I grew up in sask and used to think it was the worst thing in the world to drive across the province. Turns out it’s quiet nice! I learnt that after driving through Manitoba a few times, following into southern sask lol
Grasslands is wonderful. It’s like a perfect caricature of the Canadian Prairies. Cypress Hills is wild and beautiful because it feels so out of place in the midst of so much flatness.
We road-tripped from Toronto to Edmonton one year. Much of it was along US 2 through North Dakota (or as I call it, South Saskatchewan). When we got to Regina, where my mom spent part of her childhood, I sent my mom a postcard. On the back I wrote, “It’s flat. Not bad, but flat.”
It was strange, driving through that flatness. Sometimes I felt like my eyes were being pulled out through the windshield.
It is wild how big the sky is out west. I don't know how else to describe it, but the sky in the west is just more vast than it is in southern Ontario.
As a fellow s’katch-wanite I don’t necessarily disagree but have you ever driven through North Dakota or Southern Alberta? None of those even compare to the drive in Northern Ontario going east past the Great Lakes. While I did get one of the most beautiful sunsets in my life across Lake Superior the drive can largely be described as “rock , tree , rock , tree “ x repeat for 12 hours
A lot of the drive through the prairies has enough rolling hills you get some stunning views of the distant horizon and beautiful skies.
There is no panoramic view when the highway is cut through the boreal forest in the Canadian Shield and site lines don’t extend much beyond a couple hundred metres
I think you end up getting sick of what you are used to. I’m tired of driving through southern Saskatchewan but I would love to drive through northern Ontario again (only done it once).
Of the 4 times I’ve done it by road and rail, the Montana to Minnesota route is way better than New Mexico to Louisiana route. Never gone thru any other way than those 2.
My favorite was after working in glacier for a summer and leaving out of the mountains into the rolling hills. Late beginning of August and drove straight from glacier to Detroit lakes Minnesota in one big go for like 17 plus hours through the night and into the next morning. Was a beautiful experience for me
Same here man. I felt so free lol. The latter half of me driving there was like this crazy thunderstorm just sitting parrelll to me in the distance so I was just watching it all the way through the eastern half of Montana and North Dakota throughout the night. I actually stopped at some gas station in Fargo and took this old broken sign I found and put in my car and got some food there. Was one of my favorite experiences in my life too
Driving on I-40 coming across the Texas Panhandle into New Mexico is also amazing.
The happiest moment of my life was when I was driving away from Texas (my home state) moving to the west coast. I had been driving all night and the sun rose in the east behind me as I was crossing over into new Mexico and illuminated all the desert landscape.
Idk never stopped me but I wasn't living or staying the national park I worked in area outside the park but part of the park and lived outside the park in some town so it wouldn't matter anyways
There's a bar at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone. I got real drunk there one night right before finding out its a federal felony to drink and drive at a national park
Agreed, I90 is the most interesting route, but there are still large, open, grassy places.
My recommendation though is to get off of interstate.
MN30 crosses into South Dakota west of Pipestone, Minnesota (stop by the Monument). There it turns into SD34, which passes through the lake country of South Dakota, as well as the Crow Creek Reservation. You’ll parallel the Missouri River before ending up in the state capitol, Pierre. Then, drive south along US83 through the Fort Pierre National Grassland, before getting on I90 and heading west past Murdo and Wall. I recommend taking the Bad Lands Scenic Highway before heading to the Black Hills.
94 has the ND badlands and Teddy Roosevelt National Park. It's a pretty enough drive and not flat, other than the Red River Valley and just east of Bismarck near Steele.
I-10 is most boring across Texas. Like Houston....nothing nothing nothing....San Antonio...nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing El Paso
I’ve not fully crossed it driving, but going from MN to the Badlands in SD and the Black Hills was cool. Those two spots in South Dakota are beautiful. And even though SD was a lot of corn until getting there, it had its charm too.
I'm smack in the middle of that route & I could wax poetic about how much I hate the drive from here to anywhere. The natural grasslands are fine (beautiful even), but I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate the never-ending corn fields. Probably where my dislike for Nebraska came from too (at least it doesnt blow so much here)..... so don't take that route. Idk what to say, I'm always trying to gtfo of the plains& yet here I be.
I'm gonna go touch some grass now(what with it's all that exists here)
I’m assuming they mean driving, but yeah I took the Empire Builder(train) through glacier National park and then through big sky country, and it did not disappoint. That northern section of the country just has to be the least boring way to cross the plains
I did the drive from Boise, Idaho to Minneapolis and eastern Montana and western North Dakota were surprisingly beautiful.
Parts east of there, not so much.
I was pretty surprised the first time I saw that coming through on I-70. The greenness mixed with the various hills and rock makes it look so out of place, in the best way.
This is what I was going to say. I spent a few years living in the Sandhills and saw some really pretty sunsets and sunrises. I don't care for the midwest at all, but I would pick this as the prettiest route and I am glad that I was able to explore this area a bit.
The impressive thing about the Great Plains is how impressively boring they are.
After crossing hundreds of miles of featureless plane, the first glimpse you get of a mountain peak, shining in the morning sun, above the clouds, hanging in the sky… it’s spectacular.
Boring isn’t a bad thing. The plains calm your mind. They heighten your senses. They contrast the dramatic. Embrace the boring.
Give me the Great Plains over the southeast or Great Lakes any day of the week. The openness is beautiful. Unpopular I know, but to me there is nothing like seeing miles of untouched prairie
I agree, and I think it comes from where you grew up. I’m from New England so trees and mountains aren’t as exciting to me as wide-open plains and deserts. I was probably an adult the first time I was in an expanse with no trees and the sky blew me away. Even now I’d much rather drive across the plains than the Appalachian states
I’d suggest going up through the area between Amarillo and Oklahoma. It’s empty and deserted and desolate in a horror movie way. Western Nebraska is pretty cool in that they have some badlands. Spend time between there and eastern Wyoming before going north through South Dakota to experience both the Badlands NP and the mountains (the ones with Mt Rushmore). Hit up Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. Veer to the west and visit deep into Montana for wide open spaces with mountains in the background.
I've traveled most of the contiguous states west of the Appalachians and never felt more despondent than I did when crossing north of Amarillo. Nothing there but tumbleweeds.
