Going South from Portland, OR to Lake Charles, LA leaving 12/26

[Kipani]

We are taking a road trip leaving December 26 to arriving back home on January 8th from Portland, OR to Lake Charles, LA.

There are many stops that we want to take. We are driving our 2010 wagon that gets about 30 mpg hwy and is Front wheel drive.
Knowing that the Rockies are not very pleasant during the winter, we have decided to head south.

Stops we know we want to make: Reno, NV and the Grand Canyon then head to Louisiana from there.


Questions:
Any ideas on where to stop on the way for a rest after the Grand Canyon or any other cool sites we should stop at on the way?

Any idea what the best route would be around the time of year we are planning?

Any ideas, comments, or tips would be greatly appreciated!!

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Knowing that the Rockies are not very pleasant during the winter, we have decided to head south.

The Rockies can be quite spectacular in the winter ! Yes you could possibly see winter storms and snow, but by no means does heading south automatically guarantee you won't. You could say that the Colorado road crews have far better equipment and experience to deal with any major weather event, if it happened. I personally would check weather conditions prior to leaving and decide which way to go from there and as it's a round trip I would be looking at a different route each way, if possible.

It would help if you told us what "many stops you would like to take" are as you have mentioned nothing of your interests. Once we know what you are thinking we can offer some meaningful suggestions. You are not going to have a whole lot of time for detours and much will depend on how long you are planning to stay at your destination. Going via GC is going to be 5 days of driving with 'plain sailing' but you should allow a little 'wiggle' room in case of weather delays. A half day/day at the GC and 4.5/5 days to get home and you have 2 to 3 days spare whereever you want, so you will have to choose carefully.

I'm a little concerned how you mention "Stop for a rest" between GC and LC, as this is a 2.5 day drive with little time for sight seeing, other than where you stop to take a break from driving for food, rest and to fill with gas.