Hello all,
I will be travelling from NJ to Seattle sometime in mid-July and want to have the trip completed in 4 days tops. According to Mapquest, the ideal route will be taking 80W and connecting with 90W all the way to SEA. There are 3 drivers, so we are planning to drive at least 1 day non-stop. What I am looking for is advise on the following:
1) Probably the most important thing, MUST EAT places that is along that route. We are willing to go off course, but nothing more than 1/2 hour off. We are making this somewhat of a FOODIE road trip and want to experience the best places. $$ is somewhat not an object, as long as the food and experience is good.
2) MUST SEE/EXPERIENCE places. We will be passing through PA, OH, ILL, WIS, MINN, S.DAK, MONT,& WA..
3) ANY and ALL TIPS to make this a memorable trip for me and my brothers. When should we take the 1 day non-stop drive, where there is a stretch of really not much to see/do.
TX again for any tips you guys might have. I will definetely post result of trip
NJ to SEATTLE ROAD TRIP
Recent Activity
View all United States activity »
- 1 Newport, RI Questions
- 2 East coast tour - Part1: NYC
- 3 Boston and surrounding area
- 4 Question about Northeast Wisconsin along the lake
- 5
Rocks and Roads in Utah
- 6 California, Northern
- 7 Seatlle, WA
- 8 State cracking down on vacation rentals?
- 9 San Francisco,Monterey, Yosemite etc.!
- 10 Staying at the Andaz in West Hollywood with kids.
- 11 Best place to raise a family in Florida
- 12 DC Itinerary, June 8-13, suggestions welcome!
- 13 Best place for rafting: Moab, Taos or Durango?
- 14 Advice for 2 night intro trip to Moab in early June (1-3)
- 15 Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah
- 16
Boston, my 2 hour food shopping spree to satiate my man's needs
- 17 Bryce Canyon vs. Yellowsyone
- 18 Restaurant Recommendations in Salt Lake City Area
- 19 Around North America (cruise)
- 20 2 Brits Travelling USA July-Aug 2013
- 21 Need help with itinerary to Seattle, Oregon, California
- 22 Oregon Cave NM or extra day in Redwoods area?
- 23 time for a new countdown to Hawaii
- 24 Ackislander or others- restaurants in Nantucket in 2013
- 25
Santa Fe Home Exchange - Three Wks, from start to finish
No offense, but it seems pretty ambitious to ask about must see places with a 4 day deadline.
My brother and I drove across country in 3 1/2 days with minimal stops but for the necessities. I might suggest that you will find it a lot less restful than anticipated by just sleeping in the car and not stopping overnight. That was our intent but we needed to stop in Ohio and New Mexico to get a real night's sleep.
I might suggest you consider a 4 day deadline on the portion of the trip west of Chicago to enjoy the scenery in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, for example, and
Can't help with food, but Badlands NP is just off 90 and would be an interesting place to drive through without adding much time to the trip, unless you decide to stop for a hike.
Try to time getting through Chicago either very early in the morning or well after rush hour at night as it is one of those places where the highways seem to all come together.
Pack a cooler for your drinks and a few sandwiches for your trip from NJ to Chicago. 12 hours from Delaware Water Gap to Chicago (725 miles). 8-9 hours from Chicago to Mitchell, SD.
See the Corn Palace. Can't remember where we ate. Continue to Rapid City, SD. Decide if you have enough time to see Mt. Rushmore. Next stop, Billings, Montana. Switch drivers near Spokane for the 5 hour drive to Seattle.
Figure on 43 hours of straight driving time for 2800 miles from Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania.
Thanks for the replies. It seems my 4 day window for the trip won't give us the proper amount of time to at least stop and see some sights. Maybe we'll add 2 more days just so we won't be too strapped for time. Any MUST EAT PLACES along 80/90 West??
You should enjoy the big restaurant at Wall Drug Wall SD.
http://www.walldrug.com/
You will see signs for it for hundreds of miles. It's not too far from Rapid City and Mt. Rushmore.
There are lots of ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago with all kinds of restaurants. Chicago is the home of deep dish pizza, the Cubs and the Willis (Sears) tower.
Been there done that. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/685006-sea-ewr-f-then-back-ford.html
You might be interested in reading about my Seattle to NYC round-trip ramble:
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/coast-to-coast-almost-road-trip-july-august-2009.cfm
But we spent more than 3 weeks doing it. It was a fabulous way to see so much of the country.
Given what you first stated, I'm guessing that all of the food stops require DRIVE-THROUGH WINDOWS???
lol
(... while most need be open between 3:00am and 5:30am as well???)
Maybe don't stop at all until you find yourself slowed/marooned by a flat tire (just to make time).
OK, now I'm going to be serious - until such time as I might find something else corny to say.
(A) DON'T stop to eat in Cleveland
(that WAS semi-serious!)
(B) Maybe stop in South Bend, IN... just because it's South Bend
(C) Don't stop in Gary, IN (goes without saying)
(D) Maybe the longest segment of driving should begin west of Chicago. It will be mostly flat and sparsely populated for a long while after that (oh man, there was a steakhouse in Sioux Falls, SD that is worth mention... if I could recall the name)
(E) You may want to stop near Rapid City, SD, to see Mount Rushmore
(The deadest stretch of the whole journey may well be into Wyoming, just west of Rapid City, SD)
Once you get far enough west, the mountain scenery will be worth enjoying with a decent amount of rest behind you.