Looking for lowest altitude route from Portland to Chicago (live in, train)

[groundhugger]

I suffered a bad head injury that damaged my ear drums and makes me unable to equalize pressure properly, hence I cannot fly in an airplane, and tolerate pressure changes poorly, i.e. changes in altitude. Does anybody have a suggestion on what would be the lowest altitude route from Portland to Chicago? I hate to have to go all the way south to get across that pesky Continental Divide. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

[davefr]

Originally Posted by groundhugger

I suffered a bad head injury that damaged my ear drums and makes me unable to equalize pressure properly, hence I cannot fly in an airplane, and tolerate pressure changes poorly, i.e. changes in altitude. Does anybody have a suggestion on what would be the lowest altitude route from Portland to Chicago? I hate to have to go all the way south to get across that pesky Continental Divide. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

I-84 to I-80 then straight to Chicago. You obviously rise to some high elevations like thru Wyoming but there really aren't that many mountain passes where elevation changes rapidly.

[groundhugger]

Thanks Dave, as I understand it that reaches 8600 feet, which is more than my ears can handle. Looking for a lower altitude route than that!

[pw72]

That's an interesting question. Can't find too much on the Internet about this. But I did discover that Wyoming's highest interstate is only around 6700 feet, not 8600. And you probably want to avoid Coloroado as the highest point on I-70 is over 11,000 feet! My guess is New Mexico might be the lowest, but kind of out of the way.

[mamh]

Groundhugger
Look at I-80 and where you can turn off at Rawlins and go around to Casper and then down to 80 you avoid the pass which is 8,000 and will bother most people..This is taking you about 200 miles out of your way but might work..From there on its flat...Isn't the passes going across on 84 rather high too..Only drove it once...
Good luck and do have a good trip....

[LeftCoastee]

Take the Amtrak "Empire Builder" that goes from Seattle <> Chicago. I believe the highest elevation it achieves is through Glacier National Park and that its around 4800 feet. You can start from Portland and pick up the Empire Builder in Spokane if you don't want to drive to Seattle.

Its about as fast as driving and a heck of a lot more scenic. The Empire Builder is probably the most beautiful train ride you can take in the US.

[pw72]

Westbound, maybe. Eastbound it gets dark over the Cascades, and there is a short segment through Glacier the next morning, but that is about it. I much prefer the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle!

BTW, there is some talk of bringing the Pioneer back, from Salt Lake City to Portland. I would definitely be a customer on that route!

Bring back the trains!

[LeftCoastee]

Most routes seem to be timed for Westbound traffic. At least the Eastbound Empire Builder times it so you can see Glacier NP in the daylight.

We live in LA and my family is in Chicago so my wife and I were able to do the entire length of the Southwest Chief this past year. We went through the Grand Canyon around 5am....complete darkness.

Trains are a great way to travel when you're not in a hurry. And if you want to do it in relative comfort, not cheap either.

[sebby]

I'll be making the exact opposite trip in a month, I80 to Sacramento, I5 up to Portland. I think the highest elevation is about 3300 feet, although I don't know if you want to go that far out of your way.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by LeftCoastee

Take the Amtrak "Empire Builder" that goes from Seattle <> Chicago. I believe the highest elevation it achieves is through Glacier National Park and that its around 4800 feet. You can start from Portland and pick up the Empire Builder in Spokane if you don't want to drive to Seattle.

Its about as fast as driving and a heck of a lot more scenic. The Empire Builder is probably the most beautiful train ride you can take in the US.

That might be a good idea. Trains can't handle steep mountain passes and the lines are designed for long gradual grades.

The empire builder doesn't go over the cascades but instead it goes thru them via a long tunnel.