Best route Minneapolis to Reno in winter
 

Hey guys, me and my retired bus buddy (he's been driving them 50 years) just got a Streamliner in Minnesota and we're wondering what might be a nice route to take driving it home to Reno. Want a safe winter route, but wouldn't mind some scenery. Don't like staying on Interstate all the time. After we get it back we'll put it into service Reno to Las Vegas / Phoenix on US 95 / 93.

In winter, I would stick to I-80 and not risk getting stranded by the weather.

This book - available on Amazon.com


Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West (Full-color Travel Guide) Paperback – May 10, 2016

vaga

I'm a bus scheduler, I don't really need the book. Heck, I'm essentially a living encyclopedia of roads and small towns west of Chicago, lol! (No arrogance intended)

I'd prefer US 14 or I-90 through South Dakota. After all, I've already been on I-80. I like roads that other people don't know about, or that aren't readily visible on the map! :)

US 50 goes over at least two passes in Nevada that are higher than 7000 ft. which could mean more snow and ice than on I80.

Yes. But he doesn’t want to go on 80. He wants more interesting. Go figure.

I can only comment on a route from Denver to the UT/NV border. In CO from Denver take CO 285 through Blue Mesa and Gunnison past Gunnison river to CO 50 to US 550 to CO 62 to CO 145 to US 491 to US 160 to AZ 98 to AZ 89 to AZ 389 to UT 59. From there head into NV. This is a beautiful, scenic route through CO, goes through Telluride CO past Mesa Verde NP, through Monument Valley, past Antelope Canyon and very close to Horseshoe Bend, over Glen Canyon dam over the CO rive and near Zion NP. Obviously, winter driving can be variable in CO especially Monarch pass and Lizard Head pass, but a good resource for current road conditions and road cams is COtrip.org. Roads are generally ok through AZ and SW UT.

Of course, the route I suggested is not the most direct route but it t is scenic.

Thanks for the responses. I really have no choice but to go through South Dakota and Wyoming instead of Colorado. What is a good place to take pictures of the coach on that route? Mount Rushmore?