Portland to Chicago in mid October
 

Hi everyone,

I'm considering a roadtrip from Portland to Chicago, starting around 6th or 7th of October.

My main concern being the weather, can anyone advise me if this is a good choice ?

and then :

- what 's must see in terms of landscape (I'm a photographer).
Badlands and Yellowstone are ok in mid october ?

- how long should I plan for this trip ?
Thanks a lot for any help you could provide with this....

If this is a solo trip, consider taking the Empire Builder from Portland (or Seattle) to Whitefish Montana. Rent a car there and get some good pictures in Glacier NP. If it has not snowed in Yellowstone at this point, head there for at least 2 days.
Return the car to Whitefish and take the train as far as Williston ND and rent another car to head south to Rapid City and Mt. Rushmore.
I really prefer to take the train through eastern Montana and North Dakota.
You might want to visit the Missouri Breaks for some good landscape pictures. Continue east on the train to Minneapolis St. Paul for some cityscapes.
It has snowed in all these places in mid-October but it is usually just cold in the mornings with the first snows coming in late October or early November.
If you have 10-12 days to get from Portland to Chicago, use them all.
If you really want to do this trip with your own car, make sure it is in great shape with new tires and take along a partner. Be prepared to spend a night or two holed up in a motel if an early season storm rolls through.

TTT
A couple more questions. Do you live near Portland? Are you coming back to Portland after Chicago?

I'm French, I'll be setting up in Portland while on vacation for up to 3 months (I'm trying to figure this out)

and since you ask, I'm also considering doing a Chicago to New Orleans, and then New Orleans to Portland roadtrip...

My last trip on my own, along the 101 coast from PDX to San Diego, gave me this crave for roadtrip, and american landscape, so now, I want to see it all ! :)
My initial plan was Chicago to New Orleans, but the more I dig for informations about what's in between PDX and Chicago, the more I want to see it :)
So maybe doing it all... I'll have plenty of time to do this, at least 3 weeks, and probably up to 2 months

For all the distance you want to cover - assuming you do both - Portland to NO and then on to Chicago - I too would advise taking the train and seeing American thru the window. :) And then you don't have to worry about driving through any possible early winter storms.

You could also fly one of the legs.

Bon Vacance.

Sacre Bleu: I forgot - you are the magnficient photographer.

Hope you take a lot more beautiful pictures as you traverse the States. :)

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/selectpass
Buy a 30 or 45 day USA Rail Pass. With the 30 day you get 12 "segments" and the 45 day gets you up to 18 "segments.
The "City of New Orleans" leaves Chicago at 8PM every night.
Make a stop in Memphis to see places that William and Harry visited last weekend. Continue south 1 or two days later to New Orleans.
The Sunset Limited leaves New Orleans 3 days a week. It terminates in Los Angeles. You can spend a day or two in LA or take the Coast Starlight north a few hours later.

Tomsd : thanks :)

Thing is : I don't want to take the train, driving is so much better when you take photos : you can stop wherever :)

That's what I've loved when I did my previous roadtrip : I've stopped whenever I wanted and did my own schedule (not a bus or a train schedule) :)
Exhausting, indeed, but so much freedom to enjoy !

Early October would probably be ok - just check the weather ahead of time to see if a big storm might be blowing in. :)

I'm considering something like :

Portland / Missoula / yellowstone / badlands / Mount Rushmore / Devils Tower.... whatever could be on the road until chicago

or/and maybe : fly directly to Chicago and then do :
Chicago / Detroit and Louisville (I have friends there), then Nashville / Memphis / New Orleans

and maybe from then : New Orleans / Dallas / Grand Canyon / Las Vegas / and drive up to my beloved Oregon


but probably, as you've mentionned, October is not the best for driving up north, from PDX to Chicago, so maybe I should consider only the 2 other options

I have 5 more month to plan this, so any informations will be welcome :)
The more I'm searching for informations about badlands, and yellowstone, the more I want to go there.... but october, and being alone driving scares me, since I'm not really used to drive in snowstorm or on icy roads :S

You are getting good advice here, once you eliminate the idea of taking the train, though if you could sell BNSF on the idea of a French Photographer documenting the trip from Seattle to Chicago from the cab of the locomotive. That would be worth giving up flexibility!

Some of the high passes are likely to be closed but the Interstates will be open to work your way around those areas, and you are not in a hurry. I think your own route ideas are fine. Can I come?

As you think of your Southern route, remember that NO remains hot and humid well into October. I would leave that leg until last.