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Chicago to Palm Springs and back - need help planning

Started by vilegloom, January 12, 2025, 11:32:31 PM

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vilegloom

My friend and I will be driving to Palm Springs from Chicago and back at the end of March. I already have a good idea of which routes we'll take:

  • Route A: 290-88-80-76-70-15-Mojave National Preserve-CA 62
  • Route B: 10-AZ 87-40-44-55

We're hoping to break the drive up into 3 days both ways. For Route B, stopping in Albuquerque and Tulsa breaks the drive up into 3 even sections. Route A isn't as easily divisible, and that might be okay since we want day 3 of the inbound trip to be relatively shorter so our first day in Palm Springs isn't spent mostly driving. We're hoping to keep the trip pretty efficient, so most sighsteeing will occur through the windshield and excursions far off the route aren't really on the menu. So with that, I'm wondering:

1) Would there be an advantage to Route A or Route B as the inbound trip, given that we'd like to keep the third day of driving relatively short? Ideal sightseeing conditions re: daylight hours are a consideration here, but the main focus is on getting there and back at a decent clip.

2) Where would be the best places to stop along these routes? I'm particularly a little stumped with Route A and finding the right places to stop in Nebraska, Colorado and/or Utah - so many little towns to possibly choose from and I'd like to book motels in places that aren't totally desolate and/or have some interest to them.

3) Anything else we're not considering? We're city slickers who don't drive a lot and have never roadtripped this far - furthest I've ever gone by car is Denver and I didn't do the driving.

Thanks for your help!
By its nature, the metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by traveling; namely, the strange.” - Jane Jacobs


Max Rockatansky

If you are coming out to Palm Springs why not go through Joshua Tree National Park after hitting 29 Palms?  Pinto Basin Road takes you a pretty awesome old alignment of US 60 and 70 at Box Canyon Road.

Personally I favor US 60 departing Phoenix towards Show Low and AZ 77 to reach I-40.  That will get you Queen Creek Canyon and Salt River Canyon.  The Old Claypool Tunnel near Superior is a can't miss road item.

vilegloom

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 12, 2025, 11:46:53 PMIf you are coming out to Palm Springs why not go through Joshua Tree National Park after hitting 29 Palms?  Pinto Basin Road takes you a pretty awesome old alignment of US 60 and 70 at Box Canyon Road.

Personally I favor US 60 departing Phoenix towards Show Low and AZ 77 to reach I-40.  That will get you Queen Creek Canyon and Salt River Canyon.  The Old Claypool Tunnel near Superior is a can't miss road item.

Thanks for these tips! I see the Joshua Tree route into PSP only adds ~40 minutes, so I'll take you up on that. Accounted for your US 60 suggestion as well in my tentative plan - I wasn't sure if that was more scenic than AZ 87 as I've never been out that way. With that in mind, current plan is as follows:

Inbound -
Day 1: leave very early and make it all the way to Denver
Day 2: leave relatively early and head to Las Vegas, explore a bit at night if we have the energy
Day 3: leave ~9am to arrive in PSP for our 3pm checkin

Outbound -
Day 1: leave early enough that we get daylight for most of our trip to Holbrook, AZ (cut this back from Albuquerque so we don't have to leave as early)
Day 2: Holbrook -> Tulsa
Day 3: Tulsa -> Chicago
By its nature, the metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by traveling; namely, the strange.” - Jane Jacobs

usends

Quote from: vilegloom on January 13, 2025, 12:05:39 AMInbound -
Day 1: leave very early and make it all the way to Denver
Day 2: leave relatively early and head to Las Vegas
I think this is a good plan in theory, because this way you will drive through Glenwood Canyon with the sun at your back rather than in your eyes (this is one of the scenic highlights along your route).  However if a spring snowstorm impacts I-70 through the Rockies, then you might go with a backup plan in which you swap inbound and outbound routes.  Also, it sounds like this will be around spring break, so keep in mind: depending on the day of the week, ski traffic heading up from Denver can make that drive a lot less enjoyable.
usends.com - US highway endpoints, photos, maps, and history

