From one duty station and onto the next! Last year our family found ourselves moving from Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. When we plan our road trip routes, we consider two major things: the time of year and if we can visit family along the way. For us, our move was in early March and winter was still alive and well out west. For this reason we decided to go the southern route, and visit family in central California and friends in Tennessee.
We were also traveling with our three-year-old son, so that affected our travel time. To keep it easy, we mapped out our ideal timeline and waited to book hotels along the way. We are Marriott Bonvoy members, so we took advantage of points as well!
Here was our itinerary:
Vancouver, WA & Redding, CA
Leaving from Port Orchard, WA, we stopped after three hours in Vancouver. The city hugs the Columbia River and was the perfect place to eat a packed lunch, gas up and stretch our legs before we continued on. We stopped at Fort Vancouver, a national historic site. We originally had plans to spend the night in Medford, Oregon, but we had to get ahead of a big snow storm coming in that night. We powered through to Redding, bringing our total drive day to 584 miles! We were exhausted.
Sacramento, CA
We took it easy the following day and only drove 180 miles, as we were staying with family in Lodi. We enjoyed exploring the Old Town Sacramento Waterfront. The historic riverfront offers more than 125 shops, restaurants and attractions inside Gold Rush-era buildings, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages. There’s numerous museums, including the Sacramento History Museum and the state Railroad Museum, which offers excursion train rides.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks & Bakersfield, CA
My husband and I love to visit as many national parks as possible, and PCS road trips are the perfect time to do so! Even though the season wasn’t ideal, we veered off course a bit to check out Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (three hours away). Several of the roads were closed inside the park, but we did enjoy the scenery and drive. We spent the night in Bakersfield, clocking our day of driving at 241 miles.
Mojave Desert & Flagstaff, AZ
Leaving Bakersfield, we were energized for a longer travel day. We ventured into the Mojave Desert, taking a pit stop at the Mojave National Preserve. The landscape is stunning, like a desert wasteland reminiscent of a science fiction movie. We spent the night in Flagstaff, Arizona, bringing our day drive time to 8 hours and 480 miles. We enjoyed dinner and drinks at Lumberyard Brewing Company.
Petrified Forest National Park & Tucumcari, NM
Cruising through Arizona, we were excited to explore the Petrified Forest National Park. Best known for its Triassic fossils., the park is an ecosystem over 200 million years old with plants and animals now represented in the surreal landscape of the Painted Desert. We enjoyed the Blue Mesa Trail, a one-mile, paved trail. This is such a unique national park and absolutely worth a visit if you’re in the area! We originally wanted to power through to Texas, but ended up in a tiny gas station town of Tucumcari, NM (496 miles).
Fort Smith & Little Rock, Arkansas
The following day we powered through Texas and Oklahoma and landed in Fort Smith, Arkansas (549 miles). Just a lot of driving, not much else to share. We did enjoy raiding the salad bar at a Whole Foods in Oklahoma City! After being on the road for so many days, a fresh salad bar has never tasted so good! The next morning we stopped in Little Rock, to visit the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The historic landmark is the site of the “Little Rock Nine,” when Brown v. Board of Education declared segregated schools unconstitutional, a group of African American students were initially prevented from entering the school in 1957. There is a wonderful museum across the street and worth a visit.
Memphis & Nashville, TN
After the pit stop in Little Rock, we ventured to Memphis for lunch and Nashville for two nights (515 miles). We were so excited to spend two nights off the road and catch up with old friends! Regretfully we did not get a chance to experience Nashville, but with a toddler in tow we were happy to stay in the suburbs. If you or your sailor are country music lovers, you might want to spend more time here! Big attractions include the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Grand Olde Opry, Johnny Cash Museum and more.
Great Smoky Mountains & Greensboro, NC
Finally, we reached our second to last travel day! Leaving Nashville, our next stop was a four-hour drive to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was another perfect place to stretch our legs and eat lunch. Regretfully it wasn’t a great time of year for hiking, but we made a promise to come back another time. I experienced my first Buc-ee’s along the way, which did not disappoint! We were thrilled to cross the border into North Carolina, as Virginia felt close in reach. We called it a night in Greensboro, bringing our day total to 445 miles.
Our next final day was the home stretch – Greensboro to Chesapeake, VA, about a four hour drive! All-in-all we did our cross-country move in 10 days. While it wasn’t an ideal time of year, we made the most of it and enjoyed seeing a new part of the country.
For more PCS resources, tips and tricks, click here. What road trip route do you want to see next? Comment below!