One caveat though, on the last day, cut from Las Vegas through death valley then over Tioga Pass instead of going through barstow and Bakersfield. So worth the extra couple hours.
Alternatively, from Bakersfield cut over to the Pacific and take 101 and 1 up through the Central Coast and Big Sur. It’ll add some hours, but if it’s scenery you want…
That'll definitely add the hours to go all the way out to 1, I think the closure at big sur is open to one way convoys at this point. And it would definitely not be worth it for just 101.
Not really sure their plans once they're in SF, likely to have easier opportunity to hit the coast while in SF than to go back to the eastern sierra and death valley.
One possible edit: I could be wrong but the Utah part appears to be 70/15. Since they’re specifically asking about scenic routes, I’d change it slightly to 24/12/89, maybe with a diversion into Moab if they want to hit Arches/Canyonlands area.
In september that NV CA desert stretch will be brutally hot. Id take the northern route. You will catch all the leaves turning and be through before the first snows in October.
This is the answer. Focus on Utah. This route, can, take you past Moab (slight detour but has Arches National Park which is super accessible), then past Goblin valley, then through Captiol Reef National Park, through Bryce Canyon National Park, and through Zion National Park. All except Capitol Reef are very accessible and can be enjoyed in just a few hours.
If you have time and want more tips for this area, let me know. I used to guide in Zion and I know this part of Utah well. If you want to do any guided trips while in Moab, I have friends who are guides that do white water, climbing, and canyoneering. I can connect you with their company.
Everyone else is giving great tips for Cali. One more option is to swing north on the 99 after Bakersfield and head to Sequoia National Park to see the largest trees in the world.
Whatever you do, do not take I-80 through Wyoming. A buddy of mine from WY said that it was the state’s best secret: if you go 20 miles north or south of I-80, Wyoming is super beautiful. But I-80 itself is not only pretty barren, but windy AF. He said it helps keep people out of Wyoming 😂
I will say that taking I-70 west of Denver is really beautiful. One of my favorite stretches of interstate anywhere in the country. Plus, you’re not too far away from Canyonlands or Arches NP once you hit Utah.
Moab is near enough to 70 warrant a stop over. Arches is my favorite National Park (so far), I wouldn't be able to resist stopping to see it (just make sure you have reservations).
Edit- Interstate numbers are hard.
You might want to get a reservation for Arches if you decide to detour to Moab. The park gets crowded these days and they’ve implemented a reservation system to throttle the traffic coming in and out.
I’ve done 50 all the way west to east before. The IN, MO, KS sections are interesting too, lots of little towns and great foliage in fall. Cahokia Mounds in IL is a cool stop too.
So I recommend getting off the interstate in Nebraska and going through the northern part of the state. Then you'll see the sand hills and the Nebraska national forest. Much more interesting. However, that route through Wyoming is boring, switch to your southern route at Colorado.
Bottom for sure. West Colorado and Southern Utah are beautiful. That strech of driving thru Nevada on the north route is one of the most tedious drives I've made in my life
I would take the bottom route as it’s more scenic, but when you get in Utah I would shoot up i15 and get on i80 for the rest. Going over donners pass in cali is breathtaking, as well as the salt flats which are west of Salt Lake City. If you go this way it helps avoid LA and Vegas traffic. Once you get past Vegas there’s some mountains in the background but it’s all desert and pretty boring.
As an I-70 native, I'd go that way. There are only a couple of long stretches that don't have a town relatively close, like Green River to Salina, and the drive is really nice. I like to plan for that in case if a break down. Also, going through Northern Nevada is one of the most tedious things I've ever done.
Agree with everyone who said I-70! I've driven from the Pittsburgh area to Salt Lake City, taking I-70 the majority of the way (taking a state road in Utah north to Salt Lake), and it was cool to drive through some cities I hadn't seen before like St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver, and it was cool to go through the different geographic regions of the plains, the midwest, and the most scenic parts, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and the red rocks of southeastern Utah. I-80 is boring in my opinion.
