Kansas City to Seattle, at Least 350miles/day

[tonymuu]

Hi fellas! I am doing an internship in Seattle this summer and decided to drive there, because of the generous relocation package provided by my employer. I live around the Kansas City area, and in order to get a full reimbursement of my driving cost + any lodging cost during the trip, I will need to drive at least 350 miles every day. My question would be what are some best spots to visit/check out during the road trip? What would be the best route to cover some of the greatest sightseeing spots? I wouldn't mind driving extra if it's reasonable.

I'm planning on leaving around May 23 and arrive at Seattle around May 29. I'm by myself, but I would love to have a travel partner as well! I drive a '07 Ford Taurus.

Thank you all!!

[Lifemagician]

Hi Tony, and Welcome to the Great Americana Roadtrip Forum.

For a trip which could be covered by three hard days' driving, to have six days will allow you to stop and enjoy some (though by no means all) of the sights along the way. Get out some good maps/road atlas, and look at all the national parks and monuments along the routes, Rocky Mountain, Dinosaur and Yellowstobne are the main ones which come to mind. Even if you only get to do a drive through on some of them, you will have seen a lot of spectacular country. On the maps are most of the other attractions you pass, or on alternate routes. You will probably have time to venture off the interstates now and then and enjoy some of the scenic routes. (Scenic routes are marked on your maps/roadatlas.)

You might also find this paragraph helpful......

Start with maps. Not GPS, not software, not Google, but real honest-to-god paper maps that show you your entire route, that you can mark up (and erase), that you can stick pins in, and that show something about the land you'll be driving through. Those are your essential tool in any RoadTrip planning process. Start by marking all the places you know you want to visit. Then connect the dots. Then look for more places of interest and scenic routes along the lines connecting the dots. Repeat until you've got as many sites and roads as you think you want.

Lifey

[tonymuu]

Hi Life, thanks for the reply! Since I'm a tech savvy guy, I do own a GPS, would you still recommend having a paper map and doing research on it, instead of on the internet?

[Lifemagician]

Since I'm a tech savvy guy, I do own a GPS ...

As do all of us, but relying on electronics without paper maps can get you into serious trouble, as it has many. If you read all the disclaimers Garmin (to mention only one) puts in their gps, you will see that they do not guarantee it's accuracy, and will not be held responsible for any trouble you may get into by relying on them. When the Cretiens got into terrible trouble a couple of years back (Google 'Death by GPS'), the head of Garmin emphasised that they were never meant to be an accurate navigator. Mr Crretien lost his life relying on his gps.

Mine has shown me a U turn on a one way road, and sent me onto an interstate OFF ramp the wrong way. We have heard of folk who have been routed onto railway tracks and bush or forestry roads some of which were closed at the time, as well as the wrong way down one way streets.

Even putting in the co ordinates to find a campground had my gps lead me up some tiny bush track where it took me 65 mins to cover 1 mile. (On checking, the error was not with the user.)

Your primary navigation tool has to be good paper maps. By all means do the research into various places and routes on the internet, but be sure you have the BIG picture on your map. Gps snippets are perfect for finding addresses in urban areas, although my Garmin has not got that right all the time either..... despite updating the maps yearly.

It does not seem to matter where on earth one is, as my Garmin downunder has the same issues as the one I have in the US.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

Others that come to mind between Kansas City and Seattle: the Black Hills of South Dakota (Mt Rushmore, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial), Badlands National Park, Devil's Tower National Monument, Little Big Horn National Historic Battlefield, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Coeur d'Alene, Grand Coulee Dam. If you have 6 days to cover what could be hard driven in 3 days, you don't have time for all of these, but you can pick and choose.

MAPS, PAPER MAPS. I totally agree with Lifey. You'll see all the things I just mentioned on a paper map, but your GPS will not necessarily show them to you. It's still very, very important to know how to use a paper map and to do it. My GPS has tried to send me the wrong way down a one-way road, and up a road that is clearly closed with a padlocked gate across it to find the home of a colleague, and it told me once that my destination was on the left when it was clearly on the right. (I was going to a hotel, not a senior center.)


Donna

[Midwest Michael]

Out of curiosity, do you have to cover 350 miles each day, or do you just have to average 350 miles? In other words, If you wanted to cover 500 miles the first day, then explore a park or city and cover just 200 miles the next day, would that be allowed?

Both options could make for a great trip, but it would certainly impact how I would approach the planning.

Donna gave you some great options for heading north to South Dakota and over, but you'd also have the option to head out towards Colorado and Utah, visiting places like Rocky Mountain NP and Arches and Canyonland, before turning North. I wouldn't recommend one route over another, as they are both fantastic.

And yes, Paper Maps are essential and provide a level of visuals that you just can't get on a computer or GPS screen.

[tonymuu]

I see what you are saying Life, thanks! So what brand of map atlas would you recommend me getting? I'm looking at a NatGeo one and it costs $15. It looks kinda like a book instead of a paper map though...

[tonymuu]

Hey Michael, I believe only need to average 350 miles a day. So yeah that means I can drive 500 miles a day and 200 on another day. I am thinking of potentially driving pass Laramie, WY to visit some friends too, but it's not a must-have. Would that impact the planning as well?

[tonymuu]

Hi Donna, thanks for the reply. I looked up all the spots on Google and they all look amazing! Just another question, would you recommend living in hotels and driving to the sites every day, or would you recommend camping out? Also, when would be the best time to drive/sightseeing each day? I'm thinking driving in dusk, and then visiting during day light.

[tonymuu]

This is the atlas i'm currently looking at
http://www.campsaver.com/mount-baker...f5JxoCnE7w_wcB