In our new series “PCS Pit Stops,” we share suggested routes and pit stops from our personal PCS trips. First up, the ultimate cross-country venture: Bangor, WA to Kings Bay, GA!
PCSing from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast shoreline can be quite the challenge as you are traveling over 3,000 miles. However, the drive from Washington to Georgia, if done right, is absolutely breathtaking! You are traveling through the Rocky Mountain range out in Idaho and Montana then the Appalachians in Tennessee and Northern Georgia. Two mountain ranges in one PCS, yes please! This was our most recent PCS route.
I would make sure before planning your trip you take into consideration what season you are traveling. If it is anytime between November and April, most of Montana, Idaho, and Washington require chains for your tires when driving through the mountain passes. Make sure you do your research and look at the weather forecast. If this is the case I would suggest taking a southern route and then heading north once on the other side of the Rocky Mountains.
As I was traveling with my sailor and our cats, we were able to push through and make the road trip in three nights.
Here’s the route and pit stops we made:
Coeur d’Alene, ID
First, we left Kitsap County early in the morning in order to avoid Seattle traffic. Once we got outside the city and passed the Cascade Mountain Range we were greeted with the sun coming up and it made for a gorgeous pink and orange glow.
Our first must-stop location is Coeur d’Alene, ID, roughly a five and a half hour drive. Coeur d’Alene is right on the Washington-Idaho border and has an absolutely stunning blue lake right before you enter the Rocky Mountain Range. This is a great city to stop and grab coffee and lunch before heading into the mountains for the next several hours.
Billings, MT
If you can swing it, Montana is a great state for your first night stopping point. Throughout your drive through the state you will see Missoula (home to the University of Montana), Bozeman (beautiful skiing, great breweries and shopping), and Billings. My husband and I decided to spend our first night in Billings, located right before Interstate 90 splits into 90 and 94. All-in-all, it was a 13 hour drive day.
Once you continue heading east after Bozemen it is mostly rolling hills and plain land. My biggest suggestion I can give is to get gas and use the bathroom when you can, gas stations are scarce! If you’re itching to visit national parks,you must carve out time to see Yellowstone National Park or Glacier National Park.
If you have family in the Midwest and want a detour along Interstate 94, a must-see is the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN! Let’s be honest you deserve a shopping day after all the driving you are doing, hopefully, you have room in the car.
Rapid City, SD
Five hours from Billings you will reach Rapid City, South Dakota. Known as the “Gateway to the Black Hills” and the “City of Presidents” because of the life-size bronze president statues downtown, Rapid City is a great pit stop for lunch. From here you could sidetrack 30 minutes to Mount Rushmore National Memorial or one hour to Badlands National Park.
After Rapid City, it will be flat farmland until you reach outside Nashville. The cities you will likely drive through (and consider spending the night) are Omaha, NE; Kansas City, MO; Paduch, KS; and Clarksville, TN. This drive is long so take breaks when you can and see which city makes the most sense for you and your family.
For our second night, we actually pushed through to Wisconsin and visited family.
Nashville, TN & Atlanta, GA
The two cities along your PCS route that are vital to make sure you hit at the right time of day are Nashville and Atlanta. If you’re just trying to push through, the timing of your drive can make or break your day. My suggestion is to get through Nashville around 9-11am that way you will be in Atlanta between 1-3pm. This way you are theoretically avoiding both rush hour traffic in and out of the city. I say theoretically because we went through Atlanta right after Christmas at 3pm and it took us almost two hours to get through it!
If you or your sailor are country music lovers, you might consider stopping in Nashville and exploring the music city. Big attractions include the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Grand Olde Opry, Johnny Cash Museum and more.
On a positive note, the drive between Nashville and Atlanta takes you up and down through the northwestern corner of the Appalachian Mountains. These roads are very twisty-turny so good weather is important!
Savannah, GA
Once you get out of Atlanta and head south you are in the home stretch! Savannah is a beautiful spot to stretch your legs, about three and a half hours from Atlanta.
I would recommend at some point traveling to see Savannah but after a long road trip, you just want to get to Kings Bay! Savannah to Kings Bay is around 90 minutes and goes by in a blink of an eye! Highway 95 is highly-patrolled by police so make sure you set that cruise control and don’t pick up any tickets!
If you are completing a PCS from Kitsap to Kings Bay or vice versa, just know that it will be long but you can make it fun! You will get to see the entire country, lakes, mountains, farm fields, big cities, national parks, and everything that makes the United States so unique. Good luck, you got this!!
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