pderocco

Driving I-70 all the way to I-15 is nice, and it's efficient, but if you have the time, there are two other routes to consider. Once in Utah, you could come down US-191, then take US-163 through Monument Valley, then US-160 and US-89 to Flagstaff, then down to I-10 via AZ-89A through Sedona, AZ-89 through Jerome, and AZ-71. Or, perhaps even more spectacular and colorful, you could take UT-24 and UT-12 down to Panguitch (although check conditions on UT-12, since it goes up to 9600 feet), then US-89 down to UT-9 to I-15. These are great rides even if you don't have the time to stop at any of the National Parks they go by.

vilegloom

Quote from: usends on January 13, 2025, 04:37:44 PM
Quote from: vilegloom on January 13, 2025, 12:05:39 AMInbound -
Day 1: leave very early and make it all the way to Denver
Day 2: leave relatively early and head to Las Vegas
I think this is a good plan in theory, because this way you will drive through Glenwood Canyon with the sun at your back rather than in your eyes (this is one of the scenic highlights along your route).  However if a spring snowstorm impacts I-70 through the Rockies, then you might go with a backup plan in which you swap inbound and outbound routes.  Also, it sounds like this will be around spring break, so keep in mind: depending on the day of the week, ski traffic heading up from Denver can make that drive a lot less enjoyable.

Excellent tips, thank you! I'd considered the snowstorm possibility but it's a little tough given that we'll be booking our lodging in advance; do you think navigating from Denver to Vegas by a more southerly route would be realistic? Via 25/40/US 93 feels a little ridiculous and I'm not too familiar with the routes through southern CO/UT. We'll be leaving from Denver very early on Friday morning if we go this way, so re: ski traffic, if you happened to know just how early (or late) we should leave, I'd appreciate your insight there, too.

Quote from: pderocco on January 13, 2025, 07:24:11 PMDriving I-70 all the way to I-15 is nice, and it's efficient, but if you have the time, there are two other routes to consider. Once in Utah, you could come down US-191, then take US-163 through Monument Valley, then US-160 and US-89 to Flagstaff, then down to I-10 via AZ-89A through Sedona, AZ-89 through Jerome, and AZ-71. Or, perhaps even more spectacular and colorful, you could take UT-24 and UT-12 down to Panguitch (although check conditions on UT-12, since it goes up to 9600 feet), then US-89 down to UT-9 to I-15. These are great rides even if you don't have the time to stop at any of the National Parks they go by.

Will definitely consider these if we have time!
By its nature, the metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by traveling; namely, the strange.” - Jane Jacobs

jlam

Quote from: vilegloom on January 13, 2025, 07:35:07 PMExcellent tips, thank you! I'd considered the snowstorm possibility but it's a little tough given that we'll be booking our lodging in advance; do you think navigating from Denver to Vegas by a more southerly route would be realistic? Via 25/40/US 93 feels a little ridiculous and I'm not too familiar with the routes through southern CO/UT. We'll be leaving from Denver very early on Friday morning if we go this way, so re: ski traffic, if you happened to know just how early (or late) we should leave, I'd appreciate your insight there, too.

If you're set with Denver and Vegas and don't want to go over any tough mountain passes in the case of snow, I would suggest taking I-25 - I-80 - I-15. I did that a few years ago when visiting St. George. It takes a tad bit longer than I-70 to I-15, but the path over the continental divide is much more manageable. There aren't really any mountain conditions. It can get hekkin wimdy through Wyoming, but as a Chicagoan, you're probably more used to that.

One thing if you take this route: there is a lot of truck trarffic along I-80. You may get stuck behind two guys going 50 and 51. Of course, if Wyoming is hit by the storm as well, south through Albuquerque is your best bet.

pderocco

I seem to remember that I-80 in Wyoming often suffers closures in winter. But perhaps that's over by March.

