NC to CO [Moving] question

[merrydog]

My boyfriend and I will be moving from Durham, NC to Breckenridge, CO at the end of October. It looks like the shortest route is I-70 across. We're wondering if we need to be concerned about winter conditions at that time of the year and if taking the more southerly I-40 for most of the route would be a better option. We're planning on 3 days of driving, would that be reasonable?

Thanks for any input.

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Heading South does not guarantee that you won't see winter weather, and by sticking to I 40 all the way through Oklahoma will put you on the road an extra 3 or 4 hours, which in turn increases the chances that you could face winter weather on your travels by that amount of time. Simply put, it isn't worth considering adding to your time in an attempt to fool "Mother nature", she won't have any of it ! You could of course check the weather forecasts a few day's [and up too] before travelling and then make alterations if you have to, but travelling on Interstate in October shouldn't hold to many concerns.

This brings us to travel time for the trip, yes it can be done in 3 long day's but is on the upper limit of what we would normally recommend. If you are having to be there within those 3 day's, [for example; to collect key's, meet removal van] and you face any delays on the way, it will be tough going. If you yourselves are in a truck it will be slower and they will start to feel like endless day's, so although doable an extra day, or just allowing an extra half a day "just in case" would relieve some of the pressure and allow you to enjoy the ride.

[Foy]

Howdy Neighbor,

I just completed an out-and-back RoadTrip from Raleigh to western Montana and I have a routing suggestion for you: Depart NC on I-40 and ramp up to I-64, thence on to I-70, at Nashville, TN.

What Mapquest always suggests for travel from Raleigh to St Louis or points farther north and west is leaving our fair state via I-77, through VA, to Charleston, WV, there picking up I-64. If headed for Denver and the Central Rockies, it'd then be I-70 from St Louis on.

As I employ Mapquest for routing and distances, however, it tells me I-40 through Asheville, Knoxville, to Nashville, thence I-24 past Paducah, KY to Mount Vernon, IL (where you'd meet up with the West Virginia and KY route of I-77 to I-64), is only 20 miles farther. "Saving" that 20 miles earns you a long trip through the foothills north of Winston-Salem, a 10 mile grade to crest the Blue Ridge, more up and down across the Valley and Ridge in VA, and a good 150 miles of serious mountains in WV. Oh, then you get the highly industrialized corridor from south of Charleston through Huntington and beyond, Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, and the very hilly portion of I-64's path across southernmost IN.

Doing the Nashville route, by contrast, gives you the one long grade at Old Fort, NC, and from there a fairly even-keeled trip through the mountains west of Asheville, and by the time you get to the TN line around 280 miles west of Durham, you're done with mountains. Yes, the Cumberland Plateau west of Knoxville has one long grade and a handful of smaller others, but by comparison with, say, Winston-Salem to Charleston, WV, it's a day at the beach. From east of Lebanon, TN all the way to St Louis, it's virtually flat. Oh, and be sure to take the new segment of I-64 through St Louis to Wentzville rather than I-70 around the north side of St Louis and its many suburbs. I-64 is brand new and is good driving; I-70 through there-not so much.

You'll want to try to avoid St Louis at Rush Hour, and ditto for KC, but aside from that, it's clear sailing.

I also suggest allowing a 4th day for contingencies. If you arrive early, so be it.

Foy

[merrydog]

Thanks for the advice. We've definitely planned it so that we can take an extra day if needed.

[Gazza]

You are going to hit weather if it is around either way you go. the only difference is that the I70 through Kansas can be closed due to weather, it is not the nicest drive especially if you have a large vehicle with lots of cross winds. Not sure about the I40 have not driven it, but you are likely to be able to get up the I25 even if there is snow around. I would also plan on four days for the trip it will be more enjoyable and also allow for any unknowns. Also you would want to be considering tyre choice, take it easy if you have summer tyres, and you will need to get all season or winter tyres quite quickly. As for current conditions I think there has only being snow at 11000 feet up at the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnel.

[Foy]

I must politely disagree with the notion that there is any material chance of snow or ice closing I-70 in Kansas in October. One might SEE snow, but the likelihood of accumulating snow and of it affecting driving conditions is very, very low. I would most certainly not add many miles by dropping south along I-40, especially since the high plains of western OK, the TX Panhandle, NE New Mexico, and SE Colorado are rather more likely to see weather than the slowly-rising route of I-70 across Kansas.

Remember: Every mile one drives has an element of risk, and each additional hour in your route plans exposes you to weather potential all the more, making adding miles a double-whammy. I'll always advocate the direct route, on Interstates, regardless of season. If you take only the most rudimentary of precautions, you'll never drive into the teeth of a highway-closing storm, and if somehow you do get caught out in one, simply waiting it out for a few hours will be the extent of your difficulty in the great majority of cases.

Foy