Philadephia to Seattle three week road trip in May

[Bill Jacobsen]

Looking for recommendations: Other than a few definite stop overs, like visiting relatives in St. Paul, paying respects at Wounded Knee, and spending time in the Northern tier Rockies and Cascades, what are some good recommendations and "be sure and see?" We are moderate hikers and retired.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

There's a reason for this question, believe it or not...

Is the trip going to be in a SAAB?

AZBuck

[AZBuck]

The answer really depends on whether this is a one-way or round trip. If the former, you've got time to really wander off the beaten path and visit some little known and seldom visited sites. If the later, then you'll need to cover some significant miles each day, but have the option of taking two completely different routes out and back. For purposes of a first response, I'm going to assume the later. We can always revise any itinerary as we go along, incorporating your input and responses to our suggestions.

Let's start with some general advice. Since I retired a few years ago, I've found that my ability to do several hundred miles at a sitting is much reduced. So one thing I'd suggest is that whatever route(s) you choose, you keep in mind that there are always local parks where you can take short hikes and/or just get out of the car for a while. HERE are a few examples along the major Interstates.

Next, let's look at two generalized basic routes. You can, of course do either one in either direction, but I'll describe them 'clockwise', i.e. the southern route west-bound and the northern rues east-bound. For both routes, I'm going to do my best to stay within 10% or so of the least number of miles (2,800) required for the most direct Philly-SeaTac routing. I'm also going to try to avoid major metropolitan areas, both because they're a pain to drive through and because social distancing will have to be a consideration on any RoadTrip in May.

Southern Route: PA Tpk to Pittsburgh, then pick up I-70/I-72 west to St. Joseph MO, I-29 north to Omaha NE, US-375 north to US-20 west. At Merriman NE, switch over to state routes NE-61 north and SD-73 north to US-18 west and county route (CR-) 27 north to Wounded Knee. Return to US-18 and go straight-as-possible through Pine Ridge onto CR-32 to CR-41 south into Nebraska where this becomes Slim Butte Road. This will get you back on US-20 (and US-18, but in fewer miles than just following US-18 from Wounded Knee). Next: I-25 north to US-26 west to I-15 south and finally I-86/I-84/I-82/I-90 to Seattle. Some (some! of the highlights of this route:

US Air Force Museum
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Abraham Lincoln sites around Springfield IL
Hannibal MO
Pony Express National Museum
Grand Tetons NP and Yellowstone NP
Thousand Springs of the Snake River

But note that some, if not many, of the parks will be closed or have significant restrictions on use for the foreseeable future. I'll be back in a bit with a northern route that will include St. Paul.

AZBuck

[Bill Jacobsen]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

There's a reason for this question, believe it or not...

Is the trip going to be in a SAAB?

AZBuck

Thanks, AZ.
We'll either rent a sedan or take an Outback.
And, we're looking into May, a year from now.
Bill

[Bill Jacobsen]

Thanks again, AZ.
Your suggestions are most helpful.
We have the option of taking a month or even a little longer if we choose to and, since we aren't planning this trip for another year, this is a great way to begin planning.

We have a couple of other ideas as well. We have a May wedding in Idaho. We prefer avoiding the interstate as much as possible - far more interesting. We like B&Bs when possible. Meeting people is a priority. Air B&Bs are okay if the circumstances are good, but only as a place to sleep. And Hotels are generally the last resort for us.

Another option is extending our trip by a week or so, leaving our car in Seattle, and taking a train to visit friends in LA.

Bill

[glc]

There's a part of Buck's routing that doesn't make a lot of sense to me - there may be some typos.

I'd take I-70 to Indy, then I-74 to I-80 to I-880 to I-29 north. Get off at the Onawa exit, take IA-175 west into Decatur NE. Take NE-51 west to US-275 to US-20.

If the Onawa bridge is closed, which it MIGHT be due to flooding in may, you can stay on I-29 to Sioux City to pick up I-129/US-20.

