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We are leaving today...I am looking for quickest route...no sightseeing. If we are making good time by the time we get past salt lake city.... which part of the grand canyon should we stop at? So we do not get too far off track to phoenix? And what areas during our road trip should we be most concerned about snow?
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
Fortunately for you, the shortest/fastest route coincides with a brief window of good weather. Today there will be rain along the northwest coast, turning to snow in the Coastal Ranges, so you should head inland as soon as you can and get ahead of the weather. While snow will spread inland tomorrow, it will largely be confined to areas north of the Columbia River, just as you are heading south.
Your route, then, is I-90 to Ellensburg, I-82/I-84 to Twin Falls ID, US-93 south to Las Vegas ad beyond with just the last little bit on US-60 into Phoenix. That route is only about an hour (out of 2½-3 days) shorter than taking I-15 to US-89 south in southern Utah and going around the Canyon to the east, so you may decide to go that way instead. Either way, you'd need to add 3-4 hours minimum for the side trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
AZBuck
Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !
I would advise that you first check the weather and road conditions before setting off. It's possible to see snow just about anywhere so the up to date forecast should be your guide. The north rim of the Grand canyon is closed at this time of year leaving you with the south rim. However there are road closures at the south rim at present due to snow and ice, so it could be pretty messy around there.
You could go via Sacramento or SLC, or the fastest route according to mapping program would be to take US93 from Twin Falls. Like I said check the weather before leaving and then decide.
How long do you have to complete the journey ? You are looking at needing a minimum of 2 overnight stops.
If I am reading your post correctly, and you are hoping to get from Seattle to past SLC, let me please ask you to reconsider your plans. Its 850 miles to SLC, and even with more than one driver, that's just too far to safely drive in one day. While you may make it to your first destination safely, you will be playing with fire, and there is no way you'll be in any condition to get back behind the wheel - with the full attention needed to safely operate a 2 ton machine moving at 70 mph - the next day. There's a reason professional drivers are forbidden by law from doing anything close to that much driving in one day.
As has been mentioned, you need a bare minimum of 2 overnight stops to make this trip safely. Its not worth risking your life or the life of everyone else on the road to "make good time."
Thanks, there are 3 drivers....we are hoping to make it without stopping overnight....depending on weather. So south rim is an hour and a half off route?
From your post I was fearing that this is what you might be considering, for your own sake and for those that will be sharing the road with you, you can not make this drive safely without overnight stopS. It is going to take at least 25 hours with the most basic of breaks for food, bathroom and to fill with gas, which really is too much with just one overnight break. We would not even recommend you do this with a single stop for the sake of safety, but to try and do it non stop and particularly at this time of year, would be plain wreckless and dangerous.
Please, please reconsider!! [ and you may as well forget about any plans of visiting the Grand canyon.]
Again, this is a 3 day drive - even with 3 drivers in a rotation, it is way too far to be able to safely drive without stopping for real rest. It is a near certainty that your driving skills will resemble those of an intoxicated driver long before you reach Arizona.
If you don't have time to sleep, you certainly don't have time to consider a detour to the Grand Canyon.
thanks azbuck...thats the route we took. It took us 26 hours. No we decided not to do the grand canyon. We are heading back tomorrow...is it still the best route? weather wise? On the way down was fantastic....bare roads all the way. If we went I5 wouldnt there just be alot of traffic? We are driving during the day this time and were thinking a more scenic route would be better....but not wanting to deal with rush hour traffic.
Do you think its worth seeing grand canyon in the winter? if so where is the closest viewing area from flagstaff? Thinking of stopping..then spending the night in salt lake city. Otherwise going to try and find the best outlet mall to stop on the way home. Not sure of any other sightseeing places of interest in the winter?
The Grand Canyon may not be a great idea right now - the only open road into the park is AZ-64 to the south entrance. Call 928-638-7888 for updates.
There appears to be a lot of snow on the ground now along the route you took down. You may want to take I-5 home. There are some icy spots through the Siskiyous in Oregon and you may be required to carry chains or traction tires. I-84 is no better.
To avoid the bulk of the LA traffic, take I-10 out of PHX to Redlands, then CA-30 to I-215 to I-15 north over Cajon Pass. At Hesperia, take US-395 north to Kramer Junction, then CA-58 west to Bakersfield. Take CA-99 north - you can either use CA-46 to cut over to I-5, or go all the way to Stockton and use CA-4 to cut across.