Top Interstates for Cross Country Road Trips 

It would have been helpful if you had shown a map highlighting each route as you talked about them.

The worst part of Interstate 10 is crossing the State Line from Louisiana into Texas, when you see the milepost 880 sign.

I-70 through colorado and utah is some of the prettiest scenery I've ever scene.

I-70 trough the Rocky Mountains in Colorado is a great drive, the Eisenhower tunnel is also pretty interesting.

As a truck driver who's taken all these routes end to end, I prefer less traffic and less cities.

I - 80 in PA is some of the most beautiful natural scenery I've seen while driving. It's a fun highway too undulating curves, and the Dubois Diner is a great place to grab a meal.

I know this video is years old but I’ve been bingeing on all your videos. These are so interesting and well put together!

When I drove from NY to California I ended up taking I-70 most of the way. Spent a weekend in Moab and did exactly what you mentioned, taking SR-24, SR-12, US 89, SR-9 through all the parks and eventually to Vegas. That stretch from Denver to Vegas was the most memorable drive of my life. Truly spectacular!

Dude, you broke my heart. I-20 terminates in my hometown in South Carolina. She is dull, yeah. But she gets the job done. She is like Cinderella's plain sisters.

"I-20 is boring and has nothing along it" Atlanta: 🥲

Just southwest of Billings, Mt. is Hwy212. It goes over the Beartooth Pass to Cooke City and into Yellowstone Natl. Park. Well worth the diversion.

10:17 you do know that I-76 in PA runs along the PA Turnpike and you'll be paying upwards of $40-50 to use it, while I-80 is free.

Interstate 80, Interstate 5 and Interstate 40 are my favorites. I-80 is booooring through Nebraska and Iowa though.

You are so very much extremely correct about taking a different route home. It sort of doubles the experience.

I-90 is a beautiful trip across the northern tier of the USA from the Great Lakes region to the Pacific Northwest coast.

Kudos for having the Land of Enchantment on your wall!

Can’t wait till I can road trip again. Thanks for the insight and tips Kyle - you are helping me mentally travel until I can physically do so.

Route 66 is the best for cross country travel.

Hi. Here are some trip observations and recap from our trip out west from just west of Philadelphia, PA to Tucson, AZ. The trip was from the beginning of October to the beginning of November 2020. The trip was just a little less than 5000 miles. We took Interstate 70 out and Interstate 40 back. Splitting at Oklahoma City, OK. The two different routes were less than 100 miles difference in length. Interstate 70 was terrible east of the Mississippi River because of construction, delays, and trucks. Appeared to be 100s of miles under construction and much down to one lane. Interstate 40 was great and was on it for 1500 miles with very little construction coming east. The longest ride in one day was over 900 miles from Oklahoma City, OK to Knoxville, TN. About 13 hours with stops. we took 4 days each way. The only scenic roads we took was RT 60 over the While Mountains and down through the Salt River Valley and come back Rt 26, 27 and 152 back to I 25 to Albuquerque, NM . The best roads were in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Worst roads were Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. That could be a fact that more trucks on the road and wear and tear on the roads. We averaged a little more than 29 miles per gallon (MPG) for the trip averaging between 75 and 80 MPH most of the way. About 38 hours of driving one way. The sad part we saw at least 100 dear hits along the way as it is rut season, and they are on the move. That was our concern leaving before sunrise most days. Only saw one minor accident with two tracker trailers on the entire trip. The roads were lightly traveled west of the Mississippi and heavy east of the Mississippi. Mostly trucks. We traveled in the following states, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland. The hotels we stayed at were Hampton Inns and a couple of Double Trees. All paid for by my points I had on the card. Hotels were 20 to 25 percent occupied which was nice so did not interact with many others. The hotels had breakfast on the go, (a bag or box with a few things and coffee) and lunch in the car from stuff we had from a store. For dinner we order in and only twice ate in restaurants. We felt safe at both. For gas stops used gloves and masks and then discarded. About $325 total for gas with the lowest price $1.69 a gallon. The Honda CRV did great and was comfortable considering the size of the car. We had a small 12-volt refrigerator for snacks and lunch that worked well. The refrigerator was left over from the boat. Weather was great both ways. In fact, too much sun as my arm got hot on the way out and Karen needed an extra sunshade (map in the window) coming east. This is also caused by the time of the year and the sun at a lower angle. One of the more exciting things, was we saw an Armadillos crossing the road in Amarillo, Texas. I think that is a title to a Country Western song? It was a long trip and not too excited about doing it soon again but would consider it to see our new grandchild. Because of the pandemic we felt driving was safer than flying. Thank you for you videos.

