Extreme Heat? LA to Nashville - Choosing the best route for August

Road Trip: Mid-August cross-country move with two adults to share driving and 3 cats (recently inherited from elderly parent, obviously won't be able to sightsee except from the car). Older vehicle (2005 Buick). Household goods being shipped separately. Safe pace, have one week, hard deadline to arrive for a new job though so can't shift trip to the autumn. We'll carry plenty of water and have AAA membership.

I can see that I-40 and I-70 are our two main options and I have concerns about both.

I-40 would go straight through some of the most intense summer heat.
I-70 has pretty intense elevation changes that I've heard can be hard on an old car.

Any thoughts on how to navigate this with the lowest possibility of a breakdown and/or safest recovery if a breakdown does happen? Appreciate any advice.

Welcome to RTA!

I would take I-40. It gets just as hot on I-70 east of the Rockies. Have your car thoroughly checked before you leave.

Just for comparison, I have a 2003 F150 with over 200k miles, and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a trip tomorrow, it was just serviced and inspected.

I agree with the above, give your vehicle a 'health check' making sure wiper blades, brakes and tyres are all good for the trip and at the right pressure and take I-40 at a leisurely pace. You have plenty of time to do so. Carry snacks with the water and it wouldn't hurt to have a small container of oil in the trunk should you need to top up. If your early risers you could get some miles behind you before the heat builds if it looks like it could be an issue for you.

Safe travels !

Appreciate the suggestions, thank you! I hadn't thought about driving very early/very late, but it seems obvious now. Think we'll try to do that for the first two days. And yes, making sure the car is fully checked over. So glad I found this site as we have other, much more fun, road trips in mind so this will be a great resource.

Like others above, I agree on the route. This is a moving trip, and usually that's not a good time for any sightseeing except out of the car windows. Also, one of our two road trip vehicles is a 24 year old pickup, which we always have checked and serviced before we leave.

I-40 in western Arizona can be quite pretty. If you can, take one exit into Seligman, AZ, and drive through the town, just for a little nostalgia. Western New Mexico, with its lava fields off to the sides of the freeway, is also interesting. A third drive-through would be Tucumcari, NM.

My husband and I love to travel in the early hours of the morning, and then try to stop for breakfast at a sit-down place (more nutritious than most motel continental breakfasts) just as the sun is rising. That keeps it from getting directly into our faces (east-bound) or rear-view mirror (west-bound). Not quite so many vehicles on the road, too, though you'll have trucks no matter what you do.

Donna

Be sure your AAA membership is at least plus, not just the basic which only gives you a five mile tow radius. The next level up is a 100 miles, which is worth it.

Upping to AAA Plus, or even Premier, is probably a great idea. When you get to your new state, you can go to a AAA office in your new state and get it transferred to them, usually complimentary. Then when you go to renew, you may find (like I did) that the higher level membership is less expensive than it is with AAA of Southern California.

We moved out of the San Diego area, after 40 years there, two years ago.


Donna now in mid-Missouri

I also completely agree with taking I-40. I-70 is tricky even in nice weather. My friend blew his engine climbing into the foothills on I-70 just coming out of Denver. No need to add that stress to your trip. We have a 2005 Honda Pilot and I would do the same trip after taking it in for an inspection. You have AAA (maybe upgrade to Plus), as long as you have plenty of water, maybe bring a bunch of ice packs for a breakdown (the kind that stay frozen a long time) you should be fine. For all you know it won't be that hot. But definitely get that health check on the vehicle for peace of mind.

Westbound I-70 out of Denver IS a problem because of the climb. However, eastbound, you begin the climb more gradually until you come out of Rifle heading towards the Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass.

But considering his starting and ending place, I-40 would be the more direct route anyway. If the OP took I-70, he'd have to drop into Denver (hard on brakes here if you aren't familiar with how to handle that steep grade) and then find a route south to get him down to I-40.


Donna

D'oh! Somehow I assumed the OP was going westbound to LA. Yeah 70 going eastbound is a little different but I would still avoid it in this situation. I-40 is definitely the most direct route anyway. Hopefully the desert temps on I-15 and I-40 in California won't be as high as they have been this summer.

Too bad the trip can't be in September. Sometimes you have no choice. I will be driving to LA from Chicago next January. I-55/I-44/I-40/I-15 (Route 66) is my usual route but if winter weather is an issue then I head to I-10 for my backup warmer southern route (adding 500 miles).

Dropping down to I-10 isn't necessarily going to avoid bad weather. It really depends on where the storm is, and where it's headed. My folks had to stop in western Texas on I-10 one spring, in Van Horn, because of bad weather. The problem down there? They don't have the readily-available snow moving and anti-ice equipment that I-40 and other points north have. They have to scramble.

The OP is best off using I-40. He may find some nasty construction along the way (I-40 in NM is forever being worked on!), and maybe a storm or two that will have him pulling off on a ramp. If he can travel in the earlier morning out of LA and Barstow, he may avoid at least a little of the desert heat as he crosses the Mojave Desert between Barstow and Needles.


Donna

I should probably have mentioned two of my lifetime hobbies include maps and weather so I'm on the same page as you. OP definitely should take 40. Me? We shall see...