Phoenix to Detroit via Denver in April
My friend and I are flying to Phoenix one way and driving a UHaul back to Detroit with the goal of enjoying this trip as much as possible! We plan to drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon on April 4 and then straight to Denver (via 160 to 191 to I-70) so we can spend two days in the Denver area (visiting Boulder and RMNP). I'm concerned with the weather conditions driving a large vehicle on this route (it's weight capacity is 2400 lbs, and dimensions are 12' long, 7.5' wide and 9' high).
We then plan to head to Mt. Rushmore and head back to Detroit via I-90.
Does anyone have any experience with this route during this time of year? I've never been in this area before, and have heard stories about snow chains on tires. Do I need to get some to be on the safe side? Thanks.
Leave Some Wiggle Room - Back Off So You Can Enjoy
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
You're looking at 2 days from Phoenix to Denver (just over 900 miles) and 3 days from RMNP to Detroit (around 1200 miles) plus whatever time you want to spend in the Rockies. You should also build in to your schedule at least one day to just sit out any possible bad weather. I would put your odds of encountering weather severe enough to delay you at a good bit less than 50% but NOT zero. U-Haul typically will include more days than strictly required for the move in the rental contract, and additional days are usually fairly reasonable. I'd make sure that I had the truck for at least 9 days to allow for the drive, a day or two in the Rockies, a day at either end to pack and unpack, and a day for possible weather delay. Mt. Rushmore is simply too far off your path to even think about on this trip - wait until you see how your truck guzzles gas and how few miles you've racked up by the end of each day, even though you've pushed yourselves harder than you would have thought necessary.
AZBuck