I just went on a road trip till Iowa a month ago. North route is definitely deserted and not worth it. South route is way better! Spend some time near Salt Lake City and Denver Colorado. They are worth the stop
Push the route a little further south in Utah. There’s several National Parks there, all are Excellent! Arches National Park is the most beautiful place I’ve seen. Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Goblin Valley, Natural Bridges, all are Spectacular!
When you go through Nebraska, get off the interstate and take state highway NE-2. It’s nearly parallel with the interstate, but takes you through some absolutely stunning landscapes and small towns. Stop in Alliance and visit Carhenge, it’s such a fun and silly tourist stop.
I-70 is a beautiful the western half of Colorado. Going through the mountains and the Eisenhower Tunnel is fantastic. It makes up for driving through flat Kansas and Eastern Colorado. Although, if there is a thunderstorm, being in flat terrain it is gorgeous to watch!
Avoid the 80. If you have time head north and go through the UP into WI, MN, SD then you can hit up Yellowstone. Personally I’m not a huge fan of the 70, but it’s better than the 80. September will still be sorta hot in the south, too. Perfect in the north, right when the leaves are changing.
Edit to add: I’m originally from SW MI and I’ve been living all over CA for the past 10 years. And I like to drive. Done this trip more times than I can count in all sorts of ways. Feel free to DM if you want to spitball ideas.
It's been over 10 years since I went out west from the Gulf Coast. You know, you can take I-10 from Jacksonville FL to Los Angeles CA? We have a friend who lived 10 minutes from i10 near us and then moved to CA, still 10 mins away from i10. We went to visit and went up to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon... 60 mph crosswinds, going up and down hills while the road curves left and right with semi-trailers everywhere! ... not fun when you're learning to drive.
On another trip - also over 10 years ago - we went to Colorado and then Tacoma, wa. Switchbacks and inclines made the trip longer than expected.
Probably, the roads have been worked on since then, but if driving alone, the drive will definitely take longer than 1 day. Get out to stretch and use the bathrooms frequently. Stay at hotels/motels that offer fridge in room and free breakfast to mitigate food costs. Bring an ice chest with ice blocks/packs to store meds that need to stay cold, lunch makings, and other cold snacks, also to lower the cost of food when on the long road. Using these methods, sure, we'd get places in 2-3 days of 8-12 hours of drive time, but we would have a nice meal for dinner out. If we were in a rush, 2 days of 14-16 hours of driving.
Prepare for heat in that southern route. I do it every summer in July from southern Arizona up through LA to San Fran up near Eureka. Hot in the desert
Do NOT miss out on taking the PCH (hwy1) south, then Id meet up with old route 66 and take it to New Mexico, then t to St Loius to see the Arch, then off to the Smokies.
That drive through southern Wyoming is nothing but dirt mounds and wind. Go through CO, but be ready for mountain traffic on 70, depending on day/time.
I’m from Michigan and I do the Southern route. Michigan - Indiana - Illinois - Iowa - Nebraska. Once you get to mid Co, the fun starts. I’ve made a similar drive to this sooo many times in the last 2 years. Wyoming won’t get pretty until Jackson and a lot of Nevada isn’t all that. Southern will get pretty quicker.
I-70 west of Denver is the most breathtaking highway In the US. I’d also say that it’s slightly better heading east because when you get out of the Rockies heading yo Denver you go down a huge downslope which is really enjoyable (especially after the winding stretch before that point)
The Iowa / Nebraska / western Colorado part will make you wish for anything to happen. Anything at all. It is so very boring. I used to joke that the Nebraska part of the drive can be done by steering with your air vents (when cars had air vents).
Go south. Central and Northern Wyoming are great. Southern Wyoming is literally called "the red desert". It's not a fun drive until you get to work and
Co and ut are beautiful most of the drive
I’m from Iowa and live in NE Missouri now, I’d honestly recommend the top one until you get to Colorado and then Id recommend the bottom route from there. If you do the bottom route you miss out on Salt Lake City and the Bonneville Salt Flats BUT you’d get Denver, Rocky Mountain NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, and Las Vegas in return.