I can’t believe you totally skipped over I-84...the drive through the Columbia River Gorge is stunning!

I 40 west highway of dreams

Two most interesting sites for me is Vicksburg National Cemetery off of 20 of course out of Vicksburg, plus Meteorite Crator around 15 miles south of 40 in Arizona. Great Wonderful sites on both routs.

One recommendation attach some maps for some visual for the viewers would really take ya to another level i can help with editing tips if u want

We did a cross country trip in '04 from Boston to the West Coast (Seattle then to see family in SF area)and went thru Niagara Falls, across Ontario, but north of Detroit. Went right across the LP and took the USS Badger across into Wisconsin. Very cool, and different, route...

I live literally a quarter of a mile from interstate 70, I’m so proud 😎 Say hi when you drive through Columbus!

2nd place, not too bad I’d say

I drove through I-40 between Memphis and Barstow, and I-10 between Jacksonville and Riverside in 2018 and 2020 respectively. They were fun drives, and first time going through the FL panhandle, I was surprised with the amount of green hills, and found out there's even some caverns by Marianna. I wish I checked that out. Also I knew it was going to be a super long stretch between San Antonio and El Paso, but the scenery was better than I thought. I then drove from SoCal to Chicago via 15, 70, 76, 80, and 55. The 70 through the Rockies is amazing, so much that I can't describe in words, I really loved it.

Another thing about I-10 is that it has one of the longest bridges in the US. The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. It's about 18 miles of driving over the swamp.

I-75 Is good for north to south.

You could also use the older highway system which the interstate replaced such as Hwy 2, 12, 20, 26, 30, 40, 50. Some of those Hwy share the interstate roadway but not entirely.

As an update, I-80 now goes very close to our newest national park, Indiana Dunes National Park on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Michigan. And it's only an hour away from Chicago! It is the 61st national park and was designated as such on February 15, 2019.

I-70 there’s a Rest Stop in Glenwood Canyon that goes right down to the river with cliff faces above, it’s an incredible place. You could take a vacation to that rest stop. Bring your bicycle if you ride.

I definitely agree I-70 as a whole is the best and most interesting. Colorado when you hit the Rockies is definitely the most scenic part and it is quite great. However, as someone who lives in Colorado and drives that west of Denver section pretty often, it is constantly congested. And for that I hate I-70 and avoid it if I have to. But I would still recommend driving it.

I’ve driven every inch of I-40 and is definitely something to behold

It would be great to have a video of your favorite shorter interstate highways!

Actually, it you're into sports history, I-90 is the route for you. Going west from Boston, you can divert about 15-20 minutes down I-91 to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. Further west on I-90 in New York State, I believe the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown isn't too far south. Into Ohio, the Football Hall of Fame in Canton isn't that far off, either, going about an hour south from Cleveland on I-77.

G'day from Australia and thanks for your interesting videos. I traveled from Vegas to Flagstaff via Kingman and then to The Painted Desert/Petrified Forest 2 years ago. Went to The Grand Canyon and Sedona. Loved every minute of that part of the trip. I spent 8 weeks in the US and Canada, saw some great sights and met some wonderful people. Was planning my next trip before the virus hit. Hope I can get back before I am too old!

Are you kidding? The beaches on the Florida Gulf Coast from Pensacola to Panama City are nothing but white sand beaches known as the Miracle Mile and are beautiful!

