[nanni000]

I am leaving from Detroit and driving to San Francisco, CA at the end of this month. I am looking for the safest/ best routes out there. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[mich2fla]

From Motown, go south to I-80 then go west to SF. Time your trip so that you will not get caught in the Chicago rush hour traffic.

Good luck!

[futruper]

I took the trip back in the late 80's from Jackson. I went I-94 to I-80 all the way into S.F. It's a nice drive especially through the Sierra's and Donners Pass. You can do a Mapquest search from starting address to finish. Enjoy!

[Blue Grass Fever]

It depends what's more important to you. Do you want to get there in the shortest time/quickest way possible or do you want to see country and/or avoid bad weather?

If so,I-80 would be a straight-shot but i would highly advise to keep an eye on the weather and pack accordingly for emergencies that may occur! It's gonna be cold through the I-80 corridor to San Fran.

Do you want to skip any possible bad weather? If so, i'd take the southern route there. This is anywhere straight-south from Michigan to I-10 to California. Yes it may take you way out of your way but it surely beats driving through the cold all the way across country and in my opinion, the drive is nicer on a whole than opposed to I-80 in the winter.

The southern portion of the U.S. is normally calm during winter, by this, i mean that it's calm weather-wise and temperature-wise.

[upstateNY]

just keep in mind that one part of I-80 within California might require snow chains on your tires. just call the california dept of trans hotline to find out.