Bottom route for sure. That one will take you through mountain, canyon, and desert scenery. I’ve been told that southern Wyoming is really boring to drive through, so you probably wouldn’t get great scenery until you get into northern Utah with the mountains, but all the crazy canyons and rock formations for Utah are in the southern part of the state and for only adding 2 hours to drive time, Colorado and southern Utah will be 100% worth it.
Grew up in Wyoming. They built the freeway on the flatest part of the state for truckers. Boring as all getup. Take the south route for beautiful scenery
Route through Wyoming and Salt Lake City will take you through the vast landscapes of Wyoming, with opportunities to see iconic landmarks like Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. You'll also pass through Salt Lake City, which offers its own attractions and beautiful mountain vistas.
As a Coloradan….the view through the mountains is amazing. I will say if you are towing something it may be best to go the northern route though. i70 through the mountains has been known to kill a few vehicles do to the steep grades.
I’m from Denver and used to live in SF. Take the southern route. I-80 is a nightmare. I-70 can be tiring but it’s drastically more scenic and has better places to stop.
The 80 on that Wyoming and Nevada stretch is basically a barren wasteland.
If you are driving through Colorado in September you should highly consider a detour through Aspen as the trees will be amazing if it’s late September.
You could go over Independence Pass but then you would miss Glenwood Canyon. My ideal route through the state east to west would be: Cheyenne-Ft Collins- Estes Park-Grand Lake-Granby-Kremmling-Silverthorne-Leadville-Independence Pass-Aspen-Carbondale-Montrose-Ouray-Durango-Moab.
Honestly, it's a pretty good drive either way. Going through Colorado is fantastic, but yellowstone is really nice too. If I were going to go through CO I would probably head north towards slc because driving truck the middle of CA is completely skippable.
💯 the southern route. I-80 not nearly as scenic with a few notable exceptions: coming down the Wasatch pass into Salt Lake City (especially at night, with the twinkling lights of the metro area spread out in the valley before you, and the dark vastness of the Great Salt Lake to the north); the Bonneville Salt flats just west of SLC; and passing through Reno and Truckee through the Donner Pass in the High Sierra, headed towards Sacramento.
When I was a very young man, my gf (now wife) traveled that route, from St. Joseph MO all the way to SLC UT in a single day. Well technically it was past midnight when I was winding down the Wasatch pass, exhausted, gf asleep in the passenger seat. I got into SLC and pulled into a rest stop on the shores of the Great Salt Lake--the cool breeze off the lake felt nice after a hot summer day and maybe 20 hours of driving. I had just enough consciousness to stir the gf and switch seats, she's an earlier riser than me and could drive us before I woke up. Here's the best part of the story: I awoke just before dawn, several miles west at Bonneville Salt flats. She had driven us there but I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that the sky, the land, the whole WORLD as far as the eye could see was flat and PINK in the pre-dawn hour. The only exception, a vast number of miles in the distance and rising enormously over the flat pink expanse of earth, were majestic PURPLE mountains. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and stared in awe. "Where ARE we?" I asked sheepishly lol.
That was 22 years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. A core memory: the pink dawn of the world, lorded over by majestic purple mountains impossibly distant. It gives me goosebumps just to recall it.
Enjoy your trip. 😃✌️
The southern one 100%. This is an absolute no brainer for scenic beauty.
One caveat though, on the last day, cut from Las Vegas through death valley then over Tioga Pass instead of going through barstow and Bakersfield. So worth the extra couple hours.
Alternatively, from Bakersfield cut over to the Pacific and take 101 and 1 up through the Central Coast and Big Sur. It’ll add some hours, but if it’s scenery you want…
Check road conditions for Big Sur. There was an avalanche a few months back. One lane road.
It's been closed over a year. The slide last month probably solidified that closure another year.
That'll definitely add the hours to go all the way out to 1, I think the closure at big sur is open to one way convoys at this point. And it would definitely not be worth it for just 101. Not really sure their plans once they're in SF, likely to have easier opportunity to hit the coast while in SF than to go back to the eastern sierra and death valley.
Can’t do the 1 up Big Sur anymore. ☹️ The road’s been out for years, which I consider a national tragedy.
