BJinHolland

Our road trip draft itinerary has been made:

Day 1: Amsterdam to Chicago
Day 2,3: Chicago
Day 4: Sunday of Memorial weekend drive north to and through Door County WI. overnight Green Bay
Day 5: Drive to Bayfield, WI
Day 6: Tour Apostle Islands
Day 7: Drive to either Fargo or Grand Forks
Day 8: Drive to Watford City, ND
Day 9: Tour Theo Roosevelt Park North and South units and overnight Medora
Day 10: Drive to Red Lodge, MT
Day 11: Beartooth Hwy to Yellowstone (if road is open) Overnight Canyon Western Cabin
Day 12: Yellowstone
Day 13: Yellowstone to Pocatello or as far as we get in Idaho.
Day 14: Drive through Idaho heading south on hwy 51 to Elko NV then West.
Day 15: Nevada to California
A few days in California with mom then SFO to Amsterdam.

Is the portion in Wisconsin doable on Memorial Day weekend? Is Door County going to be a mob scene? We basically just wanted to stop at a couple of picturesque tourist places and generally see the area.

Any other input on this itinerary is of course welcome! Thanks.

patg

This is way too much for two weeks. Use mapquest or another online estimator to check distances. You'll be spending a ton of time in the car on the interstate.

My recommendations would include adding a day in Chicago, then skipping most of Wisconsin and North Dakota and flying to the Yellowstone area.

Michael

I think that you need to explain why you want to spend most of your time in the Midwest and northern Plains states. It would not be my first choice for my first, second or even third visit to the States.

TheWeasel

I think the only part that will be difficult is the Sunday in Door County. It will be pretty busy. Other than that, you'll be driving north (opposite of most traffic) on Memorial Day, and visiting the Apostle Islands on Tuesday. There shouldn't be an issue with crowds then. Keep in mind the weather on your entire route could be beautiful, but it could very well be rather chilly (in the 40's).

I think there are several days (5, 7, 8) where you're driving relatively short distances. If you're not planning on making any stops at specific things, then you could certainly make it from Green Bay to Bayfield in time to do some touring of the Apostle Islands on day 5. Then you could sightsee some more there on day 6, and then start the drive to Fargo (possibly overnight in Minneapolis). If you do that, day 7 would get you to Watford City, and you'd be a day ahead of schedule. It's up to you to decide if you want to do that, or take your time.

I don't think this is too much for 2 weeks, especially if your goal is to "see" parts of the country, instead of flying over it. I'd suggest you sit down and spend about 30 minutes to determine mileage and travel time between each point, and then decide if you'd like to drive more or less each day. None of the days look overwhelming. You'll be spending a fair amount of time in the car, but that's what a road trip is, isn't it?

BJinHolland

Thanks very much for the input. The reason we are concentrating on the midwest is that is a new area to us. I grew up in Calif and we re-visit twice a year. We know almost every road in CA and NV like the back of our hands, likewise we are pretty familiar with OR and recently spent a week in Idaho. Our target this trip was Chicago, which my DH has not yet seen and an initial exploration of WI and the northern midwest. I was particularly concerned about the drive from Chicago to and through Door County and appreciate your input Weasel. I do use mapquest but as we always prefer a backroad to the main freeways, it's not always possible to get an accurate time estimate. Weasel, I'll have another look at days 5, 7, and 8. Again, many thanks for the input. You're right - to us it's all about the road trip! No place better than to travel by car than the USA.

MaryPPP

What about Lake Geneva Wisconsin. Its just a little over an hour from Chicago. Its very picturesque. Check out the web site. www.lakegenevawi.com

tuckerdc

BJ: From Chicago, using the interstate, the trip to Door County will take you 4-5 hours. If you opt for the back-road route, add 1/2-1 hour (but isn't really worth it, given that you'll be stealing time from your DC exploration). And those times will just get you to the town of Sturgeon Bay. The beauty of Door County is to be found in points-north, the picturesque little towns along the shores of Lake Michigan or Green Bay - and taking the time to savor some slow time there. I, myself, am often guilty of trying to squeeze in too much or "just get a look" at something I think I may not pass the way of again. But your idea of just hurrying on up to and through DC in basically one day is really not a good one.

Memorial Day w/e in DC will be busy, tho not as hectic as, say, the 4th. It would be nice if you could at least spend a night in Baileys Harbor, Fish Creek or Ephraim, and then head back on through Green Bay the next morning - but that isn't possible because of 2-3 night minimum stays on holiday w/e's.

