New York to California - best route
Hi all - my husband and I and our 2 dogs will be going to CA soon. We would like to take the most direct and "fastest" route going out and then we'll take longer and see some sites on the way back. ...
Forum Discussion
Take I-287 off the Island to I-78. Follow it to just east of Harrisburg, where it kinda turns into I-81. Follow I-81 down to Hagerstown MD. Hop on I-70 but just for a little bit to Hancock MD, then get on I-68. Follow I-68 to Morgantown VA then get on I-79 NORTH. That will hook you back up to I-70 in Washington, PA.
It sounds complex but it's not. The drive is easy, not a lot of city-congestion anywhere along the route.
Follow I-70 west all the way to Indianapolis, then grab I-74 and follow it north-westerly through Champaign, Bloomington and Peoria, make a hard right at Galesburg, and follow to I-80 just east of the Quad Cities area. Make a LEFT on I-80, and don't stop 'till you hit the East Bay. :)
Going west, it's all very slight, slow climbing from about Lincoln, Nebraska to Cheyenne. You hit the high point of I-80 just east of Laramie, it's very easy to do. Then pretty much flat all across southern Wyoming, not very scenic but quick.
On the other side of Evanston, the downhiller into the Salt Lake City valley can be fun. Back in 2012, we branched off at Echo to take I-84 down to Ogden instead, it was quite nice. I-80 across the Great Salt Lake flats and Nevada will be a revelation after the LIE, if you know what I mean. :)
Coming back, there are a million ways to do it. North, south, all good. Depends on time of year and your own timing.
Relax and have fun. If you're used to driving in the NYC metro area, a couple of dingbat trucks on I-80 shouldn't scare you at all. Once you get west of Piscataway, it's all golden. You won't see the kind of traffic you're used to again, until the outskirts of San Francisco.
It sounds complex but it's not. The drive is easy, not a lot of city-congestion anywhere along the route.
Follow I-70 west all the way to Indianapolis, then grab I-74 and follow it north-westerly through Champaign, Bloomington and Peoria, make a hard right at Galesburg, and follow to I-80 just east of the Quad Cities area. Make a LEFT on I-80, and don't stop 'till you hit the East Bay. :)
Going west, it's all very slight, slow climbing from about Lincoln, Nebraska to Cheyenne. You hit the high point of I-80 just east of Laramie, it's very easy to do. Then pretty much flat all across southern Wyoming, not very scenic but quick.
On the other side of Evanston, the downhiller into the Salt Lake City valley can be fun. Back in 2012, we branched off at Echo to take I-84 down to Ogden instead, it was quite nice. I-80 across the Great Salt Lake flats and Nevada will be a revelation after the LIE, if you know what I mean. :)
Coming back, there are a million ways to do it. North, south, all good. Depends on time of year and your own timing.
Relax and have fun. If you're used to driving in the NYC metro area, a couple of dingbat trucks on I-80 shouldn't scare you at all. Once you get west of Piscataway, it's all golden. You won't see the kind of traffic you're used to again, until the outskirts of San Francisco.
