We Drove Across the Entire Country: Our 7-Day Cross-Country Move
A new job opportunity, a big decision, and suddenly we were doing something we never imagined: packing up the truck and travel trailer and driving across the entire United States, from the East Coast all the way to Washington State. Seven days, a caravan with the grandparents, two little kids, two dogs, national monuments, a few closed attractions, and one memorable run out of gas later, we made it. Here is the whole journey, plus the hard-won tips for anyone planning a cross-country drive.
How long does it take to drive across the country?
For us, towing a travel trailer with kids in tow, it took seven days at a comfortable pace, breaking the drive into roughly six-to-eight-hour days. You could push it faster, but with little ones, a trailer, and sights worth seeing along the way, spreading it out kept everyone sane and let us actually enjoy the country we were crossing.
Our route and rhythm
We started near North Carolina and aimed for the outskirts of Tacoma, Washington. To make it manageable, we drove in a caravan with Camille's parents (a lifesaver, more on that in a second) and broke the trip into stops:
Day 1: Drive to Nashville, Tennessee (KOA near Opry Mills)
Day 2: Through Missouri, with a stop at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Day 3: Across the plains to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Day 4: Mount Rushmore, the Badlands area, and on toward Montana
Day 5: Devil's Tower, then Billings, Montana (the first KOA ever)
Day 6: Across the length of Montana to Missoula
Day 7: Two mountain passes into Washington
The stops worth pulling over for
Part of the magic of a cross-country drive is the stuff you stumble onto. A few highlights:
Gateway Arch National Park (St. Louis). We squeezed in right before closing to see the Arch, the towering "gateway to the West" standing just past the Mississippi River. It is bigger in person than you expect, with a whole museum underground. We grabbed our National Parks passport stamp and rolled on.
Mount Rushmore. A bucket-list stop. We had been warned that fog had been hiding the faces for days, but thanks to a passing rain, we arrived to clear skies and small crowds. Seeing those four presidents carved into the Black Hills in person is something else. (The park stays open late and lights the sculpture at night.)
Devil's Tower National Monument. About 30 miles off our route, but worth the detour. Devil's Tower was the very first national monument in the country, declared in 1906, and standing under that massive stone column (which was once underwater, geology is wild) is humbling.
The roadside Americana. We also caught the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site off I-90 (the gift shop's "we'll deliver a missile worldwide or the next one's free" sign got a laugh), and the famous Wall Drug, which we stopped at half by accident after all those highway signs. This is the kind of stuff that makes a cross-country drive fun.
A few things got away from us, too. The Harry Truman site was closed (Mondays and Tuesdays), and a couple of monuments were too far off-route or rained out. Lesson learned: research hours and closures before you build them into a travel day.
The KOA strategy
This trip was our crash course in KOA campgrounds, and we became fans. We stayed at KOAs in Nashville, Sioux Falls, Billings, and Missoula, and the 10 percent member discount plus consistent, family-friendly amenities (playgrounds, pools, dog parks, clean comfort stations) made them the perfect one-night stops. The Billings KOA was an especially cool one, it is the very first KOA ever opened. (Each of these stops gets its own full review.)
The honest lessons of a cross-country drive
We learned a lot the hard way so you do not have to:
Keep your gas tank topped off. This is the big one. We actually ran out of gas crossing from Wyoming into Montana on I-90. In the rural West, there can be 40 to 50 miles between gas stations, so never let the tank drop below half. Fill up every chance you get.
Caravan if you can. Traveling with Camille's parents meant a second car for the kids, an extra driver, and a built-in rescue when we ran out of gas. It made the whole trip easier and safer.
Split the kids and the drivers. Two young kids in the back while you are trying to drive is overstimulating. Trading kids between cars (and getting a few quiet, audiobook-only stretches) kept everyone happier.
Bring entertainment for the long, empty stretches. Parts of South Dakota and Montana are gorgeous but vast and empty, hundreds of miles of green hills with nothing to look at. Load up on podcasts, audiobooks, and good playlists to stay alert at 80 mph.
Break it into 6-to-8-hour days. Pushing longer with a trailer and kids is a recipe for burnout. Shorter days plus overnight KOA stops kept it sustainable.
Expect the unexpected. A check-engine light, closed attractions, severe rain, we hit all of it. Build in buffer time and stay flexible.
What the trip really taught us
Here is the thing nobody tells you about driving across the country: the highlights are great, but a lot of the trip is the space in between, the long, quiet miles that give you time to reflect on how far you have come. Somewhere between Montana and Washington, it stopped being about chasing the next stop and started being about the time together. This drive was not just about getting from coast to coast. It was about perspective, family, and finding joy in the journey even when nothing much is happening at all.
FAQ
How many days does it take to drive across the US?
We did it in seven days towing a trailer with kids, driving roughly six-to-eight-hour days. You can do it faster, but this pace kept it enjoyable.
What's the best way to drive cross-country with kids?
Break it into shorter daily drives, stay at family-friendly campgrounds like KOAs, bring plenty of entertainment, and if possible, travel with a second vehicle to split up the kids.
What should you not forget on a cross-country road trip?
Keep your gas tank above half at all times, in the rural West, gas stations can be 40-plus miles apart. We learned that one the hard way.
What are the best stops driving I-90 west?
The Gateway Arch, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the Minuteman Missile site, Wall Drug, and Devil's Tower are all worth the detour.
The Verdict
Driving across the entire country to move our family west was equal parts exhausting and unforgettable. We saw the Gateway Arch, Mount Rushmore, and Devil's Tower, learned to love KOAs, ran out of gas in Wyoming, and logged a week of memories that will never show up on a map. If a cross-country drive is in your future, keep your tank full, caravan if you can, and embrace the in-between miles. The journey really is the point, and ours doesn't stop here.
Want to ride along on the whole move? Watch it on YouTube: We Took Our Family on a Cross-Country Adventure, and subscribe to Finding Our Forte for what comes next.
