It's time! Making the Drive to Seattle next Friday - Which of these two routes is best? (Spokane: apartments, living)

[mrman78]

Hi all,

Well the time has finally come. I'm starting my long, long overdue drive to Seattle next Friday!!

I seriously can't believe it's finally here. It's really weird having two apartments right now in two cities that couldn't be any further apart in character - it literally feels like two different lives!

Anyway, enough of my excitement

I have narrowed my route choices to the two below. Based on other people's experiences with the condition of the roads, the towns I would be staying in and the mountainous areas, which is the best route to take? I'm leaning towards route two since I get the most driving out of the way early.

Either route, I'm stopping for a few hours to visit friends in Denver on the second day.

ROUTE ONE:

DAY ONE:
Houston, TX - Amarillo, TX (via I-45/US-287): 609 Miles, 10 hrs 25 mins

DAY TWO:
Amarillo, TX - Denver, CO (via I-25): 440 miles, 7 hrs 41 mins
Denver, CO - Cheyenne, WY (via I-25): 99 miles, 1 hr 37 mins

DAY THREE:
Cheyenne, WY - Twin Falls, ID (via I-80/I-84): 616 Miles, 9 hrs 36 mins

DAY FOUR:
Twin Falls, ID - Seattle, WA (via I-84/I-82/I-90): 632 Miles, 10 hrs 22 mins

Total Miles: 2,393 Miles / 39 hrs 40 mins


ROUTE TWO:

DAY ONE:
Houston, TX - Amarillo, TX (via I-45/US-287): 609 Miles, 10 hrs 25 mins

DAY TWO:
Amarillo, TX - Denver, CO (via I-25): 440 Miles, 7 hrs 41 mins
Denver, CO - Casper, WY (via I-25): 270 Miles, 4 hrs 7 mins

DAY THREE:
Casper, WY - Missoula, MT (via I-25/I-90): 628 Miles, 9 hrs 24 mins

DAY FOUR:
Missoula, MT - Seattle, WA: (via I-90) 475 Miles, 8 hrs 5 mins

TOTAL: 2422 Miles / 39 hours 42 mins

Thanks so much for your input!

[Verio]

Your first route is a bit more fun. We went through Utah (came from San Antonio) but Wyoming is quite beautiful. Just be careful of the roads late at night in Colorado and Utah. Also NW Texas is scary at night as well, since there isn't any cell reception for hours.

[pw72]

In essence, you are asking what the better route is from Denver to Seattle.

Since the snow season is mostly behind us, the northern and southern routes shouldn't make much difference. However, April snow at the highest elevations is still possible. There are multiple high elevation passes on both routes.

Scenery is probably better on route two. Especially in Montana west of Billings. The route through Idaho and Oregon is somewhat boring, but both routes bring you over the Cascades, which are scenic, especially on a clear day.

If scenery is important, and you take your first route, stay on I-84 at Hermiston, OR and go through the Columbia Gorge to east Portland, OR, then up 205, to 5, then into Seattle from the south. A little longer, but nice.

Also, if your mileage and time spent look a little off, it is because Oregon still has a 65 MPH limit, and most states in the west are 75, with WA at 70.

[Count David]

Route 1 for sense, Route 2 for beauty.

[mrman78]

Thanks for the responses so far, and yes, I guess it is the same for both routesthrough Denver, lol.

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Route 1 for sense, Route 2 for beauty.

So do you think Route 2 will likely be more wintery? Maybe I should wait until I get to Cheyenne and look at the weather forecast for the next day or two to decide which way to go as that's the last point to change?

I'd prefer to do the more scenic route, but I also would rather deal with less mountain passes.

Pw72, if you go that route through Portland, is the pass over the Cascades that way better or worse than going over Snoqualmie Pass on I-90?

[Lamplight]

I took I90 all the way from Chicago. It was definitely beautiful once I got into Wyoming, so as far as scenery goes, you can't go wrong with route #2, IMO. Never been the other way, so I couldn't comment on it. Snoqualmie Pass was probably the most beautiful area I've ever seen (so far).

[Kayela]

I've taken 90 to SD a couple of times - it's absolutely gorgeous. Loong, but gorgeous. And it's interstate, so the curves aren't so bad. I don't remember the speed limit droping below 50 and only for a short while (and not in Montana! Holy smokes do those folks make some time!) and there's a decent amout of shoulder and guard rails. Now when you get out here, there's some moutain roads that will turn your hair gray....

And honestly Snoqualimie pass is pretty darn mild compared to most of the passes I've been over. It's relatively low elevation and the road widens to 4 lanes in each direction at the top. I can barely tell I'm on a pass and my old 4-cyl car could stay up to speed the entire way up it so that ought to tell you something. Of course it's still a pass and if it snows they may require chains and/or close it for avalanche control. Never taken 82/84 so can't comment on those... But no matter which route you take it always pays to watch the weather and make your personal safety a priority.

Have a great trip! Hope everything goes smoothly.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by mrman78

So do you think Route 2 will likely be more wintery? Maybe I should wait until I get to Cheyenne and look at the weather forecast for the next day or two to decide which way to go as that's the last point to change?

I'd prefer to do the more scenic route, but I also would rather deal with less mountain passes.

Pw72, if you go that route through Portland, is the pass over the Cascades that way better or worse than going over Snoqualmie Pass on I-90?

Either way you go, you have a *chance* of encountering winter weather, but I'd say that chance is quite dwindled by now, no matter which route you take. The winter here in Colorado is effectively over -- I'd imagine the other Rocky states had winters that ended earlier than normal as well.

IMO going I-84 to Portland instead of I-82 through Tri-Cities/Yakima/Snoqualmie is simply silly. One of the most intense rain storms I've ever been through in my life occurred just west of The Dalles (during Spring ); FWIW, there is no proper pass there, just a gradual ascent and descent through the Columbia River Gorge.

The passes you'd encounter on either route (even Route 2) would be mere blips in the trip in comparison to the trip as a whole, be sure to enjoy the emptiness between towns (especially in Wyoming) -- and if you do take Route 2, you can thank me later for the stretch between say Columbus, MT and Spokane.

[Hemlock140]

Once you are living here, you are likely to make many trips over Snoqualmie Pass and even down around Portland on day trips and weekends. I'd take advantage of the opportunity to see areas that you are not likely to get to again. There is a chance of snow through May but it's not likely to be too bad this late, I would take the northern route and enjoy the beauty of the drive.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

IMO going I-84 to Portland instead of I-82 through Tri-Cities/Yakima/Snoqualmie is simply silly.

I totally agree. I would be driven nuts because thats just adding an extra 3 hours or so to the commute to get to Seattle. Its frickin long!! Very winding... its not til Dalles it becomes more of a quick straight shot to Portland.

Oh.... and the WIND. I had a Tercel and driving through i84 terrified the heck out of me. (Though you will encounter the winds on i82/90... just seems i84 is more scary.)