Even better would be to decide between DC and the Apostles and do a little better justice to one or the other. (b/t/w - if you decide on the Apostles, pack Nevada Barr's A Superior Death for your on-plane reading on your flight over.

tuckerdc

I'm still thinking about that itinerary of yours. We are roadies, but IMHO what you are trying to squeeze in is really boggling. Is the TR Park a must? If not, think about this: Give yourself time to explore DC (afte the Mem Day mob leaves), then drive more or less straight across the state and aim for South Dakota, rather than North. The Badlands and Black Hills (not. they're mountains)are a scenic treat, as is Spearfish Canyon. By skipping that huge jog northward, you'll be on a more economical route to Y'stone (time- and gas-wise) and have a bit more time in several places w/o giving up seeing some Midwest/ plains highlights.

JJ5

I thought the same thing tuckerdc just said. You don't need to go that far North, especially that early in summer. Sometimes Memorial Day is still very cold in the woods.

JJ5

And the Badlands and Black Hills are also much more interesting overall. I give you lots of credit, because this is a great way to see the USA.

Deadwood South Dakota is possible this way too. I've heard it is extremely interesting.

jimhoelzel

We live in Wisconsin. Door County and Bayfield are often cold and can be rainy that time of the year. The Door County and Bayfield tourist season starts in late June.
Lake Geneva is further south and is upscale tourist oriented--without the miles.

StephCar

BJinHolland, jimhoelzel just said what I was about to write...it may be cold in Door County. You could get lucky, but our "summer" here doesn't really start until later. But even so, I still think you will find it cute and different. I not too far from Green Bay and Door County and we have indeed been there 2 times for Memorial Day weekends. I did not find it too crowded at all, it was much worse towards the end of the summer. We've stayed in Fish Creek and Baileys Harbor--I would put Fish Creek as my favorite, but both are nice. As others have said it will take a good 5 hours to get to Door Country from Chicago. And you might want to spend 1-2 days there. Have fun! I am new to the midwest and really like it. I knew nothing about WI until I moved here and it is much prettier than I imagined. (not all cows like I thought--although your drive from Chicago may seem like it, LOL).

Staceylmnop

Ignore the people who tell you to skip Wisconsin. Wisconsin is beautiful and definitely worth the trip. Rolling hills, deep forests, waterfalls, hundreds of miles Great Lakes shoreline plus literally thousand of other lakes, beautiful farmland and striking rock formations.

Driving from Chicago to the base of the Door County penninsula will take approximately 4-5 hours. Be aware that the major downtown interchange in Milwaukee is being completely reconstructed. Before you leave Chicago,check online for construction information at www.mchange.org. I would think they would have traffic disrupted as little as possible for the holiday weekend, but it won't hurt to check.

Rather than overnighting in Green Bay, you may want to consider a nice inn in Door County. Green Bay is no big deal (unless you're a Packers fan). Plan to enjoy the beautiful parks and views of Lake Michigan from Door County.

The drive from Door County or Green Bay to Bayfield will be on winding, two-lane state highways for most of the way. It will be an 8-9 hour drive. Bayfield to Fargo will be another 8-9 hours. The distances you are planning to cover are huge. It's definitely possible to do it, but you will have little time for sightseeing outside the car.

BJinHolland

Thanks everyone for your input. This is really an unknown area for us. The tour through Wisconsin really appeals and I would hate to have to drop either DC or Apostle Islands. Lake Geneva sounds interesting. We drove through So. Dakota and the badlands several years ago so we were particularly interested in seeing No. Dakota. I planned in TR Nat'l Park at the suggestion of another fodorite. We don't mind driving 8 hours in a day but definitely don't want to do that every day. Guess I'll have to have another look at the maps.

xxxx

While Wisconsin is not generally a huge tourist destination, it is quite beautiful in its own right. If you want to see DC and the Apostle Islands, by all means, do so.

To disagree with a previous opinion here, if you choose DC and AI, I think Lake Geneva is quite skip-able.

As others have said, the drive from Chicago to DC is 4-5 hours alone. You're likely to want several hours to explore DC. I'd plan to stay overnight there. Ideally, spend a day or 2.

Maybe a few Wisconsin Fodorites would give you a tour of their hometown??!!

AngelaS

I've been kayaking at the Apostle Islands & it is absolutely gorgeous - even if it is cold!! I was there the same time of year you will be & it was warm a couple days, rainy & cold the last day. See if you can take a ferry around the islands. Lake Superior is so clean you can see all the way to the bottom. Don't skip this treasure - it's awesome!! Have fun!!

patg

No disrespect to Wisconsin, but to drive all the way to Yellowstone and spend only a day and a half is not a good plan. What you have here is two trips in distance, with time for only one.

If your priority is Chicago and Wisconsin, spend 10 days wandering through the midwest and then fly out of Minneapolis to the west coast.

If you want to see Yellowstone (and you shouldn't miss Grand Teton Park to the south) fly there and spend at least a week in the area. Both are wonderful destinations worth savoring.