Driving - Philadelphia to San Francisco
 

I am a travel RN and my next assignment is in San Francisco. I will have 5 days to drive from Philadelphia to San Francisco. I was looking for some suggestions on the best route to take. My time is limited, but I was hoping to be able to stop and see at least a few sites-- I am most interested in seeing outdoors-y sites out west. I was thinking on day 1 just driving as long as possible without stopping to just get out there. This is my first road trip... I am wondering if it is best to map out where you will be staying to sleep each night or just driving as long as you can each day and then look for a hotel?

The main problem is -- you want to see sites out west -- but driving alone (with no co-driver to spell you) it will take all/most of your 5 days just to get out west.

Consider taking Amtrak all the way to San Francisco and just renting a car in California on the days that you need it when you are not working. San Francisco can be an expensive place for general living expenses and parking. JMHO

Five days will be really tough for a solo driver. My husband did it in 4 1/2 and could barely stand up when he got home. When we drove across the country a couple years ago (moving from central NJ to SF), we took 12 days, had two drivers, and even after 1 day, driving across Pennsylvania and into Ohio, I was so thankful I had decided to send my own car via truck ($1,200) and drive with my husband in his car. We took the northern route and stopped over in the Black Hills, Badlands, Yellowstone, Missoula, and Oregon on the way.

Is there any way you can add more time to your drive? Or instead perhaps ship you car and fly?

Hi, I’ve read all the posts in this thread and have some comments, which I will put in the order in which you broached the subjects.

The best route to take is I-80. It’s the fastest, and the western portion is plenty scenic.

I recommend that you spend no more than 11 hours behind the wheel each day. This is the safety standard for truckers. For them it’s a rule. For you it’s just a suggestion, but a good one.

Google Maps says it will take about 43 hours of “tires on the road” to get from Philly to San Francisco. That’s about 8.6 hours per day. That’s similar to what many of us 9 to 5ers did day after day, year after year after year. Oh the drudgery! Driving down a scenic Interstate surely is better!

Google Maps says it will take you about 21 hours to get “out west” , which is where you want to put the emphasis of your trip. Specifically this gets you to the 100th meridian , which is the official boundary between the east and west of the U.S. See:

http://geography.about.com/od/learna...thmeridian.htm

So obviously you can get there in 2 days, using the 11 hours per day rule. That will put you in the small town of Cozad, NE., which is right on the meridian. And it looks like you could stay there overnight. You could just google “Hotels in Cozad, NE”. Here’s the Cozad web site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozad,_Nebraska

And here’s a shot of their 100th meridian sign.

http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/im...0d334f9c&gid=3

If Cozad doesn’t look attractive to you, then you will need to stop somewhere else along the I-80. Like Kearny for example. And BTW, you won’t be able to avoid the Great Platte River Archway near Kearny, because you will go right under it. If you happen to go by there between 9 to 5 you really should stop in.

http://archway.org/

From Cozad (I keep coming back to that because it’s “Where the West Begins”, which happens to be the Nebraska State Motto), then it’s about 21 hours of “tires on the road” to San Francisco. Only about 7 hours a day. Not bad. You will see an awful lot of scenery, mostly mountains and desert. Try not to get bored.

Finally, in regard to the strategy for finding lodging each night, I recommend that you make a reservation each night for your expected destination the next night. We did that a few years ago in our week long tour of Ohio and it worked out well. Of course, for your final destination in the San Francisco area, you can do that well in advance.

dbdurand: you put a lot of thought into your info (though I personally think 11 hours a day butt in seat is foolhardy for a solo driver) . . . But the OP registered, posted, and never returned. So doubtful she will see your post.