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I need to get San Francisco to Minneapolis quickly and safely. I need to leave in about a week, driving a small truck pulling a trailer. I'm from the midwest - where it's flat, but know about driving in snow, not mountains. Which would be the best route?
Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !
Well the quickest way is along I80, either all the way to Des Moines, or cutting up to I90 at Rawlins. According to my mapping software, both take the same amount of time. Interstate is built with gradual curves and gradients for the biggest of rigs so you will have no problem with your truck and trailer.
To do it safely it will take a minimum of 4 days on the road with your average speed being less than that if you were in a car.
Your climb out of the Great Basin along the Wasatch Front would be a bit gentler and only a few miles further if you were to take I-215/I-15/I-84 to I-80 at Echo Canyon from the vicinity of the Salt Lake City airport. Doing so avoids the 10 mile grade picking up 3,000' in elevation to Parley's Summit (7,000') immediately east of downtown SLC. You would want to avoid this whole are during afternoon rush hour, however, as I-15 north gets very congested.
Turning up to I-25 thence I-90 at Rawlins, WY avoids a +100 mile stretch of I-80 which holds elevations of + 7,000' and which peaks at 8,640'. The stretch from Rawlins to Cheyenne is the most frequently closed (for a few hours at a time, typically) along I-80 in WY.
Foy
To get from Rawlins to I-90, you would take US-287 to WY-220 to I-25. Another option is I-15 north out of SLC to I-90 to I-94.
I appreciate all the advise!