From NY to Arizona in March - Help!
My sister and I are driving from Rochester, NY to Phoenix, Arizona to attend a wedding. We are leaving on March 18th. AAA has us heading south and then going across I-40 most of the way. I've driven cross country to California several times with my husband but it was always in the summer. Should I encounter bad weather leaving in the middle of March? Any interesting things I should stop to see along I-40? I have never taken this route before. We have about 3 1/2 weeks. After Phoenix we're going to the Grand Canyon and then to Las Vegas. Thanks for all your help!
Plan for the Worst, Enjoy the Best
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It is still possible, but not exceedingly likely, to encounter adverse conditions in March anywhere along your general route. The greatest likelihood for such weather is at the beginning in the Northeast and Midwest. If you build a 'spare' day or two into your trip, where you can just sit out the unlikely storm that would make driving difficult or impossible, then you can travel knowing that you'll be able to complete your journey. The Interstates are the first roads cleared in any major snow event, and I simply can't imagine you getting bogged down for too long at that time of year.
Even so, three and a half weeks is not a lot of time to drive all that way, spend time with family and friends, do some sight seeing out west, and return home, so I wouldn't get overly ambitious about adding a lot more side trips to your journey. But some interesting places along the way would include St. Louis, Petroglyph National Monument, and a ton of stuff in Northern Arizona. What else you and your sister might find interesting really depends on the two of you, so be sure to at least skim through the AAA Tour Books for the states along the way.
AZBuck
