph. So if IN-28 is still a no-go, then I would at least consider using such a 'back' way to get where I'm going.

AZBuck

Thanks for the advice everybody, but especially Donna and AZBuck.

Regarding the "back" way to I-74, that possibility would depend on the weather before I leave. If there are any big storms that come through, then a lot of that area will be flooded. I actually have considered that route and am still considering it, but as I said, the weather could change that plan.

Right now, I think I'm leaning towards Donna's plan, except instead of taking SR32 to Crawfordsville to pick up I-74, I will more than likely head to Indy and pick up I-74W from I-465S. I wouldn't lose that much time, if any, and I'd avoid the roughness of SR32.

There is one more possibility to get to 74. I could go south on SR39 from Frankfort and turn west onto SR47. The road is in better condition than 32 is, but there are times it seems like it's taking you miles out of the way to get to the same place. I realize that over an 1850+ mile trip, a few miles means nothing, but there are times when SR47 just makes no sense at all.

So I had an extended weekend this week so I decided to rent a car and a buddy and I went on a road trip.

We took I-65 to I-465 to I-74 and followed it to the Quad Cities. Pretty nice, about 4.5 hours away from home and then I'd be on I-80. Then we drove back to Champaign, IL where we picked up I-72 and took I-72 and US36 to Hannibal. Another pretty nice drive and Hannibal seems to be about 4-4.5 hours away from my house as well.

Looking on google maps, I did see something I wanted to ask you guys about. If taking I-72 to US-36, couldn't I get on US-75 in Kansas and take it south and pick up I-70 in Topeka?

Yes, but it would cut off some miles if you picked up US-59 at St Joseph, and head southwest, taking KS-4 to Topeka.

You really, really *need* an atlas or some paper maps. The electronic mapping programs are not designed to show you these little routes. You never want to rely on electronics while on the road, either. They're great for finding addresses -- usually, though they lead you astray at times -- but not for finding your way across the country. Get some maps, and if you're not sure how to read them, have someone teach you.


Donna

(Mod Edit: While we do recommend paper maps while on the road, e-mapping tools, like the ones RoadTrip America has created, are excellent and are fine for planning trips as you are doing at this point.)

Thanks for the advice Donna. I do have paper maps and know how to read them. I use google maps while at home to get ideas. I ask about my ideas on here so if somebody knows about a particular route, they can tell me. For instance, maybe a route is having road work done, maybe there is a lot of small towns along the route that means a lot of speed limit changes, maybe there are a lot of intersections with stop signs or lights.

The only time I ever use my GPS on the road is to find a hotel if it's not right along the interstate, find my final destination, or to work my way around traffic delays caused by accidents or construction.

Looks like you are well set up for this trip.

Ever since relying on my gps in 2014 (I should have known better), and getting into semi-serious trouble , I have not used a gps. (I did have maps, but did not think to take them out)

Please consider keeping a journal or log of your trip, we would be most interested to read how it all goes. You can even include your favourite pictures. It may even help a future roadtripper.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

Looks like you are well set up for this trip.

Ever since relying on my gps in 2014 (I should have known better), and getting into semi-serious trouble , I have not used a gps. (I did have maps, but did not think to take them out)

Please consider keeping a journal or log of your trip, we would be most interested to read how it all goes. You can even include your favourite pictures. It may even help a future roadtripper.

Lifey

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Thanks Lifey! I'm considering it and probably will at least jot down a few things to tell you guys about. Can't say how detailed I'll get, but I'm sure I'll have something at least.

So I wanted to thank everybody for their advice. I am in Vegas now and wanted to give a quick run-down of my trip.

I was planning to take I-74 to start the trip, but the night before I left, a friend that lives just west of Plainfield, IN called me and said she had a couple small things to give me and asked me to stop by on the way. So since I now had to stop near Plainfield, I decided to just take I-70. I am glad that I stopped by her house though. She gave me 2 small coolers, 1 filled with ice and drinks (bottled water and some pops), and the other one filled with a variety of sandwiches (bologna, ham, turkey, stuff like that).