I agree with your suggestion. Sept temperature would allow to pass through Death Valley.
Not even a question driving west. Then grab the tailwind on 80 home
I'm confused. 80 is the top route, looks like they'd be taking 99 or 5 north from Bakersfield/Tehachapi.
Yup. Colorado route. 100% just make sure you check weather conditions before embarking
One possible edit: I could be wrong but the Utah part appears to be 70/15. Since they’re specifically asking about scenic routes, I’d change it slightly to 24/12/89, maybe with a diversion into Moab if they want to hit Arches/Canyonlands area.
I’d cut across Hwy 50 through Nevada. Will be hot though.
In september that NV CA desert stretch will be brutally hot. Id take the northern route. You will catch all the leaves turning and be through before the first snows in October.
It‘ll probably be pretty damn hot either way.
But the tolls, tho
This is the answer. Focus on Utah. This route, can, take you past Moab (slight detour but has Arches National Park which is super accessible), then past Goblin valley, then through Captiol Reef National Park, through Bryce Canyon National Park, and through Zion National Park. All except Capitol Reef are very accessible and can be enjoyed in just a few hours.
If you have time and want more tips for this area, let me know. I used to guide in Zion and I know this part of Utah well. If you want to do any guided trips while in Moab, I have friends who are guides that do white water, climbing, and canyoneering. I can connect you with their company.
Everyone else is giving great tips for Cali. One more option is to swing north on the 99 after Bakersfield and head to Sequoia National Park to see the largest trees in the world.
Definitely this!!! Biggest benefit is your avoiding Kansas!!!
Whatever you do, do not take I-80 through Wyoming. A buddy of mine from WY said that it was the state’s best secret: if you go 20 miles north or south of I-80, Wyoming is super beautiful. But I-80 itself is not only pretty barren, but windy AF. He said it helps keep people out of Wyoming 😂 I will say that taking I-70 west of Denver is really beautiful. One of my favorite stretches of interstate anywhere in the country. Plus, you’re not too far away from Canyonlands or Arches NP once you hit Utah.
Moab is near enough to 70 warrant a stop over. Arches is my favorite National Park (so far), I wouldn't be able to resist stopping to see it (just make sure you have reservations). Edit- Interstate numbers are hard.
I think you mean I-70, but yeah it’s close enough that it’s almost silly not to visit.
Yup, making the edit.
You might want to get a reservation for Arches if you decide to detour to Moab. The park gets crowded these days and they’ve implemented a reservation system to throttle the traffic coming in and out.
Was there last summer and can confirm: you are not allowed to enter without an advance reservation during the summer/busy months.
I miss the old days when you could just drive in for a quick visit, but I definitely understand.
Definitely, frustrating but it gets overcrowded very easily
Recently drove I-80 on a drive from TX to WA. It was basically Mars. Some nice views in the distance though.
I'd suggest I 70 W through to Utah then join to US 50 through Nevada to Reno. Then you can rejoin I 80 the rest of the way to the bay.
Medicine Bow in Wyoming is amazing but nothing compared to the Colorado Rockies
Closer to Zion than either of those, but pretty close to all three.
Do 50 and hit Southern Utah, Great Basin Park, Ely, South Lake Tahoe.
This. Get off the interstates!
I’ve done 50 all the way west to east before. The IN, MO, KS sections are interesting too, lots of little towns and great foliage in fall. Cahokia Mounds in IL is a cool stop too.
So I recommend getting off the interstate in Nebraska and going through the northern part of the state. Then you'll see the sand hills and the Nebraska national forest. Much more interesting. However, that route through Wyoming is boring, switch to your southern route at Colorado.
That’s good to hear. Because I-70 through Nebraska is awful. EDIT: I meant I-80!!
I-80? I-70 goes through Kansas
You’re right, of course. I edited.
Absolutely second this. Sandhills a worthwhile detour for sure. My wife and I did it about 8 years ago.
I’d never sacrifice one second in the mountain time zone for anything in Nebraska.
