Driving from San Francisco to Detroit, MI - Anything worth seeing on I-80?

[fujiyama]

I'll be leaving tomorrow morning.

I'd like to see Yellowstone. One of the roads opens tomorrow, but I'm a little leery about the road conditions...and it's kinda out of the way.

Anything else you'd recommend? Anything and everything...

[leftyclimber]

1. SD: Wall Drug, The Badlands, and the Black Hills.

Rushmore and Crazy Horse are there, too. Further east, if it's still up (they change it every year), the Corn Palace is worth stopping at for the kitsch.

Yellowstone's worth going to. If you have the time, take the detour. You can drive straight through the park in not much time if you just want to see Old Faithful and the Artists' Pools (same area). They won't open the road unless conditions are drivable.

[begin_within]

2. Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are worth the detour

Don't know how much of them will be open, but at least they won't be crowded.

[CreekDog]

3. On I-80 there aren't many famous sites

there are plenty of sites near I-70 and I-84, not so much on I-80.

so, if you have time, you might take I-70 to US50 and the route will be much more interesting than I-80 all the way across without adding much mileage.

but as someone who loves the west, if you do take I-80, I would appreciate what you can see from I-80 for what it is...the country is big, the deserts are vast, the skies are huge and there are mountains in every direction once you get to Wyoming.

some things you will pass:
-Park City, Utah
-Great Salt Lake
-Bonneville Salt Flats (there's a rest stop out in the middle and you can step out and walk on them)
-Ruby Mountains near Elko, Nevada (this is a great little side trip, probably only 30 minutes from the highway)
-in Reno you can take the Mt. Rose Highway over to Lake Tahoe then get back on I-80 (it's a beautiful trip)
-North Lake Tahoe is a short drive from I-80/Truckee
-Railroad museum in Sacramento
-State Capitol in Sacramento is a terrific place to visit

Yellowstone and Grand Teton are wonderful places, but to see Yellowstone takes some time, certainly more than 1 day.

Ruby Mountains:

[Sanity Claws]

4. Rocky Mountain National Park

It's not far off I-80, IIRC.
Another possiblility is Omaha. Omaha is not that scenic but, to my eyes more than 20 years ago, it looked like what I thought a western town would look like. Also, there's a suburb called Bellevue from which the Pony Express ran. I thought the exhibit was cool.

Cheyenne, WY is close to I-80 too, I think. I remember seeing an exhibit in Cheyenne that used the word critter or varmint, a funny word to this New Yorker. BTW, we drove through WY in the first week of May and hit light snow. Be prepared for almost any kind of weather in Wyoming.

[fishwax]

5. Yellowstone is a bit of a detour from I-80, but worth it

Teton is worth it too.

[fishwax]

6. Here's a NYTimes article about attractions in I-80 in Nebraska

something in there might prove interesting for you :) ... http://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/22/travel/i-80-s-exits-to-history-in-nebraska.html?sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=1

[hibbing]

9. hey now.....Nebraska

Hi,
Well you will certainly get a view of what I think are beautiful plains and where a lot of beans and corn of course is grown. I have been lucky enough to travel a lot and think every state has scenic beauty to offer somewhere.
Western Nebraska is certainly more visually appealing than Eastern Colorado, once you get a bit past Denver imho.

Be sure to get a Runza (now called something stupid like oven stuffed sandwich). Just hit a Runza and ask for a Runza, they will know what you are talking about!

Safe travels and peace.

[arcadian]

7. Go to Norris geyser basin in Yellowstone. I think it's the coolest.

There is also a campground right there. Grand Prismatic Pool is really cool, hike up above it, and look down on it, I think it's the Fairy Falls trail.

[fizzgig]

8. be careful, we're supposed to be in for some weather

there isn't a whole lot of anything along that route from laramie to the illinois state line. just set the car to cruise control, crawl in the back seat and take a nap...very few curves or hills on that stretch.

have a safe trip :hi: