Driving through the Rockies: Help Please (Cheyenne, Laramie: area, flooding, map)

[KeithStrohm]

Hello all,

My fiancee and I will be driving to Chicago from Seattle next week and are having difficulty deciding on a route. We had originally planned to take I90 straight through, but I now have some concerns about snowstorms.

What's driving through the Rockies in April like? Should we consider taking 80 instead? I'm not looking forward to slogging through the mountains in snow. I want to enjoy my trip through these beatiful mountain ranges. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Keith

[Josseppie]

Its hit or miss. It could be nice or you could be in a blizzard.

[vegaspilgrim]

I-80 doesn't go through Colorado-- you should ask this in the Wyoming forum instead.

[NVDave]

Originally Posted by KeithStrohm

Hello all,

My fiancee and I will be driving to Chicago from Seattle next week and are having difficulty deciding on a route. We had originally planned to take I90 straight through, but I now have some concerns about snowstorms.

What's driving through the Rockies in April like? Should we consider taking 80 instead? I'm not looking forward to slogging through the mountains in snow. I want to enjoy my trip through these beatiful mountain ranges. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Keith

Occasional blizzards and mudslides. The usual. On I-90 you might get more snow, on I-80 you'll get more wind. Wind+snow already on the ground can lead to whiteout conditions every bit as much as new snow.

[bluescreen73]

I-90 in Wyoming and South Dakota isn't typically that bad. Once you get out of the Black Hills, with the exception of the bluffs along the Mississippi in Minnesota and Wisconsin, it's pretty much flat from Wall, SD, to Chicago.

Like NVDave said it's not the amount of snow you typically have to worry about, but rather the amount of wind. I personally would avoid I-80 like the plague because it's windy from Rock Springs all the way to Cheyenne and there's not a lot of groundcover to keep the wind from whipping up ground blizzards.

[StealthRabbit]

You will have to watch the weather, as this current storm was a bit unexpected. Climate Prediction Center - 6 to 10 Day Outlook

If you want scenery, as in Mtns, then you must take I-90 through Montana, or 70 through Colorado.

While I have spent most of my time on 80 as a commercial driver, I much prefer 90 / 94. I do Minneapolis to Billings at night, as there is not a lot to see, and a full moon and glistening snow is not too bad either.

Only significant Mtns are Bozeman to Kellogg, ID, and then the pass over Cascades ~ 50 miles east of Seattle WSDOT - Snoqualmie Pass Road and Weather Conditions

On 80, you have Sherman Pass between Cheyenne and Laramie (Not terribly pretty, and often treacherous). Then a bit of a hill between Laramie and Rawlins, and a pass on 84 between LaGrande, OR and Pendelton. The route through the Columbia Gorge (OR / WA) is really pretty, and is only ICY in Dec-Feb, so you are past that period. You should consider going a different way each direction. When driving 80, I prefer to go from Boise to Omaha at night... but that would be a long night (or a very fast trip) As mentioned... the wind is the issue on 80. You might drive for days and not see the pavement (tho it is often pretty dry...watch for drifting on bridges and near guard rails). The ground blizzards are blowing snow anywhere from 1 ft to 10' off the ground (or more). Most often it is only 1-2' of obstructed view (You drive by the reflector posts). WY has great reflectors Blue on left and white / yellow on right. If you can see at least 3 reflectors ahead, you can usually go the speed limit. Just don't drive between two of the same color ... Unfortunately other states are not so good. I have had to drive in Utah on I-84 with a passenger holding their door open to follow the right lane marker near 'Snowville'. In OR and WA the reflectors are too far apart to safely drive in a ground blizzard, they also stagger the left ones to every-other right one (saving $$, but causing wrecks)

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Coloradohh

I read your post but was taken back by it, anyone who looks at a map can clearly see that if you are driving from Seattle to Chicago (god i hate this city) you will go no where near Colorado.... Here is the route.... Seattle, a bit of Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota Wisconsin, and then ILLanoyed... why would you want to drive south east, then east then back up North East, clearly you dont know where you are going... I think you should not be driving at all because you are going to get lost... dont you have Google maps installed on your PC? even google steers you clear of colorado, you will actually be 2 states away from it, why even bother, you might as well drive to Argentina... Seriously!!!

You can take I-94 or you can drop south out of Billings and take I-90. The I-90 route is FAR more scenic and only about 30 miles longer. I-94 through North Dakota is a VERY desolate highway. Plus Fargo is currently experiencing record crests of the Red River and with 14 inches of snow on the way, the whole town could be under water within the next week or 2.

[WyoNewk]

April is actually my least favorite month of the year in Wyoming. I always hope for nice spring weather, but as often as not it's rainy, snowy and/or windy. That said, your chances for decent driving weather on I-90 are pretty good. That's the route I'd take. Keep an eye (and ear) out for the weather ahead, and if it sounds/looks too bad, pull over and sit a spell. Even the worst blizzards seldom last for more than a day or two.

As mentioned above, you should also keep flooding in mind. The bad floods along I-90 or I-80 are usually a little later, but I've had to switch from one to the other a few times, usually in the Minnesota/Iowa area and east towards Chicago. That's more likely to happen in late May-early June.