Best route from Seattle to Colorado springs in early dec (Denver: movers, hotel)

[ltwins82]

My husband and I are moving to colorado springs the first week in Dec. We'd like to get some route suggestions. Any way to avoid I-70 and I-80, from other postings these seem terrible this time of year. Also, he may be towing a small uhaul with his truck, but if the weather looks too bad we may get the mover to haul everything.
Also, I'd like to know what the road conditions are like from colorado springs to denver around the week before Christmas because we have a airport run to denver?

[EscapeCalifornia]

I hope that truck is 4WD.

[bostontopueblo]

think this would ther best route to avoid the mountains: Under them.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by ltwins82

My husband and I are moving to colorado springs the first week in Dec. We'd like to get some route suggestions. Any way to avoid I-70 and I-80, from other postings these seem terrible this time of year. Also, he may be towing a small uhaul with his truck, but if the weather looks too bad we may get the mover to haul everything.
Also, I'd like to know what the road conditions are like from colorado springs to denver around the week before Christmas because we have a airport run to denver?

I don't know how you could avoid I-70 or I-80, unless you drove to Southern California and then over and up I-25, which I-25 along the Front Range can get plenty of storms as well.

No one can predict mountain weather at all. It could be completely sunny and just cold or it could be a howling nightmare blizzard. No one knows and no one can tell you. Colorado is the highest average state in elevation and one of the coldest on average. Despite nice weather, winter is the dominant weather season in the state and due to the mountains and the weather variations they cause, weather is highly unpredictable.

If you are worried than I would just hire a mover, let them deal with it. This isn't really the time of year to be goofing around with uhaul trailers unless you know what you are doing.

[Melanzana92]

There're 3 ways you can go, and I doubt more than 2 will be snowpacked/dangerous at the same time.

I-90 to Billings then I-25 to Springs.
I-5 to I-84 in Portland then I-84 to I-80 near Salt Lake City and take it across to Cheyenne then get on I-25.
Same as above except near Provo you get on US6, take that to I-70 then I-25 and then Springs.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Actually, it is hard to say on any given day whether or not any of the highways will be "terrible". It all depends on whether or not there has been a storm when you are making your trip. The fact is that the states' departments of transportation do a really decent job of clearing the highways. Usually within a day or two after a storm goes through the roads will be fine. Try to plan your trip around the weather, and plan to stay at a hotel or motel if you need to. Also check the DOT websites where you can look at webcams and get real-time road conditions.

Regarding your trip between CS and Denver, it could be sunny and warm or it could be a blizzard. Weather happens.

[jazzlover]

Well, more than once I've seen somebody's belongings strewn along I-70 or I-80 after they lost control of a U-haul trailer (or truck for that matter) during adverse winter driving conditions. Take it from someboby who used to drive trucks and trailers over Colorado mountain roads during winter as part of my work, it's no place for "amateur hour" if road conditions are bad. The kicker is the unpredictability--road conditions can be fine with the sun shining and 10 miles later you are in a blinding blizzard with slick roads. Yes, it is good to check road conditions with CDOT, but those conditions can change quickly, and CDOT reports may be several hours old when you listen to them.

I've driven 400+ plus miles across Colorado and Wyoming with nary a flake of snow on the road in the dead of winter, and then had 300 miles of misery with snowpack and blizzarding a day or so later, so--it's sort of the luck of the draw. The key is being prepared for what conditions you may encounter--AND knowing when to "hole up" when conditions are bad enough. Unfortunately, it's like the old saying, "You can't face difficulty successfully without experience, and you can't get experience without facing difficulty."

[Idunn]

As others have mentioned, the weather can be variable in December, and to an extent always is in the Colorado mountains. Your best bet would be to watch the forecasts closely just before your trip, to have Plan A and Plan B routes figured, depending on what happens. Bear in mind that the following acknowledges the sometimes challenging conditions of Seattle, but assumes little experience beyond in the mountains.