Bobby5280

Quote from: pderoccoI seem to remember that I-80 in Wyoming often suffers closures in winter. But perhaps that's over by March.

Blizzards along I-70 in Colorado and I-80 in Wyoming can happen well into April.

If I was planning a road trip through the Mountain West I'd try to do it during the Summer months to maximize the amount of daylight hours and minimize any threats of icy/snowy roads.

michravera

Quote from: vilegloom on January 12, 2025, 11:32:31 PMMy friend and I will be driving to Palm Springs from Chicago and back at the end of March. I already have a good idea of which routes we'll take:

  • Route A: 290-88-80-76-70-15-Mojave National Preserve-CA 62
  • Route B: 10-AZ 87-40-44-55

We're hoping to break the drive up into 3 days both ways. For Route B, stopping in Albuquerque and Tulsa breaks the drive up into 3 even sections. Route A isn't as easily divisible, and that might be okay since we want day 3 of the inbound trip to be relatively shorter so our first day in Palm Springs isn't spent mostly driving. We're hoping to keep the trip pretty efficient, so most sighsteeing will occur through the windshield and excursions far off the route aren't really on the menu. So with that, I'm wondering:

1) Would there be an advantage to Route A or Route B as the inbound trip, given that we'd like to keep the third day of driving relatively short? Ideal sightseeing conditions re: daylight hours are a consideration here, but the main focus is on getting there and back at a decent clip.

2) Where would be the best places to stop along these routes? I'm particularly a little stumped with Route A and finding the right places to stop in Nebraska, Colorado and/or Utah - so many little towns to possibly choose from and I'd like to book motels in places that aren't totally desolate and/or have some interest to them.

3) Anything else we're not considering? We're city slickers who don't drive a lot and have never roadtripped this far - furthest I've ever gone by car is Denver and I didn't do the driving.

Thanks for your help!

1) You've got about 27-35 hours of engine time (depending upon whose estimate you believe). My hunch is that planning more than 9 hours of engine time for 3 consecutive days for first-time road trippers may be a little on the optimistic side. Depending upon your driving habits (which you don't know because you've never done it), 9 hours of engine time may go anywhere between 9 hours and 5 minutes and 13 hours of actual "driving" time.
2) I would try to get and stay as far south as soon as possible as much as makes sense for your route. It's RARE that you'll have better weather further north.
3) Distances through Texas and out west will go lots faster and be lots more boring than you think. Western Texas, New Mexico (along I-10 anyway) and most of Arizona look NOTHING like the Road Runner cartoons.


vilegloom

Quote from: Bobby5280 on January 14, 2025, 02:13:14 PM
Quote from: pderoccoI seem to remember that I-80 in Wyoming often suffers closures in winter. But perhaps that's over by March.

Blizzards along I-70 in Colorado and I-80 in Wyoming can happen well into April.

If I was planning a road trip through the Mountain West I'd try to do it during the Summer months to maximize the amount of daylight hours and minimize any threats of icy/snowy roads.

Makes good sense - if we had the luxury of advance planning we'd definitely do this in the summer, but this is an unexpected road trip to make sure my friend who's afraid of flying is able to join us for our long weekend in Palm Springs (hence my reticence to build long detours into the journey). I'll hope for the best here and also make sure we have everything we need to pass through Colorado if it's snowy (tire chains, etc). I've visited Colorado in March a few times in the past and we got lucky with avoiding major storms, so I'm sure my luck is set to run out and we'll try to be prepared if that ends up being the case  :ded:
By its nature, the metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by traveling; namely, the strange.” - Jane Jacobs

oscar

Quote from: michravera on January 14, 2025, 04:59:08 PMWestern Texas, New Mexico (along I-10 anyway) and most of Arizona look NOTHING like the Road Runner cartoons.

OTOH, US 285 in New Mexico north of US 64 is definitely Road Runner-esque. But that takes you out of your way, and toward winter weather risks along I-40 in northern Arizona and New Mexico. Maybe next time?
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