By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join Kyle, aka the Geography King, for his countdown of the six best interstate routes for cross-country road trips. The “Geography King” is basing his picks on his experiences taking more than 20 cross-country trips, and counting.
The video focuses on interstate highways, as most major U.S. cities are near one. And, as the topic is crossing the country, it focuses on east/west routes. Kyle chose to feature six because, well, there are only six major routes that cross the United States. So, the competition for the six-best list was, in reality, not that tough.
Those six routes are Interstates 10, 20, 40, 70, 80, and 90. Of those six, know that I-20 does not officially completely go across the entire country, but goes 2/3 of the way before ending in Southwest Texas; and I-70 only goes about 3/4 of the way before it ends in Southwest Utah.
Be sure to watch the video. In addition to what you can expect to see along each route, our host shares some creative variations and alternative routes from each that let you see even more sites.
These are the order of Kyle’s preference of cross-country routes. Yours may be different. I know I can find interesting things to see almost ANYWHERE.
#6 Interstate 20: Kyle says this is the “lamest way to cross the country” because, compared to the other interstates, I-20 doesn’t offer all that much interesting to see and there’s a sparsity of worthwhile stops en route. You are also going to have to augment your trip with portions of I-10 and I-8 to cross the whole country. Our host says those will be the most interesting portions of the trip. In fact, he says that even if you live close to I-20, you’ll have a much more interesting trip by going a little out of your way to get to I-10 or I-40 as soon as you are able.
#5 Interstate 90: The longest and northernmost interstate in the U.S. connects Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA. I-90 offers a nice variety of both urban and rural things to see along the way. You’ll pass through Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland, and Boston. There are a bunch of national parks, covered in the video, that are also easily accessible from this route.
#4 Interstate 10: The southernmost interstate in the country connects Los Angeles, CA, to Jacksonville, FL. You will pass through Los Angeles, San Antonio, Houston, and New Orleans. There is lots of spectacular scenery, especially in the Southwest—where you will find a variety of national parks and national monuments along the route. On the eastern part of the route, you’ll also encounter some nice beaches, especially in Florida.
#3 Interstate 40: I-40 connects the Southern California high desert town of Barstow with the North Carolina coast. From Oklahoma City west, I-40 replaced what was once Route 66. Kyle says that you will go through Los Angeles, but this is not really true, as Barstow is several hours from the City of Angels. Memphis and Nashville are on the route. You’ll encounter lots of pretty scenery, especially across Arizona and New Mexico in the West and over the Great Smoky Mountains and the Outer Banks in the East. You’ll also pass near national parks and monuments, including the Grand Canyon.
#2 Interstate 80: I-80 connects San Francisco and New York City. Besides those two incredible destinations, you’ll pass through eight of the top U.S. metro areas including Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cleveland, and Omaha. You can also see Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Kyle’s alternate route. If you like cities, this is the route to take. And there’s lots of natural scenery along the way, too.
#1 Interstate 70: This is our host’s favorite cross-country route because he says it offers the most variety of both urban and rural landscapes, including what Kyle considers the most spectacular scenery in the U.S. It connects Baltimore with SW Utah, where you will have to pick up I-15 to finish the cross-country journey. Cities on this route include Denver, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Columbus or Cincinnati (you have options), Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Natural scenery includes Rocky Mountain National Park in the West, and your alternate route will take you to five national parks! You can even schedule in a side trip to Las Vegas.
Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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