chicago to los angeles road trip (to sell, better, about)

[Dunbar42]

Good lord, a week to drive ~1800 miles. What are you driving a scooter? I'd do three ~600 mile days if you just want to get there without killing yourself through sleep deprivation.

[bpeeps]

I did the northern route through Omaha, Denver, Vegas, etc. Really pretty drive, but would NEVER do it in the winter. I can only imagine the steep highway in Colorado with snow.

[ilovegarlic]

The route from Chicago to LA...isn't that the ole "ROUTE 66"?

Go get your kicks!

[Pacifico]

Chicago to LA is route 66. Specifically it ends in Santa Monica were the 10, San bernardino freeway, ends at pch.

[eureka1]

Chicago to LA via 40 is basically Route 66. There's plenty of signage to keep you on the old road if that's what you want. The best parts are in AZ and NM. Williams AZ and the Grand Canyon are definitely worth a stop. Incidentally. my optometrist was from LA and went to O school at Champagne-Urbana. He claims he made it in 40 hours before it was an interstate.

[Ponypenny]

Originally Posted by chicagobears

if your driving from Chicago to LA follow these directions .

I-55 south to Saint Louis , MO.
I-44 west to Oklahoma City, OK.
I-40 west to Barstow , CA.
I-15 south to Ontario CA.
I-10 west to L.A.

best way to go there and back
less mountains and less snow
this is the southern route fastest way

Pretty much Route 66. Lots of neat towns along the way. Either get a Route 66 road guide or use Google.

[Marv101]

A nice 2,000 mile road trip like this can take anywhere from 3 to 4 days depending on how fast & how much you drive, and since Denver is halfway between the two cities, timing your arrival around sunset (4:45 PM MDT) would result in a jaw-dropping vista of unbelievable beauty.

Allocating seven days would certainly allow for some wonderful sightseeing along the way, particularly in & around Denver, and even a night or two in Las Vegas if you're so inclined.

Taking the southern route via St. Louis, OKC & Flagstaff would also be quite dicey, since a part of that route would also entail driving through altitudes ranging from 4,500 to 7,000 feet for over 525 miles through NM & AZ.

[git45]

Originally Posted by Siva00x0

three days!?! jeez that seems like a really short time! i'm giving myself a week for the journey and it seems too little.

I have 2 cats and only one of them likes cars, so I was trying to be efficient

[Joe Van Fossen]

I did this drive from OC to Chicago. 35hrs non-stop (except for gas/food) in the winter. 15-40-44-55

It was brutal, but three days would be manageable. One week makes sense if you like doing a lot of sightseeing.

[SloRoller]

Originally Posted by chicagobears

if your driving from Chicago to LA follow these directions .

I-55 south to Saint Louis , MO.
I-44 west to Oklahoma City, OK.
I-40 west to Barstow , CA.
I-15 south to Ontario CA.
I-10 west to L.A.

best way to go there and back
less mountains and less snow
this is the southern route fastest way

I drove part of this route in reverse, going from San Francisco to Houston. I ran into a couple of issues on I-40. You will want to check the weather and road conditions before you leave Oklahoma City. A snow storm came through and closed I-40 over the mountains between Flagstaff and Albuquerque. Because I was pressed for time, I had to drop down I-17 at Flagstaff and go to I-10. Wasn't really out of the way for me but the situation did force me to alter my route. I came back to California via I-10 and found this to be a much more pleasant and relaxing drive than I-40.