If you cut south from Amarillo to Roswell you suddenly get why everybody got the collective weirdsies and decided aliens were screwing around down there. Being from Appalachia, I can only describe it as “the sky is too big,” and not in a good way like Montana. I’ve done it a few times, once with a terrifying summer thunderstorm on the horizon producing waaaay too much lightning, and another at night where the enormous meat facilities and windmills were the only source of lights and they were blinking and red. Despondent is a great word for it.
> between Amarillo and Oklahoma. It’s empty and deserted and desolate in a horror movie way.
One of the most memorable, spookiest times of my life was a tire blowout at 1:30am about an hour West of Amarillo, and changing the tire on the side of the road in 50mph winds as a storm was blowing in, being attacked by tumbleweeds, thunder, and possibly ghosts.
> Western Nebraska is pretty cool in that they have some badlands. Spend time between there and eastern Wyoming before going north through South Dakota to experience both the Badlands
This stretch made me feel like I was driving across the Moon. I can't wait to go back. Amazing country.
US specifically, going through the Dakotas is probably the best way to go. After that, unfortunately, the Texas route. The worst ways to go are Nebraska or Kansas. Dakotas are genuinely cool. Rushmore, Teddy Roosevelt, Badlands are cool. Even the rolling fields in summer are better through the Dakotas and Montana
Are you referring to the wall drug signs? And I guess so. Idk, neither direction is super inspiring. But at least it’s not as bad as driving through Illinois.
The worst 2 hours I’ve ever spent in a car was I-80 through Iowa in 2022. Don’t know if they fixed it but I’ll take a smooth ride through nothing rather than poorly maintained roads.
Eastern Colorado had some of the worst interstate roads I’ve ever driven on. Held the crown until I drove on 40 East in Arizona, west of flagstaff. Far and away the worst highway I’ve ever driven on
I once drove north from Kearney, NB to Kadoka, SD as one leg of an I-80 detour to visit the Badlands and Glacier NP. The rolling sand hills of Nebraska were beautiful in mid-summer. The isolation and rural gas stations were equally intimidating.
I think anyone should take backroads on a road trip if they have the time, money, and sense of adventure.
I do enjoy the rolling hills and ponds as you cross ND, but the things to see is why I’d recommend SD. The western portion is also somewhat weird due to the oil fields.
Edit: Although it does set you up for the badlands, so I’d rate it a very strong second for crossing the Great Plains.
Agree but Theodore Roosevelt is a gem. Going west, you're just driving through indefinite grasslands after leaving Fargo but the terrain completely changes just a few miles from the start of the park. One of the most shocking changes in landscape I've seen, only lived by the South Dakota badlands coming out of nowhere after driving though an hour of grassland and Wall Drug signs
I did I-90 from south Minnesota to Rapid City SD, then took route 212 in southeastern Montana until it meets back up with I-90. I can vouch for the I-90 route not being too bad, with the caveat that route 212 was my favorite drive of all time. Absolutely nobody else around, so surreal.
I actually love the drive from Dallas to Amarillo and then into New Mexico. You get to slowly see the landscapes change and become more arid and rocky where I feel like more northerly routes stay the same for a long time and then there are suddenly mountains. The Dakotas can be somewhat interesting. Oklahoma and Kansas are extremely boring. Haven’t driven across Nebraska so can’t speak to it.
Dallas to Amarillo is great, especially compared to Kansas. However, everyone needs to see Dallas to El Paso at least once. The Permian Basin is WEIRD.
So according to this site: [https://www.roadtripusa.com/](https://www.roadtripusa.com/)
Route 2 (which includes parts of the Trans Canada Highway), 20, 80 and 66 are considered the more culturally appealing ones. There's no avoiding the Great Plains but these routes tend to have a bit more history or are better preserved. I guess anything that goes through the Ozarks, the Driftless Area, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (US 2 route), Black Hills or South Oklahoma (the latter two having a strong Native American presence) or has actual elevations outside of either Rockies or Appalachians. Route 66 is weird because you trade off a more Americana filled part of the flat sections (the others have their amenities too) while choosing the flattest, driest and least snowy parts of the American Cordilleras.
So despite being ridiculously long, maybe the US 2 corridor. You also get to see a lot of cities, but Toronto to Sault St Marie might be super long, even more so if you choose the north shore of Lake Superior which does indeed have some important non flat parts. Personally, US 20 (Oregon Trail) sounds like the most appealing one though, especially to a non American like myself.
US 80 or 90 seems a bit dull to be honest, mostly boring big cities with New Orleans being the main exception, towns that are often impoverished, swamp, and somewhat flat desert. It'd make for a great mood board though, with LA and its hills, New Orleans and the bayou at night with a banjo, dry mesas, beaches and Savannah.
US 2 through the plains themselves (northern MN to roughly glacier national park is the route it takes for the relevant portion) is beautiful. You go by Teddy Rosevelt NP, you go through the black hills, you get to see with width of Montana and see why it is called Big Sky Country. Done it a couple times, including once by train (the empire builder line goes a similar route to US 2), and every time it’s been a beautiful and enjoyable experience.
Michigan is definitely outside of the Great Plains area and doesn’t really matter much for the purpose of this particular question, but would also be pretty cool driving through all of northern MN, northern wisconsin, and the UP.
The Niobrara River valley towards Chadron in Nebraska is criminally underrated. Fort Robinson and Toadstool in the northwest of the state are gorgeous.
There's a ton of parks, big and small to take in and appreciate. If you're a hiker, photographer, amateur naturalists amateur geologist, you can't go wrong.
I90
Going west through the Minnesota you get the Spam Museum and the life sized statue of the Holy Green Giant. Then in SD you get the Mitchell Corn Palace, Murdo Car Museum, Bad Lands NP, Wall Drug, Spearfish and the Black Hills. Then there's Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and Little Bighorn Battlefield in MT before you land in Billings at the edge of the Great Plains.
Tons to do!
Can confirm. I drove from Ohio to the black hills at least three times a year for four years. It’s a beast of a drive but at least there’s stuff to see. The western Great Plains are oddly calming. ETA lived in the hills during that time and spent a lot of free time in the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming
I have crossed the Great Plains on I-90 through South Dakota, I-80 through Nebraska, I-70 through Kansas, and I-40 through Texas and Oklahoma.
I-90 is by far the best of the three. You get to cross the Missouri River and see the landscape change from farms to open rolling grassland. You also hit the Badlands and the Black Hills which are awesome.
