Best route to drive from Columbus to Los Angeles? (motel, moving)

[Clonus]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are moving from NYC to Los Angeles next month and we will be driving with two cats in a new Ford Escape across country. We're stopping for the first night in my hometown of Columbus, and then going to try to make to it LA in three days from there. It seems like there's two main routes, taking I-70 through Kansas, Colorado, etc. or taking I-40 through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, etc. Wondering if people have made this trip and have a preference. I know that I-70 is slightly longer and goes through the mountains, which would be nice to avoid. I'm wondering if there are downsides to I-40, e.g. its too hot in July, etc. Thanks!

[motormaker]

There's pro and con on both routes. Me, I would take I40. Hope the new car has AC. Either way you go, you will run into some hot weather.

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by Clonus

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are moving from NYC to Los Angeles next month and we will be driving with two cats in a new Ford Escape across country. We're stopping for the first night in my hometown of Columbus, and then going to try to make to it LA in three days from there. It seems like there's two main routes, taking I-70 through Kansas, Colorado, etc. or taking I-40 through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, etc. Wondering if people have made this trip and have a preference. I know that I-70 is slightly longer and goes through the mountains, which would be nice to avoid. I'm wondering if there are downsides to I-40, e.g. its too hot in July, etc. Thanks!

Done both, I would definitely take I-40. It will take a solid 12-13 hours per day to make it in three days. The other route goes through Vegas, which can be a traffic problem if you are trying to minimize your time.

[HuskerDu]

I'm in the truckload brokerage business and the drivers we send out to Southern California chose I-40 much more often than not. The one advantage of taking I-70 is that most of the states you travel through will have 75mph speed limits whereas I-40 is mostly 65mph (70mph during the day in TX). You will experience heavier winds once you get out west if you travel I-40 but since you are not hauling a 53ft trailer, I don't think it matters. You might want to give your trip and extra day cushion since most folks need 4 days to travel those 2250 miles. I'd plan on 600 miles a day to be safe. Good luck!!

[jessica12]

My husband drove to San Diego from NYC when we moved here three years ago. He also stopped in Columbus (my hometown) on the way. He took I-40 and played golf in a bunch of places along the way. He really liked the drive. It took him 4 days to get to San Diego from Columbus, and he drove a LOT, so to do it in three days sounds fast. But he was alone and it sounds like you'll have more than one driver so that might make it easier.

[Clonus]

Thanks to everyone for the great tips! I-40 sounds like the best choice. I made the trip from Columbus to LA (and back) 9 years ago and took I-70, so this will be a nice change of scenery.

[citybilly]

Are the cats comfortable riding long distances in the car? ( probably not, I'm guessing.) I made a similar trip in reverse, with 2 cats in 1 SUV and 1 cat, 1 dog in the other. I bought each cat a cheap bird cage, because they were a little roomier. gave them a small dose of tranquilizer before we left. Kept their stomachs empty while travelling, so after 6-8 hours, we had to stop. We chose to get a motel room and try to relax the cats, and start over next morning, so this trip took us 5 days. But we only had a couple of minor pee accidents, so it was worth the extra time, for a smooth trip. Good luck with your trip.