Xmas week Los Angeles to Baltimore, I-40 and I-81?

Hello
My wife and I are planning to drive our (6 cylinder) passenger sedan towing 5'X8' Uhaul trailer from Los Angeles to Baltimore.
There is not much time pressure as we only need to arrive by end of December. Wife will mostly be a passenger, but could pitch in if needed.
This will be a first time driving cross country for both of us, added to which is the winter conditions, quite alien to us Californians!
We are planning to start from LA on Dec 23 afternoon. I was figuring on taking the I 40 to Flagstaff, and detour to spend a few hours at the Grand Canyon weather permitting. Then continue on I-40 stopping to spend the night along the route, through to Knoxville TN. From there I-81 North through Virginia should be a good bet.
Appreciate tips suggestions from experienced winter trippers regarding safety and possible points of interest enroute. Thanks

.........at one time or another.

Hello Gill,

I imagine what you're thinking is doing a South Rim drive-by at the GCNP, from Williams, AZ to the main entrance, thence east on AZ 64 within the park to Cameron, AZ, thence south back to I-40 at Flagstaff. That's a fine idea as long as the weather permits it. The South Rim is at around 7,000', as is Flagstaff, for that matter, so snow can and does fly there on a regular basis.

As slow as the traveling is with a towed trailer, you really don't have much time for touring, in my opinion. The half-day it'll take to do the GCNP drive through, reserving another day or so for weather contingencies, and you're pretty much going to have to make hay while the sun shines.

And you should most certainly keep a full day for weather contingencies. Literally anywhere from Kingman, AZ to Baltimore can see ice and snow. Several stretches of I-40 in NM are > 7,000', Amarillo, TX is at 4,500', you've got "ice storm alley" through OK, AR, and west TN, then the Cumberland Plateau, the Valley and Ridge from Knoxville to Front Royal and just beyond, and the Blue Ridge to cross just west of Balto, so winter weather is a distinct possibility. Your best bet is to save time to pull over for a few hours to a day in the event you drive into a system.

Since you're towing for days on end, make sure your vehicle's cooling system is in tip-top shape. I'd also very strongly recommend a transmission fluid change (if it's an automatic) before you embark on such a long tow. Heat buildup is the primary enemy of an automatic transmission, and nothing triggers heat buildup like long intervals of sustained Interstate driving or like towing. Put together, your transmission will need the freshest fluid possible, unless it happens to be very close to brand-new.

Foy

Is your car certified for towing that kind of weight? You can look up the empty weight of the trailer on the U-Haul site, and you will need to make a good guesstimate of how much your load will weigh. There aren't too many standard passenger cars these days that will tow more than about 2000 pounds. I think the 5x8's are around 900 pounds just by themselves. If it's good to go, you will definitely need a proper hitch. Have your brakes thoroughly inspected before you leave too.

FOY & GLC
Thank you for your prompt & detailed replies. Good Advice indeed.
On reconsidering, I think it will be better to ship off the car (along with the car # 2 already being readied for shipping overland).
Instead of the hitch + trailer plan, I can rent a Uhaul 14' and take some more stuff along which would otherwise have to be stored here.
Only issue then is the handling of the 14 footer on the 2700 mile trip and the weather conditions.
Safety is of course paramount, I will be satisfied with around 500-600 miles per day of driving or just a bit more to arrive in 4 days with 3 nights on the road. Is that reasonable?
Still planning to start on Dec 23 mid day.

500-600 miles a day is a very reasonable goal.

The problem is that at that pace, you simply can't cover the 2700 miles between LA and Balitmore in 4 days 3 nights. You'd need to be averaging nearly 700 miles, and that's simply too much for multi-day travel.

You really need to plan on this trip taking 5 full days, and have a 6th day available in case of possible weather delays. I will note, that also assumes driving only point to point, and not adding in detours to places like the Grand Canyon.

Thanks Michael
Just finalized my reservation, Budget had a great deal on a 16 foot truck.
Since I have the rental for 10 days (returning truck on Jan 02), there is no time pressure. Starting on Dec 23/24 plenty of time.
Keeping my fingers crossed hoping for clear roads though, because I have never before had to drive in snow or icy conditions. Ah well, moving to live in Maryland, so gotta get used to the white stuff!

