Chicago To Seattle Road Trip: Top 18 Tips

Traveling from Chicago to Seattle is one of the best journeys you can experience in the USA. The 2,063 miles of road trip from Chicago to Seattle takes around one day and 6 hours of driving without stops.

This article includes 18 top tips that turn your Seattle trip into an unforgettable journey. So if you’re looking for the best hotels, restaurants, and places to visit on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle, take your coffee and keep reading!

6 Best Hotels On The Way From Chicago To Seattle

On the way from Chicago to Seattle, you may want to stay at some points on the way. Here are the top six hotels on the Chicago – Seattle route!

1. Aspen Suites Rochester: Aspen Suites Rochester is one of the best hotels where you can stay on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle. Driving from Chicago to Aspen Suites Rochester might take around 5 hours and 16 mins. We appreciate the attentiveness of this hotel toward its guests. Every morning, they offer a variety of breakfast foods. On weekdays, they also offer an evening snack/small dinner. The rooms are clean and spacious; we love that the hotel takes care of basic needs like dishwashing detergent and food items for cooking, as well as providing extras like a grocery list and instructions on how to operate the kitchen equipment. Additionally, we appreciate that our rooms were always clean when we checked in–the staff came by every day to check on things! Check the Aspen Suites Rochester, one of the best hotels in Rochester, Minnesota, on TripAdvisor and Booking.com for recent reviews, prices, and availability.
2. AmericInn by Wyndham Belle Fourche: Another top hotel where you can choose the stay on the road trip to Seattle from Chicago is AmericInn by Wyndham Belle Fourche. Located in Kadoka, South Dakota, the hotel is 962 miles from Chicago, and it would take 13 hours and 54 mins to drive. The hotel staff provides excellent service and a delicious breakfast. The rooms are spotless, and there is plenty of space for guests to relax with games and books. The front desk personnel is welcoming and will make you feel right at home immediately. If you want to learn more about AmericInn by Wyndham Belle Fourche, you can check it on TripAdvisor or Booking.com.
3. Spearfish Canyon Lodge: Didn’t our first two hotel suggestions interest you? So we would like to introduce you to the Spearfish Canyon Lodge. Spearfish Canyon Lodge is located in Spearfish, South Dakota, and it’s 968 miles away from Chicago. You can arrive there in 14 hours and 7 mins of non-stop driving. This lodge is in a picturesque valley within the Black Hills National Forest. The property is steps away from spearfish creek, which offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities such as fishing and tubing. The staff is friendly and helpful, and the food options in the local restaurant are reasonably priced. Additionally, the lodge offers internet access at an excellent speed – perfect for staying connected while on vacation. Check the TripAdvisor and Booking.com pages of Spearfish Canyon Lodge for more information.
4. Boothill Inn & Suites: If you are taking the road trip from Chicago to Seattle, Billings, Montana is must have a place you should visit. Boothill Inn & Suites is one of the best hotels in town. It is Boothill Inn & Suites, 1,245 miles from Chicago, and it would take 17 hours and 56 mins to drive. The hotel was clean and well-maintained. The room was large, and the bed was comfortable. We heard very little noise from the other guests or from outside. The location was close to the airport and many restaurants and stores. The staff was amicable, welcoming, and helpful with questions about our stay or local attractions. Breakfast areas were always clean and well stocked with food items that met our dietary restrictions (if any). Pleasantries were offered by all staff members when we encountered them during breakfast hours or while exploring the property overall. If you need more info about the price and availability of Boothill Inn & Suites, check the TripAdvisor and Booking.com pages.
5. Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn: Our next hotel is Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn, Missoula, Montana. It will take 22 hours 51 mins of car ride o reach this hotel from Chicago. The accommodations were excellent, with a large lobby and dining area. The breakfast was first class with a large selection of entrees. The location was good, and the breakfast selection was comprehensive. There were even steam rooms and saunas available for guests to use. All in all, this hotel provided excellent value for the price paid. Check the Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn on TripAdvisor and Booking.com pages of Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn for reviews, prices, and availability.
6. Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square: Another hotel you can accommodate on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle is Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square. It’s possible to arrive at this hotel, located in Seattle, Washington, within one day and 6 hours drive from Chicago. This hotel is exquisitely done. Excellent service, design, and luxurious hotel rooms. Complimentary breakfast every day and an evening reception with free drinks make it an excellent choice for guests visiting the area. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. Our room was clean and had an excellent view of the port, including watching our cruise ship enter the harbor. Before making the reservation, we suggest you read the latest reviews on TripAdvisor and Booking.com.

