Road Trip Help

[TonyRajah]

Hey all,

I'll be doing a roadtrip from Chicago to the SF Bay Area, CA next summer and need some advice on planning out the itinerary. I just completed the reverse trip with a friend where we fished all the native trout species in Wyoming and Oregon before doing the final drives to Chicago.

The only issue with that trip was that once we finished fishing in WY, we had to do three days of 6-10 hour driving marathons to get to Chicago in time for our classes. Overall, we had about eight days total for the trip.

As such, I think my trip this upcoming summer should take about ten to fourteen days so as to avoid these marathons. While fun in a way to see how much distance we could cover, they were exhausting. What would you all suggest as a driving schedule that also allows for time to see a few sights along the way(i.e. the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, etc)?

I'll post an itinerary later once I research more and ask for your thoughts.

Thanks so much ! I really appreciate it.

[AZBuck]

Even if 6 hours in the saddle seems like too much to you (I consider that just getting warmed up!), you can still have a very nice relaxing drive from Chicago to the Bay area over 10 days. But the more days you can spare, the better. With a swing up through South Dakota to visit the Badlands and Mount Rushmore (don't forget Devils Tower and the Little Bighorn) that also includes a drive through Yellowstone, you're looking at about 2,500 miles total. That means you only have to cover 250 miles a day. Obviously there will be days where you just want to enjoy the beauty around you and not drive that much, but I can't see where, if you pace yourself, you'd have to put in back-to-back-to-back days of 10 hours each.

AZBuck