Driving from Philly to Oakland over Xmas... routes for weather!?

[abuzz]

Hi, all,
I'm traveling with a friend from Philly to Oakland... we're thinking of driving ~10 hours/day and spending 1 day sightseeing somewhere.

If we hit a snow storm or iced out mountain pass, that might set our plans back. :)

Any suggestions on the best route that would marry beauty with safety?

Thanks in advance,
:)Anne

[glc]

You will have to examine each route at the time for road and weather conditions, each state has a website with up-to-date conditions. What may be best at any particular time may be unadvisable a few days later. I'd initially plan on the fastest and most direct route as a basis. This would be I-80 all the way, which is five 10 hour days with no detours or sightseeing other than through the windshield. There are NO cross country routes immune from bad conditions in the winter. The farther north you go, the more likely you will find bad weather, but the road crews do a better job. Last year, I had to deal with an ice storm on I-40 through OK and TX, and the road crews didn't do much of anything. I'd recommend you bring a wifi-equipped laptop with you and stay in hotels that offer Internet access.

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

I am afraid there is no way to predict what the weather maybe over Christmas across the entire country and nowhere is immune from winter storms, so at the moment it would be a case of wait and see.

I80 looks to be the most direct route and the less time you are on the road the less chance of seeing a storm, but I would leave your options open and see what route is most viable when you have a weather forecast a couple of days or so before you travel.

Expect your journey to be 5 to 6 day's with 10 hours of travel per day.