I-90 vs. I-5 for scenic road trip (drive, route)

[xboxmas]

Originally Posted by dav51lin

I 90 boring once you get past the gorge

Was just going to say this.

[rantiquity]

Originally Posted by dav51lin

I 90 boring once you get past the gorge

Originally Posted by xboxmas

Was just going to say this.

Not true once you get to Idaho and the 4th of July Cannon between Coeur d'Aene and the Kellogg and Wallace area and over Lookout pass on the Idaho/Montana border it can and is very scenic the whole way. 1-90 has some stretches that you may find boring but more so some very interesting scenic areas IMO. After you cross the Missouri river into Eastern Montana it can get boring until reaching the Dakotas and on until you reach the traffic of the mid west and further east all the way to Boston. Its one of the longest highways in the US.
But with that said I think all highways in the US and most other countries have boring stretches somewhere along their routes and I-90 is no exception.

[pnwguy2]

I-90 has spurts of boredom and gorgeous scenery. From Seattle to Vantage just terrific. From Vantage to about 15 miles west of Spokane you could very feel you were in Central plains. Then it gets good again east of Spokane all the way to Missoula. While the rest of the route through huge Montana is somewhat boring there are a couple more scenic mountain areas. Once you get past Billings it becomes extremely boring through eastern Montana. North Dakota does offer the Roosevelt National Park in the west, but then everything is quite boring all the way to Chicago.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by preston39

We're starting our trip from Tennessee, but we're trying to work out all the stops. We most likely won't be taking the trip until June or July.

June or July would allow for a more northerly route:

Badlands National Park (S. Dakota) -> Mt. Rushmore -> Yellowstone NP (Wyoming) ->Glacier NP (Montana) -> North Cascades National Park (Washington).

[pnwguy2]

One tip: there can still be snowfall in early June at higher elevations. I would choose July over June on one of these kind of trips just to avoid that remote possibility.

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by Chilkoot

I-90 would be superior scenery wise. Another option would be I-90 and then up through Wenatchee to Highway US-2 through Leavenworth and over Stevens Pass.

This would be a good trip to go on. I did want to drive US-2 Through Stevens Pass to Leavenworth starting at Everett. But i never got the time when we Lived there in 1999. I was always gone on the Ship. But I will just put it on the Bucket list for retirement.

[Thealpinist]

Originally Posted by preston39

For someone who has never been fortunate enough to visit the PNW, which is the more "scenic" route to take? End destination is near Seattle.

Take I-90 to 97 North to US-2 west.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by rantiquity

...... Its one of the longest highways in the US.
But with that said I think all highways in the US and most other countries have boring stretches somewhere along their routes and I-90 is no exception.

This is what night driving is for. Surely someone has written an app that splits your route into "must see" (daylight driving) and " drive this part of your chosen route during darkness". They should add a camera / lighting and wildlife sighting (and danger) to this app. (Which direction / time of day offers the best lighting for pics). Such as, lower. Columbia River Gorge is best westbound on Oregon in afternoon, culminating with sunset at The Vista House. Colorado passes on I - 70 are nice westbound in very early AM (sunrise and pre noon for most spectacular lighting / shadows

BTW op has determined their route via family, (SoCA) not scenery. All this dialogue is for the benefit of the next million readers.

[Guineas]

If by scenic you mean interstates covered in trash on the shoulders and medians.

The amount of litter on WA interstates is a disgrace for a state that likes to talk about being green.

[Glenview94602]

Originally Posted by Chilkoot

I-90 would be superior scenery wise. Another option would be I-90 and then up through Wenatchee to Highway US-2 through Leavenworth and over Stevens Pass.

I-5 is honestly boring on it's whole route with the exception of Peace Arch/Border crossing to Burlington, WA, Ashland OR to Redding, CA, the Grapevine north of LA, and the 20ish mile stretch of Camp Pendleton between LA and SD. I have been on every mile of it (I think I have traveled the short stretch between Vancouver, WA and Longview but it was a long time ago).

I-90 is your typical interstate in the Seattle area, but the stretch between North Bend and Vantage is nice on the eyes. The Basin is boring. Spokane again is just an interstate.

If you really want a great route, Hwy 2 is really pretty. I have not gone over Stevens Pass myself.