I’m moving in a couple of weeks and looking for some advice on the best route to drive cross-country. The drive is from Los Angeles to Boston, but I need to make a pit stop in Michigan to drop some stuff off/sign my lease.
The shortest route that comes up on GPS/Mapquest has me (along with my father) driving through Colorado. I’ve never been through this area before, but from all the cross-country flights I’ve taken over the last 5 years, it seems like it would be very mountainous, slow going and stressful for us. My dad is older, I’m not particularly keen on heights, and I have stuff I’m bringing, so the car will be heavier. I’ve also heard that the weather in Colorado is unpredictable into May, and if there’s one thing I really, really, really don’t want to deal with, it’s blizzards in Colorado in May. Can anyone weigh in on this?
I drive a 2005 Civic with about 64K miles on it.
I know it would be slightly longer-but would taking Route 66 be a better drive even if it’s slightly longer?
If you’re looking to avoid mountains I-20 through southern Arizona and New Mexico will be your best bet. Personally I wouldn’t worry about the mountains there would be a very slight chance of snow this time of year and anything that might come down will be easily handled by the plows.
I-70 is a very beautiful drive and the only part that is slightly worrisome is when you are driving through the raised roadways. To be fair though I’ve done the drive from LA to Denver 20+ times so I’m probably a bit biased. If you’re going to hit snow on 70 you will more then likely hit it in Flagstaff on 40. Once you cross the Rockies though your route really doesn’t matter so I guess it depends on what you’re comfortable with. I-70 will be the shortest and most direct route, I-40 will have the most towns (a pretty major one every 2 hours) and I-20 will avoid the mountains and any chance of snow.
Colorado really shouldn’t be a problem. I 70 is a big, wide, multi-laned interstate and it’s passage through the mountains is more beautiful than scary. There are virtually no places where you’re driving on the side of a cliff, like some roads in the state. There is one section that goes through Glenwood Canyon, but that is at lower altitude and certainly won’t be bad in May.
The average high in May in Vail is 61°, and the average low is 31°. Is it possible to see snow then? Yes, but very unlikely, and only at the highest elevations. It wouldn’t be a blizzard. You could keep tabs on the weather forecast and if necessary swing north to I80 in Utah. The tradeoff is that one way you’ll see beautiful mountain vistas as wildflowers bloom in the best part of the spring. You also stand a good chance of seeing deer, elk, bighorn sheep, maybe even a moose. I 80 across southern Wyoming is about the most desolate and dreary stretch of road in the country, with nothing but arid, flat, salty land that supports a few yucca plants and is home to some mangy antelope.
I 70 also has plenty of towns along it where you can pull off and rest, get something other than a fast food burger to eat, and see the sights. Once you get out of Glenwood Canyon, you’re never more than about 20 miles from a town of some sort.
anu-la1979
At some point you’ll need to turn toward the north. I know there’s some construction going on between here and St. Louis. If you’d like I can give you an update before you leave as to where and how bad. My husband does that route twice a week. PM me if you need the info.
Thanks for the help, you guys. Definitely something to think about and I’ll update you all on which route we took (and maybe post some pics?). One thing that might sway me towards I-40 is that my dad could hang out with one of his best friends from college, who lives in OK City. On the other hand, I’ve been going through Flickr for I-70 pics and yeah, it looks like a gorgeous drive.
thirdwarning, I will PM you when I have the route sussed out. Thanks for the help!