LA - Kansas City - North Carolina -NYC in Dec/Jan - Need Advice

Greetings!

I'm going on a road trip from the Los Angeles area to Kansas City in MO during the last days of year. Also planning possible road trips from MO to NC and eventually to NYC. First time driving like this and my concern is the winter weather on the roads. My friend is saying it's too dangerous and should be avoided. Please advise!

My Q's are

LA - MO / MO - NC / NC - NYC:


1) Pick #1 #2 #3 with #1 being your top choice.

2) Are the road trips safe in winter respectively?

3) If so, which routes would you take?

4) In NC, where would you stay for a night?

5) Which rental car company would you recommend?

6) Any advice/tips welcome.

Thank you!

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

Bad weather can hit at any time of the year; likewise, good weather can happen at any time of the year. Cold doesn't necessarily equal snow, neither does winter. It is too hard to say this far ahead what the weather will be on any one of those routes, so your best bet is to check the forecast before you plan to leave and to have alternate routes selected.

1) Since you have a few points already selected, there must be something that is drawing you to those places. The answer can ultimately only be decided by you - what kind of things are you interested in? Why did you pick these places?

2) Yes, winter road trips are safe, provided you aren't traveling in a blizzard. I generally make a few New England road trips in the winter to Cape Cod or to Maine, and haven't had a problem.

3) It would be advisable to stick to Interstate routes since they are most likely to remain open

4) See above - for you to have this as a waypoint on your trip, there must be something there that interests you. Stay there.

5) I don't have a preference as I rarely rent vehicles.

6) See above

One of our Roadtrip Gurus, Midwest Michael, sums up winter-driving with: "The two rules of thumb, take the shortest route so you'll be on the road for the shortest period of time, thus reducing the likelyhood that you'll be in bad weather. The other, when comparing routes that are of pretty similar distances, check the forecast just before you leave and see which route or routes looks the clearest."

Here are some more winter driving tips that should be helpful.

If the destinations you've chosen intrigue you, that's all that matters. If you want to give us a better idea of the types of experiences and attractions you're interested in, it helps us give you better advice about routes and things to do along the way.

Going from LA to KC at that time of year any route you take has the possibility of snow. I 15 and then I 70 thru Denver probably has the best chance for bad weather. The Rocky Mtns west of Denver can be pretty hairy during a snow storm. Another way you might consider is take I 15 to Barstow, then I 40 to OK City, then I 44 to Joplin Mo, then US 71 north to KC. US 71 is 4 lane all the way to KC with a lot of it being limited access like the interstate. Its a few miles farther that way, but not as many mtns. Either way you go you may have to deal with snow and ice. If it gets to bad pull off and wait it out untill the snow plows start running. Good Luck