[Tek_Freek]

Out of all the comments I saw "relatively level" gets my vote.

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by Cyborgt800

^^^^^ Problem is everything past the ski areas, Utah and through to St. George.
Limon isn't even close to the mountains....the mountains, weather and all the other drivers are the problem... I've driven it and was the one MAKING the tracks for miles while getting snow blind...or worse getting stuck behind some slow poke that's all over the road because they can't judge where the lanes should be.

I've crested hills and seen 5-8 cars all slid off each side, spun around or rolled...some still in the road...some semi's off the road etc...they don't/can't keep it THAT clear, besides, ICE is ICE!

Like I said, one trip in December clear sailing...two weeks later it took 22 hours to make the trip!

Never said it was, but its one place that you CAN run into problems because of the plains blizzards....[I was born n raised there]

if you pay attention to weather reports you can avoid all the problems unless youre in a super hurry.

THIS YEAR, the general weather trend is pushing farther north leaving colorado hurting for snow.....that means that I 80 [while normally a good route] is gonna get slammed in Wyoming.....and wyoming DOES get some hellacious blizzards.....

I still vote [this year] for I 70.....altho I-40 has been very good so far.....assuming that you dont mind being bored to tears thru OK TX an NM. [even WORSE the KS to me]

[Cyborgt800]

^^^^^ Too many potential problems on I70 for an inexperienced mountain driver IMHO.

[bayview6]

The OP stated he was driving late April, early May. The OK TX NM scenery will be great (probably the best) that time of year. Although the TX panhandle can be a huge speed trap, You can make up the time in NM. There is a rest area in AZ just over the NM line that has some wonderful red sandstone cliffs next to a picnic area. The drive from Winslow AZ up to Flagstaff is very scenic no matter what time of year. From Flagstaff to Kingman, I rate that a truly great drive, one that should be driven in a nissan GT-R with no governor or HWP around.

[Cyborgt800]

^^^ There can still be snow in some parts of the mountains then, plus one must be fairly proficient with braking and speed control with a truck, especially when towing...there's a bit of an art to it that comes with experience.

A steep decline with a hairpin turn at the bottom is no joke....add some precipitation or black ice and ....


Oh, yeah and let's not forget those times when the car trailer starts feeling like it's pushing you....you have a choice...accelerate, coast or brake....all CAN be the right answer depending on the situation...you got make that decision quickly.

Remember, we're not talking about a custom setup that's been tweaked...a rental truck/trailer is a combination of a barely maintained pair...and a driver that's used to neither!


If the OP has an abundance of towing experience then it should be no problem...

[SoCalCpl2]

Originally Posted by swagger

80-15 & avoid the rockies while adding only 50 miles

How can you avoid the Rockies when they stretch from British Columbia all the way down to New Mexico????

[SoCalCpl2]

Lived in Colorado long long time.... 1-70 can be a crap shoot a lot of times.. We moved from Denver to Los Angeles in April of 95 and they closed I-70 for 2 days because of blizazrd conditions.....

Also drove from Denver to Utah and I-70 was shut down because a motor home caught fire in the Eisenhour tunnel....had to take an alternate route thru the mountains and ended up taking over 7 hours to get to the other side of Vail Pass which is normally a 2 hour drive... And this was in August of that year....

If I had a preference I would shoot for I-40 or I-10

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I agree with this. In researching my move I found that a Uhaul towing my car would cost approx. $2400 ALONE (not counting gas and mileage charges) from Des Moines to LV. I can imagine it wold be quite a bit more from NJ. For $2400 I can buy what I need at my new place AND not have to hire people to help me unload at the other end. It's been a great excuse to get rid of 85% of my stuff that I don't need anyway.

This is a good point even if the OP may not want to sell their stuff (understandable). Hire movers. It's still likely to be cheaper paying movers rather than doing the UHaul thing. When we moved from Chicago, it would've cost me $2500+ (maybe $3000) to rent a Uhaul & tow my car. Instead, we spent under $2K hiring movers & about $200 on gas to drive ourselves. A little over $2000 total vs. likely $3000 driving a UHaul & all the work ourselves, not to mention the stress of driving a truck cross-country when we're not used to it.

OP, I'd strongly suggest researching movers & drive your car. Yes, movers rank right up their with used-car & timeshare salespeople; as a group, they're right about on par with those who club baby seals. Careful research should find you a reasonable one & my guess is it will be cheaper than moving yourself. UHaul or similar will probably cost $4K+; why not pay less to have someone else do the driving & most of the work? The one downside is your stuff will be LTL (shared on a truck with other stuff) so depending on the route they take you may have to wait a few days. We took all our essential, most valuable stuff we could fit in the car & let them move the rest.

