Road trip from SE VA to Montana Recommendations

So I routinely run Richmond, VA to Chicago as a day trip. I normally do a 4AM departure on either end and I can do the trip in about 13 hrs or less, stopping only for gas and drive through food. It's a haul. But if you leave early AM then you arrive before dark and that's my consistent hack for long drives. I stop driving by 6PM and I go sleep after I stop. I never sleep less than 8 hours a night when I am doing long runs, and a lot of times i get closer to 9 hours or more. Get up and out early and arrive before dark. I find that the sunrise resets my driving clock.

I have done the next leg of your trip as well, from Chicago out to MT. Same rule of leaving early applies. You will need to stop in North Dakota. It's just too much to push through solo. Just put in another 13 hr solid day leaving Chicago, and stop and sleep. Do not skimp on your sleep. Day 3 you will arrive in MT with plenty of time to sight see and also you won't be dead tired because you have been sleeping.

I can, and do run 16 hour legs solo, but unless you can easily do 12 hrs on a whim, I wouldn't recommend you push yourself that hard on this trip. Avoid driving through the night, prioritize sleep and you will be safe.

Also you have to go to Moab, and run the White Rim Trail. Are you set up for camping?

 

it’ll be my wife and I so 6 hours a piece behind the wheel

 

not currently, but I will be before I go!

 

How long are you going for in total?

When are you going? It starts snowing up there very early in the year and things get closed.

As long as you know your limits and are safe that drive is doable I'm 2 days. I wouldn't limit yourself to only 12 hours the first day, I'd drive until you're tired and then stop. The further west you get the better the scenery.

There's not too much for forest service roads right at Yellowstone, but just south in the Tetons there's some good ones with spectacular views of the Teton mountain range.

There's a lot of forest service roads between Yellowstone and Glacier. There's several right off the highway you can just turn right onto.

Theodore Roosevelt national park is a neat stop for a few hours. Rushmore is overrated, but maybe a bucket list item.

Get up very early to see wildlife at Yellowstone in the two valleys. Like be there when the sun rises and if you're lucky you'll see wolves, bears, and moose.

Be prepared for strong winds in the Dakota's. When I drove through we had a 30 mph headwind. I couldn't keep up at 80mph in my 3rd gen 4Runner. Also was getting 12mpg so don't push it for fuel, there's long stretches of nothing out there.

 

I've done almost this route before, but when I got to OK I kept heading west through to the Grand Canyon. Then went north through Utah to check out Zion on the way to Yellowstone. Took the northern route back.

I made it to AZ from NJ in a little over 48 hours, so it can be done. I wouldn't recommend it though.

 

planning for early spring. This thread is turning into just what I hoped, a plethora of personal experiences offering suggestions to help capitalize best on this trip

 

I did Providende -> Amarillo -> LA -> Florida -> Providence in March. I also wouldn't recommend that much time I'm the seat. Get out. Explore. Also fatigue.

Mine was a non-racing cannonball run road trip for fun. Grand canyon painted desert White sands great trip. I wouldn't do LA again and now I definitively know my max time behind the wheel each day - maybe a hammer down day here and there but not a bunch in a row.

 

1. Glacier National Park
2. Yellowstone
3. Rocky Mountain (if time permits)

You are so close; spend some time in those two National Parks. Buy an annual pass. Get some hiking poles. I use lightweight footgear (boots
are too heavy, but lots of walking to get into shape before you go).

The road trip I did with my son in 2019. Four weeks. I competed in the Santa Cruz Triathalon, which started my planning a year in advance.
My son commented, "that sounds like a blast," another son joined us for the first week so he could get in some mountain biking in Santa Cruz,
then flew home.

We planned Colorado for 2021. I stayed home (sick wife) but let my son take the Tacoma and have fun. He owes me a new skid plate!
Already plotting Northern AZ, Zion, CO, NM for 2022.

 

Early spring is probably too early for Yellowstone and Glacier to be honest. I was there in early to mid may in 2018. Going to the sun road in glacier was still covered in snow and closed. Yellowstone had a lot of snow around as well, it even snowed on me in the higher elevations.

Early spring can be good for the Utah national parks though, before the summer heat sets in.

 

Age must be served… in my youth, I’d drive from Pensacola FL to Pittsburgh in 19 hours…. once did San Diego to Pittsburgh in a 1987 Toyota 4x4 in three days. Now, I do 4 days to Colorado for fly fishing from NoVA staying for 3 weeks. Like was previously mentioned, take more time. It will be safer, more enjoyable and you will be ready to rock and roll upon arrival vice being dead tired.