Route from Sioux Falls, SD to Phoenix, AZ (driving, quote, across)

[firedancer8]

We are moving from SD to AZ the last week of December and I am concerned about winter driving conditions. We have an AWD crossover.

Option 1: Drive west through N.Platte, NE and south on CO-71 through Albuquerque and I-40 to Phoenix.

Option 2: Drive south through Omaha to Wichita, KS and I-40 to Albuquerque and Phoenix.

We are very excited to see this part of the country but are looking for the safest route possible. We are planning on splitting the trip into 3 days.

There's a map attached showing a possible route. Any comments or experiences are greatly appreciated!

[reed303]

Map out 2 or 3 more all-Interstate routes ( ie SF>OMA>DEN>ABQ>PHX) and then decide which to use based on weather reports at the time. Avoid the CO-71 route in any case. The plains of eastern Colorado can be blizzardy and icy when rest of area is clear. I-70 from Denver to Kansas line gets closed quite often due to drifting. You don't want to get stranded on some back country 2 lane highway miles from anywhere.

[KaaBoom]

I agree about avoiding the eastern plains of Colorado. OP you might want to consider this route across Kansas: I-29 > I-335/I-35 > US-54 > I-40.

[John7777]

The Kansas route looks OK, but going through that part of AZ in January might be trouble because of the high elevation. Then again, maybe not. Depending on the weather forecast, I might be inclined to head south from Albuquerque and hit the I-10 towards Tucson. The trip might be a bit longer, but the main idea is to get there in one piece.

[thinkalot]

Originally Posted by John7777

The Kansas route looks OK, but going through that part of AZ in January might be trouble because of the high elevation. Then again, maybe not. Depending on the weather forecast, I might be inclined to head south from Albuquerque and hit the I-10 towards Tucson. The trip might be a bit longer, but the main idea is to get there in one piece.

That's the route I took. Almost zero traffic in New Mexico after you leave Albuquerque.

[rrah]

Originally Posted by John7777

The Kansas route looks OK, but going through that part of AZ in January might be trouble because of the high elevation. Then again, maybe not. Depending on the weather forecast, I might be inclined to head south from Albuquerque and hit the I-10 towards Tucson. The trip might be a bit longer, but the main idea is to get there in one piece.

I have to agree with this. I took 40 from OK to Phoenix through NM in May/June. First thought when I read your post OP was that the mountains in AZ might have snow at that time of year. I mapped out the route suggested above from Albuquerque when we were planning the drive. It was only going to add a hour or two to the trip.

Personally I'm not used to driving through mountains so driving through with snow isn't something I would do. I am used to driving through all kinds of snow and ice conditions.