Originally Posted by SoCalCpl2

(in reference I-80 suggestion to avoid the Rockies & add a few miles) How can you avoid the Rockies when they stretch from British Columbia all the way down to New Mexico????

Swagger's actually mostly right. Technically you're not avoiding the Rockies, but you ARE minimizing their effect. I-80 across Wyoming will have you driving at altitude, but the ups-and-downs are much more gentle. I've made the trip back and forth to Chicago many times & this has become my preferred route. It's worth 40 extra miles for the easier drive & less strain on the car's tranny. Cheap gas thru Wyoming, too.

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

+1 to this. The mountains on I-70 west of Denver are kinda dicey for about 150 miles, if you are not experienced driving a truck.

More like 80 miles, maybe as much as 100 depending on what you consider a starting point. From the NW part of the Denver metro area, it's a little over 80 miles to Vail which is the last of the 3 major rises in Colorado. Most of the rest of Colorado is relatively level & smooth sailing. Personally, I find I-70 in Utah more of an issue; although the rises aren't as high, there's plenty of twisty-windy up-and-down driving in the middle of nowhere & they don't maintain the highway like Colorado does (Skiing/tourist business helps.) I-70 west of Denver's generally not bad, tho it can be stressful during weather with the high climbs; they do an excellent job keeping it clear, but there are times it will still be a factor & locals/SUV drivers all seem to be crazy no matter the conditions.

Having taken all 3 routes multiple times, I can confirm any will work. In the heart of winter, I'd avoid I-80 altogether & likely take I-40. However, at end of April & early May any should work as an option. If you haven't see the Rockies in person & will travel through Colorado during the day it's very beautiful. I-70 isn't just Colorado, tho - once you reach Utah, it's extremely desolate & the rough roads & up/down twisty-windy stuff can get old. Even though the mountain passes in CO are higher, to me the drive is more stressful in UT.

I-40 works but I find it rather boring; west of St. Louis you'll get a fair amount of up & down on the way to Springfield, MO. Then you'll get more of the same through parts of New Mexico, although Flagstaff, AZ is the only real elevation you'll hit.

I-80 is also boring but probably the simplest of the bunch (hence Swagger's comment). In Nebraska it will feel like you can point the car west, turn on cruise control & sleep for 400 miles You'll get some rolling up & down stuff in Wyoming (more at elevation), but nothing extreme. You'll get some twisty, winding stuff as you work from Wyoming into Utah. Salt Lake City to Las Vegas on I-15 has ups & downs; for some reason I've seen more tire caps (from semis) on the side of this road than I've ever seen anywhere. If you take I-70 or I-80 you'll cut through about 25 miles in the NW corner of Arizona on the way into Nevada; it's a pretty drive but you definitely want to be alert as there's a good amount of twisting & winding & the road is bad.

All of the above routes will work & none is a bad choice that time of year unless you run into really late snow in Wyoming or Colorado (always check weather reports before a long trip). After making lots of trips, I like the I-80 route but you pick the one that works for you. My strongest recommendation is to consider hiring movers so you only have to drive your car, saving stress, soreness & money. You'll likely make better time as well.

[ElleTea]

Here's the thread I started in May about this. There was some good advice in it

Driving to Las Vegas

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by delgadobb

This is a good point even if the OP may not want to sell their stuff (understandable). Hire movers. It's still likely to be cheaper paying movers rather than doing the UHaul thing. When we moved from Chicago, it would've cost me $2500+ (maybe $3000) to rent a Uhaul & tow my car. Instead, we spent under $2K hiring movers & about $200 on gas to drive ourselves. A little over $2000 total vs. likely $3000 driving a UHaul & all the work ourselves, not to mention the stress of driving a truck cross-country when we're not used to it.

OP, I'd strongly suggest researching movers & drive your car. Yes, movers rank right up their with used-car & timeshare salespeople; as a group, they're right about on par with those who club baby seals. Careful research should find you a reasonable one & my guess is it will be cheaper than moving yourself. UHaul or similar will probably cost $4K+; why not pay less to have someone else do the driving & most of the work? The one downside is your stuff will be LTL (shared on a truck with other stuff) so depending on the route they take you may have to wait a few days. We took all our essential, most valuable stuff we could fit in the car & let them move the rest.

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