2023 Road Trip Plans

[doorknob60]

Mid April: Long weekend to Salt Lake City. Nothing particularly interesting or new road wise, probably will stick to I-84/I-15.

End of July: The big road trip of this year. Boise to Vancouver, BC for a few days (overnight near Everett). Then down to Seaside, OR for a while. Then up to Spokane, WA for a couple days, then back down to Boise.

I don't think I'll hit any new or interesting highways though, other than I-5 north of Everett and the highways around Vancouver which I haven't driven on myself. I imagine we'll stick to I-84/I-82/I-90/I-5 from Boise to Vancouver. Anything else would add a ton of time (and we already did the US-97/US-2 diversion last time, no need to repeat that this time).

Seaside to Spokane, last time we used US-12 from I-5 to Yakima, so we'll probably skip that and just use I-84/US-395 this time around. No other route really makes sense there.

Spokane to Boise you can stick to the freeways or go down US-195/US-95, but I've done both routes many times so nothing new there. We might make this a "game day decision". I would have liked to squeeze in some stuff in the more interior of BC and/or northern WA at some point in the trip, but doesn't really fit the schedule this time around, due to the "empty week" between our concrete plans in Vancouver and Spokane that we're spending in Seaside (family there).

No other road trips are nailed down, but we have a trip to Portland and Seattle by plane and train this weekend (driving would be possible, but hotel parking in downtown Seattle makes the cost not worth it, plus weather is hit or miss in early March). Also have a short ~2 day plane trip to LA in late March with a couple friends. We will likely take a short trip (~2 days) to either Denver or Dallas in June. Dallas would be plane for sure, Denver would probably be by plane, but driving would be a possibility. I'm holding off final decisions hoping that airfare goes down a bit.

We're likely going to San Antonio by plane sometime in October, but haven't booked anything yet. If Alaska keeps their direct BOI-AUS flights around (and they're not overpriced like they are right now, placeholder pricing/schedule I think), we may fly to Austin and drive down to San Antonio.

[kphoger]

That's too bad. I love KC.

I must say, I think Kansas City must be one of the most underrated travel destinations.

[JayhawkCO]

That's too bad. I love KC.

I must say, I think Kansas City must be one of the most underrated travel destinations.

Great food, architecture, neighborhoods, museums, sports, etc. Crappy weather in the heat of summer for sure, but I definitely agree.

[Bruce]

Mid April: Long weekend to Salt Lake City. Nothing particularly interesting or new road wise, probably will stick to I-84/I-15.

End of July: The big road trip of this year. Boise to Vancouver, BC for a few days (overnight near Everett). Then down to Seaside, OR for a while. Then up to Spokane, WA for a couple days, then back down to Boise.

I don't think I'll hit any new or interesting highways though, other than I-5 north of Everett and the highways around Vancouver which I haven't driven on myself. I imagine we'll stick to I-84/I-82/I-90/I-5 from Boise to Vancouver. Anything else would add a ton of time (and we already did the US-97/US-2 diversion last time, no need to repeat that this time).

If you haven't been on it yet, SR 11 (Chuckanut Drive) between Burlington and Bellingham is well worth the extra 30 or so minutes it takes over I-5. Plus, Fairhaven is a nice little stop to do some strolling.

Also should note that SR 529 on the north side of Everett is another fun alternative if you like grungy old bridges in industrial zones. It also avoids I-5, which will be under some level of lane-reducing construction for many summer weekends.

[Fredddie]

Next weekend, I think my wife and I are going to NE Iowa to visit a maple syrup bottler and that should get me parts of US 18 that I don't have.

[D-Dey65]

There's a good chance I may have to postpone my Northern Florida day trip I was planning for tomorrow, due to a sinus infection. 


UPDATE; March 18, 2023; I'm taking this trip on March 23 no matter what.

[MATraveler128]

Sometime after Memorial Day weekend, I am planning a trip through western Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland and hope to travel and possibly clinch some new routes while I'm out that way. Will be visiting Pittsburgh, so I hope to try to clinch the newly completed section of PA 576.

[US 41]

I'll throw out an update out on here.

Still going to Crater Lake NP, Oregon in June via the Loneliest Road across Nevada.

Then next winter I want to go back to Mexico again. Wanting to drive through the cities of Monterrey, Saltillo, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Leon, Guanajuato, Irapuato, Celaya, Queretaro, and San Luis Potosi. That would add 6 states to my Mexico count and bring my total up to 15.

