New York to Los Angeles in 5-6 days

[Mark54]

Hi all,

I am currently planning a road trip from NYC to Los Angeles and would greatly appreciate your advice.

I am planning on departing NYC on December 31st and have to be in LA on January 5 or January 6 at the latest. I understand this does not really allow much time to take in the sights which is unfortunate but I would still like to take the most scenic route possible so I can at least take in the scenery as I drive.

The only city I have to stop in is Denver, CO as I will be spending a night with friends there. My only other concern is I would like to avoid driving in snow as much as possible, (I am from Australia so am not too comfortable driving in snowy conditions).

Ideally I would like to spend as little money as possible so was planning on staying at cheap motels along the way so if any of you could recommend any cheap accommodation that would be a bonus.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

- Mark