Getting around the Rockies

Hi all!

Soon I'll be trying to conquer the rockies with my little Kia Spectra, so as an inexperienced driver I thought it might be better to go around. I've bought myself some snow tires and will definitely check on weather reports and other good preparation things I need to do. I need some help however with the route as I don't know the area at all. I've narrowed it down to two options and need some advise on the climbs, weather conditions etc. so I can pick the easiest/safest route. I'm trying to get to Logan, Utah (Utah State University) and come from cross country (so both routes are pretty much equal in length)

Option 1: coming form the I-80 going north of the Rockies from Cheyenne onwards, past Rock Springs switching to route 30 till Garden City where I'd go onto route 89 to get into Logan
Option 2: coming from coming from Albuquerque taking route 550 switching on 491 at Shiprock, switching on 191 at Monticello, a bit of route 6/89 between Castle gate and Salt Lake City and after Salt Lake City a last bit of 89 from Birmingham City and Logan (see google maps Albuquerque to Logan)

Any advise on the conditions/maintenance/ice clearing/slopes etc. please!?

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It would help others to help with a route if you were to say where you are starting out from. What you need to do is check weather forecasts and road conditions closely before leaving and while on the road as there is no generic best or safest route. For safety the best thing you can have is time, time to pull off the road in the event of a storm and let it pass while road crews go about clearing the roads. Time enough to drive so that you do not suffer from fatigue by trying to cover too many miles per day and feel hurried in poor conditions. Make sure you have a good mix of Anti freeze in your radiator and carry extra screen wash and an ice scraper and it's always wise to have some snacks and fluids in the car and a blanket. It would be worth getting a competent person or mechanic to give your car a check over before you go. Interstates are generally the priority to keep clear and traffic moving and the grades and curves are kept at a level to cope with biggest and slowest of traffic and if your main goal is to get from A to B with no sight seeing detours, they are often the best bet.

As Dave said, we're going to need a better idea of where you are starting from before we can offer any solid suggestions on the routes you should take.

I can tell you that being that your destination is at 4500 feet elevation and is in the Rockies , it really is impossible to go around them. (The Rockies stretch from New Mexico all the way into British Columbia, including going through Utah)

And along those lines, both routes you laid out certainly go through the Rockies. I-80 through Wyoming gets up around 8,000 feet as it makes it way over the Rockies, while I-40 starts making its way through the Rockies right around Albuquerque, and you'll be going right through them by heading up through Shiprock and Moab.

Generically speaking, if you are concerned about mountains, you're better off sticking to the Interstates as much as possible - which may mean, for example, instead of getting off I-80 in Wyoming in your first option, you might want to continue on I-80 to Utah and then use I-84 and I-15 to get to Logan.

But again for us to provide any more specific help than that, we're going to need a better idea of your starting point than "cross country."

It is correctly noted that there's no way to cross the Rockies without picking up elevation somewhere. A bit more detail is that I-80 reaches a maximum elevation of 8,640' just east of Laramie, WY and holds elevations of 7,000' to 7,700' for nearly 100 miles to the west, then remains above 6,000' for another 200 miles or so to Rock Springs. And I-40 east of ALB, NM reaches 7,700' near Clines Corner, NM.

Your best bet is to plan the most direct, most Interstate route. Allow some downtime, maybe as much as a day, in the event a particularly heavy weather event occurs. The snow removal efforts on Interstates in the Rocky Mountain states is awe-inspiring. It's rare for closures to last more than a half-day to a day, and most closures along I-80 in Wyoming are high wind/blowing snow/whiteout related, and they normally last but a few hours.

Bring an ice scraper, a squeegie, a roll of heavy-duty paper towels, and a gallon non-freezing windshield fluid. If you end up on wet roads (wet from melted snow), you'll be bathed in spray from other vehicles, and the paper towels and fluid will do a good job of keeping your headlights, side windows, and side mirrors clean. Most fuel plazas have ample cleaning apparatus available, but in the event you end up at one which doesn't, you'll be glad you have your own.

Lastly, be aware of the extensive real-time webcam networks maintained by the CO, UT, WY, and MT state Departments of Transportation. With the cams, you can have a look at conditions anywhere in real time.

Foy

Ok, I should refrase that to getting around the highest parts (aka I-70) of the Rockies. I purposely didn't state where I'm coming from because I don't want the shortest route, but the safest one. I'm coming all the way from Virginia, so entering the Rockies at Cheyenne or Albuquerque won't make much of a difference. I'll definitely be taking it slow and checking up on current conditions just as I'm about to pass to time my passage safely. However I do need to choose between the northern or southern route fairly early on. So I'm trying to find out which route is generally speaking less steep and better maintained.

I think you might be right about the I-80 being better maintained as it is an interstate, and I think following the I-80 all the way till Salt Lake City is very valuable advise. Because that only leaves a little part on route 30 which (as far as I can see on google maps) is relatively flat. Thank you!

I considered the route from Albuquerque as it looks (on google maps) as it doesn't go through to much mountainous terrain all the way until the little piece between Castle Gate and Salt Lake City. Whereas the I-80 looks like it hits some more slopes. Again, I really don't know the area and don't feel comfortable with bad road conditions or steep slopes so really want to find the safest route. So please tell me everything I need to know to plan the right route.

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Originally Posted by michelle94

However I do need to choose between the northern or southern route fairly early on. So I'm trying to find out which route is generally speaking less steep and better maintained.

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The simple fact is that you will not likely get both of those conditions on either route. It is likely to be one or the other.

You have been given excellent advice above - basically the same from each of those experienced members. The two factors on which you should focus are not steep and maintained, but the forecast and time. follow the weather forecasts closely and make sure you have ample time to sit out a storm, should one come your way.

Lifey

I would plan on taking I-80 - if the weather gets bad, just get off the road and find a hotel till it clears out. I would not take US-30, I'd take I-80 to I-84 to I-15 to US-89.

The stretch of I-84 between I-80 and I-15 goes through a canyon, it's not mountainous. US-89 between I-15 and Logan is well maintained, probably better than the other roads going into Logan.

There is no direct or even close to direct Interstate route between Albuquerque and SLC, I wouldn't even consider going that far south. It's not only a waste of time and fuel, it also involves a lot of off-Interstate roads that are not going to be as well maintained.

GLC is wise to point out that you may avoid SLC traffic and a rather banzai descent into SLC from Park City by turning west on I-84 at Echo Canyon where I-80 intersects it around 30 miles east of Park City. From there I-84 gradually descends the canyon of the Weber River for an easy and very scenic 45 minute drive into the Great Salt Lake basin at Ogden.

Safe travels and enjoy the ride,

Foy

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Originally Posted by michelle94

. I purposely didn't state where I'm coming from because I don't want the shortest route, but the safest one.

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Here's the thing, shortest and safest are not mutually exclusive. In many ways, the shortest route is the safest route as the fewer miles you travel, the fewer chances of Benning in a crash, fewer chances of seeing bad weather, etc.

Additionally, if you want the safest possible roads that are the best maintained and least steep, you should be sticking to interstates as much as possible. If your destination was Moab, taking I70 through Colorado would really be the safer choice than going through Albuquerque and up a string of 2 Lane roads through NM, CO,& UT.

As for your destination of Logan, the route of using I80 toI84 to I15 seems to be your best bet, although you should have some flexibility on where you get on I80, in fact, depending upon your starting point in VA, and the weather on the days of your trip, it's possible that using I70 all the way to Denver and then going north on I25 could be a good choice (and would be no more mountainous than taking I80 across Nebraska).