Michael

He/she can have real snow tires or studs, and also wing it,, as most of us do

To invest in snow tires or studded tires adds far more to the cost of the trip than a pair of chains.

Trainer

Guys, you all have very good points. Thanks a lot! I will consider all of them.

And, yes, I am a girl, though I should be able to put those tire chains, if/when required! I love driving, though not in the bad winter conditions.

1.Some of you are suggesting a more southern route in an event I decide to drive. What are your thoughts on taking and driving the route 40, instead of the route 10, as it is not as much of a dropping down south, though still is considerable.

2.Does the route 40 have as many high elevations as the other, northern ones do?

3.I try to watch the weather conditions/forecast. I guess, to get a more specific one to the route I will be taking, do I check the states I will be driving through, that are of a more concern? That is my logical conclusion, and something I never had to do before-so not familiar with that.

Michael, if www.viamichelin.com. assumes a current date for the drive, will it be useful in estimating the weather a week or two from now? Or did you mean that it will use the actual date for the drive? I need to get on that and see what it does!

Again, thank you all for your help!
Really appreciated.

Michael

Viamichelin simply gives the standard route closings. Interstates will be considered open. However, if you ask for the recommended route, I think that it will take the roads with the lowest possible elevations in the winter. As I mentioned previously, Google map might offer the shortest route, but not the safest; viamichelin does that. As I re-read my earlier post, I correct my posting to say that the Google itinerary is not recommended.

Gardyloo

I-40 has some high-altitude stretches; over 7000 feet in some places in New Mexico and Arizona (I think 7500 near Flagstaff) so the possibility of snow or freezing/icy conditions can't be ruled out. For example, from March last year: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/18/us/winter-storm

Of course that doesn't mean it would happen to you; in all likelihood it wouldn't. But you could, for example, take I-40 as far as Albuquerque while keeping an ear open for conditions in the high country in E. New Mexico and N. Arizona, and if it sounds dicey, bug down I-25 to I-10 and keep going at lower and warmer altitudes (I-10 tops at under 5000'.) I suspect the "time penalty" for doing this would be on the order of a couple of hours, so not a huge thing in the context of your overall drive.

nytraveler

The only way to get useful weather information is to listen to the local radio every couple of hours and check local TV and weather.com or accuwether.com every morning and evening. Weather information more than 2 or 3 days in advance is useless.

(When my parents were stuck in for there was no mention of it on the radio and they thought April would be safe - they just drove into it - and were smart enough to follow a big rig into a truck stop - since the truck's lights were all they could see - the shoulders of the road were hidden in fog and they were afraid of driving off the highway.)

You can do this safely - but you definitely need to watch the weather carefully - and if you are not comfortable driving in snow - just stay where you are until the roads are clear.

Trainer

Gardyloo, thank you. Even though I-40 has those elevations you mentioned, it seems that the weather will be Ok there, without much snow/ice. But why can’t I check it out with a Google map, or can I? I tried to do it with the MapQuest—and that is not even an option.

Michael, I checked out that viamichelin map: it is pretty amazing! Quite interactive, gives different info—and all in one place and at the same time. I loved it. It also gives the weather forecast for 10 days! As far as it giving the safest route: it recommends taking I-80, I believe, and I’ve heard that I-80 is a beast in the winter. When I checked the economical option- it avoided I-70 and I-80, but put me on I-90, which is more northern. I hope that more northern doesn’t necessarily mean more hazardous in the winter?

Don’t know, but my head is spinning! I wish I knew which evil is the lesser one... I will relax when I am in Medford, though…

deladeb

As a 22 year old I drove from the East Coast to the West Coast and back in February and March, by myself...pre cell phone days...ask an experienced driver about which routes would be best.

bbqboy

Depends on what part of the country you're in.
Up till the mountains take I-70, but
You don't want to go through the Colorado mountains in the Winter, so that's why you would head up to I-80.
I-90 puts you 500 miles north of the Rogue Valley and is just as silly as taking I-10. Do you think all traffic stops in the West all Winter?
I-80 is heavily traveled and it follows the path railroads and wagon trains have always taken because it is the lowest and has virtually no steep mountain passes.
BTW, 67 in Medford yesterday.

bbqboy

To add, you don't need to buy snow tires, studs, or chains, because if there is a storm you'd just wait it out anyway till given the all clear good to go.
You are making your 3000 mile trip into a 4000-5000 mile trip.

Michael

If I80 has problems, chances are that the more northern route also has problems, and the extra distance is really a drag when the speed has to be cut down to 30 or 40 mph.

sunbum1944

you will need chains in Oregon- you may not need to use them, but frequently there are signs posted that say you need to carry chains or chains required- I have an all wheel drive and I still carry chains just in case, but have never used them. I would rather have a set in the car and not use them rather than wish I had carried some.

And since you are moving to Oregon, might as well get some before you leave.

Gardyloo

The simple fact is that the end of February is still winter, and traveling from coast to coast will involve passing through potential snow country for at least part of the way. You might be in the white stuff leaving Baltimore, or in West Virginia, or Ohio, or Texas... No guarantees. So it becomes a question of risk v. reward.

You have to cross the Continental Divide somewhere, be it Montana (I-90) or New Mexico (I-40, I-10.) Some routes will have multiple mountain passes that could conceivably involve snowy or icy weather, some will have lower elevations but still be prone. Hell, just last week I was driving from Sacramento to Seattle via I-5, and was in snow flurries four different times just between Medford and Roseburg; I made it over the Siskiyous the previous day without snow falling, but there was plenty on the side of the road, and the outside temperature was hovering right around 32-33 degrees, enough to make me really slow down on grades and curves, black ice being, well, invisible. Ya takes yer chances.

Using I-80, I-84 and I-90 to get to southern Oregon will require you to cross two separate mountain ranges, the Rockies and the Cascades, or maybe the Sierras if you use I-80 all the way to California. I-40 will involve some very high country, and both it and I-10 will still require you to cross the Siskiyous, unless you take 101 up the coast in California and cut over to Grants Pass/Medford using US 199. That's another option that will virtually guarantee a snow-free trip if you stay way south. Of course it too will add hours, maybe a day.

The more mountain ranges you cross in winter, the higher the odds that you'll hit snow. Will you? Can't say. Do you feel lucky? And even if you do, nobody is going to point a gun at you and tell you to keep driving regardless. You can stop and hunker down, or fuss with tire chains, or buy a set of studs that you can use next year and the year after. Lots of solutions, none of them horrible.

emalloy

For using googlemaps or mapquest to reroute yourself, put your starting point and then a city along the route you want to hit between you and there, If you do Baltimore to Albuquerque then use the add a destination and put the next city, like maybe Medford OR and you can get an idea on distances and times. If you have a place before Albuquerque put that in too.

Trainer

Oh, yes, nytraveler, I agree with you. That was my concern too. Weather forecasts are not always reliable. Thank you.

tomfuller

This afternoon I drove over the Donner Pass on I-80 and then drove Rt. 20 all the way to Williams and I-5 to Weed and up US 97 to go home. The roads were clear and dry.
Spend a night in Reno and go over the Donner Pass in the morning unless there is a chain restriction on the pass.
Buy a set of tire chains just to have in the trunk before you get to Cheyenne. The highest point on any Interstate highway is the rest area between Cheyenne and Laramie WY.