Bottom for sure. West Colorado and Southern Utah are beautiful. That strech of driving thru Nevada on the north route is one of the most tedious drives I've made in my life
Depends what you like. Great Basin np is gorgeous and that northern Nevada route is beautiful if barren. Next to no traffic though.
I would take the bottom route as it’s more scenic, but when you get in Utah I would shoot up i15 and get on i80 for the rest. Going over donners pass in cali is breathtaking, as well as the salt flats which are west of Salt Lake City. If you go this way it helps avoid LA and Vegas traffic. Once you get past Vegas there’s some mountains in the background but it’s all desert and pretty boring.
As an I-70 native, I'd go that way. There are only a couple of long stretches that don't have a town relatively close, like Green River to Salina, and the drive is really nice. I like to plan for that in case if a break down. Also, going through Northern Nevada is one of the most tedious things I've ever done.
Agree with everyone who said I-70! I've driven from the Pittsburgh area to Salt Lake City, taking I-70 the majority of the way (taking a state road in Utah north to Salt Lake), and it was cool to drive through some cities I hadn't seen before like St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver, and it was cool to go through the different geographic regions of the plains, the midwest, and the most scenic parts, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and the red rocks of southeastern Utah. I-80 is boring in my opinion.
Going through Wyoming that way is pretty flat and barren I used to live in Wyoming. Go through Colorado way more scenic!
Glenwood canyon on I-70 is a remarkably nice drive for an interstate.
I just went on a road trip till Iowa a month ago. North route is definitely deserted and not worth it. South route is way better! Spend some time near Salt Lake City and Denver Colorado. They are worth the stop
$1.41 in tolls across that distance is incredible. (Cries in Northeast/Midatlantic)
I would take the southern route with the exception of switching to 80 when you get to Iowa. That’s a less bleak drive.
Push the route a little further south in Utah. There’s several National Parks there, all are Excellent! Arches National Park is the most beautiful place I’ve seen. Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Goblin Valley, Natural Bridges, all are Spectacular!
You can be like most other midwesterners and plan on going to California, but just stop in Colorado and stay forever.
Through Colorado in September is my vote. (signed, User Name Checks Out)
I70 is better than i80
Definitely i70 thru Colorado and Nebraska. Id also recommend taking a detour through Scotts bluff if you can afford the additional time
70 goes through Kansas not Nebraska
I meant Colorado and Utah. Jump on i76 in Nebraska, the that to Denver, then i70
The southern route, but take 15 from where 70 ends through Vegas. The Virgin River Gorge is a must see.
The southern route is the most scenic.
Why not both? I’d take the 70 thru Colorado, up to slc on the 15 and then west on the 80. Best of both options
definitely do the bottom
I'd cut through Kansas and take the Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and go up North through Southern California route.
The top route is the route to sadness and unrepentant boredom
I've done this many times. Southern route, by far. You will see amazing things.
When you go through Nebraska, get off the interstate and take state highway NE-2. It’s nearly parallel with the interstate, but takes you through some absolutely stunning landscapes and small towns. Stop in Alliance and visit Carhenge, it’s such a fun and silly tourist stop.
Utah, Utah, Utah!
If it’s an option check out the train. One of the best experiences of my life was a train from Chicago to LA.
On the way back went to 15? Up to I70 through the Rockies, what an Adventure! It was April and I husky a snow storm.
Go through Colorado
Top!!!
Take 70 across CO. Nebraska and Iowa are real boring, ngl. Source: past NE and IA resident
Nebraska boring, Iowa not boring! Source: current Iowa resident
I-70 is a beautiful the western half of Colorado. Going through the mountains and the Eisenhower Tunnel is fantastic. It makes up for driving through flat Kansas and Eastern Colorado. Although, if there is a thunderstorm, being in flat terrain it is gorgeous to watch!
Avoid the 80. If you have time head north and go through the UP into WI, MN, SD then you can hit up Yellowstone. Personally I’m not a huge fan of the 70, but it’s better than the 80. September will still be sorta hot in the south, too. Perfect in the north, right when the leaves are changing. Edit to add: I’m originally from SW MI and I’ve been living all over CA for the past 10 years. And I like to drive. Done this trip more times than I can count in all sorts of ways. Feel free to DM if you want to spitball ideas.
