JimBridges

I'm planning on driving from NYC to Seattle, WA at the beginning of January. I'll be driving a Honda Civic coupe and am interested in the safest and fastest route. I had been planning to drop down to I-40 and follow that to California, but I have read that the road can be nasty in the winter. If that is indeed the case, it may be just as simple to drive across on I-80 and I-90 and save 1000 miles of driving time. Would appreciate recommendations and thoughts of others on which route would be best.

nytraveler

If you take a northern route you are going to run into a lot of bad weather and possibly closed roads - esp through the mountains - where you may be held up for days. I love road trips but January is not time for one unless you are headed straight south (and pick a departure time that's dry).

If you're not planning to stop along the way (and you don;t mention any stops) i think you will find flying and renting a car there cheaper than driving that whole distance (including hotels,, meals, gas etc for a week's drive each way) - never mind how nerve wracking the drive might be. (Once you get near the Rockies anything after late Oct may mean heavy snow - and in January you can find it anyplace.)

happytrailstoyou

Whichever route you take, you can learn about road conditions using the 511 system: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/

HTTY

happytrailstoyou

511: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/511.htm

JimBridges

Thank you for your thoughts. I am moving and driving my car out to Washington, so flying and renting is not an option. I will stop at motels along the way to sleep. It is a one way trip.

I have considered heading south to I-40 and taking that across, but I have read that the route also gets nasty in the winter, and they don't have the snow and ice removal equipment like the northern states do.

I drove I-80 and I-90 out to WA this past October in a U Haul truck, and I was very impressed by the gates to close the Interstate! Does anyone know how long a time span they close the roads for? Is it for a day or two until they get them open, or do they stay closed for the season? I also saw certain sections, mainly in Idaho, where chains were necessary. That too was sobering.

Thank you very much for the 511 tip - something I did not know about at all.

Bobmrg

If it was me, I would head south to I-10 and enjoy the more-or-less warm weather. Several passes in the state of Washington are closed for the season but none of them are interstates. My winter experience on 80/90 is all west of the Mississippi, but as far as I know road closures due to snow or avalanche control are temporary.

Stick with your I-40 plan, but carry chains and install snow tires. Carry an emergency pack with food, water, chemical hand warmers, blankets, etc.

Be Prepared (Boy Scouts)
Always Ready (Coast Guard)

basingstoke2

I agree with Bobmrg as far as heading south on I95 to I10 to LA and north on I5. It is 4500 miles. I have actually done each of those segments at various times. The trip west on I10 is really quite nice most of the way and your riskiest part for bad weather should end around SC.

Bobmrg

In my initial reply I neglected to mention that the Pacific Northwest is due for a La Nina winter...colder and wetter than normal. Don't let the conditions you encounter this year color your long-term expectations. Skiers and snowboarders who already live here are euphoric.

When you come up I-5 from LA/SF the highest pass is Siskiyou Pass (4300 feet) just short of the Oregon border and the one place most likely to be closed due to weather. After passing Sacramento, your last chance to avoid that pass is at Williams, CA, where you can take highway 20 west to join 101 and complete your trip driving the coast route. There is a McDonalds with free wi-fi at Williams so you can make a last-minute decision.

Welcome to Washington!

Gardyloo

I've done I-90 in the winter and really wouldn't want to do it in a Honda Civic. My main concern would be the Midwest and Great Plains, rather than the Rockies and Cascades.

I also believe that you should bite the bullet and use I-40 > I-30 > I-10 then either I-5 or US 101 up from California. By all means use forecasts to plan as you go, but from my experience the high country in northern Arizona can be problematic in winter, and the detour down to I-10 is not that onerous. Remember that daylight will also be a factor, especially along the northern tier; you really don't want to be traveling through snowy mountain country in the dark if you have a choice.

Gardyloo

Meant to add, have you looked at shipping rates? One online service just quoted me $1030 for a Honda Civic from Zip Code 10014 to 98101 (NYC > Seattle). A one-way plane ticket would be around $150.

nytraveler

80 and 90 are not closed permanently - but just as long as it takes to clear them. But that can mean holing up in a motel for 2 or 3 days. The roads through the mountains that close for the winter are smaller, scenic routes.

If you do this trip you must listen to the weather carefully, make sure you always have food, water and blankets in the car with you, make sure the gas tank is always topped up - and if you hear about any bad weather on the way find a place to stay. If there is not motel find a restaurant to stay in. (One November my parents ran into heavy fog and spent more than 24 hours in a McDonalds - until the road became passable again, They said the fog dropped suddenly and the only way they found the restaurant was to follow the taillights of a huge truck - whose driver obviously knew how to find shelter.

janisj

Definitely consider Gardyloo's suggestion. Shipping the car out and flying probably will cost less than the drive + accommodations + food - and be a hecka lot easier in January.

The only route I'd take in a civic is I-10 to LA and up through CA/OR/WA but that is a REALLY looooooong drive and you are still very likely to hit nasty weather and need chains.

happytrailstoyou

Consider this a big adventure that is going to end well, because it ends in Seattle.

Another, tip: Join AAA, if you aren't already a member. They will send help if you get in a jam and they will send you great maps of all the states through which you will pass. The maps can be used in conjunction with 511 to find alternate routes.

Also, counterintuitive as it may be, in many small towns the best place to get a hot meal is at a convenience store attached to a gas station.

HTTY

suze

I have a friend who is moving from Seattle to back east. She is shipping her car and flying. It was appropx. $1000.

Unless you have a lot of time and take the very most southern route, I don't think the drive will be much fun in the wintertime.

Elkaz

I was about to suggest--shipping the car. It may be more money than flying but it is lots safer and less stress.

Tami_Matthews

I am doing the same and some of the reply's are good, but I am driving it!!! I have decided to go the southern route and be there to start my new job on the eighteenth if all go's well with the movers showing up. maybe we can help each other.

janisj

Tami_Matthews: Of course we don't know what the weather will be 2-3 weeks from now, but just to give you an idea. . . In the last week there have been torrential (not just torrential but TORRENTIAL rains in southern California w/ mud slides and flash floods, the Grapevine (the pass between LA and central California on I-5) closed due to snow, fog in the CA central valley (so thick the CHP has had to convoy groups of cars on I-5), snow and chain controls from N Calif up into Oregon. And all that is not counting the nasty winter weather on the east coast and even Southeast.

Is it too late to ship the car and fly out?