[D-Dey65]

On March 23, I took a day trip to Fanning Springs. Keystone Heights, and Saint Augustine, and sadly most of the pics I took from the first two locations turned out like crap. Only today I was able to rename and post the one photograph from FL 100 in Keystone Heights that was worth using. I have a good mind to send my dog to my mother, and haul ass back up to the Fanning Springs some midday. However, since my next trip will involve recycling some glass in Polk County, I'll have to postpone those plans.

[Quillz]

Earlier this year: short weekend trip to the Eastern Sierra, was hoping to get to Mono Lake. No luck. However, it seems 395 is now fully reopened, so I might try again this weekend.

Then in late May/early June, want to drive through Yosemite (Tioga Pass, CA-120). I must have done this when I was younger but strangely I have very little memory of Yosemite, somehow I've avoided it almost my whole life. Really need to change that.

This September, planning a two-week NorCal driving trip.

Week 1: Lassen Volcanic National Park + Lava Beds National Monument
Week 2: Redwoods

Ideally my plan is this: CA-27 to CA-118 to CA-23 to CA-126 to CA-150 to CA-33 to CA-41 to Fresno. CA-41 to CA-49, clinch all of CA-49, then take CA-70 to US-395 to Susanville. However, I might consider one of the Sierra crossings. I did a similar trip in 2020 and did Sonora Pass (CA-108). This time, I'm thinking of doing either CA-4 to CA-89, or CA-88. I've not driven on either of these, and either of these would have be skirt around the Tahoe area. On the other hand, I've never clinched CA-49 and it would be neat to do the entire highway.

The second week is a lot easier. I intend to finally drive on and clinch all of CA-96, then CA-299 into Eureka. Good groves to the south and north (Crescent City). Always at the mercy of road conditions in this part of the state, though.

[citrus]

Then in late May/early June, want to drive through Yosemite (Tioga Pass, CA-120). I must have done this when I was younger but strangely I have very little memory of Yosemite, somehow I've avoided it almost my whole life. Really need to change that.

There's no way this is going to be doable in May or early June, I'm afraid. From Yosemite's website:

Yosemite has received near-record snowpack during the winter of 2022—2023. In years with somewhat similar snowpack, Tioga Road has opened in late June or early July. There is no way to provide a more precise estimate.

[Quillz]

Well then July-August is fine. Just whenever it opens.

[doorknob60]

Mid April: Long weekend to Salt Lake City. Nothing particularly interesting or new road wise, probably will stick to I-84/I-15.

End of July: The big road trip of this year. Boise to Vancouver, BC for a few days (overnight near Everett). Then down to Seaside, OR for a while. Then up to Spokane, WA for a couple days, then back down to Boise.

I don't think I'll hit any new or interesting highways though, other than I-5 north of Everett and the highways around Vancouver which I haven't driven on myself. I imagine we'll stick to I-84/I-82/I-90/I-5 from Boise to Vancouver. Anything else would add a ton of time (and we already did the US-97/US-2 diversion last time, no need to repeat that this time).

If you haven't been on it yet, SR 11 (Chuckanut Drive) between Burlington and Bellingham is well worth the extra 30 or so minutes it takes over I-5. Plus, Fairhaven is a nice little stop to do some strolling.

Also should note that SR 529 on the north side of Everett is another fun alternative if you like grungy old bridges in industrial zones. It also avoids I-5, which will be under some level of lane-reducing construction for many summer weekends.

Good ideas, I may check those out. We need to be in Langley, BC by 1:30 PM, so if we're able to get a quick start out of Marysville, should leave plenty of time for some detours, even leaving a cushion for the border crossing. I'll probably check out SR 529 heading up to our Marysville hotel after visiting the Funko HQ in Everett (assuming we can make it there before they close; we succeeded last time even with our Leavenworth detour).

[1995hoo]

We just came back from a short trip to Phoenix. I was there for work and my wife went as well to visit her brother, who lives in the area. Unfortunately, work didn't leave me much time for sightseeing or exploring the roads, and our flight to Arizona on Saturday night was delayed three and a half hours because the plane was late on its prior flight . That meant we arrived after midnight, so I just took the most direct route through the streets to the hotel. Plus eastbound I-10 was closed in the area near the airport, and then yesterday I again needed to take the most direct route because we had to return the rental car by 8:30 AM. End result: I knocked off a new piece of I-17 on our way to my brother-in-law's house on Sunday, but I now have 5.9 miles of said route left to complete a clinch and I don't know when, or if, I might get back out there.

For those of you who are NFL fans, I passed Ed Hochuli's law office a couple of times while walking to and from work. Didn't encounter him, though.

