Denver To Seattle in May 2020 - COVID-19 Advice

Hi All,

Hope you all doing well.

I live in Denver, CO and I will be relocating to Seattle, WA for work. I have been doing research on the routes. I need some advice on the safest route during this time of the year with snow almost getting over in the Rockies.

1. Denver - Ogden - Seattle, via I-80W=> I- 84W
2. Denver - SLC - Seattle via I-84W
3. Denver - Billings - Seattle (Wyoming) via I-90 W

Out of the above routes, in my view, though longer but SLC route is the safest. I am thinking to avoid the Wyoming route because there might be the chances of snowfall and other wilderness.

Please advice on the following
1. Any special precautions I should take during this COVID- 19 situation for my travel? Though I have gone through the CDC guidelines.
2. Which route is better from the above? I plan to drive for 3 days with 2 night stays.
3. Where I should halt overnight if I plan to drive for 2 and half to 3 days? Like which towns in which states.
4. This is the first time I will driving with a U-haul 4" X 8" (smallest U-haul) trailer attached to my 2019 Accord sports (2W - FWD), any special care I should take care? Please suggest.
5. Has anyone recently traveled on one of these routes during this COVID-19 situation? How was the experience.

Thank you.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

I don't think you have anything to fear from any of your route choices, COVID -19 however is a different matter. You say you have researched the CDC guidelines and if travel is absolutely neccesary all you can do is follow them to the letter and then some. You can't be too careful ! When touching surfaces, for example when filling with fuel, use disposable gloves but don't touch the vehicle at all while you are wearing them having touched the pump. I would phone ahead to book lodgings and speak with them about the current situation in their local area. If you are loaded up the day before and get an early start then Ogden would be a good target for day one with no need to go to SLC (Lodging options just off exit 343 and 344 from I-15) and Pendleton OR for night 2, where again there is a good selection of lodgings off exit 210 from I84.

Stay safe !

Make sure whatever disinfectants you buy will kill the Covid virus. We all know about 60% or more alcohol, but how about other types? Look them up on the EPA Covid page to be sure.

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-regist...-2#filter_col1

Make sure the surface is wet long enough! This could be 5 minutes or longer depending o the product. Follow the instructions. Any less time and you’re only wasting your time.

Bring your own pillow and sheets and cups to the hotel; throw the hotel’s bedding out of the way and set aside their glasses and ice bucket. Wear slippers at all times. Put the tv remote in a zip lock baggie; it will still work.

Disinfectant all flat surfaces, light switches, handles, heat/AC controls, faucets, etc.

You could also wear a mask in your room, for the sole reason of stopping you from touching your face! No other reason.

If you are towing, I'd take I-25 to I-90. I-80 through Wyoming is subject to a lot of wind on the high prairie, I-90 travels through valleys. It would be an easier drive. Look at overnights in Billings and Spokane.

Even with the smallest U-Haul trailer available, and a decently-powered mid-sized car, there will still be speed and gas mileage penalties involved in towing. So be prepared for this trip to take longer than you might expect, certainly more than any computer-based mapping routine is going to suggest. And of course you'll have to stop maybe once or twice more for gas than if you weren't towing. But still 450 miles per day should be doable if you treat this like the work that it is.

I would tend to disagree with Dave a bit on choice of stops. Assuming you take I-80 west through Wyoming so that your trip is on the shortest all-Interstate route, then Evanston Wyoming is closer to that 450 mile/day target and makes each day's drive more similar. Your second night would then be Ontario Oregon.

But what will be even more critical is how you load the trailer. Assume for a moment that you load your heaviest cargo first so it's closest to the car. What that will do is put more weight over the 'tongue' that attaches the trailer to your car, and in turn transfer that load to your back bumper. That will tend to depress the rear of your car and lift the front of it. With a front-wheel-drive car, that means less traction from your drive AND steering wheels making the car more difficult to handle. You should aim to distribute the load in the trailer as evenly as possible while still making sure that the tongue weight is positive, i.e. the trailer rests on the tongue when it stands alone. Check your car owner's manual and U-Haul's recommendations for any specific guidelines they may have.

AZBuck

If you take I-25/I-90, the 450 mile marks will be Sheridan WY and Missoula MT.

Best rule of thumb for trailer weight distribution is no less than 8% and no more than 15% of the weight should be on the tongue.

You also need to confirm with Honda that your Accord can tow that trailer. The trailer weighs 850 pounds empty. You may want to rent a truck and car trailer (NOT dolly) to do the move. The U-Haul 10 foot moving truck is their smallest that can tow their trailer. It looks like a 10 foot truck and car trailer rental in May from Denver to Seattle is just over $1400.

I drive Ft. Collins to Seattle via I-25 and I-90 to visit my parents. Roads are in good condition and traffic is very minimal compared to I-80. It's a bit further but as glc stated the roads follow the valleys so it averages lower altitude. But of course that doesn't mean you won't hit a May snowstorm on any of the routes.

Can't help with the CV19 intel.

Several non-Honda websites list the 2019 Honda Accord towing capacity as 'up to' 3,500 pounds UNLESS you have the turbo or hybrid model in which case it's 0! So exactly what model of Honda Accord Sport you have matters! But if you have either the VTI-L/Automatic or the V6-L/Automatic you should be able to load 2,000 pounds or so of 'stuff' in the trailer. Again, weight distribution will be the key to having a combined car/trailer rig that is easy to handle.

Honda does not list previous year models towing capacity on its website, but it should be listed in your owners manual. FYI 1,600 kg = 3,500 lb, but I would try to keep as far from maximum capacity as possible.

AZBuck

Max load rating in a 4 x 8 enclosed U-Haul trailer is 1650 pounds, according to their site. That would make the trailer gross weight limit 2500 pounds.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glc

Best rule of thumb for trailer weight distribution is no less than 8% and no more than 15% of the weight should be on the tongue.

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That’s very important to prevent loss of control from Fishtailing. If your trailer becomes unstable and starts shaking your vehicle, like a dog pulling on a toy, it’s likely that there is too little weight on your hitch!

The heavier your loaded trailer, the more weight you’ll need on your hitch to prevent fishtailing. Make sure your tow vehicle can handle that hitch weight! You might avoid fishtailing but lose control from the front wheels.

Thank you so much everyone for all the inputs. I will consider all the points and plan my trip soon. Thanks once again, this was really really helpful.