NYC --> Keystone CO and back!

[Moose21]

Keystone, CO --> Park City Utah

What's the best route? Do I have to worry about getting stranded on a closed 4x4 road in the middle of snow season?

How long should this take?

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

The easiest and most efficient route from Keystone to Park City is just I-70 west to US-6 northwest through Utah to Provo and US-189 north to Park City. Those are hardly the sorts of roads that require 4WD, and while any of them can close for short periods in the midst of a serious winter storm, you won't get stranded if you use simple common sense and drive within your own limits.

AZBuck

[glc]

The route Buck listed is 470 miles, and with dry roads and no traffic delays it can be driven in about 9 hours.

[Moose21]

Thanks! I guess as I approach the trip I'll mention my much more significant road trip, which entails getting from NYC to Keystone, CO! This leg is the only one that concerned me a bit.

Chris

[Moose21]

Hi,
This is actually two different road trips:

The first is a burner from new york to colorado. How many days do you think it would take a single driver to drive 1800 miles comfortably? I was thinking of doing 4 days approx 450/day with stop overs in cleveland, chicago, omaha, and then to keystone, taking the 80 for most of the way.

The drive home is a bit different. I have approx. 2 weeks to drive from colorado back home. I would like to stop in tennessee and atlanta, but other than that am pretty open for anything. I was thinking about going home on the southern route, just to see a bit more. Any suggestions?

-Moose

[glc]

You can do it in 4 days easily. If you had to, you could do it in 3. 600 miles a day is our recommended maximum for a single driver per day. I'd like to recommend a different route though, from both a toll and traffic standpoint.

Go ahead and take 80, but at the Ohio Turnpike, stay on 76 through Akron to 71, take that down to Columbus and take I-70 all the way. From an economy standpoint, make your overnight stops outside cities. Hotels are generally a lot cheaper.

3 days - stop in Springfield, OH and Lawrence, KS.
4 days - stop in Mansfield, OH, Effingham, IL, and Salina, KS.

[Moose21]

Hmm...cool; I will go that route-it just seems to add some miles to the trip--> is that just a google earth artifact?

How much does that cut down on toll $$, and what does that do to the "scenery" of the trip?

Moose

[glc]

That cuts off about $15 in tolls (Ohio and Indiana), and also keeps you out of Chicago area traffic. It adds about 1 hour to the trip. That one hour could get eaten up around Chicago alone if you hit there anywhere near rush hour.

[Moose21]

thanks glc- is there anywhere on this site with recommendations of which parts to have looked at on your car prior to a trip like this? I imagine the radiator, brakes, tires, oil, are very important.
-Chris

[Midwest Michael]

All the things you listed are certainly some of the first things to get checked. I usually change my oil before a big roadtrip, so I don't have to worry about finding a place to change it on the road. Brakes, tires, and coolant are also easy things to check. I'd also make sure that your other fluids (transmission, brake fluid, even window wash) are topped off and in good shape/proper color/etc. Belts and hoses are also things that can crack and wear and be a big problem while on the road. Finally, one easy thing to forget, make sure your spare tire is inflated. Even I've been caught where I had to change a tire on the road, only to find that my spare was also flat or nearly flat.

Generally, we recommend taking your car to a mechanic have him give it a good examination. He should be able to check all of those things, and probably a few more places, and let you know what things would be in danger of becoming a problem while on the road.