[REH]

The wife and I are headed to Yellowstone at the end of August and I was wondering if someone could give me any experienced info on US20. Is this a reasonable alternative to I-90? Or too many towns, traffic obstacles to be practicle.
We only have 10 days to be back at work and don't want to spend all our time getting to and from Wyoming but prefer to stay off the interstates.
Thanks in advance, Rod

 

[Huck]

Hwy 20 in wyoming is not bad the towns are pretty far apart but you won't have ato worry about gas.. you will be on the interstate from Orin to Casper though be sure to gas up in casper if you have less then a half tank be cause it is a long way to Shoshoni..

 

[Jon Roberts]

In Iowa you will have 4 lane on 20 until you get slightly west of Ft Dodge, then good 2 lane to Sioux City but busy with trucks. If time is an issue I 80 is a fast trip west.

 

[REH]

Thanks for the response, I figured either I-80 ot 90 would be the quickest but if possible I would rather find another route as long as it wasn't going to make the trip too much longer.

 

[Blown306]

In Illinois, I would not even consider getting on US20 until IL47 or west of there. After IL47, it's 4 lane now and then, but after Rockford (take the US20 bypass), is a fairly scenic 2 lane route that will take you up through Freeport & Galena (quaint little tourist towns) and into Dubuque at the Mississippi. Fair warning that you may get stuck in an RV procession of pain around Galena (especially if on a weekend).

East of IL-47, US20 is a giant strip mall all the way to the Indiana border Take the slab and go around, you won't miss anything but tons of traffic, signals and headaches (IMHO of course).

Also, on I-80 @ Joliet, IL, be aware that there is some real painful construction going on. Depending on the time of day, you can expect an hour or more to go the 22 miles they have torn up. Stop and go all the way for the most part. Good luck and safe travels!

http://dot.state.il.us/I80/index.html

You could only hope to go 45mph through there:

 

[gray red rider]

I recently traveled US20 from Freeport, IL to Valentine, NE on last month's trip to Custer, SD. Like you I wanted to stay off of I-90/I-80, because I hate Interstates.

You will enjoy it better than the Interstates.

As a side note, there is a bypass (4 lane and 2 lane) around Freeport.

 

[Kenona2002]

We road Hwy 20 out to Yellowstone last year, roads are good, like they said Iowa is 4 lane from Dubuque to Hwy 4 and then 2 lane for awhile and the last 20 in to Sioux City is 4 lane, Hwy 20 in Ne is good they have done alot of work on it and in Wy it is good. We only rode to Thermopolis then took Hwy 120 up to Cody. Have a good trip Yellowstone is worth the ride.

 

[Jon Roberts]

Last night as I was thinking about this trip I was trying to think about the best options for you and this is what I would do. I would super slab it out and maybe two lane it coming back, do your big mileage days at the beginning so you can enjoy a little extra time in Yellowstone/Tetons/Jackson and for sure Bear Tooth. I 80 west of DM until Omaha is full of rolling hills and kinda scenic and you will make great time. I would prefer to get out there as quickly as possible and enjoy that wonderful area. With only 10 days your time out there will be limited with travel time.

 

[REH]

Last night as I was thinking about this trip I was trying to think about the best options for you and this is what I would do. I would super slab it out and maybe two lane it coming back, do your big mileage days at the beginning so you can enjoy a little extra time in Yellowstone/Tetons/Jackson and for sure Bear Tooth. I 80 west of DM until Omaha is full of rolling hills and kinda scenic and you will make great time. I would prefer to get out there as quickly as possible and enjoy that wonderful area. With only 10 days your time out there will be limited with travel time.

Thanks for the advice, I'm still in the planning stages. AS it looks right now you're probably right but I just hate the Interstates.

 

[Jon Roberts]

I agree with you about interstates, too noisy and too busy but you can make time and honestly, there's not much to see between Ohio and NW Wyoming. Just put her on cruise control, close your eyes and get there In this situation it's not about the journey, it's the destination. Just my .02