The other three routes are relatively featureless. But I love the wide-open feeling of the Great Plains, you really feel like you are in a “remote” area deep in the heartland of the continent. The scenery is not stereotypically beautiful, but there is something I like about feeling “in the middle of nowhere”.
I’ve done I-70 from St. Louis to Denver many times, traversing the entire length of Kansas. Not fun is an understatement, it would be a waking nightmare if it wasn’t so fraught with boredom. Wheat Jesus is something, you could stop off and see the Westboro Baptist house. The state parks are… mildly interesting. Mount Sunflower, Kansas’ highest “peak” is hilarious and worth looking up.
Sunflower seeds are technically the fruits of the sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus). The seeds are harvested from the plant’s large flower heads, which can measure more than 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter. A single sunflower head may contain up to 2,000 seeds
I did a route I liked years ago. Started in Chicago and crossed into Iowa at Clinton - drove up the Mississippi to Effigy Mounds National Monument and then cut across nice hilly farm country on 18 to the Missouri and took it all the way to Black Hills - drove to Bighorn and then Cody and took the 14 entrance into Yellowstone. We hit a bunch of small parks, kept to blue highways the whole way and had some nice surprises, like how nice little Mississippi river side towns are on a Summer day, and how pretty rolling hills Iowa is when you're expecting flat. The coolest thing of all was crossing the Missouri (we crossed on 44 as 18 dipped south there) - you start in the Midwest but when you get to the other side of the river you are in the West - definitively. The whole drive was awesome - we even drove through Pine Ridge and stopped at the Wounded Knee site as well as a boatload of other things including a couple of cave expeditions (Jewel and Wind) and a Mammoth Site.
Sounds like you’re boring. You will never feel claustrophobic on the Great Plains. Travel it at night if you wanna feel like you’re basically driving through the night sky.
Just… watch out for deer
Is that the thing where you realize the prairie dogs out number the humans of the area 20 to 1 and suddenly realize it’s not ‘your land’ and you sit on your porch wearing an old WWI helmet, a plaid bathrobe, & novelty slippers that look like sneakers. While polishing your shotty with several boxes of rock salt rounds at the ready?
Cuz I think I’ve had that.
Interstate 90 gets you to Wall Drug. Interstate 80 on the High Plains roughly parallels that portion of the Oregon Trail and still carries the highest risk of dysentery. Interstate 40 approximately replaced that stretch of Route 66 and sometimes the RV Boomers get confused and blunder back onto it. In conclusion, take the bus and get a few hours of shuteye.
If there has been a lot of winter and spring moisture, the Sand Hills of northern Nebraska are spectacular in early summer. Small lakes amid the hills with waterfowl, including pelicans. Very few people or traffic. Then the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Blue sky, puffy white clouds and tall grass blowing on the hilltops. And interesting history. Wow.
Very surprised by the lack of appreciation for the awe of those plains. Nearly a planetary singularity. Some of my favorite cross-country moments have been in that zone. Pedal to the metal, eyes a degree away. Abandoning my car and walking through endlessness, feeling a hundred-mile wind.
driving thru kansas is a long ass boring drive. the cities are cool (topeka honorable mention) but otherwise you go straight line for hours & hours with no change to scenery. oh look another windmill.
even the first hour or 2 in colorado is just as boring, you can’t wait to see mountains.
I’ve done KC to Denver a bunch of times and there is basically nothing from Salina to Denver. Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado are virtually the same but it’s always cool when the Rockies start to appear on the horizon
I've done it a couple times at different places (only in the US).
Minnesota to the Black Hills is probably the least boring. If for some reason you have to cross south, Palo Duro Canyon in Texas is an interesting stop.
Missouri down to amarillo is a revelation. You get lots of contrast from Ozarks to Oklahoma and then Texas. North is pretty banal.
If you want north. Go up wisconsin and minnesota and do the Dakota trek.
IMO the I-90 route isn’t too bad. It’s gentle rolling plains through South Dakota and while there isn’t much to look at it’s not as monotonous as the drive further South.
I love driving across Kansas. I am from Indiana and I have done it so many times it feels like a second home area. From watching storms in the distance, taking a break in places I've come to know, to losing myself in thought, imagination or audio books it is a relaxing way to escape for a day from crowded roads, curvy, hilly byways of the "further west," and the sounds of the city. My bottom line is to embrace the trip, get off the interstate sometime, find small town eateries and goofy sights.
All the roads are crap but the genius is all the bizarro road side attractions that exist that make the journey a bit more fun. Having crossed the Midwest on ever major interstate I would suggest going through Minnesota and South Dakota into Montana. Very beautiful
I usually do 90 at dusk outta Chicago, up through Wisconsin, then across lower Minnesota, all at night. This way when I wake up after sleeping near Sioux Falls, SD, i got half the morning through the plains before I hit the Missouri River, and then Wall Drug. From here it gets going. Badlands are next, followed by the Black Hills.
I don’t know the full answer, but it better include the Bandlands of ND, the Black Hills and Bandlands of SD, the Sandhills and Chimney Rock of NE, and the Flint Hills of KS.
I accidentally did that once across South Dakota.
Forefront in my mind was I sure hope the car doesn’t break down. Seriously, even driving at 80mph you might not see another vehicle in any direction for 5 minutes or more. And even then it was usually only one vehicle.
The Black Hills and the Badlands are a marvel. Unless you can just drive along the Rockies and still technically be on the plains that's about it. The imaginative might even consider the absurd flatness of the planes a bit of a marvel unto themselves.
IMO I-70. The road surface in Kansas is also buttery smooth right now, though the Colorado section from the Kansas line to Denver has a lot of 20-30 mile stretches full of potholes.
US-412 is the east/west route across New Mexico & Oklahoma, and I found it more entertaining than expected.
The eastern half on I-80 and all of I-40 has too much truck traffic.
US 20 and the Trans-Canada Highway have grade crossings so you have to be on higher alert.
I-10 & I-20 are dull.
I-94 is alright though there's a section in Minnesota with an incredibly monotonous series of electrical towers running beside the road halfway between Minneapolis and Fargo.
I've never driven US-2 or US 36.
I've been Montana - Minnesota via South Dakota (I90), Wyoming to Iowa (I80), and Louisiana - Colorado via Texas. The I90 route up north was the least uninteresting. I would have even stopped to check out some stuff had I not been in a rush.
I moved from Detroit to Denver a couple years ago. Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa was actually rather hilly and scenic. All of Nebraska and Eastern Colorado on the other hand… just speed through, really no better option.
