Seattle to Phoenix in January, Route Help needed

[Chuckanut]

My oldest is going to drive a 16 foot truck rental truck from Seattle to Phoenix in early January. Towing a small car behind the truck.

I am concerned with road conditions for that trip. It's mainly snow and ice going over mountain passes. There seems to be several suggested routes:

1. I-5 through Washington, Oregon and California. Turn off towards Barstow and head to Arizona. The main issue I see with this route is going over the Sikskiyou pass which is steep and can be snow. That scares me.

2. Other routes go through Oregon, Idaho and cut down the West side of Utah into Arizona.

Any suggestions? The goal is to get to Phoenix safely and in one piece, not set any travel speed records. If you know these areas and routes or part of a route, I would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[ivinsfan]

Well I'd just keep an eagle eye on the weather forecast and decide from there. Does he have any leeway about when he starts the trip?

I'd probably take I 90 to I 84 and down through Western Utah.

 

[Ian S]

I would avoid northern Arizona in January. Why not take the I5 down all the way to the edge of the LA area and make your way to I10 and east on I10 all the way to Phoenix? Time it right and the traffic shouldn't be too terrible. Weather should be OK on I10 into Phoenix.

 

[Ronstar]

I would avoid northern Arizona in January. Why not take the I5 down all the way to the edge of the LA area and make your way to I10 and east on I10 all the way to Phoenix? Time it right and the traffic shouldn't be too terrible. Weather should be OK on I10 into Phoenix.

+1. I would not trust I-40 near Flagstaff. The Flagstaff area gets a bunch of snow.

 

[Ian S]

+1. I would not trust I-40 near Flagstaff. The Flagstaff area gets a bunch of snow.

Yes, and chains are often required on I17 south of Flagstaff. I have (not so) fond memories of a drive back from the Grand Canyon around the end of December or beginning of January. Roads open only to 4WD vehicles with a foot of snow and more falling. I had an AUDI quattro at the time and figured, with its differential locks, it counted. Still a hairy ride until we got far enough south of Flag that the snow turned to rain.

 

[RunningBum]

Interesting that the route I see google maps recommend hasn't been mentioned yet. Get off I-84 at Twin Falls and go south on US 93 thru Vegas. I don't know if eastern Nevada is something to avoid but I think I'd rather have desolate than crowded. I know little about these areas in general.

As said earlier, I would watch weather and pick a route least likely to have a big storm at that time. Ideally be a little flexible on the dates too.

 

[cathy63]

My oldest is going to drive a 16 foot truck rental truck from Seattle to Phoenix in early January. Towing a small car behind the truck.

I am concerned with road conditions for that trip. It's mainly snow and ice going over mountain passes. There seems to be several suggested routes:

1. I-5 through Washington, Oregon and California. Turn off at Barstow and head to Arizona. The main issue I see with this route is going over the Sikskiyou pass which is steep and can be snow. That scares me.

I-5 doesn't go through Barstow. That's where I-15, I-40 and and SR-58 meet. I guess you're suggesting to take SR-58 from I-5 to Barstow and then I-40 from there? It's been a long time since I drove that part of 58, but I think it would be o.k. as long as there's no snow in the Tehachapis and he crosses the pass during the day (even without snow, there could be ice, so best not to do it at night). He also has to figure out the best way to get from I-40 to Phoenix with that route. I'm not very familiar with the north/south highways in AZ.

 

[cathy63]

I would avoid northern Arizona in January. Why not take the I5 down all the way to the edge of the LA area and make your way to I10 and east on I10 all the way to Phoenix? Time it right and the traffic shouldn't be too terrible. Weather should be OK on I10 into Phoenix.

This would work too, as long as there's no snow on the Grapevine. If there's any bad weather on that pass, the driver of a rental truck towing a car should find somewhere to hole up until it passes.

 

[Ian S]

He also has to figure out the best way to get from I-40 to Phoenix with that route. I'm not very familiar with the north/south highways in AZ.

He would have to take US 93 from Kingman south otherwise there's nothing really before Flagstaff and as I've noted, the weather can be bad around Flagstaff where the elevation is ~7500 feet. US 93 is fairly scenic but still is two lane in places. It's not too high in elevation so the weather would be far less problematic than I40 to Flag and I17 south from there.

 

[aaronc879]

This would work too, as long as there's no snow on the Grapevine. If there's any bad weather on that pass, the driver of a rental truck towing a car should find somewhere to hole up until it passes.

This is what I would do. I5 down to LA then I10 to Phoenix. Wait until weather is good to start then wait again somewhere along the route if needed. Don't proceed into any moutains if there is snow in the forecast.

 

[Chuckanut]

So far nobody has mentioned crossing the Siskiyou Pass in southern Oregon going into Northern California. Is that not a big problem?

