Memphis, TN to Denver, CO Suggestions?

[Ame2017]

We will be traveling from the Memphis area up to Denver (actually Boulder) to explore apartments before we relocate. I see the shortest route is about 15 hours, but heard the stretch through Kansas is boring. I don't mind adding time for a slightly more scenic drive. We don't expect to drive off anywhere and take time to do things like tours, but I'd like to see something a little interesting or different during the drive. We love seeing nature so would like if there's places occasionally to just stop on the side of the road and stretch our legs but control the time spent there, such as parks or easy access landmarks (historic sites, nice views, waterfalls, etc). I welcome good food suggestions but we honestly might just eat food we pack for the most part to stay mostly on the road. (My family use to move every few months and we'd drive basically nonstop excluding gas station bathroom breaks for days at a time, so driving honestly isn't an issue for me.) The way back we will likely take the straight across route recommended by Google so having this other option will be great to compare. The more beautiful and outdoorsy, the better. :)

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

No matter what Google says this is not a 15 hour trip, a computer never has to stop for food, fuel and rest and never see's other human flaws such as traffic congestion and construction. There is just no way to average 75mph from start to finish while never having to stop.

How long have you got for the journey ? Even the quickest route requires an overnight stop to manage it in a safe manner, anything less and fatigue sets in and you become a danger to yourselves and other road users and no matter how much you believe you re different, you are not. You might want to take a look here.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Your post includes a few significant problems.

First, and the biggest, is that despite what google might tell you, Memphis to Denver is nowhere close to 15 hours. It's a trip that's nearly 1,100 miles. That's a full 2 days on the road, close to 10 hours on the road each day. Even that is assuming no extra stop or detours, beyond just the basic stops for food, fuel, rest, etc (things that Google ignores when coming up with their projections). You're already near the limit of what you can safely do in 2 full days, and have time for any extra detours or stops, Trying to do this in one day dramatically increases your chances of being involved in a crash - just as much as drinking and driving.

The other big misconception is that Kansas is "boring." Now, you're not likely to find a lot of waterfalls across the Great Plains, no matter if you cross them through Kansas or any other place in the Great Plains, but that hardly means they are boring. It's all a matter of perspective - one of the founding principals of RTA is that there are no boring places, and if you think some place is boring, you should look again. RTA's Map Center is filled with ideas that are right along your route, and you might also check out some of these article for more inspiration, as several of them could easily be worked into your trip.