DC to Toledo in January

[TrojanDan]

Hello All,

Considering driving from DC to Toledo on Sunday, returning Friday, for a business trip. Alternatively I can fly, but with layovers (from Chicago to Toledo) or having to rent a car and drive for part of the way (from Detroit or Cleveland), it's not that much faster. I will not have time for any detours or long stops, pretty much a straight shoot but I'd be able to see a part of the country that I'm unfamiliar with. Any thoughts on this, particularly since I'll be doing this in January? I estimate the trip to be about 8-8.5 hours, is that accurate?

Any help or advice is very much appreciated!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I used to face a similar dilemma when my job would require me to leave my home in Tucson AZ to spend a week in Los Angeles on business. In the end I chose to drive it far more often than not because the door-to-door time was not that much longer and the entire process of getting there was just much more pleasant when I was on my own rather than stuffed in a cattle car. You have the additional consideration of weather, but if you can have a day's leeway on either end (driving on Saturday instead) then you should be able to work around that. In good weather and on a weekend (no rush hours) eight and a half hours seems like a reasonable drive time that accounts for fuel and bio stops as well as a sit down meal. If you don't mind getting an early start in the morning, perhaps before sunrise, you could even have time to pick a place to visit on either the trip out or the trip home, or both. If you have specific interests, perhaps someone could suggest such a stop along your I-270/I-70/I-76/I-80 route.

AZBuck

[TrojanDan]

Thank you AZ, appreciate your insight. The drive from Tucson to LA is very nice, I've done that one several times myself.

Does anyone have thoughts on this specific drive, particularly with respect to the time I should expect or the weather?

[AZBuck]

NOAA is predicting the possibility of light snow on this Sunday (the 6th), but only the equivalent of 0.1" of rain, and temperatures cold enough that this is not likely to be rain or sleet. Obviously, you'll need to keep an eye out for any possible changes as your drive nears. Your return trip is too far in the future for there to be any hint of what the weather might be. As I noted in my previous response. your estimate of 8-8½ hours should be pretty close to your real-world drive time.

AZBuck

[TrojanDan]

Thank you sir! I think the decision has been made.