Road Trip: Driving from CO to Alexandria VA-which route?

Hi. My daughter is entering Georgetown for grad school and we are planning to drive out the end of June. We have three options to get there 1-70, 1-80 and 1-81 south from St. Louis. Going the 1-81 route will add a couple of hours time. We are totally unfamiliar with the landscape in the area. Is it worth driving through the I-81 route or should we just try to speed along on I-70? We don%26#39;t mind a little longer drive for a more scenic trip.

Thanks to all.

Road Trip: Driving from CO to Alexandria VA-which route?

Are you talking about taking I-64 from St. Louis to pick up I-81 in VA? I-64 is pleasant through Kentucky, a little scary in WVA. You%26#39;ll see mountains on I-81 in VA, but for me it is an unpleasant interstate to drive on because of the combination of steep hills and many tractor-trailers. They slow you down on the uphill and scare the daylights out of you on the downhill. There are a few pleasant stretches, but not worth it in my opinion.

You%26#39;ll cross the mountains on I-70 also, in MD if you take I-68, but it should be a quicker trip. Coming through the Cumberland gap is scenic. I would take I-70 out of St Louis. Pick up I-79 outside Pittsburgh, to I-68 to I-270.

Road Trip: Driving from CO to Alexandria VA-which route?

Congrats on your daughter entering Georgetown. What a great area and marvelous University. Wonderful times and relationships for life lay ahead.

We%26#39;ve gone from St. Louis to north Va a few times and family goes back and forth that way often.

Ok, when you said you had those three options from St. Louis Missouri to DC I thought, well, there%26#39;s two main east-west routes out of St. Louis so how would I-81 be your third option from St. Louis since it%26#39;s a north-south route. And I-80. If you took that anywhere near DC it would be way further north than you would need.

I think the options from St. Louis would be either I-64 straight east or I-70 straight east. I don%26#39;t think I-81 is an east-west option from St. Louis unless there%26#39;s another I-81. I-81 is generally north-south.

I-80 goes through the middle of PA and does cross I-81 but much further north than you would want.

The way we go is I-64E to I-79 (sometimes we%26#39;ve taken 77 up to see historic Parkersburg though) to 68E to 70 briefly to 270 to the Beltway around DC.

We generally stop overnight, like in Charleston WV.

From Charleston WV we have also taken 64E to stop at Tamarack arts center near Beckley WV. We%26#39;ve even stopped at Greenbier and the Homestead at various times and hooked into I-81 and took that north to I66E to the DC Beltway just to change it up a bit.

Just ideas for future trips.

Very helpful. Thank you 22Tango.

Thank you Explor--we%26#39;ll look at that route on the map. So

unds interesting.

FYI, In the route I described I-79 doesn%26#39;t come up till Charleston WV.