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Recently I've noticed that Mapquest, Google etc. don't do a good job of providing the low fuel consumption routes. For example, this week Mapquest provided me with a 281 mile route for a 255 mile (or shorter) trip between Cable and Alma, Illinois because the longer route had a higher fraction of interstate miles between the two towns. Since I sort of knew the area I selected the option to avoid I57 to find the shorter route (which Mapquest thought would take the same amount of time), but I'm not confident that I found the best route.

Do people here have suggestions for getting the best routes for traveling unfamiliar territory from these online services?

I just plug in the origin and destination addresses then start tinkering with the route by dragging it around the map until I get a total distance I like. I know in Google that you can tell it to "avoid" highways, but again I prefer to eyeball it myself and take either the road less traveled or the shorter distance (with or without highways).

If you think you found a better route, you probably did if you know the area. When in doubt, run the route and see for yourself (though in your case, I don't know about a 255mile test run :)).

toporoute.com is great for looking at avoiding or minimizing hills!:)

I have used Delorme mapping software since 2000 and I'm leery of going with something else. It has so many tools to change variables in your trip.
The GPS option with my laptop is as easy as plugging the receiver into the USB port.
A 15" screen is also a lot better than one of those 3-4 inch mini dash board units.
The 2009 version even has a biking trip option.
I just got the newest 2009 Plus version and a new GPS receiver on sale price for $99.95.

I just tried toporoute on a 1km section of road that I know starts going downhill, flattens out, and ends on a slight uphill...the elevation plot doesn't match that at all. It starts at 6m elevation, sharply jumps up to 17m, and then drops back down to 5m at the end. Not so sure about that reliability, sorry.