Toronto Ontario to San Diego

[z_turton]

Hi everyone!

I was hoping for some tips on planning a road trip from Toronto to San Diego.

My partner and I will be moving to San Diego in October 2006 and want to spend up to 2 weeks making our way down there via car (all of our stuff will be shipped), with camping as our lodging.

We are starting from scratch and would love to plan a route with some great stops...we would appreciate any input of a route plan.

We are interested in Colorado, California and Arizona so far.... but kind of need some ideas of inbetween places to go too...and any other suggestions!!

Thanks so much!
Zoe

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

The most direct route for your trip follows 401 & 402 to Sarnia, I-69 & I-94 to Chicago, I-80 to Denver, and finishes with I-70 & I-15 to San Diego. 2 weeks is plenty of time to see stuff along the way. In the spirit of your asking for some ideas for 'in between places to go', I'm going to concentrate on the section between when you cross into the US and arrive in Colorado. The pleasures along this stretch are a bit more subtle but no less enjoyable than those you'll encounter at the more well known parks of the mountains and southwest. Consider some of the following. In southwestern Michigan you can take wine tours, then see the Indiana Dunes. Illinois offers a couple of scenic state parks, Starved Rock and Matthiessen as you follow the Illinois River westward. On a general note, state parks in the US are a great source of low cost camping. In Iowa, take the time to visit the Amana Colonies and in Nebraska stop in Gothenburg for a bit of American history. That should get you started. Let me know if those sorts of venues suit your taste or if you had something else entirely in mind..

AZBuck

[z_turton]

AZbuck-

Thanks so much for your info...I agree that the in between in much more subtle...and in October, also colder. We may end up driving hard until we get into either Colorado (we are debating though, since it will be October) or the southwest and then take our time from there.

Your input was awesome! If there are any other places (anywhere on our journey) that you would like to suggest, I am open ears. We have a while to plan, and I hope to get as much input as possible to make this trip fun and worthwhile!

Thanks again,
Zoe

[Mark Sedenquist]

I was hoping for some tips on planning a road trip from Toronto to San Diego. My partner and I will be moving to San Diego in October 2006 and want to spend up to 2 weeks making our way down there via car (all of our stuff will be shipped), with camping as our lodging.

Zoe, I am a firm believer that October is the best month in the year for roadtripping in North America. Nights are cool, days are warm, the roads are relatively less crowded and everyone is getting ready for the winter months but still relatively relaxed and laid back.

If it were me, I would head for Colorado and explore some of the routes north and south of I-70 and then make my way to Las Vegas and then zig-zag down to San Diego.

What kinds of road adventures interest you?

Mark