Driving from So Cal to the Gunks

Looking for any tips on cool places to stop or things to do along the way. Girlfriend wants to check out moab area. Any suggestions on Easily accessible Scenery. Open to suggestions. We leave friday and have 1 week to make it to our summer job at the Mohonk Mountain House.

Much appreciated,
Zach

this is the route we are taking
Our route

One week isn't much time for a whole lot of stops, so you'll probably want to stick to places that are minimal detour.

A great stop along I-15 is Kolob Canyon (the northern section of Zion NP). It is absolutely spectacular, isn't overrun by tourists, and it will only be a ~4 mile detour (i.e. not a detour at all) off of your route.

When in Moab area, I'd recommend going into Arches NP. Less of a detour than going in to Canyonlands, and you can see a lot of cool stuff in Arches in a very short period of time. If you need to stretch you forearms a bit, the bouldering at Big Bend in just a little up the road, and it perfectly roadside, so it would be a good diversion. Fisher Towers is also worth stopping by; it can be gawked at in a quick drive-by.

Boulder/Golden/Denver will be right along the way; these are an easy stop. Boulder is a weird scene, and is worth checking out if you haven't been there before. A quick solo in the flatirons is a classic stopover activity.

In the plains, drive fast. Stop in random small towns along the way to get the heartland cultural experience.

Once in WV, you'll be driving right by Coopers Rock, which has some nice gritstone bouldering; a decent diversion from the road. The New will be a bit further out of the way.

While you're in New Paltz for the summer, make sure to make a side trip up to the Adirondacks. The climbing there is amazing (Gunks ain't to shabby either).

Generally, I find that these sorts of cross-country drives are tiring enough that I don't have much motivation for trying to stop and do things, especially with ~1 week for the drive; I'd usually rather just focus on getting the driving done. Unless you have energy for 16 hours driving days, that length of driving is going to take 5 full days of driving. With a week for the trip, you could maybe do 5 days driving, with 2 days devoted mostly to exploring. Spending one full day in Moab would be a good choice. If you are definitely making the detour by the Red, spending a full day there to do a bit of climbing would be worthwhile.

you're already taking the most scenic interstate we have, so just enjoy the ride. I'd probably try to hit up vegas and do some climbing in eldo and red river gorge.

RRG is already on the list. wondering if we should stop in Rifle

rifle or lumpy would be sik not to much of a detour.but forsure RRG

I second Kolob Canyon and Arches. Both are quick and easy to see from your car.

For non-climbing things, check out OnTheWay. You enter in your starting location and ending location and it tells you stuff you can see along the way.

Thanks Tristan. Ill check that out.

The American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are right across the street from each other in Kansas City, not far off I70. Either are a great way to spend a few hours, and it breaks up the monotony of Kansas and Missou.

You could also stop and drink a Bud under the Arch. But now that a Belgian company owns Anheuser Busch, it doesn't seem like such a cool idea. It's also illegal.

Personally when I drive from one place to the next, and I know there is a lot of climbing to be done on both ends, I spend the free time of the drive on things that I would absolutely not do if I wasn't there already. You have plenty of time to climb this summer... broaden your horizons a bit and do something else.