# Road Trip from Baltimore to Salt Lake City **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045 "2014-10-11T16:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/1 "2014-10-11T16:25:14Z")
In just a few weeks, right at the end of October, we’re moving from Baltimore to Salt Lake City. I’ll be in my AWD Element with all-season tires, so that’s not too bad… but we’ll also be towing my motorcycle on a small motorcycle trailer. We’re planning on taking I80 pretty much the entire way, since it’s pretty much a straight shot. We don’t have a lot of time for this trip, unfortunately, but might be able to spare a day or so. Is there anything along the way we absolutely can’t miss? Also, is there any particular section of the trip which might be difficult that time of year? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/2 "2014-10-11T17:46:25Z")
What do you like to see and do when you travel? ETA: also why I-80 over I-70? It’s pretty much the same mileage and time, based on routing between Baltimore and Salt Lake City. If I-70 then I suggest the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, including the Museum of Westward Expansion on the first floor. Good BBQ in STL includes Pappy’s Smokehouse, and Sugarfire (there are 3-4 locations). ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/3 "2014-10-11T17:48:43Z")
Well, like I said, we don’t have much time of this trip… and we’ll have the dogs with us. Basically, we’re just looking for the touristy things for which we’d never specifically make a trip. On our way out here, we went out of our way to go by Mount Rushmore, because we figured that we’d really never have another chance. Pretty pictures, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/4 "2014-10-11T18:42:39Z")
UNESCO World Heritage Sites is a list I use to prioritize my travels. The only one along your way is Cahokia Mounds near St. Louis. I briefly visited once, for 2 hours, and it is historically and culturally interesting. I don’t think there are many places for pretty pictures. I do plan to go back, since I go to St. Louis a few times a year. Wikipedia, list of WHSs by state: [List of World Heritage Sites in the United States - Wikipedia](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_the_United_States#Sites_by_state) UNESCO page: [UNESCO World Heritage Centre - World Heritage List](http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/) Otherwise along your way are a couple of museums I like but haven’t been to in several years: Dayton OH: The USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB - great if you’re a plane buff Indianapolis IN: The Indy 500 Museum at the racetrack - great if you’re a race fan ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/5 "2014-10-11T21:20:09Z")
I 70 would be a better choice. You don’t have to deal with Chicago traffic. Both are horribly boring through the plains states, but 70 through Colorado is beautiful while 80 through Wyoming is depressing. 70 is also better maintained in bad weather because they need to keep it open for the skiers. 80 in Wyoming gets closed a lot and can be a death trap if there’s snow and especially wind. When you get into Utah, peel off on Hwy. 191 through Price and down into Provo, then up to SLC. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/6 "2014-10-11T23:04:41Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I 70 would be a better choice. You don’t have to deal with Chicago traffic. Both are horribly boring through the plains states, but 70 through Colorado is beautiful while 80 through Wyoming is depressing. 70 is also better maintained in bad weather because they need to keep it open for the skiers. 80 in Wyoming gets closed a lot and can be a death trap if there’s snow and especially wind. When you get into Utah, peel off on Hwy. 191 through Price and down into Provo, then up to SLC. Most people I know prefer I-80 to I-70 for Denver-SLC. I would also question the assertion that more effort is taken to keep I-70 open “for skiers” than to keep I-80 open for a vast amount of interstate commerce. Both routes have their problems, the high plains of Wyoming on I-80 versus two 10,000 foot passes on I-70. But neither is likely to be an issue in October. You are right about the Wyoming interstate being the most ugly and boring place in the world, though. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/7 "2014-10-11T23:14:16Z")
Did you decide where you’re going to land when you get here? Short-term rental while you look for a permanent place? Or did you find a home you liked? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/8 "2014-10-12T18:47:08Z")
We’ve got corporate housing lined up for at least two weeks, during which time we’ll be looking for a place to rent. While our current house sold for more than we bought it, we won’t really come out ahead enough to buy a new place thanks to inspections. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/9 "2014-10-13T00:07:09Z")
Sounds like a good start. Don’t look back. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/10 "2014-10-13T00:31:08Z")
If you’re looking for a scenic area close to I-80, [Flaming Gorge](https://www.google.com/search?q=flaming+gorge&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS566US566&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=bRs7VPvGCpL5yQSV6YKwCg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg) in western Wyoming might fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/11 "2014-10-13T04:09:55Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Did you decide where you’re going to land when you get here? Short-term rental while you look for a permanent place? Or did you find a home you liked? I’m north of SLC by about 25 minutes; I’m impressed by how fast the Utah housing market came back for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/12 "2014-10-13T04:45:26Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > I’m north of SLC by about 25 minutes; I’m impressed by how fast the Utah housing market came back for the most part. Therefore it’s more a seller’s market than a buyer’s market? That won’t help the OP. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/13 "2014-10-13T15:02:20Z")
Canonsburg, PA, has [Sarris Candies](http://www.sarriscandies.com). No factory tour, but enough chocolate in the gift shop to choke a zombie horde. Ice cream shop, too. Just north of Washington, PA, off I-79 (slight detour off I-76, or take I-70 further west). ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/14 "2014-10-13T18:49:17Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I 70 would be a better choice. You don’t have to deal with Chicago traffic. Both are horribly boring through the plains states, but 70 through Colorado is beautiful while 80 through Wyoming is depressing. I-70 through Colorado has [Glenwood Canyon,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNqcNH7ez4k) one of the most beautiful and spectacular stretches of highway on the Interstate system. I-80 through Wyoming has…[Rawlins.](http://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60539-i24286588-Rawlins_Wyoming.html) Your call. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/15 "2014-10-14T04:20:01Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I-70 through Colorado has [Glenwood Canyon,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNqcNH7ez4k) one of the most beautiful and spectacular stretches of highway on the Interstate system. > > I-80 through Wyoming has…[Rawlins.](http://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60539-i24286588-Rawlins_Wyoming.html) Your call. +1 for Glenwood Canyon, especially in the autumn. Beautiful. But there’s also Loveland Pass further east, closer to Denver, and the highest vehicular tunnels in the Interstate system. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-trip-from-baltimore-to-salt-lake-city/701045/16 "2014-10-14T04:21:36Z")
> [@](#): > > With a maximum elevation of 11,158 ft (3,401 m) above sea level, it is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. The tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point on the Interstate Highway system. > **[Eisenhower Tunnel](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_Tunnel)** > > The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Edwin C. Johnson Memorial Tunnel, is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel in the western United States, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of Denver, Colorado. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 (I-70) under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. With a maximum elevation of 11,158 feet (3,401 m) above sea level, it is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. The tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and highest point on the I...