Need Advice: Driving cross-country CO to MA (Boston, Cambridge: suburbs, best)

[hakhadbai]

Hello friends out there,

I am driving from Fort Collins, CO to Cambridge, MA on Dec 18, 2010 with my 5 year old son. I need some advice on what route to take to avoid snow or frozen highways.

Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thank you,

Habib

[missionhill]

Don't know about the midwest but in the east I'd shoot for I-76, the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I-80 goes over high country through Penna, has a lot of trucks, and can get snowy and icy; whereas 76 follows lower terrain. Then you zoom right up the eastern seaboard into Cambridge. I-90 goes through New York's snowbelt, but there's no need to get to 90 until Sturbridge, MA, at the earliest.

None of this may make any difference at all but in certain conditions it could. Check the forecasts.

[hakhadbai]

Thank you... By the way would i-70 be better (compared to i-80) in snowy conditions?

[Lowerdeck]

Not sure about the midwest, but I could imagine yes heading through Ohio and Pennsylvania. 70 turns southeast towards DC, while 80 goes through the mountains. 86 and 88 flirt with the NY snowbelt, but are just north of the PA mountains.

[hakhadbai]

Thank you. I have been looking at the map and also some weather maps. Though it will all depend on how the weather turns up on that weekend.

This is my plan for the trip so far:
Fort Collins to Kansas City (thru NE i80) approximately 11 hours
Kansas City to Columbus (thru i70) approximately 11 hours
Columbus to Cambridge (70, 76, 99, 80, 84) approximately 15 hours (may have to break this into two)

Do you think I am being very ambitious?

[Lowerdeck]

I wouldn't cut up 99 and over to 80.

My recommendation would be as follows, from Columbus:

1. 71, 90, 86-17, 81, 88, 90
2. 71, 90
3. 70, 76, 81, 78, 287, 684, 84
4. 70, 76, 80, 81, 84

[ogre]

Although the best route at any time will depend on what's happening with the weather on that day, as a general rule I would favor the last two of Lowerdeck's suggestions in the above post over the first two. Going straight up from Columbus to I-90 and taking 90 east from Cleveland through Erie and then upstate NY takes you through pretty much the entire Lake Erie/upstate NY snow belt. Unless the weather on the day in question dictates otherwise, you're generally more likely to avoid bad weather if you cross Pennsylvania and then make your way from eastern PA up to I-90.

I've done the drive from the Columbus area to the Boston area quite a few times. Whether it's overly ambitious to try and do it all in one day depends on how well you handle really long drives. In all of my trips between the two cities except one there were several people old enough to drive. We took turns driving and it went fine. With only one person driving the whole distance this is a long trip. The one time I made this trip alone, I left in the afternoon and drove through the night. Deep in the night out in the middle of PA I very much needed to stop several times to take a break from that highway monotony and to dose up on coffee. As I drove into the Boston suburbs the next day I really felt as if I was kind of floating along, only half awake. With one person driving the entire distance it can be done, but you may want to stop for the night along the way unless you've had experience with long drives and know you can handle it.

[hakhadbai]

Thank you Lowerdeck & ogre... Will re-plan based on your suggestions.

[NewfieMama]

I agree with exactly what ogre said--I drive to Kansas City from Boston about once per year. I would be flexible and pay attention to the weather. Some years I take 90 from Columbus and go through upstate NY, some years I go through Pennsylvania, just depending on what the weather report says!

I don't think your schedule is too aggressive--I usually make it from KC to Boston in 24 hours only stopping for quick food/bathroom breaks. You can pick up a lot of time in the midwest wih the higher speed limits and very limited traffic.

[hakhadbai]

NewfieMama, Thank you! That gives me so much relief.