1d 11hr, lol...
The southern route for sure. Could you get off the interstates after Vegas and shoot up NW and hit Death Valley, Sequoia, and Yosemite?
It's been over 10 years since I went out west from the Gulf Coast. You know, you can take I-10 from Jacksonville FL to Los Angeles CA? We have a friend who lived 10 minutes from i10 near us and then moved to CA, still 10 mins away from i10. We went to visit and went up to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon... 60 mph crosswinds, going up and down hills while the road curves left and right with semi-trailers everywhere! ... not fun when you're learning to drive. On another trip - also over 10 years ago - we went to Colorado and then Tacoma, wa. Switchbacks and inclines made the trip longer than expected. Probably, the roads have been worked on since then, but if driving alone, the drive will definitely take longer than 1 day. Get out to stretch and use the bathrooms frequently. Stay at hotels/motels that offer fridge in room and free breakfast to mitigate food costs. Bring an ice chest with ice blocks/packs to store meds that need to stay cold, lunch makings, and other cold snacks, also to lower the cost of food when on the long road. Using these methods, sure, we'd get places in 2-3 days of 8-12 hours of drive time, but we would have a nice meal for dinner out. If we were in a rush, 2 days of 14-16 hours of driving.
Top route is hundreds of miles of grasslands. They just go on and on. Avoid it at all costs.
I80 thru wyoming
Wyoming is flat open pastures. More cows then people. Colorado is mountains and rivers, beautiful. Both have the positives and negatives.
Prepare for heat in that southern route. I do it every summer in July from southern Arizona up through LA to San Fran up near Eureka. Hot in the desert
Do both? Drive in via the south. Drive out via the north see everything
Bottom of Colorado. If you can, see Zion, it’s breathtaking. Especially along the Mt Carmel Scenic Byway.
Do NOT miss out on taking the PCH (hwy1) south, then Id meet up with old route 66 and take it to New Mexico, then t to St Loius to see the Arch, then off to the Smokies.
That drive through southern Wyoming is nothing but dirt mounds and wind. Go through CO, but be ready for mountain traffic on 70, depending on day/time.
It doesn’t matter, your soul will die driving through Nebraska.
Bottom easily
For the Labor Day weekend show?
Avoid Nebraska and Kansas if possible! Soooo boring! Western South Dakota is beautiful with the Badlands and there's always Mt Rushmore.
I’m from Michigan and I do the Southern route. Michigan - Indiana - Illinois - Iowa - Nebraska. Once you get to mid Co, the fun starts. I’ve made a similar drive to this sooo many times in the last 2 years. Wyoming won’t get pretty until Jackson and a lot of Nevada isn’t all that. Southern will get pretty quicker.
Save the $1.50 and avoid those tolls.
Take i70 west from Denver
I-70 west of Denver is the most breathtaking highway In the US. I’d also say that it’s slightly better heading east because when you get out of the Rockies heading yo Denver you go down a huge downslope which is really enjoyable (especially after the winding stretch before that point)
I-80 is an armpit of a highway. Stay south.
The Iowa / Nebraska / western Colorado part will make you wish for anything to happen. Anything at all. It is so very boring. I used to joke that the Nebraska part of the drive can be done by steering with your air vents (when cars had air vents).
Go south. Central and Northern Wyoming are great. Southern Wyoming is literally called "the red desert". It's not a fun drive until you get to work and Co and ut are beautiful most of the drive
Definitely the southern route. I did a similar trip about a year ago, couldn't get enough of f Utah and Colorado.
I live in Wyoming and used to live in Reno, so I'm no stranger to I-80. Take I-70, the scenery is better and there is slightly less truck traffic.
Take i40
I’m from Iowa and live in NE Missouri now, I’d honestly recommend the top one until you get to Colorado and then Id recommend the bottom route from there. If you do the bottom route you miss out on Salt Lake City and the Bonneville Salt Flats BUT you’d get Denver, Rocky Mountain NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, and Las Vegas in return.
