DC to Denver after Christmas Advice

[tpenzil]

My boyfriend and I are going to try to get his car back to Denver from D.C. We hope to leave the day after Christmas, and we need to be in Denver by the 2nd at the latest. He's getting a car that will be a small SUV, like maybe a Honda CRV or something?
I personally would prefer being off the road during New Years...whether that means buckling down in a hotel or getting home early.

Anyways, I just am not sure what to expect with road conditions. I'm guessing a straight route through St. Louis and Kansas would be dangerous with the possibility of snow.

Does anyone have any recommended routes? Fun places to stop?

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

[Charlie H]

The Airforce Museum in Dayton, Ohio is worth a stop and when in St. Louis, most would consder the Gateway Arch to be a "must see." In both cases, there is an assumption that the government shutdown will be over by then. If the weather is mild as it has been the last couple of years, St. Louis has a wonderful zoo and it's free!!

If you have any interest in auto racing, you could visit the Indianapolis Speedway.

If you have to be in Denver on the 2nd, at the very least you're going to have to be to at least Kansas City on the 1st and that would still leave you a drive of about 600 miles on the 2nd. I personally do not want 600 mile days but if you both can drive, it is doable.

Good luck to you!!

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA forum!

If you are just looking to get from DC to Denver as quickly as possible, then your best bet is basically get on I-70 and head west. That is true at every point of the year.

First of all, it is a little silly to call a route that is used by thousands of people every day dangerous. There certainly is the chance that you will see some snow or ice, but the reality is that there is no way you can get from DC to Denver in December without having the chance of snow or ice. You cant go far enough south to avoid the risk, plus you would have the chance of seeing snow and ice again as you traveled south from dc and back north to denver! You are much better off sticking with a straightforward route - which is going to be perfectly clear the vast majority of time even in winter - and using the extra time it would take you to drive south to wait out a storm if you do see bad weather.

If weather is good, you could make this drive in as little as 3 days, with overnights around Indianapolis and Topeka.

If it does look like I-70 will be seeing bad weather during the time of your trip, you could look at taking I-80, heading up from Pittsburgh through Cleveland, Chicago, and Omaha, before cutting back down on I-76 as you get back into Colorado. It is roughly the same distance as I-70, and it is possible that it would be far enough north to avoid the weather that is hitting I-70, or even more likely, it could be far enough north where you would be seeing snow instead of ice - and Ill take snow over ice every day of the week. The downside of I-80 is that there are many more tolls, and you do have to deal with Chicagoland traffic which can be frustrating.