I-80 vs I-70

[Gopher23]

Considering a trip out west from the east coast. Anyone have experience traveling I80 and, or I70? Which is recommended?

[Cosmo]

I like I70 thru Colorado but it depends on weather. Two weeks ago I drove from Indiana to Nor Cal and choose I40 because of weather (snow at the passes of I80 and I70). I40 was great and very scenic thru stretches of Arizona.

[Oneilkeys]

Roger on the weather and the time if year. We had snow going into Yellowstone in late April last year and the RV camps in Glacier NP don't open until May. If you are going in May it depends on what you want to see. I-70 takes you thru beautiful Colorado and into Utah, while I-80 takes you a little further north but can lead up to I-90 to South Dakota (Black Hills and Mt Rushmore) and Yellowstone and Glacier NPs - two of our favorites. I-70, 80 and 90 are all great - once you get past Kansas and Nebraska. (sorry Kansas and Nebraska - personal choice)

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Gopher23

Considering a trip out west from the east coast. Anyone have experience traveling I80 and, or I70? Which is recommended?

If you gotta drive the Interstate ... here is our experience...
keeping mind...weather can play a key role in traveling through the Midwest during the Spring & early Summer months...

Home is near Kansas City...we have traveled both I70 & I80 ...
the hiways are only as good as the State's care ..
I70 is, our preference ! I80 in Iowa is generally very good...Nebraskas I80 is very rough (we last traveled it in June 2015..going to Seattle..through Wyoming..last year..alot of construction so we rate it as just ok..but beautiful mountain scenery, etc. Continuing west..it gets better ...

I70 throughout is good, our experience is, mostly from Indiana - Utah ...
Kansas is boring..eastern Colorado, same...Rocky Mtns in Colorado beautiful..quite a climb out of Denver west...through Utah good too !
Please take advantage of, as many as you can, beautiful sites in Colorado..and Utah !

I40 (previously US66) has alot of history and is a great drive in itself ...we have traveled I40 to Calif./AZ line then went north to Las Vegas, in 2014.

I think everyone will agree...get off the Interstates ... drive 2 lane hiways , as often as you can, and see America !

[KNMIB]

We have been on all three but use 40 a lot because we have a son in Phoenix and they are all good routes. If we don't eat in the RV we venture off to a small town café and avoid eating along the interstate and that has put us in some interesting places with normally great eats. We have been in the four corner states (Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and they are all amazing.

[Mr Sunshine]

Originally Posted by Gopher23

Considering a trip out west from the east coast. Anyone have experience traveling I80 and, or I70? Which is recommended?

You didn't say where out west, or where you are starting from, or how much time you have. If you are going to the Black Hills and Mt Rushmore, I'd suggest I-80 thru Iowa, then I-29 to Sioux Falls, and I-90 to Rapid City.

Small towns always have interesting places and people. We all zoom past great places in our haste to get from point A to point B. That said, there aren't a lot of towns in some of those plains and western states. Make those plains miles go faster with a good audio book!

[saddlesore]

Don't forget that there is an I-84 on the west side of the country.. Columbia gorge in Oregon is interesting.... just mind the wind forecasts.. 80+ mph is not all that unusual (same with Wyoming, or around Livingston, MT.)

[Gopher23]

Great information: thanks. Our focus will be on our great National Parks, but we'll certainly take time to see some of our wonderful small towns.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Gopher23

Great information: thanks. Our focus will be on our great National Parks, but we'll certainly take time to see some of our wonderful small towns.

YES ! depending on what direction you travel...
NW ... Mt. Rushmore/Custer State Park/Devils Tower/Custer Battlefield/
Yellowstone/Glacier/ (Gallatin River rafting in Montana)..Jackson Hole/Flaming Gorge/ ..
SW & NewMexico .. White Sands/Carlsbad Caverns/Bandelier Indian ruins/four corners Colorado...Mesa Verde/Rocky Mtn National Park and many side trips...
AZ Grand Canyon/ UTAH Moab-Arches/Coral Reef/Bryce/Zion/
NEVADA .. Lake Tahoe/Valley of Fire - Las Vegas area /Hoover Dam

just to name a few !