Sight seeing not a priority, I probably do not want to negotiate busy roads around tourist attractions in a lumbering moving truck in wintry conditions, keeping the possibility open though if there is something to see real close.
Next I need to plan the night stops and find deals in safe clean inexpensive motels. I-40 between Flagstaff AZ and Knoxville TN, then between up North to Baltimore.

Well, if all goes well with the weather, and you don't make any other detours, some of the logical stops could include Winslow AZ, Amarillo TX, Little Rock AR, and Knoxville.

Any of those places should have a wide variety of motels to pick from based on your tastes and budget.

I can personally recommend the Motel 6 in Holbrook AZ. It's large (over 100 rooms), quite new, and very well maintained. It's also cheap! I stayed there 2 years ago in January, and AARP rate was 40 bucks including tax. The room key gets you a 10% discount next door at Denny's. It's right off I-40 at the east end of town, you can see it from the highway. It's a franchise, not company operated, so their wifi is free.

GLC
Thanks for the tip :)
First day Dec 24th, I will drive only about 480 miles to Flagstaff AZ, prepaid $ 31 total at Ramada (free in room Internet, free parking, free continental breakfast !) close to I-40.
Day # 2 will get rolling by 5:30 am, ~ just working out where to break for the night on Dec 25th.
Also possible stops for the rest of the trip.
Suggestions accepted with gratitude :)

Stopping in Flagstaff kind of boxes you into having a fairly short drive to Tucumcari NM at 500 miles or a rather long drive to Amarillo at a little over 600 miles. There's really not much for options in the middle. 600 miles shouldn't be a problem is you see good weather, but this stretch will take you over the highest elevations of your trip, so your odds of seeing bad weather that would delay you a bit are a little higher than normal here.

Just in general as you plan out the rest of your stops it really is as simple as pulling out a map - or your favorite online program - and looking for cities 500-600 miles apart. (Using the drag and drop on Google makes this very easy) Pretty much every city of any size along an interstate will have a good choice of hotels - and often towns with 5k-50k people will be your best bet for variety and value. But even smaller town will usually have a couple choices. Vega, Texas, for example, which would be an option 30 miles short of Amarillo has less than 1000 people, but has 3 motels.

GLC
Yep~ just did what you suggested.
Already committed to Flagstaff, in case quickie visit to Grand Canyon can be squeezed in :)
Dec 25th - Day # 2 weather permitting will reach Amarillo about 600 miles.
Dec 26th - Day # 3 hopefully reach Little Rock AK, just under 600 miles.
Dec 27th - Day # 4 reach Knoxville TN about 530 miles.
Dec 28th - Day # 5 home stretch just over 500 miles to Baltimore MD

Probably best to play it by ear, and stop when I think I have had enough driving for the day, factoring in the winter weather, get the gas tank full and find a motel close to the Interstate exit. My Garmin GPS is pretty good at locating motels using the points of interest feature.

If you want to go to the Grand Canyon, why not add an extra day to your trip and head up there on Christmas day? Then you can spend that night in Flagstaff or farther down the road (Winslow, Holbrook, Gallup) and adjust everything else accordingly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glc

If you want to go to the Grand Canyon, why not add an extra day to your trip and head up there on Christmas day? Then you can spend that night in Flagstaff or farther down the road (Winslow, Holbrook, Gallup) and adjust everything else accordingly.

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Exactly what I was thinking! However if the weather does not cooperate, will forgo Grand Cyn, and keep chugging along. In fact in case the delays and risks seem too bad, I might switch to the I-10 thru Phoenix and on and eventually go north, seems longer though.
First choice is still I-40.
Lets see what happens weather wise in the days before I start.

