Dallas to Seattle solo road trip

Hi All,
I finally got a forum that may understand and answer my queries.

I am planning a road trip from Dallas to Seattle in February end. It comes to almost 2200 miles one way.

I am not sure what is the number of days I should keep in hand to cover such distance?

What is the average distance I can drive on a single day? 500/600/800 miles etc.

I have never taken a long trip like this, but I am highly motivated to cover such a distance.... it's like a long standing personal goal.


Having said this; I am worried about the road conditions in February, as I will be crossing Colorado, Wyoming , Washington and Kansas. I am mostly going to be on road, on interstates and not going to stray away to side attarction. Will it be ok?

I need expert advise to prepare for such a trip and I think I am at the right place :-)

Thanks,
Anshu

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

A good rule of thumb is that you should not try to do more than 500-600 miles per day on a multi-day trip. That works out to about 10 hours a day on the road and is in line with the maxiumum miles/hours that a professional driver (trucker) is allowed to do for safety.

With that in mind you should factor at least 4 days, but since this is a winter trip, having a 5th day available would be a good idea. It certainly is possible that you'd see a storm that would slow you down a bit, the extra day gives you the room to stop and wait for plows to do their thing, without feeling like you are under the gun.

Welcome!

Under decent weather and road conditions, taking Interstate highways, you can comfortably drive about 550 miles a day. This would have you on the road for 10 to 12 hours a day, depending on how many stops you make for gas/food/bathroom/rest and how long those stops are. In the winter, you should allow an extra day or two just in case.

I would take US-287 to Amarillo and Dumas, then US-87/US-64 to pick up I-25 at Raton. Take I-25 to I-90 to Seattle. I'd look at overnights in Raton/Trinidad, Casper, and Butte.

Hi friends,
I am planning a road trip through colorado between February 22nd to 24th.
I will pass through Colorado (South to North) travelling on I25.

What I wanted to know is do I need chain for my tires during this trip?

Is it safe to travel on interstate without a chain?


As I am planning to rent a SUV (may not be 4wheel); can I rent chains also during this period from the car rental company (National or Avis) or can I ask for anything specific renting the car? I do not want to get penalised all through Colorado or worse get involved in an accident.

Since this is the first time I am taking a long trip (from Dallas to Seattle) .. I need some expert advise on what all I absolutely need to take care such as chain tires etc.


Thanks.

Moderator Note: Please don't create multiple threads about the same trip

Welcome!

Traveling on the Interstates, if the conditions are so bad that chains are required, you should not be driving anyway. Pull off and find a place to wait it out.

Most car rental companies do not permit the use of chains on their vehicles.