SF/Oakland to Brooklyn, NY

My wife and I will be road tripping across the country for the first time with our two dogs (a German Shepherd and a Pembroke Corgi) in our 2017 Subaru Crosstrek and wanted to get some tips for this time of year. We'll be leaving in a few days but we've got a general idea of where we're headed.

To avoid the heat and save some time, we're going the northern route through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. We're going to try to make it up to Grand Teton and Yellowstone on the way but it's going to have to be about a 6-7 day trip overall. I would love some suggestions on low-stress traffic routes, parks, regional food must-haves, and pet-friendly lodging. We just received our Rand McNally 2019 Road Atlas so lay on the tips!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If you try to include the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, the minimum driving distance is over 3,200 miles. A good chunk of that would on two-lane roads through the Rockies. That's slightly more than six full days of driving even before you start adding in the time to stop and do anything. You simply don't have time to include them. If you stick to I-80 as your basic route, then the mileage drops to 'only' 2,900 miles, but all of it is Interstate. That's still six days of driving, but it can be done with a few short stops each day to break up the relentless monotony of Interstate driving. If you can manage that seventh day, then you'll have a grand total of one whole day to visit a site or two in some depth, but that's it.

If I needed to make this trip, what I'd do is plan on making it in six, map out where 500 or so miles per day would put me, and start making reservations for lodging now. It might take some effort to find motels that will allow two dogs in a room. I'd also consider whether I wanted to pay the tolls associated with the Tri-State Tollway, Indiana Toll Road, and Ohio Turnpike or would rather drop down from the Quad Cities on I-74 to Indianapolis, take I-70 into eastern Ohio, then use I-77/US-62/OH-227/I-76 back up to rejoin I-80 just west of Youngstown OH for the final run into NYC.

AZBuck

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then use I-77/US-62/OH-227/I-76 back up to rejoin I-80

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I would stay on Interstates - at Columbus, take I-71 to I-76 through Akron back to I-80.

Pet friendly lodging could be had, but depending on the size of your German shepherd, you could possibly incur a few problems. In general, Motel 6 is pretty good about pets. That is the lodging of choice for my cousin, who regularly road trips with 2 dogs, but they're not big ones - they're Bostons. At one time, La Quinta was also pretty good about pets. The brand has recently been purchased by Wyndham and I am not aware of any changes yet in policy, but it could happen.

I would check any individual property's website and call them directly to inquire about the dogs, to avoid any issues upon check-in. Get the name of the person who says, "Sure!" and makes the reservation for you, too.

I would also agree...you do not have time to get up to GTNP or Yellowstone. It takes time to see Yellowstone, as it is so big. Save it for a trip where you have time to fully enjoy it. Along I-80, there are many historical places where you can stop and do a little sight-seeing.


Donna

Thanks for the feedback AZbuck, glc, and DonnaR57. We’ve decided to avoid going to Grand Teton this time around. We’re on the road right now, I’ll let you know if anything comes up! Thanks!

Hi everyone,

So we’re on the trip right now and we decided to take it easy through beautiful Utah and Wyoming before getting through most of Nebraska today. Took a detour onto WY-130E from Rawlins and drove through Medicine Bow National Forest. Absolutely stellar.

We were taking in the sights when a couple from Iowa started chatting with us. They told us the last they heard, the I-80 was closed in the east of Iowa due to flooding. It looks clear now from what I googled but if anyone has any insight, that would be great. Thanks!

I-80 is open, and I don't believe the flooding in Eastern Iowa has impacted it at all, at any point this year. I really don't know what they would have been talking about. I-29 in the far western portion of the state had some closures earlier in the year - but that's also pretty common based on the geography/how the road is designed.

Davenport has seen severe flooding this year, and I would avoid using I-74 through Davenport/Moline, but neither I-80 nor I-280 have been impacted at all.

Okay good to know. Very curious why that couple said that.

Davenport has had some catastrophic flooding this year - after a levee failed - and I-80 goes past Davenport, so that would be my best guess. However, I-80 doesn't go anywhere near the part of the city that was flooded, and the bridge over the Mississippi is hundreds of feet above the river.

Hey Midwest Michael,

We’re keeping ourselves informed of the incoming storm. I’m reading different reports of it being a pretty bad thunderstorm with hail the size of baseballs and/or the potential for tornadoes.

Any tips on radio stations where we can follow storm or tornado warnings? We’re staying in Chicago tonight and were planning to get through most of Ohio on Thursday. But judging from the reports, I’m not sure if we should stay near Chicago for longer or just try to get through it.

I think this line from the article you linked to is probably the most important/relevant:

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damaging thunderstorms may only affect a fraction of this zone and tornadoes are likely to only affect a tiny fraction

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Severe Thunderstorms impact a small area, and usually for a brief period of time. I've never once in my life stopped travel for an entire day because of the chance of a storm. There have been times where I've pulled over and/or stopped for a bit to let a storm pass, but that's something you can judge by paying attention to your surroundings.

Not to mention, if you're now going through Chicago, then it would seem you'll be traveling north of the area highlighted in the link you provided.

Would it be ridiculous to drive I-90 around the storm into upstate NY into Brooklyn? It looks like there are tolls associated with that route.

If the option is to stay near Chicago again tomorrow night, we might just consider avoiding the whole storm and going through Toronto into Upstate NY. Either way, we’ll be adding another day to our travel time.

Point taken. We’ve been through plenty of thunderstorms blinding ours windshields, just never had to deal with a tornado before. Thanks Midwest Michael!

If you're thinking of going through Toronto, because it's someplace you want to see, that's great (assuming you are traveling with passports and papers for your dogs), if you're thinking of going that way to avoid storms, then yes, I'd call that fairly ridiculous.