St. Louis to DC

[oldfamer]

Going to DC the second week of sept. How are the roads between them? Any hints on best road to use?

[gearhead]

Check if you need to use toll roads. I drove north out of Dulles airport this summer and the toll seemed very high for a short run of highway.

[hankaye]

oldfamer, Howdy;

Two routes I can suggest, One is a whole lot flatter than the other, but still
has some hills to pull but not as radical. Both have tolls but you can inquire
from the States the tolls are in to see what you might have to pay. An alternate
to the first (less radical has no tolls but some longer inclines and declines.

1.) Take I-70 into Pa. jump on the Pa. Turnpike (toll) and get off at Breezewood,
I-70 drops South into Md. then will take you across the top of D.C. so you can
take the Loop (I-495), to your destination.

1alt.). I-70 into Pa. exit to take I-79 South (careful, tight radius on off ramp
IIRC 15 -25 mph exit speed and Pa. on/off ramps are short in length :eek:!!!).
At Morgantown, Wva. jump onto I-68, long up and down hills, will join up with
I-70 shortly after you cross into Pa. proceed the remainder as in #1. Another
reason for this route is there is a tunnel on the Pa. Turnpike before you reach
Breezewood, should be ok if the propane is turned off, another reason to contact
PennDot.

2). Take I-64 into Wva. South of Charleston, it's a toll road and heavy duty Mountians.
I'm talking windshild full of the trees on the next mountain while you are still on the
one you'er on kinda stuff. Just past Beckley, you will continue with I-64 into Va. about
60 miles later you'll run into I-81N and I-64 will run with it up to near Staunton, then
up and over the hills to Richmond, then I-295 to the "Super-Slab" I-95 N to the Loop
(I-495), around D.C.

My personal choice would be 1a. Zero tolls, hills (some call them mountains),
but they are easy for folks that don't do up & down on a regular basis.
Use Google Earth to look over the routes, contact the different States to
see where the construction delays may be. Thorough planning makes for
a more enjoyable journey.

hankaye

[gtsum2]

Above is spot on. I have taken both routes many times. Don't want to do the west va turnpike in the heart of the mountains in the dark. Limited services there too. The pa option has long uphills and downhills but nothing steep. When we went out to the Midwest this summer we took the northern route out and then back through the west va route on the way back for change of scenery

[gearhead]

You may as well do Gettysburg Battlefield National Park if you come from the north. I managed to sneak off from work early a couple days and look around.
Gettysburg has a couple RV parks you could overnight and then you could run in to DC midday.