Driving DC to San Diego in five days

[Anonymous]

Is this doable? A few stops along the way for sightseeing? For those of you who have done cross-country driving, any suggestions to make it manageable? My first time doing it.

[Anonymous]

By yourself? Your first time? Brutal.

Sightseeing? Get real.

[Anonymous]

You can only do it if you spend 10-12 hours a day driving with minimal stops.

[Anonymous]

Did Vegas to DC 5-day drive. Visited Albuquerque and Santa Fe one morning and then did a 4-hr hike at Palo Duro Canyon in TX. Rest of trip just drive and sleep and eat along the highways. But not a bad experience at all. So I think SD to DC is doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can only do it if you spend 10-12 hours a day driving with minimal stops.

It takes 40 hours, so that’s 8 hours of driving a day (assuming this is a one way trip.) There are two major routes that both merge around Oklahoma. The northern route follows I-70 to I-44 and cuts through Columbus, Indianapolis, and St Louis. The southern route follows I-81 to I-40 through Nashville and Memphis. There’s a ton of things to see in the Southwest around the 4 corners area.

[Anonymous]

It won’t be fun, but you can certainly do it. Here is how I would do it:

Day 1: DC to Columbia, Missouri
Day 2: Columbia, MO to Denver
Day 3: Denver to around Vegas
Day 4: arrive San Diego

This schedule allows for no sightseeing, especially on first two days. Final day is flexible. If you stop on day 3 just before Vegas, in St George, Utah, you have about a 7 hour drive to San Diego. If you stop west of Vegas, in Barstow, CA, you have about 4 hours to San Diego.

[Anonymous]

I’ve done this several times. 5 days will not allow you to do much of anything besides stop for lunch. And driving is exhausting.

If you want to sight see and take it easy, you need at least 7-8 days.

[Anonymous]

If you plan it, plan it backwards.

What do you want an easy day 5 to be like?

Then day 4

Then 3..2..1

Planning your desired stops accordingly. Do a shorter morning activity in some of the places, then hit the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It won’t be fun, but you can certainly do it. Here is how I would do it:

Day 1: DC to Columbia, Missouri
Day 2: Columbia, MO to Denver
Day 3: Denver to around Vegas
Day 4: arrive San Diego

This schedule allows for no sightseeing, especially on first two days. Final day is flexible. If you stop on day 3 just before Vegas, in St George, Utah, you have about a 7 hour drive to San Diego. If you stop west of Vegas, in Barstow, CA, you have about 4 hours to San Diego.

DC to San Diego should not involve Denver or Utah. This sounds doable, make time for the Grand Canyon though.

[Anonymous]

I did it there (2 drivers + 1 dog) and back (1 driver + 1 dog). Each way was 5 days but it was a lot of driving!! The way back I did extra hours so I could stop at places like the Grand canyon.

In sum, doable if you like driving. Not doable if you want short days and sightseeing.

[Anonymous]

Yea, I’ve done it as the solo driver with kids in the car. Driving west you have the time change in your favor which helps, as does the longer days of summer.

[Anonymous]

^^^ The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest is an easy NP to see, right off I-40.

[Anonymous]

100% doable. It's not ideal but very possible. I went to school in San Francisco and lived in Reston. I did it a few times. Stopped in Boulder to stay with friends and then just hauled ass east.

[Anonymous]

I’ve driven to and from Colorado multiple times DC to St. Louis isn’t bad and can be done in a long day usually. Further west is hard if you’re on I 70 because Kansas is so terribly boring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It won’t be fun, but you can certainly do it. Here is how I would do it:

Day 1: DC to Columbia, Missouri
Day 2: Columbia, MO to Denver
Day 3: Denver to around Vegas
Day 4: arrive San Diego

This schedule allows for no sightseeing, especially on first two days. Final day is flexible. If you stop on day 3 just before Vegas, in St George, Utah, you have about a 7 hour drive to San Diego. If you stop west of Vegas, in Barstow, CA, you have about 4 hours to San Diego.

This is exactly it. We've done it a few times. We always stop in St. George.