Pennsylvania to Colorado

[FleshEater]

We're driving out to Colorado mid-August. Looking at the routes on Google, I've got two options. First option is to go through St. Louis. I've never been to St. Louis, or Missouri, but in light of everything going on in major cities, I'm thinking option 2 might be better. Second option is to head northwest out of Indianapolis, and across the southern portion of Illinois, into Missouri.

Has anyone taken this drive, and can recommend a route? I'm not taking 80 anywhere near Chicago. Did that last year to head out to South Dakota, and screw that.

Also, is Colorado Springs to Pueblo a scenic drive? Or should I just head straight to Pueblo from Kansas?

Thanks!

 

[Curbkrawler]

When I drive to CO from SC I typically go up through southern Illinois to ST Louis and get on 70. Never had any issues. Went through there shortly after the riots a few years ago. I’ve never been your second route so I can’t really make a comparison but I70 is far, far superior to going I40 across Oklahoma and northern TX. Just my two cents.

 

[FleshEater]

When I drive to CO from SC I typically go up through southern Illinois to ST Louis and get on 70. Never had any issues. Went through there shortly after the riots a few years ago. I’ve never been your second route so I can’t really make a comparison but I70 is far, far superior to going I40 across Oklahoma and northern TX. Just my two cents.

When I was looking to go through St. Louis, I picked out Columbia for a good place to stay on the first night. Is this as small as it looks on the map?

I'm guessing it will take me about 14 hours to get to Columbia. That's about my limit for driving...I'm done after that long behind the wheel.

 

[Pt_Ranger_v8]

Go through St. Louis. Crossing the river is a little shitty, but if you stay on the freeway the whole time, you're safe.


But, if you've never been, I'd absolutely recommend taking the tour in the arch.

 

[Filthy McChevy]

The only time I drove by Saint Louis we got to see a car burn up at the rest area off the highway near there. And Co Springs to Pueblo is more scenic than Kansas to Co Springs or Pueblo but that's about it.

 

[Curbkrawler]

When I was looking to go through St. Louis, I picked out Columbia for a good place to stay on the first night. Is this as small as it looks on the map?

I'm guessing it will take me about 14 hours to get to Columbia. That's about my limit for driving...I'm done after that long behind the wheel.

Can’t recall Columbia honestly. 14-16 hrs is my limit as well. We usually camp in KY and then in western KS. Last year we camped in Illinois but I don’t like staying someplace with their bullshit gun laws...

 

[spaceman]

There's not a lot to see between Colorado springs and pueblo. If you drive in to Pueblo on highway 50, you can stop in La Junta and visit Bents Fort. It's a cool recreation of the fur-trading post that was active in the mid-1800s. You can also wave at BillyBob_numberguy as you drive through Rocky Ford.

What exactly are you visiting in pueblo???

 

[Juztyn00]

I'm in Southern IL. Going through St Louis is easy, just don't hit the bridges at rush hour . Take 270 if you want to go avoid downtown. If you want to drive by the arch and take 70 all the way through, it looks confusing but all the highways more or less come back together so if you're in the wrong lane going toward the bridges it isn't the end of the world. I prefer the MLK bridge. I70 gets you the boring fields of Kansas, I80 gets you the boring fields of Iowa and the nothing of Nebraska and if I remember right, is for the most part is south of Chicago.

 

[planefixer]

COS to Pueblo in not scenic. The only things to see along the way are a power plant, a little used race track (PPIR) and the entrance road to a landfill - other than that, nothing but scrub land.

 

[FleshEater]

There's not a lot to see between Colorado springs and pueblo. If you drive in to Pueblo on highway 50, you can stop in La Junta and visit Bents Fort. It's a cool recreation of the fur-trading post that was active in the mid-1800s. You can also wave at BillyBob_numberguy as you drive through Rocky Ford.

What exactly are you visiting in pueblo???

It's the wife's sister's 40th birthday, and they're going to show us around Colorado for 3 or 4 days. I'll take anything over western Pennsylvania. It's also going to give me a chance to scope Route 50 for the haul out to Utah next year.

Thanks for all the information! Anyone suggesting I see anything, it probably won't happen with this bullshit pandemic going on currently. Perhaps when it's done we'll make another jaunt west for fun. I think there is a WWII memorial in Branson MO, too.

 

[SanDiegoCJ]

Just west of Pueblo is Canon City and there's the Royal Gorge Bridge. There's a zipline across the gorge if you have some balls.

 

[toocheaptosmoke]

You can look at a bunch of rocks (garden of the gods) in Colorado springs, then drive up pikes peak.

 

[spaceman]

It's the wife's sister's 40th birthday, and they're going to show us around Colorado for 3 or 4 days. I'll take anything over western Pennsylvania. It's also going to give me a chance to scope Route 50 for the haul out to Utah next year.

Thanks for all the information! Anyone suggesting I see anything, it probably won't happen with this bullshit pandemic going on currently. Perhaps when it's done we'll make another jaunt west for fun. I think there is a WWII memorial in Branson MO, too.

Mid-August will be hot. Well, we call it hot. You probably will enjoy the lack of humidity. There are a lot of areas to explore west of Pueblo, enjoy the visit!

 

[FleshEater]

Mid-August will be hot. Well, we call it hot. You probably will enjoy the lack of humidity. There are a lot of areas to explore west of Pueblo, enjoy the visit!

Yeah, I've been out west in mid-July. It's absolutely gorgeous...you guys don't know hot until every day feels like a wet fart outside. I loathe humidity.

 

[Motorcharge]

Prepare to be bored out of your mind. Ohio looks like the heroin filled shit hole that it is, then you're going to think driving through Indiana and Illinois is boring, but just wait til you get to I70. I've only driven it from St Louis to Kansas City, but that 4 hour stretch feels like 4 days. There is fuck all to look at but billboards for fireworks and boot stores and an ungodly amount of dead armadillos all over the side of the road.

There's also a like 3/4 mile long bright pink barn looking thing on the left about halfway to KC thats some sort of strip club/sex store/massage parlor/arcade. No idea if it's worth stopping at.

I've put a lot of miles in all over the eastern half of this country and 64 from Ohio to St Louis and I70 from St Louis to KC just flat out sucks. The only redeeming quality is that it's basically a straight shot and completely flat once you hit Missouri so in theory you can set your cruise control and basically fall asleep. Though in my experience there's always some asshole from NC somewhere on that stretch fucking it up for everyone by driving 15 under.

Also watch your speed once you hit Kansas. Easily some of the worst drivers in the country, on par with people here in VA and down in NC and the cops out there are fucking assholes who like to pull anyone with out of state plates.