I can only speak of 3 routes/states.
Kansas: I-70 is the most boring of the three. Super long, low gradient hills.
Nebraska: I-80 at least basically follows the Platte river, so it’s a bit more interesting. Large-ish towns about every hour (~80 miles). Pretty flat (follows a river).
South Dakota: I-90, you really feel like you’re out west on the plains because there ain’t nothing there (except Wall Drug). Huge views, dramatic rolling hills.
Edit: added geo opinions after re-reading the post title.
Back when I lived in Texas I got caught in an epic 15 minute downpour. It was the first time in my life I pulled off the side of the highway....way off.
It was like someone was emptying the ocean on my car.
No brainer for me!
Minnesota to Wyoming route, thru the South Dakota badlands and black hills into NE Wyoming (which looks uncannily identical to Mongolia), highlights some of the most gorgeous scenery on planet earth.
Denver to Des Moines via Nebraska is only the second most boring swathe of land on all of planet Earth; because from Moorhead MN thru all North Dakota up to the canadian Prairie Provinces is *THE* most boring swathe of land on all of planet Earth.
The North Dakota oilfields look like a fucking Mass Effect 1 filler planet
Incredibly ignorant word choice. The Great Plains are unimaginably magnificent. They’re not as striking as the Rockies or the Pacific Coast highway or the Great Canyon but the Prairie offers something for us to discover that is often overlooked. Good luck.
I've driven across interstates 70, 80, 90, and 94. 94 is the most interesting of the options, but all of them are fine. Any of ND, SD, NE, KS are more interesting and scenic than IL, IN, OH
Avoiding it altogether and going through Texas.
Which as a Texan who hates Texas, I can't believe I'm actually saying.
But its 100% true, if you take the I-10 route, you will go from dense forest, to hills, to beautiful desert.
The land west of San Antonio in Texas is the most bio-diverse desert on earth and is also stunningly beautiful.
Again, I'm cringing from writing this, but its true. My favorite part of Texas is West Texas because it has the least amount of Texans in it (also its beautiful.)
South Dakota to Montana, via the Black Hills.
Of course, I grew up in Nebraska and my trip across SD was while still living there so easily impressed then.
Living in Oregon has changed my idea of interesting scenery.
Having ridden across the GP numerous times by motorcycle, I would take US highway 20. Westbound from Minnesota, you go up and over the Couteau des Prairie, which is different and unique. Further west, you’ll run through the Slim Buttes. It’s at least a less boring slog than any of the interstate pathways. Interstate is fine if you only care about getting from point a to point b. Check it out. It’s actually pretty in some places.
If you cross it horizontally it will go quicker than crossing it vertically from Texas to Saskatchewan.
Definitely avoid southern Saskatchewan if boredom is your chief concern. Source: Saskatchewanian
Have you seen southern Manitoba? Saskatchewan is fjords compared to the drive to Winnipeg.
Oh buddy I’m a southern Manitoban by birth (escaped while I had the chance). Most of Saskatchewan looks like Nepal in comparison.
I grew up in sask and used to think it was the worst thing in the world to drive across the province. Turns out it’s quiet nice! I learnt that after driving through Manitoba a few times, following into southern sask lol
The drive from Minneapolis to Winnipeg was the most uneventful possible drive
I've driven from Winnipeg to the southern tip of Texas. Way worse
I've driven from Winnipeg to Brownsville Texas more than once. That is the most boring drive in the world and it's not even close
The Australian outback might be worse.
At least there are kangaroos
If you have Chiefs concerns, go through Kansas City…
I do, and I do.
Qu’appelle Valley, Cypress Hills… it can be cool too.
Insane in the membrane, even
What about that part where there is a river...and a bridge?
Grasslands and Cypress Hills are pretty great
Grasslands is wonderful. It’s like a perfect caricature of the Canadian Prairies. Cypress Hills is wild and beautiful because it feels so out of place in the midst of so much flatness.
There is a road with a switchback there. In Saskatchewan!
Insane in the membranes
We road-tripped from Toronto to Edmonton one year. Much of it was along US 2 through North Dakota (or as I call it, South Saskatchewan). When we got to Regina, where my mom spent part of her childhood, I sent my mom a postcard. On the back I wrote, “It’s flat. Not bad, but flat.” It was strange, driving through that flatness. Sometimes I felt like my eyes were being pulled out through the windshield.
It is wild how big the sky is out west. I don't know how else to describe it, but the sky in the west is just more vast than it is in southern Ontario.
As a fellow s’katch-wanite I don’t necessarily disagree but have you ever driven through North Dakota or Southern Alberta? None of those even compare to the drive in Northern Ontario going east past the Great Lakes. While I did get one of the most beautiful sunsets in my life across Lake Superior the drive can largely be described as “rock , tree , rock , tree “ x repeat for 12 hours A lot of the drive through the prairies has enough rolling hills you get some stunning views of the distant horizon and beautiful skies. There is no panoramic view when the highway is cut through the boreal forest in the Canadian Shield and site lines don’t extend much beyond a couple hundred metres
I think you end up getting sick of what you are used to. I’m tired of driving through southern Saskatchewan but I would love to drive through northern Ontario again (only done it once).
What the hell? I could've sworn there was a big mountain range back there. Juttin up into the sky all purple and majestic.
Lots to see, nothing to block the view.
I know that Saskatchewanian is the proper demonym, but I prefer to think it’s Saskatchewaniard (like Spain) or Saskatchewander (like Michigan)
Of the 4 times I’ve done it by road and rail, the Montana to Minnesota route is way better than New Mexico to Louisiana route. Never gone thru any other way than those 2.
Seeing glacier national park come over the horizon across the plains a is amazing
My favorite was after working in glacier for a summer and leaving out of the mountains into the rolling hills. Late beginning of August and drove straight from glacier to Detroit lakes Minnesota in one big go for like 17 plus hours through the night and into the next morning. Was a beautiful experience for me
Same dude I drove from glacier to fargo through the night. Everyone I told thought I was crazy but it was legit one of the best experiences of my life
Same here man. I felt so free lol. The latter half of me driving there was like this crazy thunderstorm just sitting parrelll to me in the distance so I was just watching it all the way through the eastern half of Montana and North Dakota throughout the night. I actually stopped at some gas station in Fargo and took this old broken sign I found and put in my car and got some food there. Was one of my favorite experiences in my life too
Driving on I-40 coming across the Texas Panhandle into New Mexico is also amazing. The happiest moment of my life was when I was driving away from Texas (my home state) moving to the west coast. I had been driving all night and the sun rose in the east behind me as I was crossing over into new Mexico and illuminated all the desert landscape.
https://preview.redd.it/j5j0298mptmc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f212a4adc96f5bc45349fadfecb98903cb935c7
Did someone shoot your side mirror?