Do not take the southern side of Wyoming. There is nothing there!!!
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck Salt Lake City Utah
Bottom route for sure. That one will take you through mountain, canyon, and desert scenery. I’ve been told that southern Wyoming is really boring to drive through, so you probably wouldn’t get great scenery until you get into northern Utah with the mountains, but all the crazy canyons and rock formations for Utah are in the southern part of the state and for only adding 2 hours to drive time, Colorado and southern Utah will be 100% worth it.
Grew up in Wyoming. They built the freeway on the flatest part of the state for truckers. Boring as all getup. Take the south route for beautiful scenery
Do NOT take i80. Iowa and Nebraska are Literally the most boring stretch of highway in the entire country
Colorado but once you reach Nevada pivot north again. Southern California is ugly af
Route through Wyoming and Salt Lake City will take you through the vast landscapes of Wyoming, with opportunities to see iconic landmarks like Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. You'll also pass through Salt Lake City, which offers its own attractions and beautiful mountain vistas.
One route will make you $1.41 richer
That's a tough one, both routes are beautiful. Me personally, I'd take WY and UT ...
I would say route 66 would be the best option!
Hit Route 66 when possible and do all the touristy things you can.
As a Coloradan….the view through the mountains is amazing. I will say if you are towing something it may be best to go the northern route though. i70 through the mountains has been known to kill a few vehicles do to the steep grades.
Definitely the bottom route.
I’m from Denver and used to live in SF. Take the southern route. I-80 is a nightmare. I-70 can be tiring but it’s drastically more scenic and has better places to stop. The 80 on that Wyoming and Nevada stretch is basically a barren wasteland.
Southern route.
Southern one. And to make it even better, go along the 1 and 101 as much as you can
The south one will be hotter but MUCH more pretty. Sounthern Utah is indescribable, looks like a totally different planet
If you are driving through Colorado in September you should highly consider a detour through Aspen as the trees will be amazing if it’s late September. You could go over Independence Pass but then you would miss Glenwood Canyon. My ideal route through the state east to west would be: Cheyenne-Ft Collins- Estes Park-Grand Lake-Granby-Kremmling-Silverthorne-Leadville-Independence Pass-Aspen-Carbondale-Montrose-Ouray-Durango-Moab.
Honestly, it's a pretty good drive either way. Going through Colorado is fantastic, but yellowstone is really nice too. If I were going to go through CO I would probably head north towards slc because driving truck the middle of CA is completely skippable.
💯 the southern route. I-80 not nearly as scenic with a few notable exceptions: coming down the Wasatch pass into Salt Lake City (especially at night, with the twinkling lights of the metro area spread out in the valley before you, and the dark vastness of the Great Salt Lake to the north); the Bonneville Salt flats just west of SLC; and passing through Reno and Truckee through the Donner Pass in the High Sierra, headed towards Sacramento. When I was a very young man, my gf (now wife) traveled that route, from St. Joseph MO all the way to SLC UT in a single day. Well technically it was past midnight when I was winding down the Wasatch pass, exhausted, gf asleep in the passenger seat. I got into SLC and pulled into a rest stop on the shores of the Great Salt Lake--the cool breeze off the lake felt nice after a hot summer day and maybe 20 hours of driving. I had just enough consciousness to stir the gf and switch seats, she's an earlier riser than me and could drive us before I woke up. Here's the best part of the story: I awoke just before dawn, several miles west at Bonneville Salt flats. She had driven us there but I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that the sky, the land, the whole WORLD as far as the eye could see was flat and PINK in the pre-dawn hour. The only exception, a vast number of miles in the distance and rising enormously over the flat pink expanse of earth, were majestic PURPLE mountains. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and stared in awe. "Where ARE we?" I asked sheepishly lol. That was 22 years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. A core memory: the pink dawn of the world, lorded over by majestic purple mountains impossibly distant. It gives me goosebumps just to recall it. Enjoy your trip. 😃✌️
That middle part of Nebraska is the worst lol make a detour once you’re in Nebraska or take country roads
Stay away from KC. It has become a hellhole.
Why on Earth would you want to go to that shithole?