So I head west on I-70 again. The brief stop at my friend's house eliminated the short stop I was going to make in Terre Haute to stretch my legs so I didn't stop again until I was just entering St. Louis, when I needed gas. Gas was $2.199 at the station I stopped out and it cost me $30.12 to fill up my tank. Traffic wasn't too bad as I was going through St. Louis. There were a lot of vehicles on the road, but traffic was flowing at a steady pace. The only real slow down that comes to mind is there was a stalled vehicle in the right lane so the cars in that lane had to get over of course. I was in St. Louis at about 11am. The next stop that I was planning on was in Kansas City. Kansas City is where I would decide if I was too tired of driving for the day to continue or if I could go on a few more hours. So I stopped in Kansas City, ate a sandwich, and checked out my GPS for a time estimate to different places. I saw that if I could go about 2.5 more hours, I could make it to Salina, KS and that would be roughly a 700 mile day. I figured I could do that and then take it a little easier the rest of the trip. So decided to continue on with Salina, KS as my goal for the day. I made it there with no issues other than realizing just how tired I was once I finally get in my room. I got a room at the Days Inn for about $60 ($57 I believe) and as soon as I hit the bed, I crashed.

When I finally woke up, it was about 7:15am so I took a shower and grabbed a quick bite to eat and hit the road. My goal for today was pretty simple. I just wanted to make it to Denver today, which is roughly a 435 mile trip. I filled up in Salina before I really got started. Gas was 2.079 there and it cost me $27.44. I finally get on I-70W and don't make very good time to begin with, mainly because a semi that was going like 63mph decided to pass a semi that was going 62.5mph and it took forever to get around them. Once I finally got around them though, I made much better time. I did make it to Denver early in the day, as in around 3pm, but wanted to stop in Denver for the day. I have some friends in Denver so I sent them a couple quick messages when I was stopped at a truck stop earlier in the day. I let them know where I'd be staying and one of them agreed to come get me and we'd go out to eat someplace and they'd show me some of the sights. I had fun hanging out with them, but I was really just ready to get to the hotel and relax and hopefully sleep as well as I did the night before.

I didn't sleep quite as well as the previous night, but still slept pretty well. I woke up around 6am, showered, ate, filled up the tank, and hit the road. I could make it to Vegas today if I really push it, but my real goal was St. George, UT. That would leave me with about 2 hours left to drive tomorrow, which was an idea that I was fine with.

The reason I stopped early in Denver was because I knew the views west of Denver would be amazing and I wanted to see them when it was daylight and I wasn't too tired from a full day of driving. The Eisenhower Tunnel lived up to what people had told me about it and once you come back out of the tunnel and start heading down the mountains, it was a sight that I'll never forget. If I would have been in the passenger seat, I could see myself taking non-stop pictures on the way down. Then there is Glenwood Canyon. I didn't get out to explore, but just the drive through there is amazing. Once in Utah, there are several gorgeous places. The drive up to the Wasatch Plateau and the San Rafael Swell instantly come to mind for me, but others may have their own favorites. I did stop in St. George, UT as I'd planned. I wasn't really tired, but I knew if I continued into Vegas, that I'd want to start moving my things into my apartment and I wasn't ready to do that yet so I made the stop with plans to arrive in Vegas tomorrow at about 9am.

The next day, Saturday, is moving day for me. Technically I moved as soon as I drove away from my old place in Indiana, but it won't be real for me until I start moving things into my new place in Vegas. First up though is one final drive of about 120 miles or just under 2 hours. I've actually driven to Vegas once before. It was for a bowling tournament and we had enough people with us that we could drive straight through, only stopping for gas, food, and switching drivers (which is also when we would stretch out legs). So most of what I'd just seen over the previous 3 days I'd already seen in various lighting, but I slept through the approach to Vegas. Despite the fact that it was only 120 miles, the drive felt like it took so long that I could have just arrived at the airport and been waiting on my 4 hour flight instead of just a little over 100 miles away. I'm not sure how far away I was when I first saw the Vegas Strip on this trip, but it seemed like I was still 100 miles away. The Stratosphere sticks out, but you can swear that you're just imagining things because you're still so far out. Finally, you see the Stratosphere and actually recognize it for what it is and as you get a little closer, the other properties tend to stand out a little better. I know Vegas locals hate the strip, or at least hate travelling on the strip, but at this point, I'm not a local so I had to make one trip up and down the strip in a car that I'm driving for once. Other times to Vegas, I'd relied on taxis, buses, the monorail, or walking. It seems different when you're in control of the vehicle and can stop wherever you want without having to tell anybody. After the trip up and down the strip, I went to my apartment complex and started moving my things in. I only had a bunch of small things. The largest thing I had to move was my tv. My company provided some loaner furniture to use until I get on my feet out here. All I needed was a bed since I got rid of mine in Indiana with the intent of buying a new one out here. I didn't get rid of the bed just for the move. I needed a new bed already and the move provided me the opportunity to get rid of the old one.

