Oregon to Alexandria, LA

[glindsay]

Hello, I am planning a trip from Roseburg, Oregon to Alexandria, Louisiana in late January. I will be traveling with 2 very young adults and 3 dogs. We are wondering what kind of attratctions/sites might be along the way as well as the best route. Las Vegas was mentioned as a stop over to visit family. Allthough I am excited, I also realize winter is not the best time to travel but it cannot be helped. We will travel in 2 passenger cars, so heavy snow would not be ideal. Any tips, suggested routes and places to visit would be appreciated.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum. Why are you taking two cars? Is this a moving trip? How long do you have for making the journey? What kinds of attractions most appeal to you? City and urban sites or national park-like scenery?

By the most direct route -- the trip would be ~ 2400 miles and would take at least four days -- although five would be safer.

Mark

[glindsay]

Yes this is a moving trip which i would like to also use as an exploration with my children. We will throw in our tents but will definately use a few hotels. Our tastes are eclectic,love the history and scenery but Vegas is also calling to us. Maybe Route 66? I don't know, so many things to see and do and probably need to complete the trip in no less than 7 days. I think we will skip the Grand Canyon, but am up for most every thing else. Would it be better to go far south and then east to avoid the snow? So many questions.

[Charlie H]

You will be in the Route 66 corridor from Kingman, Arizona to Amarillo, Texas. If you develop an interest, I would especially recommend the link to Discover Historic 66 in the first link. The stretch from Kingman to Seligman, Arizona is particularly popular. You will also be passing right through Petrified Forest Nat'l Park and if you have a couple of hours to spare, a drive through the Park would be enjoyable.

Another place you might consider is Death Valley Nat'l Park.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Oftentimes the demands of a 'work' trip (moving, job related, anything that's time-limited) can run counter to the freedom needed to have a 'fun' RoadTrip. But not always, and yours is one of the later cases. You should still stick pretty close to the shortest/fastest route for a couple of reasons, but mainly that is so that you don't waste time driving (you'll have enough of that in any case) but so that you can use your spare time to enjoy seeing some of the many great spots you'll be driving by. You should also stick mainly to the Interstates, especially in the winter, because they get first priority when it comes to winter precipitation removal. And, yes, it can snow or sleet even on I-10, the southernmost of the tans-continental Interstates.

For you, the most direct, all-Interstate route is simply I-5 south to Sacramento where you switch over to (freeway quality) CA-99 south to Bakersfield. Use CA-58 (also freeway quality for much of its length) to transition over to I-40 at Barstow CA. I-40 will take you all the way to Amarillo TX where you'd get on US-287 (mostly four lane divided highway) down to Dallas/Fort Worth. The easiest way through DFW is to take TX-114 (freeway-quality) to the airport, go north on TX-121 for one exit, and get on I-635 east to US-80 (freeway-quality) east to I-20 east. I-20 will then take you to Shreveport and your final leg on I-49 to Alexandria.

OK - so now what to see and do along such a route. First off, with two younger adults and a few dogs, you're going to need plenty of quick R&R stops along the way. I would strongly urge you to look for similar sites along CA-99 and US-287 in Texas since they will be a large part of your journey. If you are skipping the Grand Canyon because you've all seen it before that's fine, but if you haven't been there it would be a shame to waste this final(?) opportunity to wee it while you're in the west. Even a half day spent driving up from Williams AZ and along the South Rim on AZ-64 and then returning to Flagstaff and I-40 on US-89 would be well worth the time. Otherwise some sites that you might want to consider include Edwards Air Force Base (Home of the 'Right Stuff', and yes, you can visit), Petrified Forest National Park (includes the Painted Desert), Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque, Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo (graffiti is encouraged), and the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas.

All-in-all, your trip would normally take about four and a half days to drive. Add in a half day for the needs of the dogs and you're looking at five days. That leaves you a day or two's worth of time to spread amongst all the stops you decide to make which should make for a very nice, leisurely-paced, enjoyable RoadTrip.

AZBuck

[glc]

Very minor point, but I recommend you use CA-4 at Stockton to cut across from I-5 to CA-99 instead of trying to do it at Sacramento.

To complete the thought:

The easiest way through DFW is to take TX-114 (freeway-quality) to the airport, go north on TX-121 for one exit, and get on I-635 east to US-80 (freeway-quality) east to TX-557 to I-20 east.

However, I would prefer to take US-380 east from Decatur to Denton, then I-35E to I-635 if you are there anywhere near rush hour. This also keeps you away from the DFW airport traffic.

[Charlie H]

If you take the route suggest above, you will also be in the Route 66 corridor from Barstow all the way to Kingman and the stretch across the Mojave from Barstow to Needles is another good one. A very old Route 66 alignment takes you from Topock, AZ to Kingman via Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is a favorite of most Route 66ers but I'm not sure how active it would be at the time of year you'll be traveling.

Along California 58 west of Tehachapi, you will pass very close to the Tehachipi Loop where trains actually cross over themselves. It is a great little detour that would not require a lot of time.



Murray Family Farms just east of Bakersfield is also a fun stop and a good place to get a bite to eat.

[Southwest Dave]

Of course, deciding on an 'ideal' route that see's the least snow can only be done when you have up to date weather forecasts available within 2 or 3 days of your departure. This is not a major problem as you have no real need to book lodgings in advance and have the option to just 'wing it' or book a day or 2 in advance as you go.

Now if the weather played nice and you wanted to visit family in Vegas you could take CA89 near Mt Shasta to CA44/36 /US395 to Reno and then continue south on 395 past Mono Lake to Lone Pine and then take 190 across the wonderful landscape of Death Valley to Vegas. To save time and miles to Vegas you could head east to Fallon from Reno and take US95 to Vegas, but with "no less than 7 days available", 395 and Death valley is a lovely route and worth consideration. You would then head south on 95 past Hoover Dam and pick up I40 and/or parts of route 66.

[DonnaR57]

The route you take will also affect your comfort if deciding to use your tents as overnight accommodations. Even in the deserts of southern California and southern Arizona, it's too darn cold to sleep out in tents unless you are used to doing so and have impressive sleeping bags! (If you don't, it might be worth your while to save your money and catch some less expensive motels.) Three people can share a room costing in the neighborhood of $50-60 night, where low-temp rated sleeping bags can cost $150-200 EACH. (Summer car camping bags won't cut it, even sleeping in thermal underwear.)


Donna

[glindsay]

Wow thank you all for the advice it is very much appreciated. We are planning viva Las Vegas and then will probably use your suggestions for the remainder of our trip. I have been pouring over the maps and see that another route might be to go farther south and catch 10. Are there any sites or attractions that way that we shouldn't miss? I am very sad to say I have never really seen the gulf coast.