Driving to Portland in January (Roseburg, Ashland: house, buy, college)

[SDgirlPortlandBOUND]

hi there,
SO a friend of mine is flying down to san diego from Portland for christmas and driving with me to Portland where i will be sarting a new life! Im really excited and frankly cant wait. Im leaving most likely the day after christmas and heading up. Dont really plan on making any stops to sleep, since i figure we'll take turns driving my car. My quesions for you guys....

1. What should i expect to endure time wise to get from san diego to portland? I have heard 15-18 hours but that it depends what route you take. I really just want the fastest route, and i would rather take the advice from someone who has actually driven it.

2. My friend said that i should invest in some snow chains for my tires, I want to know if that is completely necessary or if there is a way i can completely bipass any icy or snow ridden roads to avoid having to fork over money for chains just to use them once.

In advance thanks for all your input!

[PNW-type-gal]

It's 1,100 miles (roughly), so you'd have to average 73 miles an hour to do it in 15 hours, which is really unlikely. 18 hours is averaging 61 miles an hour, and that's maybe possible if you have a very fuel efficient car and don't have to stop for gas often, and don't plan on stopping to eat anywhere.

The I-5 part is long and boring, but the flow of traffic is 75 mph + so it goes by fairly quickly (although it's been very foggy in the Central Valley lately, and the CHP runs rolling road blocks to slow traffic down in the fog). Once you start climbing out of Redding, the speed limit drops and, depending on what time of day you started, it'll probably be evening and you'll want to be careful. If you are going to hit snow and ice, it'll be between Mt. Shasta (Ca) and Ashland (Or), most likely. The speed limit drops sharply once you get into Oregon, and it's a favorite place to give out tickets, so watch the posted signs.

You should have the chains, because if the weather is bad, you'll need them. Without them you'll be stuck until the roads are clear. The odds are you won't need them, but if you do and you don't have them, you either will be stuck or you will be stopped and given a large ticket for not having them when required. If you call around to some of the chain automotive stores, you might find one with a money-back guarantee if you don't use them. Make sure the Oregon store will honor the California guarantee, though.

If you live in Portland, you may well use the chains for other things, though - we do get occasional snow and ice storms, and you might want to go over the Coast Range in winter or up to Mt Hood in late fall, winter or early spring. So if you buy them and have to use them, they really aren't a "one time only" deal - you'll likely get other use out of them.

ETA:

Holiday traffic can make it bad, too - it's 875 miles from my house to my son's college, and the Sunday after Thanksgiving it took him more than 20 hours because of fog in the Central Valley and slow, slow traffic near Sacramento, Stockton (the turn off for San Francisco), the Grapevine (Ridge Route) and in LA in general.

To see the road conditions before you go:
http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/RCmap...RoadConditions
http://video.dot.ca.gov/

[Wicked Felina]

1. Will you take the Fresno area to PDX route as experience? Whoever told you 15-18 hours is being pretty accurate. That trip took me a little over 13 hours during the Christmas holidays. I made stops every hour or so to stretch my legs (whether I felt like it or not!) and let my dog run around. I ate 'on the run'. And I used I-5 all the way.

2. Tire chains are a safety issue. You're not wasting money. You may only need them once, but isn't that enough? Better safe than sorry, as in getting stuck without chains. (I carried chains, but didn't need them as I have an AWD vehicle).

There've been other threads regarding driving through Oregon in the winter; you may want to check those out. But if you are looking for fastest, most convenient route, take I-5.

Good luck ~ ~

PS Just saw PNW's post. Good info there, take heed

[cdelena]

I find that I-5 is simply too crowded most of the time to allow a 70mph average, especially in Oregon. Leave plenty of time and reschedule if heavy snows are forecast (although keeping a set of chains in the car is a good idea anyway). It would not be unusual for it to be a 20+ hour trip.

[davefr]

Plan on 17-18 hrs and that's assuming best case conditions. (Your average speed will likely be between 5-10 MPH less then the speed you actually drive)

Weather can be anybodies guess and the worst potential area will be the stretch between Redding and Roseburg. (there are about 5 mtn passes with Sisyku Summit being the highest)

Yes, bring chains and make sure your car can accomdate them (most don't these days) and practice putting them on.

HOWEVER if conditions are such that chains are needed for cars they usually just close down the freeway.

Plan the above stretch of driving during mid afternoon because that's your be best bet that the passes will be open. Get online conditions at tripcheck.com.

If you really want to avoid the mtn. passes then cut over to Hwy 101 at San Francisco and take the coastal route which is usually clear the year round but slow going. (it'll add about 5 hrs min.)

I've done this drive often and I'd say you chances for Jan are:

10-20% chance of major weather issues including complete closure (hours but sometimes days)
30-40% minor delays/snow pack but well maintained
40-50% dry roads/no issues

[PSP2PDX]

All of this advice so far is right on. I have made the drive from Palm Springs to Portland straight through a few times and it has taken me on average 16 to 17 hours. San Diego is roughly the same distance to Portland as Palm Springs. One determining factor for the length of the trip will be what time you leave SD. If you time it wrong, getting through the entire LA metro can add 1 to 2 hours to your trip. Take I-5 because it is the fastest route. You can be assured of no snow if you take the coast route, Hwy 101, but it will be horribly slow. Two lanes most of the way with a lot of trucks. Buy a set of chains as you will probably need them in the future at some point after you arrive in Portland and you will be happy you have them if needed between Redding and Roseburg.

Have fun and good luck on your new life in Portland!

[EnricoV]

Sometimes they won't let you through the pass unless you have chains. No necessarily that they need to be on, but they don't want you caught without. Better safe than sorry.

[SDgirlPortlandBOUND]

Wow! you know your stuff. Im not too concerned about the time frame, mainly just wanted an idea so even if it's an 18 hour drive its okay. I wanted to be in portland before the first of the year. I think it's only appropriate i spend it rejoicing about my recent move. I figure if i leave the day after chrsitmas that will give me ample time to be in ton for that. Maybe im wrong? So far it's my understanding that the weather is pretty unpredictable and better get some damn chains! Even if it adds some time, in your opinion do you think i should take the coastal route to completely bipass the snow situation?

[SDgirlPortlandBOUND]

Thanks everyone for your input. Now im just wondering if i should take the coastal route? Gee so many options it's hard to decide. More than anything im concerned i wont be able to find snow chains in San Diego lol. Not to mention im a little (eeeeek) at the idea of driving in snow, i took trips with my parents as a child up to utah and local snow spots in california and used to get sick because i was so nervous, my dad always drove big trucks and would slide all over the roads, ugh! Anyway, i drive a (2007 Ford Fusion S) Which has front wheel drive but NOT AWL if that helps. It's nice to be able to ask these things honestly, because i have never takin a trip this long by road except when i was a kid. My main concerns are safety the entire trip.

P.s. thanks for the speed trap tips too.

[findingmesomeday]

I've made it from SF to Portland in about 9 hours. The worst ice I've ever encountered was on New Years' eve driving into Ashland. The mountains can be treacherous.