Are you making a cross-country move from New York to Los Angeles (or vice-versa, or anywhere along the way)? If you're braving the trip by road, here are three good routes and some sights you'll see along the way. One of them just might be a perfect fit for your cross country moving style:
The Direct:
If your intent is to get from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible, I-70 to I-40 is your best bet. You're far enough south to dodge the Rocky Mountains (and the altitude and possible snow) and it's interstate all the way. You won't hit a lot of big cities, but some highlights along the way include St. Louis and a quick side trip to the Grand Canyon.
The Stats: 2,777 miles in 45 hours
The Northern Route:
For the northern states sightseer, taking I-80 to I-90 to I-15 will slow things down significantly but take you through Chicago, past Mount Rushmore, to Yellowstone National Park, then southward through Vegas before hitting Los Angeles.
The Stats: 3,241 miles in 54 hours
The Border-Skimmer:
If scooping down south is more your style, I-81 to I-40, 30, 20, 10 is the way to go (especially for art and music lovers!). You'll get to hit Nashville and Memphis along the way, see all the great art museums of Dallas/Fort Worth, and even pass by Donald Judd's remote Chinati Foundation before skimming the Mexican border and heading on westward to LA.
The Stats: 2,987 miles in 48 hours
(Image: USGS via University of Texas Libraries, photoshopped by Regina Yunghans)
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Nothing makes a trip feel longer than driving east-west through Texas.
We moved from Boston to San Diego and back again 4 years later. Both times we took the northern route. Mostly to avoid driving through TX (sorry, guys!) but also so we could stop in Chicago and see friends!
I was going to say the same thing about Texas: it's just too big. You start early in the morning there and when the sun goes down, you are still there. Not a pretty area either. I've done it more times than I can count and just find it boring, Dallas included. Austin is great though.
Just did the LA to upstate NY move 3 weeks ago and took I40 then went up on I81. It was def one of the coolest and funnest adventures I've ever done. Had cat and college bound freshman along and drove a 16 ft Budget truck. Interestingly Budget was literally $1000 cheaper than UHaul and it only had 4000 miles on it. I will remember our adventure forever. The cat alone and his adjustment process was absolutely the funniest!! and my college bound guy was awesome, like a total team player!!! They don't care if a 19 yo drives. Not like how they freak when you rent a car and the driver is under 25. LOVED my X country adventure!!
On the north route is a man with a beard of bees, but the south route has a chicken that plays tic-tac-toe.
Interstates have enabled us to travel from coast to coast without ever seeing America.
I took the northern route years ago and had a blast ... mt rushmore, the badlands, corn palace, yellowstone ... all awesome attractions along the way!
I've moved several times across the country. While you have a car full of stuff, pets, kids, etc. you will not want to/be able to stop and sight see. It just doesn't happen. Find the quickest route, plan for hotels that will let you stay with pets and just drive as far as you can every day.
I've taken all three routes mentioned and the are all beautiful just from the interstate.
I've done Memphis to LA and then LA to CT, both times I've done a modified border skimmer route, because I have family in Memphis and it makes a great pit stop. Coming through the AZ/NM desert can be a little difficult with narrow, winding roads. I modified this route by going through OK City to Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque (I did Santa Fe on the return trip which I liked much better), which eliminates the torture of driving through all of Texas. No matter which route you take, take your time and enjoy the sites, I would drive about 500 miles a day (about 8 hours) which would allow time for sightseeing each morning before hitting the road and plenty of stops along the way. Stopping for a day or two to visit family or friends also makes for an easier trip. Don't rush it there is so much to be seen.
perfect timing for me w/ this article...at the end of the week i'm driving my just bought car from NY back to Santa Monica.
thanks for the tips!
Moved from Chicago to LA several years back and took the northern route. South Dakota alone was worth it! The Badlands, the prairie, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, all beautiful. Wyoming got a little boring but then there was Yellowstone at the end of it. A few years later I made the move back to Chicago and took the southern route and it just did not compare.
