Winter driving between Baker City and Tri-Cities (Portland, Pendleton: how much, live)

[LennyD]

Hi, I looking for what a typical winter drive between Baker City OR and Tri-Cities WA is like. How much snow to expect and how much extra time it will take. Also how well plowed is the route? I have 4WD and not a stranger to snowy mountain pass driving.

[karlsch]

On a typical winter day, that is most, the drive from Baker City to the Tri-Cities is normal, with no problems at all. I-84 is a major route so it is well plowed and maintained.

On the non-typical days, when it is snowing heavily, there can be problems and traffic will be slowed, especially at Ladd Canyon between Baker City and La Grande, and at Cabbage Hill near Pendleton. On a rare occasion the highway will be closed.

How often there are problems is hard to say. It varies from year to year. I'm guessing, on average, 10% of the time.

Closures often occur when there has been a bad accident and the highway is blocked. This even happens in the summer, although not as often.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by LennyD

I have 4WD and not a stranger to snowy mountain pass driving.

You may, but people always forget about what the OTHER drivers have. The route may be well maintained interstate but that doesn't mean every driver on it knows what they are doing. You don't have any control over that and neither does the weather. It can make the difference between typical and terrible.

[LennyD]

Thank you for the replies

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

You may, but people always forget about what the OTHER drivers have. The route may be well maintained interstate but that doesn't mean every driver on it knows what they are doing. You don't have any control over that and neither does the weather. It can make the difference between typical and terrible.

This.

The scariest winter drive I have ever made was between Seattle and Portland one winter on I-5 when it started to snow as we were leaving. By Olympia the freeway was just chaos with all the idiot drivers spinning around the place on bald tires and such. We were driving an SUV with snow tires so perfectly fine. But the craziness out there on the freeway was breathtaking. Took about 7 hours to get home.

[Deserterer]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

This.

The scariest winter drive I have ever made was between Seattle and Portland one winter on I-5 when it started to snow as we were leaving. By Olympia the freeway was just chaos with all the idiot drivers spinning around the place on bald tires and such. We were driving an SUV with snow tires so perfectly fine. But the craziness out there on the freeway was breathtaking. Took about 7 hours to get home.

You've obviously never driven across the northern plains in snow. Semis jacknifed everywhere, cars in the ditch and median everywhere, roads closed...its so bad even the good drivers can't do much to stay on the road. A harrowing nightmare even though its dead flat.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Deserterer

You've obviously never driven across the northern plains in snow. Semis jacknifed everywhere, cars in the ditch and median everywhere, roads closed...its so bad even the good drivers can't do much to stay on the road. A harrowing nightmare even though its dead flat.

Any time someone says, "Oregonians don't know how to drive in snow," I laugh. I drove through Chicago at dawn after a blizzard the night before. It looked like the apocalypse. Cars abandoned. Cars upside down. Cars on fire. Semis on their side off the freeway and jackknifed. None of the lanes were clear, but I got around the wrecks by taking the breakdown lane. The irony of the breakdown lane being the only clear path was not lost on me. Not a tow truck in sight.

At least when the Gorge ices over, they close the freeway.

[Deserterer]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

Any time someone says, "Oregonians don't know how to drive in snow," I laugh. I drove through Chicago at dawn after a blizzard the night before. It looked like the apocalypse. Cars abandoned. Cars upside down. Cars on fire. Semis on their side off the freeway and jackknifed. None of the lanes were clear, but I got around the wrecks by taking the breakdown lane. The irony of the breakdown lane being the only clear path was not lost on me. Not a tow truck in sight.

At least when the Gorge ices over, they close the freeway.

I grew up driving in those Chicago area blizzards, especially those of 78-79 that brought down the mayor. I was delivering auto parts so I had to learn how to drive in those conditions, but other people didn't do so well. I drove down to Chicago just to see the wasteland of carnage, it was as you say very apocalyptic. I loved it, and had the streets almost to myself.


Its also why I disconnect ABS on my cars. I know very well how to stop in snow and ice thank you, and I'd rather stop and not crash than choose what I crash into.