If you want to go through Hannibal and St. Joe, take I-74 to I-72 to US-36.

[AZBuck]

As promised, here's a suggestion for a return route from Seattle that stays a bit farther north so there won't be much, repetition of roads or sites from the outbound leg. It's also a bit more straightforward as there simply aren't as many roads/options across the far northern Great Plains.

So, just follow I-90 from Seattle to Worthington MN and then use MN-60/US-169 to the Twin Cities area. I-94 would be shorter, but the Rapid City SD area has several "be sure and see" places and is worth a day or two to itself. From MSP, rather than head down through or around Chicago, I'm going to suggest that you head through both the UP and the 'mitten' of Michigan. Start by continuing on I-94 but then pick up WI-29 near Elk Mound WI and take that to Shawano where you'd use WI-55 to connect to WI-22 to US-41. At Marinette WI-35 provides a nice lake-shore drive (actually along Green Bay) up to US-2 at Escanaba and follow that all the way to the Straits of Mackinac and I-75 south. At Flint, take US-23/US-223/I-475 south to I-75 north(!) to get on I-90 east. Because I-90 is a limited-access toll road, there is no direct connection between I-475 and I-90 where they cross each other. Then just take I-90 to I-80 across northern Pennsylvania to near State College where a final 'back road' connection, I-99/PA-26/PA-144/US-322/US-22 will bring you down to the Harrisburg area and I-81/I-83 will put you back on the PA Tpk for the final run back to Philly.

Highlights of this route include:
Little Bighorn National Battlefield

In the Rapid City Area
Mount Rushmore
Crazy Horse Memorial
Devils Tower
Wind Cave
Jewel Cave
Badlands NP

Mitchell Corn Palace
Soo Locks (a bit of a detour)
Colonial Michilimackinac
Cuyahoga Valley National Park

AZBuck

[AZBuck]

When my brother and I were coming of age in Wilmington DE, just south of Philly, we both had SAABs, mine was a relatively rare 1957 SAAB-93 with a split rear window. These were very quirky cars (3 cylinder two-stroke engines, 'suicide' doors, front wheel drive, 'free-wheeling' clutch, etc.) and inspired something of a cult following. As it happens the SAAB dealership in Wilmington was owned and operated by a father and son duo, both named Bill Jacobsen. Since my brother and I have both retired relatively recently and you noted that you were retired as well, I thought you might be the younger of that duo.

AZBuck

[DonnaR57]

If you are a "moderate hiker" and take in Devil's Tower, be sure to take the 1-1/2 mile trail that goes all the way around the Tower. The views are beautiful, both of the Tower itself and looking out at the valley surrounding it. It's an easy trail. If you're lucky, and there are climbers on it, you may be able to hear them clearly talking while they're suspended on the rock way above you. The acoustics are incredible that way!

Mount Rushmore also has a trail, I think it's called the Presidential Trail Loop, and we enjoyed it a lot. It was a little busy in the first 0.3 or 0.4 mile, then as there were more stairs/steps, it became less used. You can look up Washington's nose (I think that's whose nose).

If you are interested in planes or space (or both), the AF Museum is incredible. Nice thing is ... it's free! We spent two days there but it would be easy to spend more time. Also in the area are the Wright Bros museums -- it's all around Dayton/Springfield. You'll walk your feet off. If you get there early at opening, you may be able to sign up for a free tour to some of the areas that are not on display in the museum. The year we went, we were able to see the Memphis Belle in restoration, for instance.

I'm glad this is a year from now. This May, I doubt that you'll find much open. (small grumble)


Donna

[NowthatIamretired]

If you are interested in the Cold War the Minuteman Missile National Historical Site is right on I-90 near The Badlands in South Dakota. If planned ahead you can visit and go down in one of the silos. We only had a short time, last moment, but even for that the Visitors Center was well worth it.