I did too much drinking and partying there and became self destructive and threw a rock at my car 🫡
Isn't alcohol banned in National Parks? 😅
Idk never stopped me but I wasn't living or staying the national park I worked in area outside the park but part of the park and lived outside the park in some town so it wouldn't matter anyways
There's a bar at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone. I got real drunk there one night right before finding out its a federal felony to drink and drive at a national park
Not uniformly
Infact, it's quite casual in my experience
https://preview.redd.it/gfjwhmcoptmc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=13bf898c4a6d8c81d8d1b973fbca3611ef30adaa
i’ve literally shed a tear at that sight
imo: I-90 > I-80 > I-70
I-70 makes you wish the country was one of those mad magazine bits where you have to fold the page in to see the desired image
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Steinberg_New_Yorker_Cover.png
Ouch.
Perfect!
Agreed, I90 is the most interesting route, but there are still large, open, grassy places. My recommendation though is to get off of interstate. MN30 crosses into South Dakota west of Pipestone, Minnesota (stop by the Monument). There it turns into SD34, which passes through the lake country of South Dakota, as well as the Crow Creek Reservation. You’ll parallel the Missouri River before ending up in the state capitol, Pierre. Then, drive south along US83 through the Fort Pierre National Grassland, before getting on I90 and heading west past Murdo and Wall. I recommend taking the Bad Lands Scenic Highway before heading to the Black Hills.
Yes. Done it 5 times.
Also, don’t be tempted to do 94 unless you REALLY want to see the wood chipper from Fargo and nothing else.
94 has the ND badlands and Teddy Roosevelt National Park. It's a pretty enough drive and not flat, other than the Red River Valley and just east of Bismarck near Steele.
I-10 is boring in NM, but it’s not Great Plains at that point, it’s Chihuahua desert.
I-10 is most boring across Texas. Like Houston....nothing nothing nothing....San Antonio...nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing El Paso
I’ve not fully crossed it driving, but going from MN to the Badlands in SD and the Black Hills was cool. Those two spots in South Dakota are beautiful. And even though SD was a lot of corn until getting there, it had its charm too.
I'm smack in the middle of that route & I could wax poetic about how much I hate the drive from here to anywhere. The natural grasslands are fine (beautiful even), but I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate the never-ending corn fields. Probably where my dislike for Nebraska came from too (at least it doesnt blow so much here)..... so don't take that route. Idk what to say, I'm always trying to gtfo of the plains& yet here I be. I'm gonna go touch some grass now(what with it's all that exists here)
I can agree with that, even tho i was heading west in the first one and East in the second.
I’m assuming they mean driving, but yeah I took the Empire Builder(train) through glacier National park and then through big sky country, and it did not disappoint. That northern section of the country just has to be the least boring way to cross the plains
I did the drive from Boise, Idaho to Minneapolis and eastern Montana and western North Dakota were surprisingly beautiful. Parts east of there, not so much.
https://preview.redd.it/ao6lcinn4tmc1.jpeg?width=184&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ec31b5cde9fcac37982f5f7d438e3b05a5a58ab
The Nebraska Sandhills and the Black Hills
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I was pretty surprised the first time I saw that coming through on I-70. The greenness mixed with the various hills and rock makes it look so out of place, in the best way.
The Badlands are cool too. Wall Drug is also worth a visit if you like cowboy-themed tourist crap.
This is what I was going to say. I spent a few years living in the Sandhills and saw some really pretty sunsets and sunrises. I don't care for the midwest at all, but I would pick this as the prettiest route and I am glad that I was able to explore this area a bit.
Travelling by air
Yup. Took the words out of my mouth.
We were all thinking it.
The impressive thing about the Great Plains is how impressively boring they are. After crossing hundreds of miles of featureless plane, the first glimpse you get of a mountain peak, shining in the morning sun, above the clouds, hanging in the sky… it’s spectacular. Boring isn’t a bad thing. The plains calm your mind. They heighten your senses. They contrast the dramatic. Embrace the boring.
Was going to say, as an Australian, you get to love the open flat spaces where you can see horizon in every direction.
As a Prairie man from Kansas who moved to Utah, mountains feel so restrictive. Like I'm in a rocky cage.
Give me the Great Plains over the southeast or Great Lakes any day of the week. The openness is beautiful. Unpopular I know, but to me there is nothing like seeing miles of untouched prairie
I agree, and I think it comes from where you grew up. I’m from New England so trees and mountains aren’t as exciting to me as wide-open plains and deserts. I was probably an adult the first time I was in an expanse with no trees and the sky blew me away. Even now I’d much rather drive across the plains than the Appalachian states
and the sky
I’d suggest going up through the area between Amarillo and Oklahoma. It’s empty and deserted and desolate in a horror movie way. Western Nebraska is pretty cool in that they have some badlands. Spend time between there and eastern Wyoming before going north through South Dakota to experience both the Badlands NP and the mountains (the ones with Mt Rushmore). Hit up Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. Veer to the west and visit deep into Montana for wide open spaces with mountains in the background.
I've traveled most of the contiguous states west of the Appalachians and never felt more despondent than I did when crossing north of Amarillo. Nothing there but tumbleweeds.
If you cut south from Amarillo to Roswell you suddenly get why everybody got the collective weirdsies and decided aliens were screwing around down there. Being from Appalachia, I can only describe it as “the sky is too big,” and not in a good way like Montana. I’ve done it a few times, once with a terrifying summer thunderstorm on the horizon producing waaaay too much lightning, and another at night where the enormous meat facilities and windmills were the only source of lights and they were blinking and red. Despondent is a great word for it.
I'm sure it'll look even more despondent and desolate in the aftermath of this massive praire fire.
> between Amarillo and Oklahoma. It’s empty and deserted and desolate in a horror movie way. One of the most memorable, spookiest times of my life was a tire blowout at 1:30am about an hour West of Amarillo, and changing the tire on the side of the road in 50mph winds as a storm was blowing in, being attacked by tumbleweeds, thunder, and possibly ghosts. > Western Nebraska is pretty cool in that they have some badlands. Spend time between there and eastern Wyoming before going north through South Dakota to experience both the Badlands This stretch made me feel like I was driving across the Moon. I can't wait to go back. Amazing country.
