Best cross country driving route mid november from Indiana to San Jose California (trip, sail)

[niray]

Hi everyone,

I am a student in Indiana, planning to move to San Jose, California @17/18th of November. I have driven West to East, i.e. the I80 route(north via Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah) mid fall last year. However I am concerned about the weather conditions(snow and winds) Mid November, especially in Wyoming and Montana . Is there an alternate route to get to the same destination i.e. southern Indiana to San Jose, CA which can avoid all the snow?

Please NOTE: The car (Nissan Altima, 2.5 liter) will be fairly loaded,has all season tires and is not a 4 wheel drive.

Would be great if I can get some advice from the Gurus on this forum.

Thanks a lot!

[jambo101]

Without going too far out of your way heres your best route to avoid snow, however once in the mountains all bets are off..
http://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=I-6...&via=1&t=m&z=4

[niray]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Without going too far out of your way heres your best route to avoid snow, however once in the mountains all bets are off..

Thanks. Also, Trying to figure out if mid November is "Real Winter" season across New Mexico mountains.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by niray

Thanks. Also, Trying to figure out if mid November is "Real Winter" season across New Mexico mountains.

It can be, but usually not. Even if it does snow, it generally won't last too long or be too severe. In any case, your biggest threat would be in on the high plateau around Flagstaff, AZ, not in NM.

You would probably be alright going the I-80 route. Yes, it might snow on you in Wyoming or utah or Nebraska, or even Iowa, but it shouldn't delay you very long. A day or so at the most (if you have enough sense to stop and wait it out).

The Sierra's in California are another matter, though. It's already snowing there today, but being as it's fairly early in the season, they should keep it plowed pretty well. CALTRANS does a good job of keeping Donner Pass and the long downgrade into Sacramento clear. In mid-November, you could run into some heavy snows, but the air temps won't yet be low enough to usually cause you any major headaches.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by stillkit

You would probably be alright going the I-80 route.

Yes, it might snow on you.. but it shouldn't delay you very long.
A day or so at the most (if you have enough sense to stop and wait it out).

Agreed.
Keep an eye on the weather forecast...
and build that extra couple of days into your schedule/budget just in case.

[jtur88]

Snow is pretty unusual in November. Go however you like, enjoy the drive, if you run into show, check into a motel, the roads will be clear the next day. Remember, storms move from west to east, so you dont need to wait long for it to sail on past you.

As for mountain passes, you can get through with snow tires, and if you can't, the "chain up" signs will be up and you won't be allowed to pass without chains. Watch trucks coming in the opposite directions for snow accumulation on them, as a clue to whether there is snow ahead.

[niray]

Thanks everyone for the valuable suggestions.

There were lots of signage which suggested "Chain up" when I drove West to East last year, although it didn't matter to me since it was Fall.

I guess my next steps should be, having never used chains ever( have driven in snow), I will need to do 2 things:
1. Buy chains.
2. Practice putting them in the driveway to get used to putting them on.

Agree/Disagree? Anything else that I might be forgetting?

[jtur88]

I should have made this clearer: When chain-up signs are posted, that is only temporary, for the duration of the snow condition (a few hours to a day). You can just wait, until the roads get cleared.

All-season tires will be fine, and you won't need to worry about chains, if your schedule allows you to wait it out. And a November snow condition would be pretty unusual.

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by niray

Thanks everyone for the valuable suggestions.

There were lots of signage which suggested "Chain up" when I drove West to East last year, although it didn't matter to me since it was Fall.

I guess my next steps should be, having never used chains ever( have driven in snow), I will need to do 2 things:
1. Buy chains.
2. Practice putting them in the driveway to get used to putting them on.

Agree/Disagree? Anything else that I might be forgetting?

You're moving to San Jose? Unless you plan on spending significant time up in the mountains, that hundred bucks for snow chains would be a one time expense to address a need you might not meet. In other words, wasted money.

Just relax and don't worry about it. Even if you do meet snow on the Sierra's, that time of year it will likely be heavy, wet flakes and the road temperatures won't yet sustain significant build up. It'll most likely melt on contact and CALTRANS will make short work of anything which doesn't. Of course, it could be another matter at night, so plan your trip to cross Donner Pass during the daytime.

[niray]

Thanks all, will start keeping track of the weather from now on .