In this part, we explained six different hotels you can stay at on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle. You can pick one of them that suits your taste. Don’t forget to share your experience by writing a comment to this post. It will help people who will take the same Chicago to Seattle route.

Now, it’s time to discover the best restaurants from Chicago to Seattle. We have six restaurant recommendations worth your attention.

6 Best Restaurants On The Way To Seattle From Chicago

If dining is a pleasure, some restaurants will please you on your Chicago to Seattle road trip. In this section, we list the six different restaurants to dine at on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle. Stay hungry and enjoy!

1. Chester’s Kitchen and Bar: We would like to start our restaurant recommendation list on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle with Chester’s Kitchen and Bar. Chester’s Kitchen and Bar is located in Rochester, Minnesota, 350 miles from Chicago. It would take 5 hours 19 mins of driving. The food was delicious, and the service was excellent. I especially enjoyed my pasta dish. For more information about Chester’s Kitchen and Bar, visit TripAdvisor or Google Maps pages of Chester’s Kitchen and Bar.
2. Sunset Grill, Kadoka: Another top restaurant you can choose to eat at on the road trip to Seattle from Chicago is Sunset Grill, Kadoka. Located in Kadoka, South Dakota, Sunset Grill, Kadoka is 818 miles from Chicago and would take 11 hours and 49 mins of driving. The staff at this restaurant is polite, and the food is excellent. The prices are also very reasonable. I enjoyed the decorations and fun signs here. If you want to learn more about Sunset Grill, Kadoka, you can check it on TripAdvisor or Google Maps.
3. Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and Bar: Another restaurant that can be preferred by those who are fond of food is Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and Bar. It will take 13 hours and 47 mins of car drive to take 958 miles from Chicago to Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and Bar, Spearfish, South Dakota. The food was delicious, and the restaurant was conveniently located near our RV park. The enchiladas were great, as were the picadillo tacos. They were busy, but it made sense, given how good the food was. You can check Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and Bar for more information on TripAdvisor or Google Maps.
4. The Burger Dive: The Burger Dive deserves to be on our list. It is one of the most recommended restaurants in Billings, Montana. The waitress was charming, and the food was excellent. The veggie burger was delicious, and the regular burger also tasted fantastic. Also, the ahi tuna burger was cooked correctly, with pink in the middle. The Burger Dive is 1,245 miles from Chicago and would take 17 hours and 59 mins of non-stop car driving. If you want to learn more about The Burger Dive, you can check it on TripAdvisor or Google Maps.
5. Bob Marshall’s Biga Pizza: If you enjoy dining, Bob Marshall’s Biga Pizza would be an excellent choice in Missoula, Montana. It’s 1,589 miles from Chicago and would take 22 hours and 51 mins of car driving. The pizzas and salads at this restaurant have interesting toppings and are also very good. The house salad has pears, pecans, and pickled onions, which is very tasty. Also, many pizzas have mascarpone cheese, which we were a little skeptical about but decided to try. If you want to learn more about Bob Marshall’s Biga Pizza, you can check it on TripAdvisor or Google Maps.
6. The Pink Door, Seattle: Another restaurant we recommend you to visit on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle is The Pink Door, Seattle, Seattle, Washington. It will take one day and 6 hours of driving to reach The Pink Door, Seattle, from Chicago. The food was excellent. The whole grilled fish and the clam pasta were outstanding. The antipasto and green salad were excellent. We received helpful service and courteous treatment. The chairs could have been more comfortable; they were too high for the tables, causing you to stoop while eating. For more information about The Pink Door, Seattle, you can check TripAdvisor or Google Maps pages of the restaurant.

This section lists our six restaurant recommendations for you to eat on your road trip from Chicago to Seattle. We hope these suggestions will help you turn your 2,063 miles journey into a feast of taste. Of course, you can choose a suitable restaurant from the list according to your preference. Remember, like you, people planning a Seattle road trip need your opinion. Therefore, we kindly ask you to share your experience with us in the comment field at the end of the blog post.

In the next section, we list the destinations worth seeing along the route from Chicago to Seattle. Keep reading.