Anyway, I'm here in Vegas now and have enjoyed a couple of my favorite restaurants. I've also explored off-strip to find what I hope will become some new favorites of mine. I got my things moved in to my apartment, but since I didn't have a bed, I stayed at a friend's house Saturday and Sunday night. My bed is scheduled to be delivered today. That's the story of my trip. Hope you all enjoyed it and once again, thank you everybody that gave me advice prior to the trip.

Thanks for sharing your story, and we're glad you had a great trip. The drive into Vegas from the North is one of my favorites as well.

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Originally Posted by mdlee3

I saw that if I could go about 2.5 more hours, I could make it to Salina, KS and that would be roughly a 700 mile day. I figured I could do that and then take it a little easier the rest of the trip. So decided to continue on with Salina, KS as my goal for the day. I made it there with no issues other than realizing just how tired I was once I finally get in my room. I got a room at the Days Inn for about $60 ($57 I believe) and as soon as I hit the bed, I crashed.

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This is exactly why we recommend that you limit yourself to 600 miles a day (which is roughly what truckers are limited to by law). While you might not "feel" tired behind the wheel, the effects of fatigue become very significant after that point. By the time you notice how tired you are, you've already been driving tired for a long time. We're glad the rest of your travel days were a much safer distance.

Now that you are a new resident of Las Vegas (the hometown of RTA), you may enjoy checking out RTA's sister site, Living Las Vegas.

Thank you. It was an enjoyable trip. I know a person that makes this trip by car several times a year, like every other month or something like that simply because they absolutely refuse to fly. I'm glad I don't have to do that, but I am glad that I got to do this. For anybody that's ever considered making this drive, I recommend you do it at least once, hopefully with other people so you can share the experience with somebody.

For the first day, I do think that a lot of why I crashed so hard that night is because I didn't sleep as well as I wanted to the night before. I had a certain time that I wanted to leave by and was afraid of over-sleeping plus I kept having this nagging feeling that I was forgetting something so when I woke up for good on that morning, I searched every cabinet and ever drawer in the house for anything I might be leaving behind. Even today, I still feel like I forgot something, but if I did, it's something so miniscule that it hasn't made itself known what I've forgotten yet. I don't regret going the extra 100 miles or so that day. Obviously, if something had happened, then I'd be looking back and probably regretting it, but nothing did. I did stop several times for short periods, 15-20 minutes, to stretch my legs, use the restroom, rest my eyes. The only place I actually made a hotel reservation was in Denver. I did want to get close enough that I could make it into Denver pretty early on the 2nd day and hopefully hang out with my friends out there a little. It worked out well as I arrived in Denver around 3pm on Thursday, got into my room quickly, showered, and then went out with the one friend that was available along with his wife for a few hours.

The little bit I saw of St. George, UT let me see why so many people go there. It seems like every time I've ever flown to Vegas, I've sat next to somebody going to St. George. I definitely plan to return here and check out the sites when I have more time and since it's just a couple hours away, then I'm hoping to make it here in the next few weeks.

As I said, the other time I've made the approach to Vegas in a car, I slept through it so I missed that view of the strip on my previous trip. I think that stretch there, from the time the strip comes into view until you're on the strip, requires a lot of self control. You want to go faster and get there sooner, but that won't speed it up enough for most people. I'll be honest, if I was driving out for a vacation, I think I probably would have gone a lot faster during that final stretch. Since I was driving out there to live, I did find it a little bit easier to just go with the flow of traffic, which actually wasn't all that bad either. Traffic really picked up for the last 25-30 minutes or so, but before that, the road was pretty clear.