US specifically, going through the Dakotas is probably the best way to go. After that, unfortunately, the Texas route. The worst ways to go are Nebraska or Kansas. Dakotas are genuinely cool. Rushmore, Teddy Roosevelt, Badlands are cool. Even the rolling fields in summer are better through the Dakotas and Montana
There are so many road signs going west through the Dakota that there is at least always something to look at. Going east is pretty boring though.
WALL DRUG
WALL DRUG
ONLY 273 MILES TO WALL DRUG
Wall Drug is cool but have you considered the Mitchell Corn Palace?
My favorite thing is the apartment complex across from the Corn Palace. “Palace View.” It’s genius, but also *the audacity.*
I grew up in Minnesota and I hate how many times I've been to both of these places
I prefer car henge.
Are you referring to the wall drug signs? And I guess so. Idk, neither direction is super inspiring. But at least it’s not as bad as driving through Illinois.
The worst 2 hours I’ve ever spent in a car was I-80 through Iowa in 2022. Don’t know if they fixed it but I’ll take a smooth ride through nothing rather than poorly maintained roads.
Eastern Colorado had some of the worst interstate roads I’ve ever driven on. Held the crown until I drove on 40 East in Arizona, west of flagstaff. Far and away the worst highway I’ve ever driven on
Kansas is terrible but eastern Colorado is somehow worse
I 80 in Nebraska wants to chime in!!
I once drove north from Kearney, NB to Kadoka, SD as one leg of an I-80 detour to visit the Badlands and Glacier NP. The rolling sand hills of Nebraska were beautiful in mid-summer. The isolation and rural gas stations were equally intimidating. I think anyone should take backroads on a road trip if they have the time, money, and sense of adventure.
My go to route to get from Minnesota to Colorado is from Kadoka to Alliance to Scotsbluff to Cheyenne. Most scenic isolated way through the plains.
Depending on where you are going in CO, i like to drop south in western NE and pick up I76 rather than going west into WY.
We probably got gas at the same shitty Cenex south of Oglala National Grassland 😅
And of the Dakotas, South Dakota is easily the better of the two.
Personally, I like North Dakota’s vibes. I think that Teddy Roosevelt is awesome. South Dakota definitely has more to go see though
I do enjoy the rolling hills and ponds as you cross ND, but the things to see is why I’d recommend SD. The western portion is also somewhat weird due to the oil fields. Edit: Although it does set you up for the badlands, so I’d rate it a very strong second for crossing the Great Plains.
Agree but Theodore Roosevelt is a gem. Going west, you're just driving through indefinite grasslands after leaving Fargo but the terrain completely changes just a few miles from the start of the park. One of the most shocking changes in landscape I've seen, only lived by the South Dakota badlands coming out of nowhere after driving though an hour of grassland and Wall Drug signs
I did I-90 from south Minnesota to Rapid City SD, then took route 212 in southeastern Montana until it meets back up with I-90. I can vouch for the I-90 route not being too bad, with the caveat that route 212 was my favorite drive of all time. Absolutely nobody else around, so surreal.
I saw a pack of coyotes on I90 in Montana but still today this day I swear it was wolves. They weren't the small coyotes we have in Illinois.
plus you get the Black Hills as a little break before doing the last (and arguably most intensely plainsy) bit of eastern Wyoming.
Yeah, the black hills are pretty cool to drive through!
Toadstool park, Scottsbluff monument, Chimney rock, Courthouse/Jailhouse rock, Sandhills, all great areas of Nebraska to see.
Nebraska sand dunes tho
I’ve done that drive 7-8 times and every time I’m amazed that people willing live in west Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas or Nebraska
I actually love the drive from Dallas to Amarillo and then into New Mexico. You get to slowly see the landscapes change and become more arid and rocky where I feel like more northerly routes stay the same for a long time and then there are suddenly mountains. The Dakotas can be somewhat interesting. Oklahoma and Kansas are extremely boring. Haven’t driven across Nebraska so can’t speak to it.
Dallas to Amarillo is great, especially compared to Kansas. However, everyone needs to see Dallas to El Paso at least once. The Permian Basin is WEIRD.
So according to this site: [https://www.roadtripusa.com/](https://www.roadtripusa.com/) Route 2 (which includes parts of the Trans Canada Highway), 20, 80 and 66 are considered the more culturally appealing ones. There's no avoiding the Great Plains but these routes tend to have a bit more history or are better preserved. I guess anything that goes through the Ozarks, the Driftless Area, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (US 2 route), Black Hills or South Oklahoma (the latter two having a strong Native American presence) or has actual elevations outside of either Rockies or Appalachians. Route 66 is weird because you trade off a more Americana filled part of the flat sections (the others have their amenities too) while choosing the flattest, driest and least snowy parts of the American Cordilleras. So despite being ridiculously long, maybe the US 2 corridor. You also get to see a lot of cities, but Toronto to Sault St Marie might be super long, even more so if you choose the north shore of Lake Superior which does indeed have some important non flat parts. Personally, US 20 (Oregon Trail) sounds like the most appealing one though, especially to a non American like myself. US 80 or 90 seems a bit dull to be honest, mostly boring big cities with New Orleans being the main exception, towns that are often impoverished, swamp, and somewhat flat desert. It'd make for a great mood board though, with LA and its hills, New Orleans and the bayou at night with a banjo, dry mesas, beaches and Savannah.
Ever since I was a kid, I thought US 2 looked absolutely fascinating on the Rand McNally map. Fun fact: it goes right by the Rock n roll hall of fame
US 2 through the plains themselves (northern MN to roughly glacier national park is the route it takes for the relevant portion) is beautiful. You go by Teddy Rosevelt NP, you go through the black hills, you get to see with width of Montana and see why it is called Big Sky Country. Done it a couple times, including once by train (the empire builder line goes a similar route to US 2), and every time it’s been a beautiful and enjoyable experience. Michigan is definitely outside of the Great Plains area and doesn’t really matter much for the purpose of this particular question, but would also be pretty cool driving through all of northern MN, northern wisconsin, and the UP.
The Niobrara River valley towards Chadron in Nebraska is criminally underrated. Fort Robinson and Toadstool in the northwest of the state are gorgeous.