If you're using the I-90 in New York state, today (11/14/2020) starts the use of cashless tolls where they take a picture of your license plates and send you a check in the mail, unless you have EZ-Pass.

Went to California in 2010, from Cleveland. Went 40 out and 70 back. Gorgeous

One of my most vivid memories of I-70 is the massive swarms of ladybugs in central Indiana near Terre Haute. The volume of ladybugs was incredible.

U.S. 2 not an interstate but a dream drive, it is part in New England, then picks up again in St. Ignace Michigan and cuts across the Northern states to the Pacific Ocean.

I-70 from Kansas City east is mainly about the cities. Denver is definitely a must-see. But the kicker is west of Denver. The scenery on I-70 from Denver on west... OMG!!

I took a road trip back-and-forth across the U.S. back in 1995, probably the only such chance I'll have. I mostly followed I-80 going west, and I-90 coming back east, but not totally. 80 and 90 merge into a single route between the Cleveland and Chicago areas, so to avoid duplicating that stretch (and avoid some tolls), I diverted a bit to the south when heading west, and took interstates 76, 71, 70, and 74 from the vicinity of Youngstown, Ohio to that of Davenport, Iowa. Coming back, I stuck to I-90 from Montana to Pennsylvania, then diverted to I-86/NY-17.

I am a foreigner who often vacations in the USA, having visited all 50 states. One of my ambitions is a cross country road trip. Intially I was thinking of I-90, what I called "the Frasier Crane Trail". It starts outside the Cheers Bar in Boston and ends with a Psychiatric session in Seattle, but the more I drove on the Interstates the more I disliked it. So I did some research and there are two transcontinental US Highways, US 20 which runs from Newport OR to Boston MA and US 30 which runs from Astoria OR to Atlantic City NJ. these routes are programmed in my SatNav and one day perhaps I shall achieve my ambition.

I usually like his videos. But without showing a map while describing the routes, makes this a poorly designed video.

I-10 runs through Pensacola Florida, where you can see some of the prettiest beaches in the country. And there's so much to see and do there, besides the beaches.

I-55 to I-44 to I-40 is a great trip, basically the route of 66; Chicago, Springfield (IL), St. Louis, the Ozarks and Oklahoma City.

1-20 from east TX to SC is all pine trees, Atlanta traffic is either completely stopped or moving at 100 mph

Thanks for giving a shoutout to San Diego. Thanks from San Diego County

The editing jumps are sublime.

I-70 goes thru Dayton Ohio, a very important city to the country on the I-70 route. It intersects I-75 there at a beautiful interchange (freedom veterans crossroads).😁

You didn't mention Milwaukee for taking I-94 from Montana to Chicago.

Coloradan here glad our very own I-70 made it to the top of the list!

I-94 is kinda underated. It goes through North Dakota, The Twin cities, Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit before going into Canada. But I’m bias

ever hear of maps? they would make this more interesting.

This country is by far the most diverse, beautiful , gorgeous and safe place in the world !! 4.5 million 40plus years over the road driver. Get out and see stuff folks !!! It's worth it! So much good stuff in this big ole gal!

I've done the drive on I-80 across Pennsylvania many times and I totally agree, it's so boring. However, there is a section in eastern PA where they test road paint and it's kind of cool looking.

exactly what I wanted to see

I was in Thailand and showing a friend a US map. It wasn’t till then that I realized Rte 50 starts not too far from me at Ocean City MD and runs through my teen years home of Montrose, CO and ends up in Sacramento. I’d like to make that whole trip someday.

I've driven across the country to San Diego twice. The first time was I-85/I-20/I-10/I-8. It was not very relaxing. Texas dragged on forever. The next trip I drove up to NC to get on I-40 and took that all the way to ABQ, then I-25 south to I-10/I-8. Trading Atlanta/Birmingham/DFW/El Paso for Nashville/Memphis/OKC/Amarillo and ABQ was the right call for me. Much better trip with far less traffic, and the scenery on I-25 was worth the drive alone.

