Drive from Columbus Ohio to Seattle washington

[Serenity]

Please share any ideas and suggestions to make this a trip of a lifetime driving with my dog across country from columbus Ohio to seattle Washington. Any tips for where to make stops would be great. Also need ideas of where to stay with a dog.

[Midwest Michael]

You really need to give us a whole lot more. If this is your trip of a lifetime, presumably, you've done a little bit of thinking about the major places you'd like to stop, how much time you have for a trip like this, etc. Without more information, we just don't really have any place to begin narrowing down the thousands of places you could potentially stop

It shouldn't be hard to find a place to stay with your dog, as most motels do allow pets, but they will charge an additional fee. If your dog is a large breed, it may be more difficult, as some places have size limits for pets.

You should also know that most national parks will limit dogs to campground and a near roads/parking lots. They generally are not allowed on trails.

[Serenity]

Well now...I used the term trip of a lifetime a bit loosely because I have never done anything like this by just loading up the car and taking off. I am looking for neat places to stop that could be touristy but a bit more off the beaten track is more the style I am looking for. I tried to google for some ideas and one site put me thru cbus to Chicago to Wisconsin then Montana thru to south Dakota to Washington. Is there a better idea???

[Midwest Michael]

The route spit out by an online mapping program is one of millions of ways you could make this trip. The point is that what makes a roadtrip unique from most other forms of travel is that you get to build the trip to fit your specific goals, interests, and desires. You're not tied down to a single, premade, trip.

At this point, there just is no way that anyone can tell you if there is a "better way" because we have no idea what you might be looking for, and no idea what sort of time and resources you have available. If you are simply looking to get there as quickly as possible, then an online map is usually going to be an excellent starting point, if you have some time to explore, then it very well may be a poor choice.

If you really have nothing in mind at this point, then I would at least start by getting out a good map and simply taking a look at everything that is between your point a and point b.

[Serenity]

I have plenty of time and plenty of resources. Again, I only came to your forum for ideas please. What are some cool places to see along the drive? That's why I am asking for other members to contribute where they would go. I can do the map quest just fine. Please share ideas.

[MikeV]

From Columbus to Seattle without going out of the way you could easily see the South Dakota badlands, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower Wyoming, Yellowstone, and Glacier national park in Montana. Just go up to Chicago and then cut across I90. I did this last summer and also happened upon a decommissioned nuclear missile silo between the badlands and rapid city with a park ranger who gave a great tour. Also may be kind of tricky but the Grand Tetons just south of Yellowstone were fantastic.

[Serenity]

Thank you for the lead. You gave me a good start. Thanks.