 

[SecondCor521]

So far nobody has mentioned crossing the Siskiyou Pass in southern Oregon going into Northern California. Is that not a big problem?

I only drove Siskyou Pass once, a long time ago, but I don't recall it being scary. Although I didn't cross it in winter.

Between Seattle and Boise, there are only two places that would concern me. First is Snoqualmie Pass on I90 just outside Seattle which has long inclines in places, is rainy/snowy, and has lots of traffic.

Second area of concern would be the Blues Mountains in OR (I84 just east of Pendleton). Although the direction he'd be traveling has a more gradual descent over the Blues than the reverse. The Blues generally have a ton of snow and a lot of trailer trucks. But if he runs into trouble at least there is traffic that'll stop and help.

Between Boise and the southern borders of Nevada and Utah, I wouldn't worry about much, except that Nevada in January could very well be empty, so if he runs into trouble on a rural highway it could be hours before someone else passes by. Not so much a problem if he stays on Interstates. Given that, I'd probably suggest the route that Google does through Utah, instead of either of the Nevada routes. The Utah route is going to have more traffic.

Once Google goes off I-15 in southern Utah, I don't know what to tell you; haven't driven that route.

Are you worried about weather, traffic, or mechanical breakdown the most?

 

[homestead]

One year the Siskiyou Pass was blocked in Dec. so we had to go to the Oregon coast to go south into northern california. At some point then we cut back to I5. We used to go I5 south to LA and then I10 to AZ many times. Then we started taking 138 to palmdale and from there to san bernadino to bypass most of LA and then back to I10.

 

[Scrapr]

I would watch Tripcheck closely. The forecasts are very good a few days out. My brother & SIL are driving from Salem to Surprise AZ in a week or so. He said today that the hotels in Ca are requiring 14 day stay. So he was going to go through Tonopah & Vegas. I might go down I-5 then cross on Hwy 58 to Central Oregon. 58 is a lower elevation pass than 26 or Hwy 22 (Santiam Pass) Stay on Hwy 97 to K Falls & into Nevada. I like to stay on well traveled routes so at least someone sees me go into the gorge to my death. Under no circumstances would I get a rental truck towing a car into a place where chains were required.

https://tripcheck.com/



I am pretty sure Ca has some version of Tripcheck

 

[tulak]

How is Hwy 101 during January?

I've driven both Hwy 101 and I-5, but never during winter. I wonder if they could cut over to Hwy 101 from I-5 and then cut back to I-5 at some point?

 

[Ian S]

I would watch Tripcheck closely. The forecasts are very good a few days out. My brother & SIL are driving from Salem to Surprise AZ in a week or so. He said today that the hotels in Ca are requiring 14 day stay. So he was going to go through Tonopah & Vegas. I might go down I-5 then cross on Hwy 58 to Central Oregon. 58 is a lower elevation pass than 26 or Hwy 22 (Santiam Pass) Stay on Hwy 97 to K Falls & into Nevada. I like to stay on well traveled routes so at least someone sees me go into the gorge to my death. Under no circumstances would I get a rental truck towing a car into a place where chains were required.

https://tripcheck.com/


I am pretty sure Ca has some version of Tripcheck

Well, that changes the calculation then. Best I suppose to avoid California overnight stays. If coming down through Nevada then one practical route to Phoenix would be US 93 through Kingman and then down through Wickenberg and on to Phoenix via US 60. Or US 95 south from Vegas which goes through Cali for a bit but puts you onto I10 near the Cali Arizona border. From there it's a direct shot into Phoenix. I've never driven the US95 but the US93 ought to be OK if a bit quiet with respect to traffic until you get to Wickenberg. Of course I10 is a busy interstate all the way.

 

[cathy63]

... He said today that the hotels in Ca are requiring 14 day stay...

That's a good point that I didn't consider in my replies yesterday. California is divided into 5 regions for Covid hospitalization metrics and when a region is under stay-home orders, hotels are not permitted to have guests from out of state for other than essential travel unless they have a reservation long enough to accommodate the required quarantine. (These are the official rules. Whether all hotels are following them if you just show up is a different issue.) Right now all but the northernmost region is under these orders, and it would take at least 11 hours driving time to cross the locked-down portion of California if he went that way. I think we'll probably get freed up around the end of January, so if he needs to make this trip before then he should choose another route.

Covid is also bad in Arizona and Nevada, but my family members in those states report that they are less locked down than we are. Utah was one of the earliest to have a 14-day quarantine for travelers. They lifted it over the summer, but it might be a good idea to check and see if they've reinstated it before routing through there.

 

[ivinsfan]

So if you get caught in a storm or your car breaks down in CA your only option is to pay for 14 nights in a hotel room? That literally boggles the mind. Of course no one with a brain writing the rules realizes there is no way to force you to stay in a hotel the entire 14 days.

