Moving From Olney, IL to Central Florida Fall 2017, I Want No Mountains I Need Help

Hi,
I'm new to this site and wanted to find out what would be the best trip down to Florida from Olney, IL. The important key is
no mountains. I've been through them in Montgomery and Birmingham, AL and I don't want to do that again.

I know it's early to be asking this, but I really need to get the best possible route with no mountains, not even their
foothills; because to me those are just as scary.

One more thing I forgot to add, my vehicle will be having a small U-Haul trailer hitched to the back.

Thank you so much for your help.

Deb

I'd like to be able to use the Map Wizard to help me get a trip from Olney, IL to Central Florida without mountains. I have a bad
phobia about them from a trip I took in 2005.

How do I use this map to help me make my trip without mountains?

Thank you so much for your help.

Deb

Please keep all questions about the same trip in the same thread. - Mod

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If the low hills around Montgomery and Birmingham are too much for you, then I'm afraid it's a rather long way around to avoid them while still sticking to moderately fast highways. You'd probably need to add about 300 miles, or nearly a full day's extra driving to your journey. Still, if that's what you need for your peace of mind, so be it. What I'd suggest that you look at is initially heading west on US-50 to I-57 south which joins I-55 south along the Mississippi River, as flat a route as you're going to find. At Jackson MS you could then take US-49 to Hattiesburg and, connecting by using I-55 as a 'beltway' of sorts around the west side of that city, US-98 to Mobile AL. Both US-49 and US-98 are flat four-lane divided highways. From Mobile, I-10 will take you into northern Florida and you'd complete your trip using I-75 into central Florida.

From Olney, that route would be just over 1200 miles to the Orlando area, so you'd need to plan on two overnight stops, but it's as flat a route as you're going to find.

AZBuck

Thank you so much for your help. Yes, I've been though the 'low hills' around Montgomery and Birmingham, AL. I almost had a break down, I was never so scared in my whole life. I'll look this up on my map and see how that works. And I'm new to the forums, so I apologize for having two threads.

Deb

When you get to Tallahassee, you could take US-27/19 and US-alt27 to Ocala. Saves a few miles, but is a much more pleasant drive than I-75. Still a multi lane divided road, and passes through some interesting little places. If you are into quilting there is the Quilt Museum in Chieftain.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

When you get to Tallahassee, you could take US-27/19 and US-alt27 to Ocala. Saves a few miles, but is a much more pleasant drive than I-75. Still a multi lane divided road, and passes through some interesting little places. If you are into quilting there is the Quilt Museum in Chieftain.

Lifey

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Now I know 27/19 and also 27/441 in Ocala, because the 27/441 in Ocala is the direction I'm going for. I'm moving back near The Villages of Lady Lake, in Lake County.

Now I know 27/19 and also 27/441 in Ocala, because the 27/441 in Ocala is the direction I'm going for. I'm moving back near The Villages of Lady Lake, in Lake County.

Does anyone know if it has sharp turns and how high it is? My sister and I drove in that area in 2007 and I've forgotten about that part of the trip.

Thank you again for your help.

Deb

Yes it really does! I suggest renting a car for any trip to avoid beating up your own.

Sand Mountain ranges from 600 ft in elevation to 1500 ft.

Sounds like a hill, to me. I commute every day from 750 ft elevation to 1500 ft. :-)



Donna

As to renting a car, I'm taking my PT Touring Cruiser, I'm going to have a small U-Haul connected to it. If that's the only mountain, I just might make it.

Moderator Note: as you were told previously, please keep all questions about this trip the same thread.

Well, it appears I will have to take a long bit around, but normally a trip to Florida without the mountains is almost the same as traveling down through them right?

It's been awhile since I asked, but are there new roads that have come to be used that won't involve the mountains or the foothills of Alabama? I'm thinking I may have to do the long way down, going from Illinois westbound and into TX, then taking 10 all the way to the Florida Panhandle. I can't handle driving through mountains and foothills such as what is in and near say Montgomery, AL and Birmingham, AL. I went through them twice and I never white knuckled so bad and almost had a nervous breakdown during the drive. I just don't want to go through that again. My move back to Florida will not be until Sept. 2020.
Thank you for the help.

No need to go all the way to TX - just take I-57 to I-55 to Jackson MS, then US-49 to Hattiesburg and US-98 to Mobile to I-10. You could stay on I-55 to I-12 to I-10 if you must stay on Interstates.

I don't know what has you bringing Texas into your plans at all. The route glc just listed is also what Buck recommended at the beginning of this thread.

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Originally Posted by glc

No need to go all the way to TX - just take I-57 to I-55 to Jackson MS, then US-49 to Hattiesburg and US-98 to Mobile to I-10. You could stay on I-55 to I-12 to I-10 if you must stay on Interstates.

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Will I be encountering the foothills of the mountains on this route? Because they scare me just as much as the mountains do. I'm going to be doing this trip by myself.

