US Road Trip Suggestions?

[tom66]

I'm visiting a friend of mine who lives in the "deep South" of the USA. Near Little Rock, Arkansas. We're going in April, hoping to catch the eclipse and make a good journey onwards. It needs to be a loop as we'll depart back from there and don't want to do a one-way car rental if possible.

Be there for around a week or two. Mostly staying in motels and hotels as needed, nothing fancy.

I see two major route options:

Route A
- Little Rock to Oklahoma City (6 hr drive) - stay overnight
- OC to Denver, CO (9 hr drive) - maybe break into two stopping midway somewhere
- Explore Denver / Colorado mountains area (lots of national parks)

Route B
- Little Rock to Nashville (6 hr drive) - stay overnight
- Nashville to Chicago (7 hr drive)
- Explore Chicago
- Return via Kansas City (maybe)

But I'm also considering an internal flight to SF bay area or Portland and exploring around there with a rental car.

After some ideas/inspiration!

Thanks
Any suggestions?

[KeithW]

I'm visiting a friend of mine who lives in the "deep South" of the USA. Near Little Rock, Arkansas. We're going in April, hoping to catch the eclipse and make a good journey onwards. It needs to be a loop as we'll depart back from there and don't want to do a one-way car rental if possible.

Be there for around a week or two. Mostly staying in motels and hotels as needed, nothing fancy.

I see two major route options:

Route A
- Little Rock to Oklahoma City (6 hr drive) - stay overnight
- OC to Denver, CO (9 hr drive) - maybe break into two stopping midway somewhere
- Explore Denver / Colorado mountains area (lots of national parks)

Route B
- Little Rock to Nashville (6 hr drive) - stay overnight
- Nashville to Chicago (7 hr drive)
- Explore Chicago
- Return via Kansas City (maybe)

But I'm also considering an internal flight to SF bay area or Portland and exploring around there with a rental car.

After some ideas/inspiration!

Thanks
Any suggestions?

Route A is a drag, I-70 is not exactly scenic and some of the mountain roads may be closed in April. When I went to Rocky Mountain National Park we were turned away after a snow storm and that was in June !
I-70 through Kansas
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8572098 ... &entry=ttu

Route B on the hand is in my opinion a good one.
When it comes to Chicago avoid staying on the South Side its too easy to stray into some distinctly dodgy neighbourhoods, when I was there I stayed out at the Best Western, Hillside, Illinois and Oak Park is pretty safe , all the Chicago mafia bosses used to live there. The Frank Lloyd Wright house and museum are worth a look.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8943343 ... &entry=ttu

When you are heading north from Nashville consider a detour to take in Mammoth Cave.
https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm

[Peter Freeman]

In and around Kansas City on your route B, you could explore the densest cluster of DDI's.

[bart]

Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park isn't opened until Memorial Day at the end of May. While there are other things in the park I suspect snow will be a problem at high elevations and you won't get much out of it at that time of year.

I'm not sure why you want to drive 13 hours somewhere instead of visiting things closer to Arkansas. I'd suggest a few nights in New Orleans (via the Delta Blues trail along the Mississippi River) and Memphis. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is indeed worth a visit, as is the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

[KeithW]

Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park isn't opened until Memorial Day at the end of May. While there are other things in the park I suspect snow will be a problem at high elevations and you won't get much out of it at that time of year.

I'm not sure why you want to drive 13 hours somewhere instead of visiting things closer to Arkansas. I'd suggest a few nights in New Orleans (via the Delta Blues trail along the Mississippi River) and Memphis. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is indeed worth a visit, as is the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Those dates are subject to the whims of mother nature, on 21 June 2003 we were turned round and had to go the long way round via US 89 to US 2 at Glacier NP West. Two days later it was open, this is why (my photo).