phiferlich

In early summer, I need to drive from Eureka CA to the small community of Mackay ID. Google Maps shows 3 routes, all of them about 15 hours of driving.

The northern route (US-20 E) goes through Crescent City CA, Medford OR, Christmas Valley, then Boise ID; the middle route (CA-299 E and US-20E) goes through Redding, many small communities/Goose Lake, connecting with the northern route near Christmas Valley; and the southern route (I-80 E and US-93 N) goes through Redding, Reno, and Twin Falls.

What suggestions do you have for which route to take? I’d like to decide on a good place to overnight to break up the trip into roughly equal driving days.

Also, are there some good sights to take in along the route?

janisj

All three are totally doable. Mostly depends on what you might want to see en route.

Eureka to Reno is about 7 hours so a good place to stop over before crossing northern NV. The northern route will be more scenic but through Reno would be an 'easier' drive IMO w/ a lot of it being on I-80.

Really 6 of 1/half dozen of the other, but me personally -- I'd go via Reno.

tomfuller

You really don't want to go by way of Christmas Valley.
Go to Bend on US 97 and then east on US 20 to Ontario.
The place to stop is Burns, OR.
You will get off I-84 back onto US 20 near Mountain Home ID.
You get off US 20 onto US 93 in Arco ID.
Arco was the first town in the US to be powered by nuclear power from a US government reactor.
The most scenic part of the first day is Rt. 138 east of Roseburg up the Umpqua River.
The speed limit on much of US 97 has recently been raised to 65 MPH. The speed limit on much of I-84 in Idaho is 80MPH.

phiferlich

Speed limits: Holy Cow! Especially considering how I thought much of this trip might be 2-lane roads. As you can tell, I really don't know this area!

Thanks very much!

tomfuller

If you start with a full tank in Eureka, you should be able to fill at the Pilot in Chemult. Remember that in Oregon there is an attendant that pumps your gas - no self serve.
When you get to the speed zone 65 to 55 to 45 to 40 through Crescent, obey the speed limit.
The speed limit goes back to 65 on the north end of Gilchrist.
Plan on 6.2 hours from Eureka to Bend and 2.3 hours from Bend to Burns (about 488 miles total).
The Days Inn in Burns would be a good choice.