Dallas to Seattle solo road trip

[anshuneedsall]

Hi All,
I finally got a forum that may understand and answer my queries.

I am planning a road trip from Dallas to Seattle in February end. It comes to almost 2200 miles one way.

I am not sure what is the number of days I should keep in hand to cover such distance?

What is the average distance I can drive on a single day? 500/600/800 miles etc.

I have never taken a long trip like this, but I am highly motivated to cover such a distance.... it's like a long standing personal goal.


Having said this; I am worried about the road conditions in February, as I will be crossing Colorado, Wyoming , Washington and Kansas. I am mostly going to be on road, on interstates and not going to stray away to side attarction. Will it be ok?

I need expert advise to prepare for such a trip and I think I am at the right place :-)

Thanks,
Anshu

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

A good rule of thumb is that you should not try to do more than 500-600 miles per day on a multi-day trip. That works out to about 10 hours a day on the road and is in line with the maxiumum miles/hours that a professional driver (trucker) is allowed to do for safety.

With that in mind you should factor at least 4 days, but since this is a winter trip, having a 5th day available would be a good idea. It certainly is possible that you'd see a storm that would slow you down a bit, the extra day gives you the room to stop and wait for plows to do their thing, without feeling like you are under the gun.

[glc]

Welcome!

Under decent weather and road conditions, taking Interstate highways, you can comfortably drive about 550 miles a day. This would have you on the road for 10 to 12 hours a day, depending on how many stops you make for gas/food/bathroom/rest and how long those stops are. In the winter, you should allow an extra day or two just in case.

I would take US-287 to Amarillo and Dumas, then US-87/US-64 to pick up I-25 at Raton. Take I-25 to I-90 to Seattle. I'd look at overnights in Raton/Trinidad, Casper, and Butte.

[anshuneedsall]

Hi friends,
I am planning a road trip through colorado between February 22nd to 24th.
I will pass through Colorado (South to North) travelling on I25.

What I wanted to know is do I need chain for my tires during this trip?

Is it safe to travel on interstate without a chain?


As I am planning to rent a SUV (may not be 4wheel); can I rent chains also during this period from the car rental company (National or Avis) or can I ask for anything specific renting the car? I do not want to get penalised all through Colorado or worse get involved in an accident.

Since this is the first time I am taking a long trip (from Dallas to Seattle) .. I need some expert advise on what all I absolutely need to take care such as chain tires etc.


Thanks.

Moderator Note: Please don't create multiple threads about the same trip

[glc]

Welcome!

Traveling on the Interstates, if the conditions are so bad that chains are required, you should not be driving anyway. Pull off and find a place to wait it out.

Most car rental companies do not permit the use of chains on their vehicles.