6 Places To Visit On The Way From Chicago To Seattle

A unique experience awaits you in Seattle. However, there are also some unique destinations, like Rochester, Minnesota, on your road trip. We want to explain the top six destinations we recommend on the Seattle route.

• Quarry Hill Nature Center: Quarry Hill Nature Center will be the first destination we recommend you to stop by on your Chicago to Seattle road trip. Located in Rochester, Minnesota, Quarry Hill Nature Center is 347 miles away from Chicago, and it would take 5 hours and 17 mins to drive. You can enjoy the beauty and habitat of southeastern Minnesota, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing the trails at the parks. Excellent trails and parks are available. The playground area is also very nice for children. If you want to learn more about the Quarry Hill Nature Center, you can check it on TripAdvisor or the official website.
• Badlands Distillery LLC: Badlands Distillery LLC, Kadoka, South Dakota, is one of the destinations we recommend you to stop by on the Chicago to Seattle route. It’s 818 miles from Chicago, and it’ll take about 11 hours and 49 mins to drive. We were very impressed with the Badlands restaurant’s billboard and decided to stop on our way across the state. We were pleased with the variety of food and enjoyed every bite! The owners were friendly and chatty, and we also enjoyed a delicious cocktail. Plus, they offered us a tasting pack of small bottles that are airline-approved so we could take some of their delicious food homes with us. If you want to learn more about Badlands Distillery LLC, you can check it on TripAdvisor or their website.
• Spearfish Canyon: One of the stops you should not neglect to stop by when you take the road trip from Chicago to Seattle is Spearfish, South Dakota. And if you visit Spearfish, South Dakota, we suggest you visit Spearfish Canyon. You can arrive at Spearfish Canyon after 13 hours and 46 mins of driving. This scenic 19-mile drive in the Black Hills that passes cliffs, waterfalls, and Spearfish Creek gives visitors the feeling of being in a rainforest. We loved hiking here, as we hiked Iron Creek Trail and both trails to waterfalls. The scenery is just beautiful and peaceful. You can visit TripAdvisor and the official site of Spearfish Canyon for more information.
• ZooMontana: Do you also like to travel and experience new things? Then, it would be best to visit ZooMontana, Billings, Montana, on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle. ZooMontana is 1,253 miles from Chicago, and you can arrive there after the 18 hours and 4 mins of drive. ZooMontana is a zoological garden and educational facility dedicated to conserving wildlife throughout Montana and the 45th parallel of the earth. It houses over 100 animals, including wolves, grizzly bears, otters, eagles, and lynx. Many of these animals were rescued from danger or need conservation efforts. The zoo offers visitors a unique opportunity to learn about Yellowstone ecosystem fauna through direct observation, interpretive displays, and experiential educational programs. The zoo had a cart tour, and it was very informative. The driver/guide was friendly and knowledgeable, which made the tour well worth it, even though it rained. In addition, you should check TripAdvisor and the official website of ZooMontana before going there.
• A Carousel for Missoula: Located in Missoula, Montana, A Carousel for Missoula ranks fifth in our list of tourist destinations on the Seattle road trip. You must take 22 hours 51 mins of driving to arrive at A Carousel for Missoula. This carousel is located along the riverwalk and features a variety of horses and even a great dragon! It’s perfect for children to enjoy, and you can grab a ring to get your free ride. If you want to learn more about A Carousel for Missoula, you can check it on TripAdvisor or the official website.
• The Museum of Flight: Another attraction you can visit on the road trip from Chicago to Seattle is The Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington. The Museum of Flight is 2,071 miles from Chicago, and it would take one day and 6 hours to drive. When I visited the museum, I found it was large and had a lot of exhibits. Some exhibits show artifacts from different eras in aviation, while another area simulates a control tower that explains how air traffic control works. The inside hangar has aircraft from different ages, including fighter jets and helicopters. There is also an extensive exhibit of world war one and two aircraft with other artifacts and stories about the pilots that flew them. For more information about The Museum of Flight, you can check their TripAdvisor page or official website.

FAQ of the Road Trip From Chicago to Seattle

Here we are answering the frequently asked questions about the Chicago to Seattle drive.

How Long Is The Road Trip From Chicago To Seattle?