 

[Chuckanut]

Thanks for a lot of good suggestions.

I had totally forgot about Flagstaff's height issues, but now that it has been mentioned I remember being in Flagstaff in the Spring and having to deal with snow.

My big concern is weather. And lonely roads are probably not an option since this child is a female. She will be traveling with a female friend. I don't want them stranded with no cell coverage. Becoming a father only takes a few minutes. Being a daddy lasts forever.

California's hotel rule, I assume that is for people staying in the state. Surely, those passing through are not a big Covid threat. They will spend most of their time in a vehicle, rest stops, fast food take out lines, and maybe a hotel room.

 

[stepford]

I've only driven the northern portion of the route (north of Sacramento) in the summer months, but have driven 101, 5 and 10 many times in all seasons over 40+ years. I can't remember ever seeing snow on the 101 or 10. 5 does get snow in the Gorman pass (Grapevine summit) but nowhere else in SoCal.

Personally I would do as others have suggested and take I-5 to I-10, but watch the weather when going through Northern CA. If it looks snowy around Gorman then it's easy to jump over on the 580 at Tracy to the 680 and go down the 101 which connects to I-10 (via 134 and 210) in the LA area. This adds 2-3 hours to the trip compared to going straight down the 5 but pretty much eliminates weather risk.

The issue with lodging in SoCal is real. The rules are in place to discourage interstate driving. If doing so I'd try to time the drive to pass through in one marathon day (say 8 hours from the eastern SF Bay Area to Blythe on the AZ border if you take the 5, maybe 11 if you have to divert to the 101 route).

 

[Ronstar]

Someone above mentioned going through Las Vegas, and Kingman and Wickenburg Az on Rte 93 to Phoenix. That route could work too. Flagstaff is at 7500', Kingman at 3000', Wickenburg at 2000'.

Wickenburg and Kingman should be below the snow line. Although I've seen snow in North Scottsdale around 2400' a few times in 17 winters there. 8" once a couple of years ago.

 

[cathy63]

California's hotel rule, I assume that is for people staying in the state. Surely, those passing through are not a big Covid threat. They will spend most of their time in a vehicle, rest stop fast food take out line, and maybe a hotel room.

California's hotel rule applies to all non-essential travelers. There's really no such thing as "passing through" right now, because everyone who enters the state is supposed to immediately quarantine.

Hotels probably won't take reservations because that leaves a paper trail showing they violated the health order and there are actual penalties for that if anyone decides to enforce them. I suspect some will allow overnight stays if you just show up, but I don't know how you plan your stops in advance without knowing.

I am assuming they are not moving to Arizona to perform essential work? If they are, then some document demonstrating their employment status should be sufficient.

From the state's Covid pages here

How does the Regional Stay Home Order impact travel?

Hotels and lodging cannot accept or honor out-of-state reservations for non-essential travel, unless the reservation is for at least the minimum time period required for quarantine and the persons identified in the reservation will quarantine in the hotel or lodging entity until after that time period has expired.

When the Regional Stay Home Order is in effect in a region, hotels and lodging can only offer accommodation for COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures, treatment measures, accommodation for essential workers, or providing housing solutions, including measures to protect homeless populations.

Additionally, the Travel Advisory remains in effect.

 

[SecondCor521]

My big concern is weather. And lonely roads are probably not an option since this child is a female. She will be traveling with a female friend. I don't want them stranded with no cell coverage. Becoming a father only takes a few minutes. Being a daddy lasts forever.

I have a DD19. I hear you.

If your child and her friend are college age and reasonably responsible drivers, then the route through Ellensburg / Pendleton / Boise / SLC would be "safe enough" in my opinion - although that's just input for you; it's obviously up to you and your child to decide what is safe enough for you. There is cell coverage all along that route, and generally plenty of traffic even in relatively bad weather.

Again, the only tough part is over the Blues. You can actually see real time camera views, and I think even weather reports and road issues at tripcheck.com. And Oregon is pretty good with their road maintenance - they have plows and sanders going over that part of the route pretty much 24/7 if needed.

 

[Crabby Mike]

I can only comment on the Las Vegas-Kingman-Phoenix part of the route, but it will be fine. We do it a couple of times every winter in an RV, without issues. FWIW, that part of US 93 will become I-11, and is already labeled as such coming out of Las Vegas.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Someone above mentioned going through Las Vegas, and Kingman and Wickenburg Az on Rte 93 to Phoenix. That route could work too. Flagstaff is at 7500', Kingman at 3000', Wickenburg at 2000'.

Wickenburg and Kingman should be below the snow line. Although I've seen snow in North Scottsdale around 2400' a few times in 17 winters there. 8" once a couple of years ago.

And the LV/Kingman route only adds about 20' compared to going through Flagstaff.