HanBan

My friend and I will be driving from Virginia to Portland, OR at the end of February. We have a couple weeks to drive and would like to stop by fun cities and National Parks along the way. We are trying to decide between these two routes: 1) shorter route on I-70 through Denver and Arches/Canyonlands Nat'l Parks, then up to Salt Lake City and I-84 over to Portland. 2) I-40 with side trips to Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Grand Canyon, then over to I-5 up through CA. For the Northern route, we are worried about snow storms slowing us down and colder temperatures in general, but are there also areas we would need to worry about snow on our 2nd route option? I don't have winter tires or tire chains. Any suggestions or preferences for either route?

emalloy

I absolutely love Arches and Canyonlands, but I would guess that there would be snow along the I-70 route, although they do clear the hwys well. You might get snow on I-40 also, but I would guess it would be less likely than on I-70.

You should not have trouble finding lodging near the hwys at that time of year, so why not wait until just before you leave and look at the weather projections for the routes before you make a decision. Look at the places where you can travel up or down to avoid bad conditions and don't be afraid to spend some time in a motel if conditions deteriorate.

nytraveler

You will have to worry about snow whenever you go through the mountains.

Are you used to driving in snow or ice?

Do you have 4 wheel or at least front-wheel drive.

Do you have a list of the roads and passes through the maintains that close during the winter (yes, often for months at a a time).

Do you have all the necessary winter equipment: snow shovel, ice scraper, salt or cat litter to put under wheels, blankets, food and water in case you are stuck on the road?

This is not a trip I would do during the winter without an appropriate vehicle (and I have driven a lot in snow - but not through mountains).

tomfuller

The place that you will see the most snow on I-40 is within 40 miles of Flagstaff Arizona. The higher the elevation, the more snow. Either way, be prepared to spend an extra night in a motel if the wind starts drifting the snow so that the plows can't keep up.
Much of the west has been having a drought for many months but that may change quickly.

WhereAreWe

Why not combine the two routes? After Arches, head south to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas then head over to California and up to Portland.

You can run into winter weather just about anywhere on your trip. The southern route is more likely to have an ice storm than the northern route, where you'd be more likely to run into snow. Personally I would much rather drive after a snowstorm than an ice storm.

However, with 2 weeks you should be able to pad your itinerary enough to allow for any major weather delays. The route through Colorado beyond Denver is probably the highest elevation you'll reach and therefore the most likely to have snow/ice, so I'd plan on doing that during the daylight. Other than that, keep an eye on the forecast and don't be stupid. Stay off the roads if there's a storm, and if you know there will be a significant weather event in one area but not another, you can always detour around it.

amer_can

Some roads may be closed and you definitly do not want to drive Iowa,Kansas,Colo,or the Dakotas( among others) in a snow storm..Have water, a blanket or 2, a candle and matches and listen to the local in case of trouble. Drove Mich. to Denver late Jan. one year and as an very experienced winter driver NEVER AGAIN!!! BTW Flagstaff area roads were closed on Valentines Day one year for about 12 plus hours..Ugly!!!

Ackislander

You have enough time to make this an adventure, but you need to be prepared and maybe patient.

You need enough money that if you have to hole up in a motel for a couple of days, you can afford to do it.

I hope you have, as suggested above, at least a front wheel drive car with good tires. Get the car serviced before you leave: oil, filters, battery, belts and hoses. There are places where you will be required to have chains under certain conditions. You will have to buy them or wait out the weather or turn around and take another route.

AAA has always been worth it.

You need to be religious about checking road conditions ahead at least once a day. Listen for the words " black ice". Even 4wd vehicles can't drive or stop on ice. Try not to drive after dark, keep your gas tank at least half full, and if you are wondering if you can make it, don't try.

You need emergency stuff in the car, as above, and you need some emergency food supply, especially if you prefer healthy food, in case you get stuck in a motel where chicken fried steak pretty much defines the menu. Ask me how I know this. Oh, they had plenty of fried pork rinds as well.

I haven't been to the Four Corners area in several years, but there were areas where we couldn't get a signal on our cell phones. Your carrier may be different, or the whole thing may have improved, but I wouldn't count on it.

You can miss all this by taking I-10 then up I-5 or the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway. 90% of the time you will have nothing worse than some cold weather on your proposed routes, but the other 10% can be a dangerous challenge.

The good news is that the worst western state will do a better job than Maryland or Virginia at clearing road.

HanBan

Thank you all for your helpful advice! I have a 2013 Accord (front wheel drive) so the tires are new and I will get it serviced before I go. I have AAA and will bring emergency supplies. It sounds like either route isn't without its snow/ice risks, so we might just wait and decide our route based on weather forecasts just before we leave. The I-10 route is an option, it's definitely a longer trip, but we will consider it if the weather looks bad the other ways.

Ackislander

Great!

With the time you have and your prep level, you can make travel decisions as you go!

How good is that!

tomfuller

Among your emergency supplies, include a can of honey roasted peanuts. Only open them if you've been stuck for several hours.
I keep a short pillar candle inside a steel coffee can.
You can take the candle out and dip some snow in the can and melt it with the lit candle. Include a good trigger type lighter.

Bobmrg

We drove from DC to Seattle in February using I-80. We needed chains when we got to eastern Oregon between LaGrande and Pendleton. If I had to do it today I would take I-40.