Trip from Boise, Idaho to LA, California

[Ann2014]

Hi all, we are planning a road trip from Boise to LA for New Years. Our main concern is road conditions due to snow. Google maps showed us these routes

Route 1: I-84 , US-93, NV - 318, US-6, I-15, I -10 ( Idaho, Nevada , California)
Route 2: I-84, I-80, US-95, NV-360, CA-138, CA- 14, I-5, CA- 170 , US 101 ( Idaho , Oregon , Nevada , California ) (we went to San Francisco on part of this route , going through Reno, NV and it was okay, we did not encounter any problems (snow, road construction, etc)

My question is which one would be the safest considering winters. If anyone has travelled during December on this route and could share their experience, that would be very helpful. Thanks!

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

My answer to your question would be none of the above. That's the real danger of computer programs, where if you turn your brain off and only look at the options a computer spits out, you could end up in some big problems.

Both of those routes are almost all 2 lane roads, through some of the most remote places on the continent. If there is winter weather, you could find yourself in a bad situation with really no where to go.

The route I'd recommend is very simple: I-84 to I-15. It's all freeway, all heavily traveled, plenty of services, and roads that get top priority if there is winter weather. It adds about 100 miles to the trip, but it is on higher speed roads so travel time isn't likely going to be much different. No matter which way you go, you'll need an overnight stop anyway - that's far more important to your safety than route choice - and sticking to the Interstates will give you many more options.

[glc]

Even in good weather, the shortest route (I-84/US-93/US-6/NV-318/US-93/I-15) is a wash as far as travel times go compared to I-84/I-15 due to slightly lower speed limits and going through towns. It's also very desolate with services few and far apart and has some passes on it that frequently require tire chains. Go the extra 100 miles and you won't have to worry anywhere near as much.