M'am, We've tried our hardest to give you the best advice we can. You have heard back from five of our top six people regarding your trip, two of whom have given you the exact same, detailed routing that best meets your criteria. Clearly your definition of 'mountain' is much broader than ours and we simply cannot tell you if this or that small hill falls into what you would call a 'mountain'. Asking what is basically the same question yet again will not change the answer(s) we give you.

Is there any way you can find someone else to move your belongings so you don't have to drive?

What's already been provided is the flatest route we can think of, but it still has some elevation change - that's impossible to avoid between Florida and Illinois.

A scared driver is rarely a good driver, and if the small hills of Central Alabama caused you this much terror, I honestly can't think of any route, anywhere in the country that wouldn't potentially be cause for concern. While we are trying to help as best we can, I think you really have to ask yourself if you are actually capable of making this trip at all.

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Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

Is there any way you can find someone else to move your belongings so you don't have to drive?

What's already been provided is the flatest route we can think of, but it still has some elevation change - that's impossible to avoid between Florida and Illinois.

A scared driver is rarely a good driver, and if the small hills of Central Alabama caused you this much terror, I honestly can't think of any route, anywhere in the country that wouldn't potentially be cause for concern. While we are trying to help as best we can, I think you really have to ask yourself if you are actually capable of making this trip at all.

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I handled it once, Triple A gave us the route out of FL to IL in 2004 and it took us right through AL, I had to do the driving because my late husband was having health issues. And that trip almost did me in. I do appreciate all of the help you're giving..because it's always valuable. I am capable of making the trip, if it just wasn't for those foothills in AL, I know I can do it.

The routing that GLC and others have given you, may have rolling hills. But I doubt if they'd have anything like "foothills". If you stick to the interstates, they are built to very strict specifications regarding grades, guardrails, repairs, and more. I-55 and I-57 have some rolling hills.

As far as US-49 is concerned, my husband and I were on that about 7 years ago. It was 4-lane in many areas, it did have some stop lights/stop signs in smaller towns (but not many). We were using it to get from I-20 down to I-10, and we stayed in Wiggins. Hattiesburg was the only pain-in-the-neck, and that was because that's where more of the stop lights were located!


Donna

No offense, but again, if those foothills in AL "almost did you in," then how can you be so confident that you know you can do it?

Those foothills are a relatively tiny elevation gain, and you'll find localized hills worse than that in nearly every state in the country.

Sometimes the strongest thing to do is admit that something is too difficult. With the level of terror you've described about a relatively small challenge/elevation change that most other people don't even consider to be noteworthy, I am legitimately concerned about your safety and the safety of others on the road.

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Originally Posted by Midwest Michael

No offense, but again, if those foothills in AL "almost did you in," then how can you be so confident that you know you can do it?

Those foothills are a relatively tiny elevation gain, and you'll find localized hills worse than that in nearly every state in the country.

Sometimes the strongest thing to do is admit that something is too difficult. With the level of terror you've described about a relatively small challenge/elevation change that most other people don't even consider to be noteworthy, I am legitimately concerned about your safety and the safety of others on the road.

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My problem was, at the time I did the trip..I was dealing with my late husband's health issue which was not doing so well. I was told by Triple AAA that the road trip they gave us, had no mountains..and we had gone through one of the worst hurricane seasons on record in Florida. Plus the issue I had myself; that I didn't know that everyone else knew..I was dealing with depression. If I had been told I would be going through those kinds of foothills..how high they would be. I think I would have been able to handle it better. I'm still willing to make this trip, even if it takes me three days to do it. Slow and steady is better, than being in a hurry and hurting others. I'm willing to explore routes that are better; but localized hills would not be safe for me. If it's okay with you Midwest Michael, I'll just check back from time to time on this thread to see what anyone else has an idea of a course to take. I didn't endanger anyone on all three trips before I moved up here to Olney, IL and I'm thinking it's best that if I do take that same route again...get as far as Birmingham, stay overnight...leave the next day get Montgomery...stay overnight, more rest makes good sense.

I think you may want to follow my alternate advice, even though it adds a lot of miles. Stay on I-55 all the way to I-12, then take that to I-10. At least you will be on Interstate highways all the way with no traffic lights or crossroads. You probably won't even notice the hills.

It's 1300 miles if you take US-50 to I-57 to I-55 to I-12 to I-10 to I-75 to Ocala. If you take 3 full days, plan on overnights around Grenada MS and Mobile AL. I have stayed in Grenada and there are 9 hotels right by the exit. Mobile has plenty of hotels in the area, I'd look at Tillmans Corner (Mobile West) west of the city or Spanish Fort/Daphne/Malbis (East Bay) east of the city. I would not stay in the city itself.

You've had multiple people offer you the best, flattest possible, route, considering the terror you've described crossing even relatively minor hills. And despite having multiple people offer route advice, you've repeatedly made it clear you have no intention of following that advice.

I really don't know what you're looking for from this site or anyone else, but it seems pretty clear that we've exhausted our ability to help, and at this point, I really don't think we can offer you anything more than the words: good luck and best wishes.