Driving RV from San Francisco to Indianapolis

[opeth2112]

All of this has been quite overwhelming, so I figured I would jump into the fray with a post to marinate in here while I keep looking. My wife and I are bringing her mom's RV back to Indiana in the summer time, and I have always wanted to drive from Cali to Indy (my home) to hopefully see some of the great road spots while they still exist. Our time frame can be anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks, and we are open to decent camping in the RV, or a hotel if it's necessary. Seems like this kind of trip would have already been planned a million times before, so hopefully someone still has their itinerary laying around that I could tweak. I guess I could always take Clark Griswald's and just reverse the directions lol. I appreciate any help I can get.

Thanks!
Jason

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

"California" is nearly 900 mile in length in the direction perpendicular to a drive to "Indiana". WHERE you're starting from in California matters, as does WHERE in Indiana you're going to. There's simply no way anyone can give you any meaningful advice unless you narrow it down a bit.

AZBuck

[opeth2112]

lol - how true you are. Hadn't thought of it that way. We are picking up the RV in the San Francisco area where my wife is from, so we can mark that off of any 'need to see' locations since we've spent many weeks there at various times. The destination is Indianapolis. I am definitely interested in hitting some of the south-west areas (obviously Grand Canyon, etc). I'm mainly looking for a decent sketch of cities to go through so I can then look into each one and find some places to see along the way. I've tried a couple online trip planners, but they seem to lack one thing or another, so I'm just going to break out the good ole road atlas and start digging.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

A trip from SF to Indy can comfortably done in 4-5 days, with the direct route taking I-80 all the way across Iowa, and then I-74 into Indianapolis.

Of course, presumably there is a reason you are planning to take a week or two to make this trip. The question is what is it that you want to see. With up to two weeks to travel and with a trip that covers 2/3rds of the US at your disposal you can go almost anywhere in the Western US.

Roadtrips aren't one sized fits all trips, and if you just want to do what someone else has done, then you should go to a travel agent to have someone craft for your a perfectly sterile non-offensive trip that would keep most people content. Of course, if you've always had a dream to visit Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, they probably won't include that. If you would like to do something that is specific to your own tastes, we're glad to help, but you've got to start by giving us some ideas of what the major things you'd like to see are.

[Midwest Michael]

I've tried a couple online trip planners, but they seem to lack one thing or another, so I'm just going to break out the good ole road atlas and start digging.

You responded in the interim while I was typing, but I will say this is one of the best and most efficent ways to start planning a trip. It gives you a great visual image of where you'll be going and what's on the way.

We look forward to hearing what you come up with, and once you've got some ideas, we'll be happy to help you try to fill in the blanks.