Winter Road Trip to Seattle
 

I'm driving from Minneapolis to Seattle this week, and I was wondering if anyone has tried both the I-90 and I-80 routes through the mountains. Obviously taking I-80 along with I-5 is a much longer route, but I have no idea about how difficult the mountain highways can be in January. Luckily it looks like there won't be any storms later this week, but Northern California and Oregon were recently hit hard with a lot of rain and mudslides. Does anyone have any suggestions on which route is best, or what to expect on either route? Thanks-

I-90 has had a lot of rock slides during the fall and was closed -
I dont know whats happening there now but would check on it before attempting

ditto above. friends cancelled a new year's road trip from Seattle over to Winthrop/Mazama area because the passes were such a mess.

The rock slide problem that caused the I-90 closure several weeks ago has been resolved. All lanes are open in both directions.

When traveling on I-90 you'll encounter a couple of mountain ranges and always carry the risk of winter driving conditions and temporarily closed roads for avalanche control. But, it's certainly doable. Just bring some chains and you should be just fine.

Here is online info for I-90:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/

Chains or snow tires are often required in the winter over the mountain passes, so definitely bring chains (and know how to put them on) just in case. You could also get lucky and have bare and wet conditions.

I'd recommend I-90 also, but check it first. Most of the time the roadway is clear. I-5 is no picnic, expecially between Portland and Seattle, with frequent accidents and heavy traffic. If you wind up on I-5, time your trip to avoid rush hours.

If memory serves, the I-90 route is generally at a lower elevation than I-80; certainly the main passes (Bozeman, Lookout, Snoqualmie) are all lower than the I-80 passes in Colorado/Utah and in the Sierras. I-90 is certainly more direct.

Weather happens; expect winter conditions somewhere or other en route, but if you're coming from MPS you ought to be ready for that.

I-80 does not hit any real mountain passes until the Sierra in California. You might want to take that route and then angle north via I15 and I84 through southern Idaho.

Yeah, but I-84 closes sometimes for ice storms through the Columbia R. Gorge. Six of one, half dozen of the other. I'd go the shortest route and keep my eye on conditions ahead, packing chains and a map for alternatives.

Yes, I-84 in the Gorge area is known for ice and also for freezing fog.

On I-5, the worst patches are between Longview and Kelso. Just not many services there, it's the darkest stretch of I-5 driving if you're on the road after sunset.

We got caught in a snowstorm driving back to Vancouver, WA, from Seattle. In a Ford Thunderbird, not one of Detroit's better cars for snow driving. We made it home with literally less than a minute to spare before it changed over to ice that kept us (and everyone else) housebound for three days.

Since you're from Minneapolis, you should be pretty comfortable with winter driving and know how to get chains/cables on and off if necessary.

Orcas gives good advice; keep checking on weather conditions. Happily, most hotels carry the Weather Channel these days, always good to watch them for a while before you set out.

Sounds like a question that AAA can answer. They have the triptik service that tells of highway conditions.

Thanks for all the input - I think I'll be taking I-90 but I'll pay close attention to weather reports.

You can learn about mountain pass and other road conditions by calling 206 368-4499 or 800-695-7623. See: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/511/