Moving from Seattle WA -> Albany NY : I-80 or I-90

The perennial 'which route' question!

I will be leaving this Saturday.

I will be towing a small boat, have a loaded down SUV, and will have my dog with me.

My gut is to do I-80, merging onto I-90 just after Chicago, as it seems to avoid most of the major cities. But anyone who has done both, or has current road information - would love to hear it and have my mind changed if that makes sense.

I'm planning five 8.5-9 hour days, trying to drive only in the daylight, not looking to break any land speed records, nor tour any sites.

Thoughts? Thanks all!

Welcome to RTA!

Are you aware of all the toll roads? I-80/90 from Chicago east is toll, and I-90 through all of NY is toll. With a trailer, the tolls are not cheap. I would recommend the following:

Take I-90 to I-82 to I-84 to I-80 to Omaha, then I-29 to St. Joseph, then US-36 (expressway quality) to I-72 to Champaign, then I-74 to Indianapolis, I-70 to Columbus, I-71 to I-76 through Akron, then I-80 to I-81 to Binghamton, then I-88 to Albany. Use the bypasses around the applicable cities.

Note - you can take a shortcut at Lincoln NE - take US-77 to NE/IA-2 to I-29.

I would plan on 6 full days with a 7th available for contingencies. You are looking at 3200 miles.

Hi, and welcome!

You're smart to realize that a moving trip is a lot different from a sight-seeing trip. Avoiding large cities when you're towing, even if it's a small boat, is also a good idea. The route suggested by GLC is one I would have suggested. The cities that he mentioned aren't nearly the problem that some of the other cities could be, including Chicago, and toll roads are not "fun" for those that are towing. (As an aside, we towed an auto transport with one of our vehicles this summer. A section of toll road that cost a single auto $5, cost $12.50 for the vehicle towing an auto on a trailer. There were two sections of toll road -- $25 for the vehicle with the toad, $10 for the single car.)

Other things to think about when you're traveling with a dog: eating your meals, and staying overnight. You might want to preplan your trip overnights and get reservations so you don't get somewhere for the night to find that all the "pets okay" rooms are taken. It may also help you find places with a restaurant close by where you can walk to pick up your food, since most hotels won't want you to leave Fido unattended in your room for long.


Donna

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

Hi, and welcome!

You're smart to realize that a moving trip is a lot different from a sight-seeing trip. Avoiding large cities when you're towing, even if it's a small boat, is also a good idea. The route suggested by GLC is one I would have suggested. The cities that he mentioned aren't nearly the problem that some of the other cities could be, including Chicago, and toll roads are not "fun" for those that are towing. (As an aside, we towed an auto transport with one of our vehicles this summer. A section of toll road that cost a single auto $5, cost $12.50 for the vehicle towing an auto on a trailer. There were two sections of toll road -- $25 for the vehicle with the toad, $10 for the single car.)

Other things to think about when you're traveling with a dog: eating your meals, and staying overnight. You might want to preplan your trip overnights and get reservations so you don't get somewhere for the night to find that all the "pets okay" rooms are taken. It may also help you find places with a restaurant close by where you can walk to pick up your food, since most hotels won't want you to leave Fido unattended in your room for long.


Donna

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Originally Posted by glc

Welcome to RTA!

Are you aware of all the toll roads? I-80/90 from Chicago east is toll, and I-90 through all of NY is toll. With a trailer, the tolls are not cheap. I would recommend the following:

Take I-90 to I-82 to I-84 to I-80 to Omaha, then I-29 to St. Joseph, then US-36 (expressway quality) to I-72 to Champaign, then I-74 to Indianapolis, I-70 to Columbus, I-71 to I-76 through Akron, then I-80 to I-81 to Binghamton, then I-88 to Albany. Use the bypasses around the applicable cities.

Note - you can take a shortcut at Lincoln NE - take US-77 to NE/IA-2 to I-29.

I would plan on 6 full days with a 7th available for contingencies. You are looking at 3200 miles.

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Thank you both! I will map this route out, see what I can make of it. I did get an EZPass ahead of the trip knowing I would hit tolls - I hadn't considered the additional cost of the boat, though of course, I should have given that I bring it on ferries here in WA and it costs a fortune. And I did pre-reserve hotels along the I-80 route with the dog in consideration....I knew pet friendly didn't mean free pets, but have found between some La Quinta and some Comfort Inns, good options that don't cost much. Appreciate it all!

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Originally Posted by glc

Welcome to RTA!

Are you aware of all the toll roads?

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Okay, follow up question....money no object and toll costs not a concern, would you still do the same route you recommended?

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I'm planning five 8.5-9 hour days,

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To cover the ground in 5 days you will be looking at more like 10-11 hour days on average and would be right on the cusp of what we would regard a safe pace on a multi day trip as doing this day after day will get tougher and fatigue can set in. Take regular breaks to stretch your limbs and clear your head and better still if you can, add an extra day. Over the course of a day when you consider the need for breaks, fuel and adding possible delays for congestion and construction etc you will be lucky to average 57mph. Add checking in and out of a Motel, walking the dog, breakfast and evening meal etc they quickly turn to long days.

