driving from Sacramento,Ca to Charlottesville, VA

[ilbidone]

We are moving a 24' moving van from Auburn, Ca (35 miles East of Sacramento) to Charlottesville in June. What is the better route to take, I-80 or I-40? We want to just plow through. We have never driven over the rockies and although very scenic, we wonder if it wouldn't be too much with our moving van. We have 6-7 days. Any info is greatly appreciated.

[Mark Sedenquist]

We are moving a 24' moving van from Auburn, Ca (35 miles East of Sacramento) to Charlottesville in June. What is the better route to take, I-80 or I-40? We want to just plow through and climbing up over I-80 into Nevada is not really a big deal. We have never driven over the rockies and although very scenic, we wonder if it wouldn't be too much with our moving van. We have 6-7 days. Any info is greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum! Of the two routes, I-80 will have the least over-all elevation gain and loss (especially once you clear the Sierras). But I would suggest that I-70 is not really that big a climb and certainly the most scenic. Here is a recent article about the Utah portion of the I-70 route.

Mark

[Midwest Michael]

On my last cross country move, I drove a 17 foot moving van, pulling a car on a full-sized trailer, across I-70 and didn't have any problems getting across the rockies. I wouldn't let any concerns about getting over the mountains stop you from taking that route.

The one big advantage of taking I-80 is that there are no major cities with traffic issues until you get to Chicago. I've found dealing with other cars in an unfamiliar moving van is far more of a challenge than dealing with the terrain. That said, after a day or two on the road, I'm generally comfortable enough to drive though cities without any problems.