From East Coast to Cali up to Seattle and then over to Salt Lake City

[Binarycool]

First of all, everyone's posts have been most helpful, thanks. Now for some more personalized advice:

A friend and I decided to drive cross-country this summer. We live in NJ but are actually flying to Jacksonville, FL for the Hertz drive out of Florida special (the $60 for 2 weeks rental more than pays for the airline tickets).

We have the car for 2 weeks, leaving from Jacksonville and having to drop it off in Salt Lake City 2 weeks later. We are going to drive north a bit to make a stop at Dollywood and Graceland in TN and then head West. I'd like some suggestions for things to see along the way. Once in Cali I have plans with friends (Price is Right!), but definitely need some suggestions for things along the way. Will I have time to make it to Seattle or should I cut that out and head straight to SLC from Cali (plan to spend 2-3 days in Cali.)

Let me know what other info you have, Thanks so much for all your help.

L

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Your trip, if you include Seattle, is over 5,000 miles long. And since you're planning on spending a few days in Los Angeles and a day or so in Tennessee, then you really only have 10 days or so for the driving portion. I just don't think you'd enjoy it much if you really tried to do everything on your wish list. You'd have to cover around 500 miles a day every day you're on the road, and even that allows no time in Seattle. Still, such a trip is doable, but whether you want to do it or would find it enjoyable to spend that much time on a car is entirely up to you. So before looking for things to do along the way, you'll have to decide what the way is and how much time you'll have for stops.

AZBuck

[Binarycool]

Thanks for the info. Yes I'll cut out the Seattle portion of the trip for time's sake.

I was going to plan my route based on what the best one is, with the best sites. My preliminary look on the map makes me think I-40. The only things I really know of are the Grand Canyon and Vegas. Any other suggestions (especially odd ones) are appreciated.

L

[AZBuck]

Well there's a whole lot more between Jacksonville and Los Angeles besides the Grand Canyon. To name just a few that I've really enjoyed: Shiloh if you're into history at all, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum for more current events, the Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo for the off-the-wall, Petroglyph National Monument and the Salinas Pueblo Missions near Albuquerque for some Native American heritage, and the Petrified Forest and Meteor Crater in northern Arizona for a little geology before the Grand Canyon.

Between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, besides Las Vegas there's Mojave National Preserve, Red Rock Canyon, and Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

AZBuck

[Binarycool]

Thanks AZBuck! I'll definitely check out the Cadillac Ranch and a couple of those National Parks.

L