trying to avoid mountains from AZ to IL (Phoenix, Tucson: construction, camp)

[xenadtonya]

I have a great fear of heights and will be driving from arizona to illinois can someone please tell me a route where i can avoid the mountains I don't care about adding extra time I just can't take a chance on an anxiety attack while driving down the mountains

[rbohm]

just about any route you take will have to crossing the mountains. depending on where you are starting your trip in arizona, perhaps the least mountainous route would be to go down I-10 through el paso, and pick up I-20 in texas. that will minimize your exposure to mountain driving.

[AZgarden]

Pardon my lack of geography knowledge, but what mountains??? Drove here from IL thru St Louis, OK, Albuqueque and everything was pretty flat. Only mountains I remember were in Flag, which was nothing to worry about. Maybe I missed them????

[rgscpat]

For an acrophobic, the canyons and hills between Phoenix and Flagstaff are dramatic enough to be exciting.

Amtrak from Tucson to El Paso?

[Goober13]

Yes,you can take 1-10 south from Phoenix towards El Paso, go east to I-20.Take I-20 to I-35E in Dallas Ft Worth, which connects to I-35. Take I-35 north all the way to Des Moines, get on I-80 east to Chicago, or wherever you are headed in Illinois. No mountains.

[Sco]

Originally Posted by Goober13

Yes,you can take 1-10 south from Phoenix towards El Paso, go east to I-20.Take I-20 to I-35E in Dallas Ft Worth, which connects to I-35. Take I-35 north all the way to Des Moines, get on I-80 east to Chicago, or wherever you are headed in Illinois. No mountains.

That is really the only way to avoid all of the mountains. If you can handle the little bit near Albuquerque, you could take I-40 that far and then divert south to El Paso and come up through Tucson.

The only bad part that I can think of would be the drive between Flagstaff and Phoenix so avoid that and you will be fine.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by Goober13

Yes,you can take 1-10 south from Phoenix towards El Paso, go east to I-20.Take I-20 to I-35E in Dallas Ft Worth, which connects to I-35. Take I-35 north all the way to Des Moines, get on I-80 east to Chicago, or wherever you are headed in Illinois. No mountains.

I-35W through Fort Worth. I-35E is the long way and it goes right through Dallas. Although I-35W at the north end of Fort Worth has some construction (was there Weds).

Alternate: 35 to I-44 to Tulsa. It's a turnpike with tolls but is a better road than 35 to KC (drove it in June) and then to St Louis, on up through Springfield to Chicago.

There ARE some hills east of Tucson on I-10 in Texas Canyon but the majority of the trip is gently sloping or flat to Las Cruces.

[magnum0417]

You do bypass elevations above 5000 feet traversing I 10 past New Mexico and El Paso. What you have to be concerned with is falling asleep because the I 10 landscape outside of the mountains near Las Cruces and El Paso is redundant and boring in NM and West Texas.

Not sure why the more direct I 40 is such a chore. Elevations from Flagstaff to east of Albuquerque are 5000-7000 feet for those 300 plus miles. Western NM from Gallup to Grants is about the highest point where you cross the Divide. However, the grade is very gradual and not threatening. Seeing ABQ coming in from the west is awesome. You see the valley with the Sandias and it's awesome. Tijeras Canyon is not bad at all. A gradual incline of 1000 feet for those 30 miles from ABQ Tramway to Edgewood/Moriarty. From Clines Corners, it's ALL downhill pretty much until Illinois. And BORING once you get into Oklahoma.

[locolobo13]

I assume you're talking about the winding road with a view to a drop off to the side and not the actual elevation? What's your threshold? Have you driven or seen Black Canyon north of Phoenix? Is that too much? If you can handle that your probably good to go along I40. At least as far as OK. Not so sure after that.

I'll second Goober13 and SluggoF16 routes. Although there is a hill at Texas Canyon east of Benson. Not as much fun as Black Canyon tho.

Check out your plans on Google Earth. It lists elevations and you can estimate how steep some of the hills are.

[magnum0417]

Originally Posted by locolobo13

I assume you're talking about the winding road with a view to a drop off to the side and not the actual elevation? What's your threshold? Have you driven or seen Black Canyon north of Phoenix? Is that too much? If you can handle that your probably good to go along I40. At least as far as OK. Not so sure after that.

I'll second Goober13 and SluggoF16 routes. Although there is a hill at Texas Canyon east of Benson. Not as much fun as Black Canyon tho.

Check out your plans on Google Earth. It lists elevations and you can estimate how steep some of the hills are.

Honestly, anyone fearful of heights is probably fearful of going down a steep grade as opposed to up. There are NO STEEP DOWNHILL GRADES outside of Cordes Junction to Camp Verde when traveling from PHX to IL. Flag to Winslow is gradual. The ABQ West Mesa to ABQ is a gradual safe drop. Clines Corners to Santa Rosa is gradual.....You get the idea.