Another thing about I80 is avoid in in the winter time. There is something about that parallel where the weather change is drastic. I've been across the country multiple times as a child when my dad was in the military. We lived in Las Vegas, NV and Olympia, WA. For the 4 years we lived in Vegas we made several trips back east to visit family,. We only lived in Washington for a year so we only made the trip there and back. I've traveled I-70 MULTIPLE times through western PA. One bad thing about I70 though is PA is constantly working on it. It also is extremely narrow through sections of western PA. It's literally 4 lanes (2 each way) only separated by a Jersey barrier. If they have a lane shut down it gets very claustrophobic. They finally started widening it and adding an extra lane in the Washington, PA area and once you get through there it gets better.

Love roadtripping

"You won't get shot in Chicago...well, you might get shot in Chicago!" 🤣

This is the definitive guide to traveling across the United States. Jack Kerouac may have benefitted from this.

Interstate 5 is a pretty drive. The only problem is the traffic and allot of idiot drivers.

You peaked my interest in planning a roadtrip! I 70 sounds like the way to go! Would definitely mix camping and hotels..

being from Richmond, VA, now living in Los Angeles, I’m sad you didn’t mention I-60, it connects the two!

Great Job, love your work and thank you for sharing.

My Top 5: 1. I-90 2. I-70 3. I-40 4. I-80 5. I-10

Love this channel, but it’s all about the maps, so MORE MAPS!!!!

One of my life goals is to visit the US and do a Cross Country trip from San Francisco to New York... I'll pretty much follow/make a custom Route based off NFS The Run when I do since the game takes you on a pretty crazy roundabout way (at least it seems at times) but goes through tons of National Parks and even some pretty infamous areas... Million Dollar Highway comes to mind 😂 👍

I70 is the only one I haven't done at least some of. I've done 20 from I75 to Phoenix, 40 from Flagstaff east, all of 90 and 94, and 80 from Wells NV to North Platte Nebraska. My favorite is 90 once you're out of the major cities through to Seattle. Lots to see, varying terrain, it's nice. I84 is also an interesting diversion, you go from I80 in SLC through a lot of desert scrub and farmland, then you can either go on to Portland or catch I82 near Hermiston to pick up I90 in Ellensburg WA.

The interstates are good for crossing a major chunk of the country in a short amount of time to get to where you're going "start" your road trip. Once you get to a region, you should switch to the old U.S. Numbered Highway system & State Highways, because it's easier to pull off the road if you spot something interesting and want to take some time to explore it.

"you won't get shot in chicag- well you might but you more than likely won't get shot in chicago"

I live just south of Baltimore, MD (the eastern terminus of I-70). I've been on all of I-70 from Baltimore to Denver. Still have to do Denver on west.

Great video. I agree with your ratings, but thanks to the AAA, I found the perfect route for me. For my first Los Angeles to Pittsburgh trip in 1972, the AAA gave me a Trip-Tik taking I-15 to I-40 to I-44 to I-70. This route diagonally crosses the country and has the best of both I-40 and I-70 (except the Eisenhower Tunnel) in terms of things to see and EAT! Specifically, The Big Texan and the famous "over the Freeway" McDonalds in Vinita, OK. Over the years, I have made that exact trip 35 times and counting. I did I-80 and I-70 trips along the way, and one winter an I-10 trip which was obnoxious - never again. Now that I'm retired, we go to Vegas monthly and every time I pass the "Y" sign by Barstow splitting I-15 and I-40, I'm tempted to merge right and make that cross country trip again. Of course, until my wife gives me that "look." As a side note, for me, the best scenery in the country is along I-44 from OKY City to St. Louis during the spring and fall. Summer has way too many bugs in that area and it's hard to keep the windshield clean and in winter it's all gray. One summer I drove my new Corvette through that stretch and I eventually had to have the car repainted because it was so stained with bug juice. I wish the AAA still had Trip Tiks because as you said, there are places where there is little to no phone service. (The AAA still produces what they call Trip Tiks, but they are difficult to read on the road.) The old Trip Tiks were the perfect size and easy to follow with one hand on the wheel. They didn't have a lot of superfluous information, just the route and proximity to cities, rest areas, etc.