If you find that you need to take I-10, you can do one of 2 things:

1. At Deming NM, take NM-26 to Hatch and pick up I-25 to ABQ.

2. Take I-10 into TX, then I-20 to DFW, I-30 to Little Rock. That's last resort.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glc

If you find that you need to take I-10, you can do one of 2 things:

1. At Deming NM, take NM-26 to Hatch and pick up I-25 to ABQ.

2. Take I-10 into TX, then I-20 to DFW, I-30 to Little Rock. That's last resort.

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Thank you for the suggestions, those are totally unknown names / areas, even Albuquerque and Little Rock are only names on a map for me ! There is a first time for everything.
Have not yet given much thought to I-10 option, and hopefully this circuitous route will not be needed.
In the event the weather conditions are somewhat unfavorable, I was speculating I could simply go slow and do only 350 -400 miles during the day, that way I would at least be making headway along I-40. Extra nights along the way are not a significant issue. In all likelihood, weather will be motorable most of the route (I hope! )
Will map out "last resort" option via I-10 through NM or TX , and monitor the forecasts right up to start time.
Since this is a move of residence not just a trip, there are all the other winding up matters to deal with along with the actual drive, I will be relieved to relax at the destination!
This website and all you generous guys are an incredibly valuable resource.

REROUTE : I-10~ I-20 ~ I-30 ~ I-40 ~ I-81

Hello again folks
We are trying to decide whether it may be safer even speedier, to take the Southern route I-10-20-30 with its desirably uneventful weather past Phoenix - Tucson all the way through Dallas TX then Little Rock AK, then I-40 to Memphis-Nashville-Knoxville and take I-81 thru Roanoke VA to Baltimore.
What can we reasonably expect on the trip (departing at dawn Dec 24), in terms of terrain, weather, possible sights close to highway, good places to break for the night, and food-wise?
In Dallas we will stay with family for the night all other stops should be inexpensive places with free internet and food within walking distance.
Suggestions and advice greatly appreciated :)

Quote:

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We are trying to decide whether it may be safer even speedier, to take the Southern route I-10-20-30 with its desirably uneventful weather past Phoenix - Tucson all the way through Dallas TX

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If that route had "uneventful weather past Tucson" you might be onto something, but the idea that you'll certainly see uneventful weather is simply not true.

I-10 regularly sees snow across Eastern Arizona and New Mexico, as it goes up to about 4,000 feet in elevation. Continuing into Texas, I-10 and I-20 both can see ice storms, and when those areas do get bad weather, you don't want to be on those roads! I'll take a Nebraska snowstorm over a Texas Ice Storm any day of the week. My last trip to Dallas was a couple years ago, in early December. The city basically shut down because it saw a little bit of ice.

Again, not to say that is what you'll see over your specific time of travel, but unless you're traveling through Mexico, you simply can't go far enough south to avoid the risk of snow and ice.

In this case, going that route "only" adds 100 miles, so if you want to go that way, it won't dramatically change your travel time and it certainly is a route you can use - just don't make the assumption that you'll automatically see good weather.

I will note that if you are planning to stop in Dallas, that means you are locked into a 6 day (minimum/assuming good conditions) trip. Dallas is at nearly the halfway point, but its too far from LA or Baltimore to drive to either city in 2 days. This route is at the upper edge of what you could do in 5 days, but you'd need to get farther than Dallas on day 3 to make it work.

Michael
thanks for your words.
I am trying to make this trip as easy as possible for us. Considering that my only former experiences have been speedy car jaunts from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento etc all of which were just a few hours from L A.
Added factors are an unfamiliar 16 foot moving truck loaded with small furniture and boxed stuff, and winter driving conditions.
Night 3 at Dallas will be fine by our relaxed target of about 500 or so miles per day. Arriving at Destination by day 6 or even day 7.

Quote:

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We are trying to decide whether it may be safer even speedier, to take the Southern route I-10-20-30 with its desirably uneventful weather past Phoenix - Tucson all the way

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My advice would be simply to wait and see and then make an informed decision with up to date weather forecasts and road conditions just prior to leaving. You can find useful links in this thread.

If you take I-10/I-20, plan your overnights carefully. Your first overnight should be in the Tucson area - if you go farther, there's not much selection between there and New Mexico. In Texas, I-10/I-20 is known for being very desolate with very few places to stop. I show the 2nd night should be between Van Horn and Pecos - where there is absolutely nothing.