Have a safe trip !

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Originally Posted by skiattle

Okay, follow up question....money no object and toll costs not a concern, would you still do the same route you recommended?

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Nope, the fastest route, and considerably shorter, is this:

I-90 to Sioux Falls
I-29 to Sioux City
US-20 to Waterloo
I-380 to Iowa City
I-80 to Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike to Ohio Exit 142
I-90 to Albany

6 days recommended. When towing, recommend 500 miles a day max.

Personally, I'd actually probably take I-90 as far as Sioux Falls, and then drop down to I-80 via I-29/I-680. You'll have a little less elevation that way, which with a loaded down SUV that is towing, would likely be helpful.

You will pay more in tolls while towing, but you do have to weigh the toll costs against the costs of using more fuel on a longer route. The one place I would avoid tolls as much as possible is Illinois, because a car towing a trailer gets charged the same as an 18 wheeler. Your tolls in IL while towing are 4 to 5 times higher than if you're in a regular car, especially because towing eliminates the EZ-Pass discount. If you take I-80 across IL, you'll only have 1 toll in IL. Other states are going to charge you more for towing, but it will usually only be about twice the normal rate, because most other states have lower rates for cars pulling a single axel trailer compared to a full semi-truck.

In normal times, I'd also consider taking I-94 across Michigan and cutting across Canada, but that can be an issue when you're moving all your stuff (i.e. it looks like you could be trying to move to Canada) and getting a covid test while on the road, which is required in addition to vaccination to cross the border, is likely more hassle than it's worth right now.

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Originally Posted by glc

Nope, the fastest route, and considerably shorter, is this:

I-90 to Sioux Falls
I-29 to Sioux City
US-20 to Waterloo
I-380 to Iowa City
I-80 to Indiana Toll Road and Ohio Turnpike to Ohio Exit 142
I-90 to Albany

6 days recommended. When towing, recommend 500 miles a day max.

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I've adjusted my route to fit your original rec...now planning on 6 days, under 500 a day. Seems safer. Thank YOU!

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah, I looked at that northernly route, but realized Canada + Covid wouldn't really make it a sensible option. Maybe my return trip a few years down the line...

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

To cover the ground in 5 days you will be looking at more like 10-11 hour days on average...Have a safe trip !

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Thanks...I've adjusted my expectations - and duration - based on all the help in this thread. I feel like a 6 day route is far more do-able. Currently planning on approximately Seattle - Boise - Rawlins - Lincoln - Champaign - Pittsburg - Albany.

If you are going to use my original recommended route avoiding tolls and staying in Lincoln, that would be a good place to jump down to NE-2 to get over to I-29. It cuts out quite a few miles over staying on I-80 to I-29. It's 4 lane divided with grade crossings and traffic lights. Note that Pittsburgh is not along the route, but there are ample hotels along I-80 in western PA.

If you follow my second recommendation with Michael's suggested modification, note that I-680 is now I-880.

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Originally Posted by glc

Welcome to RTA!

Are you aware of all the toll roads? I-80/90 from Chicago east is toll, and I-90 through all of NY is toll. With a trailer, the tolls are not cheap. I would recommend the following:

Take I-90 to I-82 to I-84 to I-80 to Omaha, then I-29 to St. Joseph, then US-36 (expressway quality) to I-72 to Champaign, then I-74 to Indianapolis, I-70 to Columbus, I-71 to I-76 through Akron, then I-80 to I-81 to Binghamton, then I-88 to Albany. Use the bypasses around the applicable cities.

Note - you can take a shortcut at Lincoln NE - take US-77 to NE/IA-2 to I-29.

I would plan on 6 full days with a 7th available for contingencies. You are looking at 3200 miles.

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Not sure if it is any better/easier, but you might also be able to go from I-71 to I-271 (it appears) that goes around and joins I-90 on the east side of Cleveland. From there, I-90 isn't tolled (at least I don't remember any) through the rest of OH and PA. Break off onto the newer I-86 just before the NY border and cross the lower tier of NY and you'll meet up with I-81/I-88 towards Albany as noted.

Also a couple more "local" notes - they are currently doing some work on I-88, so you may hit several sections where it is only single lane in your direction. However, this route is usually not horribly busy, so it shouldn't have too much in the way of tie-ups from this.

Also note that when I-88 ends (at I-90, the NYS Thruway) you are still a bit west of Albany proper, closer to Schenectady.
You need to take the Thruway east - if you go from 25A (Which is where I-88 intersects) to Exit 24 (where the Thruway switches from I-90 to I-87, and also I-87 goes north if you are heading to the suburbs north of the city proper, while I-90 continues east through Albany itself), that used to be no toll charged. Not certain if that still works as now the Thruway is all cashless (no booths or tickets).

If you need more specifics (not being sure if you are actually moving into Albany itself, or one of the many surrounding towns), please ask!