• With ideal traffic and weather conditions, the road trip takes approximately one day and 6 hours to drive. The distance between Chicago to Seattle is 2,063 miles.
• If you want to make the Chicago to Seattle road trip by bike, the time you spend on the road will be seven days and 10 hours.
• If you are crazy enough and plan to walk the Chicago-Seattle route, you will have to walk for 27 days and 22 hours.

Where Do You Stop On Driving From Chicago To Seattle?

There are many beautiful pit stops along the way to Seattle. Here we list six of them. For more information about the best places on the Chicago to Seattle journey, you can check the 6 Best Places To Visit On The Way From Chicago To Seattle part.

1. Quarry Hill Nature Center: 347 miles / 5 hours 17 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,708 miles / one day and 1 hour of driving to Seattle.
2. Badlands Distillery LLC: 818 miles / 11 hours 49 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,225 miles / 18 hours 17 mins of driving to Seattle.
3. Spearfish Canyon: 956 miles / 13 hours 46 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,092 miles / 16 hours 26 mins of driving to Seattle.
4. ZooMontana: 1,253 miles / 18 hours 4 mins to drive from Chicago | 812 miles / 12 hours 3 mins of driving to Seattle.
5. A Carousel for Missoula: 1,590 miles / 22 hours 51 mins to drive from Chicago | 476 miles / 7 hours 18 mins of driving to Seattle.
6. The Museum of Flight: 2,071 miles / one day and 6 hours to drive from Chicago | 7.3 miles / 15 mins of driving to Seattle.

Where Should You Stay On The Road Trip From Chicago To Seattle?

There are many excellent hotels during your Chicago to Seattle road trip. We have selected six hotels for you. These hotels are listed below. Remember, you can find detailed information about these hotels in the 6 Best Hotels On The Way To Seattle From Chicago section.

• Aspen Suites Rochester: 348 miles / 5 hours 16 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,706 miles / one day and 1 hour of driving to Seattle.
• AmericInn by Wyndham Belle Fourche: 962 miles / 13 hours 54 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,081 miles / 16 hours 13 mins of driving to Seattle.
• Spearfish Canyon Lodge: 968 miles / 14 hours 7 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,106 miles / 16 hours 50 mins of driving to Seattle.
• Boothill Inn & Suites: 1,245 miles / 17 hours 56 mins to drive from Chicago | 822 miles / 12 hours 13 mins of driving to Seattle.
• Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn: 1,592 miles / 22 hours 51 mins to drive from Chicago | 472 miles / 7 hours 13 mins of driving to Seattle.
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square: 2,063 miles / one day and 6 hours to drive from Chicago | 0.9 miles / 7 mins of driving to Seattle.

Where To Eat Between Chicago to Seattle?

If you are thinking of taking a break and having a nice meal on your Chicago to Seattle journey, you can consider the six restaurants we have chosen. In addition, you can read detailed information about the restaurants in the section titled 6 Best Restaurants On TheChester’s Chicago To Seattle.

1. Chester’s Kitchen and Bar: 350 miles / 5 hours 19 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,705 miles / one day and 1 hour of driving to Seattle.
2. Sunset Grill, Kadoka: 818 miles / 11 hours 49 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,225 miles / 18 hours 17 mins of driving to Seattle.
3. Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and Bar: 958 miles / 13 hours 47 mins to drive from Chicago | 1,090 miles / 16 hours 22 mins of driving to Seattle.
4. The Burger Dive: 1,245 miles / 17 hours 59 mins to drive from Chicago | 819 miles / 12 hourMarshall’sf driving to Seattle.
5. Bob Marshall’s Biga Pizza: 1,589 miles / 22 hours 51 mins to drive from Chicago | 475 miles / 7 hours 16 mins of driving to Seattle.
6. The Pink Door, Seattle: 2,064 miles / one day and 6 hours to drive from Chicago | 0.9 miles / 7 mins of driving to Seattle.

Conclusion

So, there you have it- a complete guide to planning a road trip from Chicago to Seattle. We have listed six hotels, six restaurants, and six places to visit on the way. We have also given you detailed information about each place so that you can make an informed choice about where to stay, eat, and what to see. We hope this guide has helped make your road trip from Chicago to Seattle as enjoyable as possible.

Share Your Thoughts

Have you ever taken a road trip from Chicago to Seattle? So, it would be perfect if you shared your experience with other travelers who want the same experience. You can share your thoughts about the road trip from Chicago to Seattle and your recommendations about this route by using the comment field below.