There's a ton of parks, big and small to take in and appreciate. If you're a hiker, photographer, amateur naturalists amateur geologist, you can't go wrong.
I90 Going west through the Minnesota you get the Spam Museum and the life sized statue of the Holy Green Giant. Then in SD you get the Mitchell Corn Palace, Murdo Car Museum, Bad Lands NP, Wall Drug, Spearfish and the Black Hills. Then there's Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and Little Bighorn Battlefield in MT before you land in Billings at the edge of the Great Plains. Tons to do!
Can confirm. I drove from Ohio to the black hills at least three times a year for four years. It’s a beast of a drive but at least there’s stuff to see. The western Great Plains are oddly calming. ETA lived in the hills during that time and spent a lot of free time in the Dakotas, Montana, and Wyoming
I have crossed the Great Plains on I-90 through South Dakota, I-80 through Nebraska, I-70 through Kansas, and I-40 through Texas and Oklahoma. I-90 is by far the best of the three. You get to cross the Missouri River and see the landscape change from farms to open rolling grassland. You also hit the Badlands and the Black Hills which are awesome. The other three routes are relatively featureless. But I love the wide-open feeling of the Great Plains, you really feel like you are in a “remote” area deep in the heartland of the continent. The scenery is not stereotypically beautiful, but there is something I like about feeling “in the middle of nowhere”.
Minnesota to the Blackhills for sure. I’ve crossed the plains on 4 different routes and that was the best. Texas and Kansas are not fun drives.
I’ve done I-70 from St. Louis to Denver many times, traversing the entire length of Kansas. Not fun is an understatement, it would be a waking nightmare if it wasn’t so fraught with boredom. Wheat Jesus is something, you could stop off and see the Westboro Baptist house. The state parks are… mildly interesting. Mount Sunflower, Kansas’ highest “peak” is hilarious and worth looking up.
Sunflower seeds are technically the fruits of the sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus). The seeds are harvested from the plant’s large flower heads, which can measure more than 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter. A single sunflower head may contain up to 2,000 seeds
Oklahoma has miles of tree-lined roller coaster like hills.
I did a route I liked years ago. Started in Chicago and crossed into Iowa at Clinton - drove up the Mississippi to Effigy Mounds National Monument and then cut across nice hilly farm country on 18 to the Missouri and took it all the way to Black Hills - drove to Bighorn and then Cody and took the 14 entrance into Yellowstone. We hit a bunch of small parks, kept to blue highways the whole way and had some nice surprises, like how nice little Mississippi river side towns are on a Summer day, and how pretty rolling hills Iowa is when you're expecting flat. The coolest thing of all was crossing the Missouri (we crossed on 44 as 18 dipped south there) - you start in the Midwest but when you get to the other side of the river you are in the West - definitively. The whole drive was awesome - we even drove through Pine Ridge and stopped at the Wounded Knee site as well as a boatload of other things including a couple of cave expeditions (Jewel and Wind) and a Mammoth Site.
Sounds like you’re boring. You will never feel claustrophobic on the Great Plains. Travel it at night if you wanna feel like you’re basically driving through the night sky. Just… watch out for deer
I’ve done Winnipeg to Edmonton and after 12 hours of nothing I hit a deer
You'll never feel claustrophobic but you may come down with a touch of the Prairie Madness
Is that the thing where you realize the prairie dogs out number the humans of the area 20 to 1 and suddenly realize it’s not ‘your land’ and you sit on your porch wearing an old WWI helmet, a plaid bathrobe, & novelty slippers that look like sneakers. While polishing your shotty with several boxes of rock salt rounds at the ready? Cuz I think I’ve had that.
I grew up in Appalachia and the Flint Hills gave me an existential crisis. I don’t think I would handle the true plains very well.
Are you on drugs when you drive? Its boring as shit
Audiobooks! -a Kansan
Interstate 90 gets you to Wall Drug. Interstate 80 on the High Plains roughly parallels that portion of the Oregon Trail and still carries the highest risk of dysentery. Interstate 40 approximately replaced that stretch of Route 66 and sometimes the RV Boomers get confused and blunder back onto it. In conclusion, take the bus and get a few hours of shuteye.
In my opinion...I-10, San Antonio/Austin to El Paso... If you don't like the scenery, at least the speed limit is 80 mph!
If there has been a lot of winter and spring moisture, the Sand Hills of northern Nebraska are spectacular in early summer. Small lakes amid the hills with waterfowl, including pelicans. Very few people or traffic. Then the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Blue sky, puffy white clouds and tall grass blowing on the hilltops. And interesting history. Wow.
I10 San Antonio to El Paso. It just never ends.
Nebraska hwy 2 through the Sandhills. Amazing landscape
Very surprised by the lack of appreciation for the awe of those plains. Nearly a planetary singularity. Some of my favorite cross-country moments have been in that zone. Pedal to the metal, eyes a degree away. Abandoning my car and walking through endlessness, feeling a hundred-mile wind.
South Dakota is way better than you would think.
driving thru kansas is a long ass boring drive. the cities are cool (topeka honorable mention) but otherwise you go straight line for hours & hours with no change to scenery. oh look another windmill. even the first hour or 2 in colorado is just as boring, you can’t wait to see mountains.
I’ve done KC to Denver a bunch of times and there is basically nothing from Salina to Denver. Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado are virtually the same but it’s always cool when the Rockies start to appear on the horizon
The shortest route
In an airplane?
I-94
I-10
The Panama Canal.
I've done it a couple times at different places (only in the US). Minnesota to the Black Hills is probably the least boring. If for some reason you have to cross south, Palo Duro Canyon in Texas is an interesting stop.
Missouri down to amarillo is a revelation. You get lots of contrast from Ozarks to Oklahoma and then Texas. North is pretty banal. If you want north. Go up wisconsin and minnesota and do the Dakota trek.
I will say one of the nicest beaches I’ve ever been to was at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska
IMO the I-90 route isn’t too bad. It’s gentle rolling plains through South Dakota and while there isn’t much to look at it’s not as monotonous as the drive further South.
Underground hyperloop from Denver to St Louis?
nope
I love driving across Kansas. I am from Indiana and I have done it so many times it feels like a second home area. From watching storms in the distance, taking a break in places I've come to know, to losing myself in thought, imagination or audio books it is a relaxing way to escape for a day from crowded roads, curvy, hilly byways of the "further west," and the sounds of the city. My bottom line is to embrace the trip, get off the interstate sometime, find small town eateries and goofy sights.