Plan A involves skirting as much of the interior West at northern latitudes as possible. That means coming down the coast on I-5, where the most you might suffer more usually rain. An exception would be the mountains beginning at the Oregon/California border, extending to the low elevations of the San Joaquin Valley at Redding, CA. In that section you could encounter snow, depending. If so, it will probably be wet and slippery, and you may need, be required to use, tire chains. You should carry these in any event, and know how to use them. Additionally, food, blankets, and other usual winter emergency road supplies.

Skirting as far south as Phoenix may not be necessary. I-40 through Flagstaff, AZ is a faster more direct route. Moreover not one prone to snow until climbing appreciably in elevation near Flagstaff. Beyond Flagstaff you may run out of the snow, if ever in it, but it is possible in a good storm to encounter snow all the way into Albuquerque, NM. If the wind is blowing, snowing, etc. someplace such as Grants, NM, it can become gnarly. For real. See comments below on that.

From Albuquerque north to Colorado Springs on I-25 is a fairly easy affair, more or less, kind of flat. Certain exceptions would be the pass on the New Mexico/Colorado border, which can close briefly in a bad storm. If generally open and clear in the winter, this entire route has the potential to suffer blizzard conditions at times. Again, see comments below.

Plan B is a route more as the crow flies. In brief, it would be I-84 through Boise, ID, I-80 through Laramie, WY, and I-25 to Colorado Springs, CO (see map reference below). Having done it in the dead of winter I can tell you it would not only be the most direct and quickest route (save possible minor variations), but also perfectly clear and safe. Or NOT. It entirely depends on the weather. Moreover, you had better do some serious detailed checking in advance if contemplating this. While most of such a route might be clear and fine, certain sections could still exhibit effects of past storms. One such place would be the mountains between Pendleton and La Grande, OR on I-84. Wyoming WYDOT has a good map showing current road conditions on I-80. It could reveal certain sections which remain snow packed or icy. In sum, if you are comfortable with winter driving, and the weather is balmy, this would be a fine route. Otherwise, if unsure, the weather looking iffy or worse, AVOID.

Plan C calls for being flexible, changing travel dates if necessary, or waiting out a storm in a hotel if already on the road. Or simply flying, and letting the professional movers figure out how to get your stuff there in one piece. Basically Plan C applies to both Plans A and B, or whatever else you do. Hauling any type of trailer in snow will not be fun. If your truck is only rear wheel drive, it will not handle well in the snow. Best bet then is to load the back with lots of weight, have excellent snow tires on it, chains, and plan on driving slow/avoiding snow. Better yet, sell it, and buy a suitable vehicle for Colorado Springs in winter. If you do not know how to drive in snow, you should fly. Baring that, aim for dry roads, take your chances (and ours as well with you on the road), stop somewhere if snow appears, and worse case scenario fly from the nearest airport where you've stopped into Colorado Springs. Actually worst case scenario is that you do not arrive alive. Not to be melodramatic, but driving in winter can be quite lovely and invigorating, or just plain nasty and deadly, all potentially in a very short span of time.

Your proposed excursion from Colorado Springs to Denver near Christmas carries the same caveats. I-25 runs through the mountains in that section, and an area which reliably receives a good deal of snow/winter weather. So, with such a short journey you might reliably gauge whether the roads clear or not. If so, a piece of cake, aside from all the predictable traffic. If not, you would be best advised to remain by the fire at home.

Best of luck on what really can be a lovely drive.


1) Google Maps
Seattle, WA to Colorado Springs, CO - Google Maps

[PokerMunkee]

Go through I70 if you can, it's very beautiful. I drove a Penske 25' with a car trailer behind it (April) from Las Vegas to Colorado Springs in April via I70, but thankfully had no snow. It was fun getting passed by semis as I was flooring it and only going 25-30mph up some of the big inclines. Also got a flat tire on the car trailer and waited in Gleenwood Springs for 5 hours as I waited for the tire to get replaced.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by PokerMunkee

Go through I70 if you can, it's very beautiful.

If he is driving a truck with a towed trailer in a bad winter storm over I-70, he's not going to give a crap about the scenery . . .