Best Route From South FL To Seattle

I would point myself northwest and set it on cruise control to Kansas City, Rapid City and then catching I 90 at Billings. Your right about the heat, while the rest of the world has been in the triple digits, we are still in light sweaters here on the west side and even eastern WA and OR haven't been horrid.

Sounds like a great trip and very doable. You're wise saving the Southwest for the Fall.

Don't set your GPS for the best route. You don't see anything via the interstates.

Head north perhaps via Michigan or Wisconsin and then take Hwy 2 across toward Glacier Nat'l Park as your first major stop. You can then continue west to Washington. The Olympic Peninsula is an awesome place, specifically the Port Townsend/Sequim area. Lots to do.

Then head south on the 101 into Oregon's gorgeous coastline and into northern California. On the north side of San Francisco you could head east via I-80 and hopefully it's September. Then get into Colorado and the Utah national parks and Arizona before heading east again.

Get a good paper, yes paper :), road atlas and highlight places you might want to see and then make your route from it. Also, don't be afraid to drive secondary roads. We did that all the time and that's where you see great things. Your 34' RV will have no problem. We did it in our 40'.

You might also want to purchase online the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers and RVers'. Many mountain roads are just fine to drive with a RV but some are not. This publication will help you decide.

http://www.mountaindirectory.com/

As you're planning in a specific area, come back and ask questions on that one area. It's hard for us to plan this big trip for you all at once. We also don't know if you only want RV parks or do you like public parks?

Good luck!

Regarding the fires last year - every year has forest fires. Last year was worse than usual, or at least more news worthy - I'd have to check the statistics. So far, though, this year is quite a bit different from last. Last year we had the 'Blob' offshore, this we are transitioning from El Nino to La Nina.

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-very-different-late-spring-and-wet.html

http://wildfiretoday.com/2016/02/14/review-of-the-2015-wildfire-season-in-the-northwest/

Last year was much drier. We had a hot dry spell in May, but June has been on the cool side. Alberta has made fire news this year, but so far there hasn't been much activity in Washington (no current entries on Inciweb for Washington).

As long as you stay with freeways, and don't deviate too far off the diagonal, the travels won't differ too much. In a mapping program like GoogleMaps you can vary the route in various ways and see the difference in distance and estimated time.

There are various SE-NW options east of the Mississippi, fewer west.

I70 through Colorado has the highest climbing, and the best scenery.

I80 across Wyoming is flat and windy, but I84/82 is a diagonal to Oregon/Washington

I90 is diagonal in Wisconsin, but that requires getting close to Chicago, But the drive though Montana and Idaho is moderately scenic, and not too high.

For a bit more adventure, stick with I80 to Nevada, and NV/OR 140 into south Oregon. It's one of the more remote stretches of highway in the lower 48.

Is the trip really just to get from here to there? There's so much to see between FL and the PNW, the heartland of America. You could, if you go to New Orleans, head north from there along the Natchez Trace a beautiful drive, Memphis, home of the Blues. Don't miss the Arch Gateway to the West in Saint Louis, you could follow the Big Mo as Louis and Clark toward your destination. Maybe stop for a view of Mt Rushmore, Devil Tower, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Through Montana we have taken both I90 up to Idaho and Coeur d Alene but also US 12 up Lolo Pass a beautiful drive all the way to I5. Hey it's your trip make it what you want.

My thought would be to set the gps on least use of freeways and follow the directions from your home to Seattle. I see more great things and meet the nicest people away from freeways.

Safe travels!

Personally, if the intention is to get out of the heat, I'd head up 75 to get as far north as possible and then head west on 90. You'll love Montana. I recently went east from Seattle on 90 and it was really a pleasure until I approached Chicago... plenty of wide open spaces and decent roads. So, as you're heading up 75, investigate your opportunities to head northwest and cut off that corner between 75 and 90. Sorry, can't help you with that cut but there ought to be several choices.

Just be aware that last summer Oregon and Washington east of the Cascade Mountains were on fire and this summer could very well be more of the same. No guarantees once you get north of the SW and of California in July//August/September. Just so you know. Would hate for you to travel that long hypotenuse line from your extreme SE point up here to this extreme NW point and find no respite. Usually safer west of the Cascades.

If I were to plan such an unimaginative route, think I'd program my gps and or one of the many trip planning programs for the "shortest/fastest" route and then put my current location in as the "start" and Seattle as the "end" and let the computer chip do my planning for me. I personally can't help you since that would not have been a route I've taken during my many criss-crossings of this country. Hope my suggestion is of some help.