Travel from Denver to California...why it has to go thru Wyoming? (Aurora: rental, pros and cons)

[gagliano3]

The subject says it all but I'll add a bit...

I'm renting a 25 foot moving truck end of November from Aurora to central California.

Using Mapquest, Yahoo, Google Map, etc...

All of them recommended that I drive north on I-25 to Cheyenne and then take I-80 to California

What's wrong with taking I-70 into Utah to Green River, take US 6 passing Price, UT then I-15 in Provo to Salt Lake City taking I-80 west to California? I think this routing would save me about 50+ miles

Any pros and cons using the recommended route (via Cheyenne) and I-70 routing?

Thanks!
Thomas

[Kibbiekat]

We drove Fresno to Denver and took 99 to 15 to 70. That's the only way I've done it so I can't compare. It was Interstates almost the whole way.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by gagliano3

The subject says it all but I'll add a bit...

I'm renting a 25 foot moving truck end of November from Aurora to central California.

Using Mapquest, Yahoo, Google Map, etc...

All of them recommended that I drive north on I-25 to Cheyenne and then take I-80 to California

What's wrong with taking I-70 into Utah to Green River, take US 6 passing Price, UT then I-15 in Provo to Salt Lake City taking I-80 west to California? I think this routing would save me about 50+ miles

Any pros and cons using the recommended route (via Cheyenne) and I-70 routing?

Thanks!
Thomas

I-70 is straight through the mtns. I-80 skirts the mtns more.

[RowJimmy]

I drove from my brothers for Thanksgiving up to Sun Valley Idaho the first year I lived out there. I was driving a Chevy Cobalt with no snow tires. I went out there going through Wyoming and it was just straight and flat through the Basin. It is quicker also because you can do about 80 miles an hour with no problem. However, I went back by going into Utah through Arches N.P. and then I-70 through Colorado. A snow storm was hitting that time. It was a rough ride. I was going about 40 miles an hour the whole way. I drove majority of my life in central PA that gets a lot of snow. However it was a pain going over Vail and Loveland pass. I ended up having to brake for a Jack ass driving 10 miles an hour with no snow scraped of his car bus a little circle on his front windshield. I did a 360 and luckily gained control and steared into a snow pile with a just a scrach on my car. Point is, if you are driving a crappy Uhal (and those trucks suck) through I-70 in Late November there is a chance you will have to have good experience and snow tires.

[RowJimmy]

Also, since it is only 50 miles, Wyoming is probably quicker because you can just cruise much faster. You don't go over any passes through Wyoming, but it is kind of boring. If you are doing it for scenic routes then you take I-70 through Colorado. That is one of the most scenic highways in America. However, I don't know if I would want to drive a rental truck in late November since those passes will probably be getting snow then. Just make sure you check the weather though before you go.

[vfrpilot]

You might even consider the southern route through Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Barstow, Tehachepi, and into Bakersfield. Weather in Nov can be scary in WY, and I-80 into CA is no piece of cake. Just ask the Donner Party. I-40 usually has better weather conditions.
BTW- We used U-Haul to move to CO in '04 and will never make that mistake again.

[oberon]

You can take US-40 if you will be going via Salt Lake City. However, it's debatable whether it's a shorter trip since it winds through the Colorado mountains, while I-80, I-70, and especially I-40 are fairly straight.

[Luke9686]

I've done both trips in January. I got lucky and it didn't snow. I could see why you wouldn't want to drive a moving truck through the mountains, especially during that time of the year.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by RowJimmy

Also, since it is only 50 miles, Wyoming is probably quicker because you can just cruise much faster. You don't go over any passes through Wyoming, but it is kind of boring. If you are doing it for scenic routes then you take I-70 through Colorado. That is one of the most scenic highways in America. However, I don't know if I would want to drive a rental truck in late November since those passes will probably be getting snow then. Just make sure you check the weather though before you go.

No passes in Wyoming? Actually there is Sherman Hill west of Cheyenne and the stretch crossing the Medicine Bow Range between Laramie and Rawlins (commonly referred to as the "Snow Chi Minh Trail" by Wyomingites because it was built during Viet Nam and is very prone to snow and blizzards). These two "passes" are much shallower grades and at lower elevations than the passes in Colorado on I-70, and thus are a preferred truck route. That does not mean that they are not a winter driving challenge at times. I-80 clear across Wyoming is susceptible to serious blizzarding in the winter. The roads can be slick, as well, during storms. While I-70 through Colorado features thousands of idiots in cars who think they know how to drive in winter weather, I-80 in Wyoming is thick with big trucks. It used to be that most of those drivers knew how to handle winter driving, but my experience of late is that many of them are also clueless about safe winter driving techniques (and they are driving vehicles that weigh 80,000 pounds--not good).

Contrary to what a couple of posters have inferred, the Wyoming Highway Patrol is not very tolerant of speeding (and they patrol I-80 pretty heavily)--if you drive the Wyoming roads, follow the posted speed limits.

If you haven't driven a bigger truck in the mountains before, I would suggest I-80 as the better alternative. And definitely know how to gear down on the grades.

[Augie Daugie]

I've driven both I-70 and I-80 to California several times. 80 is definitely quicker. You can cruise at 90mph through Nevada. Snow usually doesn't start falling until Dec. in the Sierras...though there are sometimes an early snowfall or two. 70 is more beautiful, but has some very intense grades to climb.