Driving from Denver to San Jose (Grand Junction: hotel, discounts, install)

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

I think the easiest is I-25 because you miss the crazy ski traffic and mountain weather can be unpredictable and very bad.

I meant I-80 is easiest.

[paraag]

What are suggested halts between Denver & Salt Lake city and Salt Lake City & Reno.

I want to drive for 4 hours in stretch, driving 8 hours straight might be hard.

I suppose following are suitable stops -

- Rock Springs
- Elko
- Reno
- Sacramento
- San Jose


Also i will be having toddler with me

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by paraag

What are suggested halts between Denver & Salt Lake city and Salt Lake City & Reno.

I want to drive for 4 hours in stretch, driving 8 hours straight might be hard.

I suppose following are suitable stops -

- Rock Springs
- Elko
- Reno
- Sacramento
- San Jose


Also i will be having toddler with me

that first leg ... Denver to Rock Springs ... may be significantly longer than you anticipate.

consider Denver to Laramie or Denver to Rawlins for your first stop.

then adjust your further West travel stops accordingly.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

paraag, do you know how to use MapQuest or Google Maps? Denver to Rock Springs is five hours, wheels turning, in good weather. Is this how long you want to drive on your first day on the road?

I'm not sure what you mean by "driving four hours in stretch". Does that mean that you'd drive four hours, take a break, then drive four more? If that's the case, then maybe you could make it to Little America (west of Rock Springs) on your first day, since it is six hours from Denver. It's a fun place to stay with kids.

[reed303]

Your original plan had 5 "legs", with 2 midday rest stops and 2 overnites for 1300 miles

Take a look at this I-25/US287/I-80/I-680 plan: https://goo.gl/maps/nEd55wG6CbS2

Which does the same with 5 legs of 230, 291, 230, 289, 251 miles

[LarsMac]

I've done both of those basic routes several times. Once you get past Vail, it's really a piece of cake. Saturday Morning trying to get up the hill can be really bad. Last week it was taking 4 hours just to get up the hill to the tunnel.



Of course, I-80 from Laramie to Rock Springs can be a bit of a bore. and if the weather turns, it can be very scary and difficult for an unseasoned driver. (Even for a seasoned one, for that matter.)
I suggest being flexible with your four hour drive time per stop.

For I-80 route, stop in Rawlins, then Rock Springs, then Evanston, then push on into Salt Lake City area to spend the night.
Sunday morning
A quick stop in West Wendover, then to Winnemucca, and then Reno/Sparks area for the night.
Monday,
A fairly easy drive (Except for getting over Donner Pass) with a stop around Sacramento, and pick up I-680 out of Fairfield, down to San Jose.

Both your routes are very doable in your time frame Keep your option open as long as possible and make your choice depending on the weather forecast.

Going I-70/I-15, the biggest challenge is going to be getting through the Ski traffic on Saturday morning and getting past Vail. If you can get to Grand Junction anywhere close to that four hour time frame, you will be doing good.

[paraag]

Interestingly google maps is not giving traffic indication for I70 to Grand Junction for Saturdays...i am thinking of taking i70, and I will be starting from Denver probably in the afternoon, more like at 2 pm and then stay over at Grand Junction for the night before starting off to Vegas for next leg's night stop.

some questions, might sound stupid but this is my first road trip across the country -
1) does one have to do bookings at inns or hotels for overnight stay or its okay to go and just ask for a room?
2) do i carry chains or need to put snow tires (or any other type of tires or service) for safe driving?

[LarsMac]

Originally Posted by paraag

Interestingly google maps is not giving traffic indication for I70 to Grand Junction for Saturdays...i am thinking of taking i70, and I will be starting from Denver probably in the afternoon, more like at 2 pm and then stay over at Grand Junction for the night before starting off to Vegas for next leg's night stop.

some questions, might sound stupid but this is my first road trip across the country -
1) does one have to do bookings at inns or hotels for overnight stay or its okay to go and just ask for a room?
2) do i carry chains or need to put snow tires (or any other type of tires or service) for safe driving?

Afternoon should be good. By then all the skiers should be on the slopes.

answers:
1. Probably not, but the later it gets, the more probability that your first choice will be full. Never hurts to call ahead and reserve a room.

2. Colorado State Patrol will write you up if yo do not have adequate Snow tires or Chains when the the weather turns. Especially if you create a traffic blockage.
Worth reading:

Winter driving Chain laws

Again, mind the weather, and make your final decision based on immediate forecast.

Having no idea of your experience driving in high country in the Winter, my advice will be very conservative.

I've got a lot of miles in the high country, and have seen all sorts of interesting things.
I always keep chains in my car.
I haven't needed them often, but ...
It's usually better to have what you don't need than need what you don't have.

[forumname]

I drove from Central CA to Denver in November, and did it in the about the time frame you have laid out. 1st day 10 hours, stayed the night in at the Grand Canyon, 2nd day 8 hours and stopped for the night in Parachute, and then about 3-4 hours driving on the last day to get to Denver. I took I70 - which was a beautiful drive. But, I'd look at the weather and see if it will be the best route right now.

The driving wasn't bad - I stopped every couple hours to let my dogs stretch their legs, and grab food. I added a couple more hours to my trip by driving through the Grand Canyon vs Vegas, but I had always wanted to go so it was worth the extra time. It was a beautiful drive, and you hit a lot of different climates so there is a lot of scenery to take in. I got to hit Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and California. Definitely not a boring drive - except maybe for the Utah portion, ha.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by LarsMac

Afternoon should be good. By then all the skiers should be on the slopes.

answers:
1. Probably not, but the later it gets, the more probability that your first choice will be full. Never hurts to call ahead and reserve a room.

2. Colorado State Patrol will write you up if yo do not have adequate Snow tires or Chains when the the weather turns. Especially if you create a traffic blockage.
Worth reading:

Winter driving Chain laws

Again, mind the weather, and make your final decision based on immediate forecast.

Having no idea of your experience driving in high country in the Winter, my advice will be very conservative.

I've got a lot of miles in the high country, and have seen all sorts of interesting things.
I always keep chains in my car.
I haven't needed them often, but ...
It's usually better to have what you don't need than need what you don't have.

If do bring chains, please familiarize yourself with putting them on and taking them off prior to the trip. It would suck to have to figure them out on the side of the highway in a blizzard.