Towing camper trailer from KS to Cody, WY (Cheyenne, Casper: 2009, transfer)

[thiscowgirl]

Hello -

Hoping to get some good advice...

My dear husband wants to drive his 1 ton dually up to Cody, WY from Wichita, KS area with a large camper (25-30' ??) in tow.

The trailer needs to be in Cody by the first of March 2009.

We've never been to Cody and from what I understand about WY is that there is a lot of snow, snow packed roads, drifts, towns shut down, etc...

He would drive thru Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming...

My question is "Is this a good, safe idea for this part of the country at this time of the year?"

What is the weather like in February? Any sources I can check, suggestions appreciated really.

Thanks,

Debi in KS

[NVDave]

What was your planned route?

[WyoNewk]

It all depends on the timing. Most of Wyoming's highways are clear for most of the winter, but snow storms come at any time and could make towing a camper a little risky -- just like in Kansas.

To improve his odds of clear roads a little, I'd suggest he plan his route to avoid mountain passes. From Cheyenne take I-25 to Casper, then Hwy. 20, either all the way to Cody or just to Thermopolis where he could pick up Hwy. 120 to Cody. I've not driven Hwy. 120 all the way, so I hope someone will jump in with advice on that, but Hwy. 20 would avoid high terrain pretty well. There's a stretch of road just south of Thermopolis that's a little curvy as it goes through a canyon, but if the weather is good and he takes his time it should be fine.

Another thing he needs to be aware of is high winds. I-25 will often get winds, especially this time of the year, that can easily tip over a camper. I drove it last January and counted about a dozen semis and campers that had been blown over between Cheyenne and Douglas.

[thiscowgirl]

Thanks for the quick replies. He'd drive up from KS to NE then over to Cheyenne, Casper and Thermopolis and on to Cody.

I am afraid of the winds, too, but KS has a lot of wind so we are not strangers to that. He is an exceptionally safe driver.

Mid February is the timing...

Thanks again!

[NVDave]

Once you're west of Casper and into the Big Horn Basin, the winds aren't quite as bad as they can be on the I-80/I-25 corridors. I guess I'd just watch the weather forecasts very closely and be ready to pounce on a clear window. They do occur... but having moved a lot of stuff across Wyoming highways last winter, I'm truly impressed by the things I've seen blown off the roads: campers, pleasure boats, U-haul trailers (one that ripped the hitch out of the car that had been towing it), 18-wheelers, VW minivans (the wind really harshed some hippy's buzz)... the list goes on and on.

BTW -- here's a tip if your pickup has manual hubs: when you get into a region that has had snow recently, just lock the hubs. Be ready to go into 4WD at any moment's notice just be engaging the transfer case.

[sunsprit]

And to give you an idea of how changeable the weather and conditions are here, this afternoon I-25 North of Cheyenne was closed due to the high winds/drifting snow/low visibility, along with I-80 West of town. The wind gusts were in excess of 45 mph from the West, and even on dry roads could be a dangerous handful with a high profile trailer.

You should keep tabs on the road conditions and expected weather situation by going to the WYDOT website for their reports and closure notices.

IMO, February is one of the most difficult times of the year to do this trip. Be careful and be ready to get off the highway and wait it out until conditions improve. It could be a matter of hours, it could be several days.

[sunsprit]

Just to put the "road closures" in perspective ... it's now Wednesday late morning and I-25, as well as many secondary roads north and southwest of Cheyenne ... are still "closed".

They did get I-80 open, but the traffic cameras make it pretty clear that it's a brutally slow and nasty crawl along the interstate, especially with all the semi's. I wouldn't want to be out there pulling a trailer with my pick-up truck.

[thiscowgirl]

I agree!!! That is exactly what I'm trying to show my dear husband!Thank you for your replies!!