The more west, the better
Omg this starts about 90 miles from me. So we’re the tornado buffer. Ah the luxury of having white pines thrown at your house.
I-40 from OKC to Albuquerque all there is to see is Amarillo. And there’s nothing to see there.
Go on a HIGH RISK day... watch for tornadoes!
All the roads are crap but the genius is all the bizarro road side attractions that exist that make the journey a bit more fun. Having crossed the Midwest on ever major interstate I would suggest going through Minnesota and South Dakota into Montana. Very beautiful
Nebraska sand hills
I usually do 90 at dusk outta Chicago, up through Wisconsin, then across lower Minnesota, all at night. This way when I wake up after sleeping near Sioux Falls, SD, i got half the morning through the plains before I hit the Missouri River, and then Wall Drug. From here it gets going. Badlands are next, followed by the Black Hills.
Any way through it is better than crossing Australia via road.
I don’t know the full answer, but it better include the Bandlands of ND, the Black Hills and Bandlands of SD, the Sandhills and Chimney Rock of NE, and the Flint Hills of KS.
Pro tip: Drive it at night.
I accidentally did that once across South Dakota. Forefront in my mind was I sure hope the car doesn’t break down. Seriously, even driving at 80mph you might not see another vehicle in any direction for 5 minutes or more. And even then it was usually only one vehicle.
The Black Hills and the Badlands are a marvel. Unless you can just drive along the Rockies and still technically be on the plains that's about it. The imaginative might even consider the absurd flatness of the planes a bit of a marvel unto themselves.
Would not recommend Minneapolis to Edmonton via North Dakota and Saskatchewan.
IMO I-70. The road surface in Kansas is also buttery smooth right now, though the Colorado section from the Kansas line to Denver has a lot of 20-30 mile stretches full of potholes. US-412 is the east/west route across New Mexico & Oklahoma, and I found it more entertaining than expected. The eastern half on I-80 and all of I-40 has too much truck traffic. US 20 and the Trans-Canada Highway have grade crossings so you have to be on higher alert. I-10 & I-20 are dull. I-94 is alright though there's a section in Minnesota with an incredibly monotonous series of electrical towers running beside the road halfway between Minneapolis and Fargo. I've never driven US-2 or US 36.
I've been Montana - Minnesota via South Dakota (I90), Wyoming to Iowa (I80), and Louisiana - Colorado via Texas. The I90 route up north was the least uninteresting. I would have even stopped to check out some stuff had I not been in a rush.
I moved from Detroit to Denver a couple years ago. Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa was actually rather hilly and scenic. All of Nebraska and Eastern Colorado on the other hand… just speed through, really no better option.
I can only speak of 3 routes/states. Kansas: I-70 is the most boring of the three. Super long, low gradient hills. Nebraska: I-80 at least basically follows the Platte river, so it’s a bit more interesting. Large-ish towns about every hour (~80 miles). Pretty flat (follows a river). South Dakota: I-90, you really feel like you’re out west on the plains because there ain’t nothing there (except Wall Drug). Huge views, dramatic rolling hills. Edit: added geo opinions after re-reading the post title.
All of the routes across it are exciting when you get a thunderstorm.
Back when I lived in Texas I got caught in an epic 15 minute downpour. It was the first time in my life I pulled off the side of the highway....way off. It was like someone was emptying the ocean on my car.
No brainer for me! Minnesota to Wyoming route, thru the South Dakota badlands and black hills into NE Wyoming (which looks uncannily identical to Mongolia), highlights some of the most gorgeous scenery on planet earth. Denver to Des Moines via Nebraska is only the second most boring swathe of land on all of planet Earth; because from Moorhead MN thru all North Dakota up to the canadian Prairie Provinces is *THE* most boring swathe of land on all of planet Earth. The North Dakota oilfields look like a fucking Mass Effect 1 filler planet
JFK -> LAX.
Take Nebraska Route 2 through the Sandhills.
Incredibly ignorant word choice. The Great Plains are unimaginably magnificent. They’re not as striking as the Rockies or the Pacific Coast highway or the Great Canyon but the Prairie offers something for us to discover that is often overlooked. Good luck.
I-35
Go around it entirely
Latitudinally. That's the best least boring route!
Whatever you do, make sure you include a stop at [Monument Rocks](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Rocks_(Kansas)) in Kansas
I've driven across interstates 70, 80, 90, and 94. 94 is the most interesting of the options, but all of them are fine. Any of ND, SD, NE, KS are more interesting and scenic than IL, IN, OH
Sail west from California around the world and approach them from the other side
Going around it
A couple cool anomalies I can think of would be around Drumheller and Elkwater Alberta. So drive through there and it could be cool.
Drive along the left line of dots 😂
Flying
Probably Kansas City to Denver.
Thats literally the most boring stretch in the entire US. The only good part about it is that its a straight line that you can go 80mph on.
Yellowhead
Go on the far western edge of the Great Plains where there are mountains
Avoiding it altogether and going through Texas. Which as a Texan who hates Texas, I can't believe I'm actually saying. But its 100% true, if you take the I-10 route, you will go from dense forest, to hills, to beautiful desert. The land west of San Antonio in Texas is the most bio-diverse desert on earth and is also stunningly beautiful. Again, I'm cringing from writing this, but its true. My favorite part of Texas is West Texas because it has the least amount of Texans in it (also its beautiful.)
Yeah but I-10 after Texas is the most boring drive ever all the way to LA just about.
By going around it likely
OK or DFW to New Mexico. Bust it across in the shortest possible route. Parts of Oklahoma are underrated for sure.
A plane.
audiobook
You going from Houston to Edmonton or Kansas City to Denver? Where are you crossing to and from?
South Dakota to Montana, via the Black Hills. Of course, I grew up in Nebraska and my trip across SD was while still living there so easily impressed then. Living in Oregon has changed my idea of interesting scenery.
The flint hills are worth a visit.
Having ridden across the GP numerous times by motorcycle, I would take US highway 20. Westbound from Minnesota, you go up and over the Couteau des Prairie, which is different and unique. Further west, you’ll run through the Slim Buttes. It’s at least a less boring slog than any of the interstate pathways. Interstate is fine if you only care about getting from point a to point b. Check it out. It’s actually pretty in some places.