Best route from olympia WA to colorado springs in early dec. (routes, rail)

[ltwins82]

My husband and I are moving to colorado springs the first week in Dec. We'd like to get some route suggestions. Any way to avoid I-70 and I-80 from other postings these some terrible this time of year. Also, he may be towing a small uhaul with his truck, but if the weather looks too bad we may get the mover to haul everything.

[scirocco22]

It would be a toss up for me. If towing a trailer, personally, I'd stay on interstates during the winter. The two routes I'd probably choose would be either one of these depending on what the weather forecasts are in the areas I'd be going through.

Route 1:

South on I-5

to I-205 just north of Vancouver, WA

I-205 to I-84 just after crossing into Oregon

East on I-84 all the way through the Blue Mountains, through Idaho (Boise, Twin Falls), into Utah (through Ogden), just south of Ogden, I-84 will split from I-15, stay on I-84 to the point it intersects with I-80.

East on I-80 as it continues through Wyoming (Evanston, Laramie), and on to Cheyenne.

South on I-25 at Cheyenne. Continue on I-25 into Colorado through Denver and to Colorado Springs.


Route 2:

North on I-5.

Continue on I-5 to SR-18 just after going through Tacoma and Fife.

East on SR-18 through Auburn, Covington until the intersection with I-90 just west of North Bend.

East on I-90.

Continue on I-90 across Snoqualmie Pass, through central and eastern Washington, through Spokane and all the way through the Idaho panhandle, into Montana (Missoula, Butte, Billings), into Wyoming and through Sheridan. About 35-miles after Sheridan, I-25 splits off from I-90.

South on I-25. Continue on I-25 through Casper and Cheyenne, into Colorado through Fort Collins, Denver and to Colorado Springs.

.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

It would be a toss up for me. If towing a trailer, personally, I'd stay on interstates during the winter. The two routes I'd probably choose would be either one of these depending on what the weather forecasts are in the areas I'd be going through.

Route 1:

South on I-5

to I-205 just north of Vancouver, WA

I-205 to I-84 just after crossing into Oregon

East on I-84 all the way through the Blue Mountains, through Idaho (Boise, Twin Falls), into Utah (through Ogden), just south of Ogden, I-84 will split from I-15, stay on I-84 to the point it intersects with I-80.

East on I-80 as it continues through Wyoming (Evanston, Laramie), and on to Cheyenne.

South on I-25 at Cheyenne. Continue on I-25 into Colorado through Denver and to Colorado Springs.


Route 2:

North on I-5.

Continue on I-5 to SR-18 just after going through Tacoma and Fife.

East on SR-18 through Auburn, Covington until the intersection with I-90 just west of North Bend.

East on I-90.

Continue on I-90 across Snoqualmie Pass, through central and eastern Washington, through Spokane and all the way through the Idaho panhandle, into Montana (Missoula, Butte, Billings), into Wyoming and through Sheridan. About 35-miles after Sheridan, I-25 splits off from I-90.

South on I-25. Continue on I-25 through Casper and Cheyenne, into Colorado through Fort Collins, Denver and to Colorado Springs.

I like your route 1 choice best because it only goes over one high mountain pass at Immigrant Hill (Cabbage) just east of Pendleton, OR.

I-90 and I-70 have several of them.

I don't know about everyone else, but the last place I'd want to be towing something behind a U-haul would be atop Lookout, Homestake, Vail or Loveland passes during that time of year.

Also, the I-5/84/80/25 route is just far enough south, and not high enough in elevation, to expect a major storm during the first week of December (though it is certainly not out of the question). That's still a little early along that route for bad a storm, but that's not so in the high mountains. Yes, the OP may very well run into snow but, unless it's accompanied by a serious cold front, it's not likely to stick badly during the daytime. Slush is more common along that route then than deep snow pack or ice in early December.