I knew someone who moved from Boston to a little town outside of Spokane. His change of address said something like "Take I 90 from Boston to (Tiny Town in Washington), turn right at the lights by the hardware store. We are the first house on the left."
re: South Dakota. I was amazed at how lovely South Dakota is. I was expecting flat farmland, instead there were fields of sunflowers, wonderful rock formations, rolling hills, even a herd of actual Bison. Wonderful.
While I was in high school, my family moved from Colorado to Tennessee - my mother and I, along with my baby brother and two dogs who hated being in their kennels, in our van, pulling a UHaul trailer, and my dad and other brother in the UHaul truck towing his car. We went through Oklahoma City on our way to Arkansas (our "lay-over" that night). Worst. Decision. EVER.
I did the central route when I moved to California, with stops in St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, and San Luis Obispo. When I moved back a couple of year later, I did the northern route, stopping in Sacramento, Reno, Ely, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore.
I'd recommend the northern route. I remember being surprised at how gorgeous Wyoming was -- I was expecting flat sepia nothingness. And the Badlands of South Dakota are truly amazing. If you go the central or southern route, you do get Arizona, which is beautiful, but the best way to appreciate Arizona's scenic diversity is to travel north or south, not east or west.
Then, once you get to Los Angeles, to become familiar with our regional lexicon you can stop referring to the freeways as "I-(number)" and just call them "The (number)." For example, "The 405" or "The 101" or "The 5" but never, never call Pacific Coast Highway "The PCH." Contrary to the SNL skit, nobody in California says "The PCH" we merely say "PCH."
In 2000, I moved from Austin to Seattle. I had to move things from my mother's house in SW Louisiana, and I ended up taking a border/southern route. I was also trying to avoid driving through the Rockies (conveniently forgetting about the mountains between CA & OR.) The route was incredibly simple though! I took I-10 to LA and then I-5 to Seattle. Driving across Texas took about 2 days (since I was driving by myself.)
When I was just five years old my family moved (back) across the country from Fresno, Ca to rural Maryland. Since I was a child I don't know the route, but I will always know that driving cross country is always better when it involved a vintage school bus and an awesome dog.
I'm from Texas, and I don't recommend driving through Texas. It just makes the route feel longer, and West Texas is booooooooooooooring.
Haha @Griffin - I thought about Friends as soon as I read the title!
When I moved from Pittsburgh to Tucson my friend and I took the I-70/I-40 route trying to outrun a snow storm most of the way. The highlights: the St. Louis arch at night, the stark beauty of the Oklahoma landscape in winter, a great dinner in Oklahoma City, a visit to the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo where we took photos to use on Christmas cards (someone had helpfully spray painted "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus" on one of the cars). And if you have to have car trouble, I highly recommend dealing with it in friendly Tutumcari, New Mexico, on old Route 66. Nice people, reasonable prices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Ranch
I-70 goes straight through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Unless the snow is heavy, there should be no great issues. All the ski towns are either on or just off 70, so allowing traffic to tourism is a CDOT priority.
ooo the Northern Route was my favorite! went camping in the Rockies and in Utah! : ) so fun!
Less cities = less traffic
I just drove Austin - Sacramento by way of San Diego and I enjoyed the Southern route, including west Texas. We stopped at Balhormea state park to go swimming and if we'd had more time would have stopped at Marfa too. The desert in Arizona and California was pretty amazing and no intense mountains like on 70. I've driven Chicago-Seattle a few times and I think eastern Washington might be one of the most boring parts of the US. And Illinois.
Hi! I'll be moving from SD to Philly and need some advice. I'm thinking of driving a budget truck or renting a minivan. I guess it depends on how much the move will cost. Do you remember the total cost of your move (truck rental & gas only)? Any advice?
Thanks!!!
Oh, and how long did your trip take?? Thanks!!