Driving from Arizona to Idaho - which route to take? (Boise: rental, construction)
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I will be driving with a U-haul from Phoenix to Boise in a couple of weeks, and just wanted to solicit some advice from those who've been there and done it.
The options are:
- Taking 93 which would take me though Las Vegas and then all the way across Nevada to Twin Falls, and then to Boise. It's the shortest route, but looks like it's a two-lane freeway for most of the way though Nevada, and I suspect no cell-phone coverage for looong stretches of time.
- Taking I-15 through Page to Salt Lake and then joining I-84 in Idaho.
I've done that drive before, it's pretty comfortable with lots of services and wide interstate. But it is a longer drive by about 2 hours (which is A LOT).
Which route would you all recommend? I will be driving myself with a cat and a u-haul trailer. Biggest concerns are
1.the quality of the road - how sure how I feel about the 2-lane freeway across Nevada, but if there is very little truck traffic on that route I would be ok with it.
2. safety of the route - how safe are those little gas stations in the middle of nowhere in Nevada? I remember the scare I got in East Texas close to the border when the folks at the gas station looked like they were up to no good... I don't want to be in that situation ever again!
3. cell phone coverage and available services should something happen during the drive.
Like I said, I've done the SLC route before and just wanted to see whether the Nevada route is better/worse.
I've done 93 a number of times and never felt like it was an issue. That is the route I would take when weather isn't a concern...
I have to be honest, it has been a few years since I drove the route, so I can't give details to your questions, other than to say that the gas stops did not make me feel weird or out of place.
I drove from Phx to Jerome on 93 because it was the shortest. That was in the summer of 2003 and from what I remember there were no issues at all but I actually prefer secondary roads to the interstates most of the time. I do remember it is a very lonely highway with very little traffic. I basically had the road to myself most of the time and gas stops are a good ways apart so don't let your tank get too low if you go that route. I can't address the safety or cell phone coverage but if you feel threatened in remote locations or absolutely require 100% cell phone coverage I would definitely stick to the Interstate.
If you were driving a sedan/SUV/personal car I'd say take 93. But with a U-Haul I'd suggest the interstate. They have pretty crappy vehicles from my experience. Road construction season is probably over but that can be troublesome on two lane roads too. I did 93 last summer and had three construction stops which added at least a cumulative hour delay.
93 is your best route, but only in good weather. If that is questionable, take I-15 from Vegas through Utah and hook up with I-84. What nobody tells you is that the Interstates can be just as dangerous as the US highways, and in some cases the Interstates may be closed quicker than the US highways. You need to have access to all the western state road condition sites, fortunately, most states do an excellent job of keeping them updated.
I've driven 93 a number of times, in a car, in a U-Haul and with my work trucks. Yes, it is a two lane highway but it is also a designated truck route. So the road is very smooth, has nice wide shoulders and you have nothing to worry about.
My cell phone carrier is Verizon and I had cell coverage for 90% of the drive. Just a few spots while going over mountain passes and a short spot while driving through a reservation is about all I can recall not having coverage.
Just make sure that whenever you do drive through a town you top off with gas and hit the restroom. The signs on 93 that state the next services are 100 miles away are not lying. I would rather drive on 93 than to drive through Salt Lake City via the other route.
We moved 7 years ago, taking 93 and shortcut 318 out of Ash Springs, in a large Ryder truck. Be sure to grab the steering wheel with both hands when big rigs are coming in the opposite direction, as their wind force tends to bump your smaller rental truck a little. Be safe.
We moved 7 years ago, taking 93 and shortcut 318 out of Ash Springs, in a large Ryder truck. Be sure to grab the steering wheel with both hands when big rigs are coming in the opposite direction, as their wind force tends to bump your smaller rental truck a little. Be safe.
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That's what concerns me about a two-lane freeway. Extra stress every time there's a big truck approaching
Just dont take 95, that rode is like 300 miles of 1 lane and no rest areas, well maybe 1. 93 is easy breezy lemon squeezy. Just check for rain, it seems they had a massive amount and 93 got flooded recentlyso check weather prior to departing.
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