[doorknob60]

Mid April: Long weekend to Salt Lake City. Nothing particularly interesting or new road wise, probably will stick to I-84/I-15.

Update, we got back from this trip, and decided to take a detour on the way back. We decided we wanted to visit a shop we like in Idaho Falls. We took the opportunity to divert onto US-91 through Logan and Preston, then we took ID-34 up to US-30 (I wanted to add Caribou County to my map). From Idaho Falls back to Boise, we used US-20 which is always my preference over I-15/I-86/I-84. We also took a side trip on Saturday to Park City then down US-189 down to Provo, adding a couple new counties there.

ITD really needs to repave US-20, most of the highway from Idaho Falls to ID-75 is kinda bumpy. It was like this in 2021 and it hasn't gotten better. West of ID-75 it's mostly fine. Still fine to drive at 65-75 no problem, but the bumps get annoying after a while. All the other highways we used were in good shape. I was a big fan of that stretch of US-30. Mostly 4 lanes, 65 MPH Speed Limit, and very little traffic. Pretty scenery too. I'd like to drive through there again, maybe all the way into Wyoming as an alternate to I-80/I-84.

[D-Dey65]

My April glass run to Polk County was done on the 19th. So I have to decide if I want to go to St. Augustine again, or Folkston, Georgia next. I also have to stay alert for the health of one of my ailing relatives up north. Because if they die, my mother and I will have to drive up I-95 for the funeral.

Unfortunately, this may not provide me with the chance to take any pictures in the Five Boroughs, Long Island, or Upstate, New York.

[D-Dey65]

UPDATE: Instead of St. Augustine, Folkston, or a Polk County glass run, I drove to the Big Bend today. I wanted to gather some pics I failed to get in Fanning Springs last time. I also wanted to get more along US 19 from Perry, and points north to I-10.

[Hunty2022]

I might be going on a trip to Georgia on Thursday, though not a very high chance.

[fhmiii]

Just took a trip from Kansas City, MO to just outside of Natchitoches, LA.  Took a detour where I-49 ends in Fort Smith, AR to take in the "scenic route" in Oklahoma.  Back on US-71 in southern Arkansas.  It was only on planning my trip that I found out I'd be driving through a small part of Texas  Just went straight through on US-71 on the way back.

If you happen to be in Shreveport for lunch or dinner, head downtown and stop in at Pepitos XO.  Fantastic food.  The floutas may not be on the menu yet, but ask for them, anyway.

The only other thing I have planned is a friend's wedding has me taking the much-trod I-70 to St Louis next month.

[MATraveler128]

Sometime after Memorial Day weekend, I am planning a trip through western Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland and hope to travel and possibly clinch some new routes while I’m out that way. Will be visiting Pittsburgh, so I hope to try to clinch the newly completed section of PA 576.

So it looks like my itinerary has changed a bit and I will instead be heading further west to Columbus, Ohio then drive back to Massachusetts via I-71 and I-90. The Morgantown/Cumberland part of the trip looks to be a bit far out of the way for my personal schedule. I also plan to do a road trip out to Michigan sometime in October.

[Bruce]

Going to Calgary and Banff next weekend. Anyone have suggestions on things to look out for up there in terms of road happenings? I know that part of the beltway is still under construction and plan on checking it out.

[JayhawkCO]

United just launched non-stops from Denver to San Juan, so the wife and I are going and I got permission to clinch all of the PR Interstates.

[Rothman]

United just launched non-stops from Denver to San Juan, so the wife and I are going and I got permission to clinch all of the PR Interstates.

At what cost?

[JayhawkCO]

United just launched non-stops from Denver to San Juan, so the wife and I are going and I got permission to clinch all of the PR Interstates.

At what cost?

The ticket? Or for my relationship?

We're spending most of the trip in San Juan itself, but I sold it as a chance to see more of Puerto Rico than just San Juan. She likes road trips too, and it least it isn't her tagging along with me to clinch some eastern Wyoming state highways.

[CoreySamson]

Just got back from a trip to Memphis to see family. I was able to experiment with two new routes heading there and coming back.

On the way there, I generally followed the future I-69 corridor, mostly using US 59, I-20, US 167, and US 79, as well as a few Louisiana back roads (detouring out of the way of a bridge under construction in the process) in order to avoid traffic on I-30 and I-40 in Arkansas. On the way back, I used I-55 south out of Memphis to I-10, except I bypassed Baton Rouge to the north using the Audubon bridge to avoid traffic (which was another chaotic mix of backroads).