need some help planning a trip from NYC to Vancouver

Hello,
I was hoping to get any pointers or thoughts about an up and coming trip I am going on. The trip will be driving from NYC and ending in Agassiz BC (about 2 hours east of Vancouver). The trip is set for late Feb, Early March, and has about 12 days to do it in (flex).

I am a bit worried that the path I was planning on driving will be lined with snow, or just unpleasant to drive in. Plus, to save money, car camping was going to be my option. I was hoping to hit some national parks along the way, and some "land marks". The plan was to drive from NYC heading west and running through South Dakota (Bad Lands), northern Wyoming, Idaho, Washington. I just think the weather is going to be too cold, and might be smarter finding a warmer southern rout.

So any pointers would be great. For a path to take that might be bit kinder in weather, and still not adding on extra days of driving, and good things to see.

Thanks,
Jason

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

The bad news is of all the time to drive across the northern plains, late Feb/early March would be one of my least favorite. Its one of the snowiest times of the year, not to mention you do have the risk of snow storms become ice storms pretty easily.

The good news is that even though this is prime time for winter weather, its also entirely possible that you'll see unseasonably warm temperatures and conditions will be perfect for your trip.

The other good news that since you have 12 days for this trip, even if you do hit bad weather, you can hunker down for a day or two and let the storm pass, and without having to worry about being rushed to get to your destination.

Overall, your best bet is usually to plan on taking the most direct route. The less time you are on the road, the less likely you'll run into bad weather. In this case that would pretty much follow I-90, as you've indicated. If the weather turns bad, you can always try to avoid it by going north or south of it, for example using I-80 or I-94 across the middle of the country. Be flexable, and you should be fine.

Car camping could be a little on the tricky side. You'll pretty much need to plan on cold weather camping any route you go. It will likely still be quite cold, especially at night, almost any way you go. However, if you have some good winter camping gear, you could still do it without being too uncomfortable. Camping can be done at pretty much any time of the year, as long as you are prepared for the elements, and don't expect the same sleeping bag you use in the summer to provide warmth when the temps dip down to the freezing mark.

Hi there,

I did almost the same trip in reverse just last week. As another suggested I would take the I-90 and route otherwise if weather suggests. Once you see the short term forcasts you'll have a better idea of what to expect.

Make sure you catch Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota and Devil's Tower in Wyoming.

In a nutshell, every time I took a short side trip to see a landmark I was rewarded. One advantage of traveling in the winter is that the tourist spots and roads to/from will be deserted. It's like driving in a commercial!

I had a nice meal at the OK Cafe in St. Regis, Montana. It's a friendly truck-stop kind of cafe.

I also enjoyed the home-made sandwiches at Spike's Deli in Ritzville, WA.

Dunno about the car camping. If you can do it and get a good night's sleep then go for it. Fatigue during a solo drive is the last thing you want but 12 days is quite reasonable.