I prefer i-40 because of the lack of big cities and traffic. But, they all have some nice views

He's absolutely right about Las Vegas -- you don't have to gamble to have a good time -- plenty of nice restaurants and awesome shows . Also the strip has a lot in the way of just architectural cheese / eye candy so it's just nice to take leisurely strolls on. I've been maybe 3 or 4 times and have always had a great time.

What I like about I70 is that it begins in the middle of Utah near no major cities and then the highway just randomly ends in a park outside of Baltimore because the citizens didn’t want a freeway through their neighborhood.

It was great advice to take 76 instead of I80 when driving through Pennsylvania! I live in the northeast I80 in PA STINKS and a few years ago I had dead spots in cell reception so it was super annoying when trying to play music from my phone. If you take 76 you don't lose much time and there are much more amenities. Plus the condition of the road is much better as 76 is the state turnpike.

its so crazy how I drive on the very end of i80 all the time! I always think about where ill end up if I just kept going instead of taking my exit

Hey, hey now, I live on I-20. lmao Not really any attractions or things to see, but it does pass through notable cities. Fort Worth, Dallas, Shreveport, Jackson, Birmingham, and Atlanta. And you can see Talladega Superspeedway from the highway. But I will admit, it doesn't have much else going for it.

The North-South freeways are much better in my opinion. Shorter and less flat bullshit to drive through. I drove on the I-15 almost full length, from San Diego to the I-90 in Montana. I loved the drive. Lots of beautiful scenery in every single state and it had a good mix of large cities and rural areas. I highly recommend taking the I-15. There are some flat and boring parts in Utah and Eastern Idaho, but most of it is amazingly beautiful.

I-70 from Denver west is like being on a roller coaster that goes through mountains and deserts and doesn't really end until you get to Santa Monica.

I 40 also goes through Asheville, NC, and before you reach it (going east), it passes through the Smoky Mountains. Some of the road is scary to some here, because of the steep grade and curves, but the scenery is incredible.

He's absolutely correct. The Drive between Denver and Las Vegas is the prettiest Interstate drive in the country and it isn't even close. But one thing he didn't mention is, if you travel that route in any other season than Summer, make sure you know the weather forecast. I've seen a rainy day in Denver turn into blizzard conditions at the Eisenhower Tunnels.

You did not mention that on I-40 in eastern Arizona, about six miles to the south, there is a place called "Meteor Crater". This is Barringer Crater, thought to have impacted about 50,000 years ago. It is about a mile in diameter and 600 feet deep. They suspect that the meteoroid was about 80 feet in diameter at contact. You may have seen pictures of it but there is nothing like being there and seeing it close up.

You get me so excited about traveling!

Hi, great info. Thanks

great job, a visual would have been nice, but this helped me a lot!

Love your page man! Awesome information

“You don’t have to gamble to have fun in Vegas” You just know Kyle has a few strippers on speed dial

I choose the backroads and stay off the Interstates if I can.

I am a huge fan of your stuff; however, I hope one day you can do an improved video with intermittent visuals showing the routes on screen. Cheers!

I-70 is cool, but for the return take US50 across Kansas and eastern Colorado. You can drive 100, if you like because you can see all the oncoming cars for miles.

Also on I-90 when you get around the Mississippi River. There are a bunch of very cool bluffs and rock formations. You also pass through La Crosse which is a pretty cool small city.

Having driven all of these routes many times, I'd add that the time of year is a huge factor. For instance, the desert stretches of I-8 and I-10 are beautiful during the early spring, even many folks who think deserts are boring are pleasantly surprised. And no way do I want to cross the country on I-80 or I-90 in the middle of the winter! That being said, it once took me 2 days to get from Tucson AZ to the I-10/I-20 split in Texas due to snow and ice!

Route 80 does not enter New York. It ends about 4 miles away in Teaneck, NJ.

I-90 also lets you pass through Syracuse (just north of Syracuse actually)!