Traveling from BillingsMontana to st.george early March.. any ideas on route.

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
tanglemoose

tanglemoose

Well-known member
Joined
May 14, 2013
Posts
698
Headed south for first time in winter.... and never this far... do you prefer interstate or two lanes... thinking we should avoid south pass... anyone travel this route.... places to stay along the way, thanks ahead of time!
 
I'm now bypassing a lot of the two lane roads I used to take in favor of 4 lane highways. That's to avoid head-on collisions with the people who now drive distracted...think cellphone texting, etc. 

Really really bad around our area.

I think you'd be better off using the interstates unless you know the two lane roads are clear and ice free.
 
Watch the weather.  Utah and Idaho have had some of the largest snow storms in March.  They are usually short lived and the roads are often clear within a couple days.

Interstates are usually the first to be cleared.
 
be sure you have road service(coach net ,good sam,ect) as there will be some serious pot holes along the way.
most rv parks will still be closed this time of year so plan accordingly .
 
Wondering how salt lake area is for traffic.... considering our town doesn't even have stop light we like to avoid...
 
Watch the weather, as a PP said. As for route, I would recommend I90 to MT 55 to MT 41 toward Dillon, MT. Pick up I-15 there and take it though SLC to St. George. It is a good compromise between taking interstate all the way since you go so far out of your way to hit 15 from 90. However if the weather is bad and you still have to go, stay on the interstate the entire way. It will take a lot longer though. As for going through SLC, as long as you drive it between 9 and 3 you will be fine. If you hit it at rush hour, you will regret it. I live here and I know! I would recommend taking I-15 directly rather than one of the I-215 belt loops.

It is about 5 hours from SLC to St. George. If you decide to stay in SLC, I recommend the KOA on South Temple St. it is right across the street from the light rail that will take you straight to the downtown area with Temple Square and other neat historic sites. Pony Express is also a good one, but no light rail. I don't have recommendations for campgrounds north of there since we generally drive from SLC to Bozeman.
 
Thanks@!!! We are planning on the cutoff before Butte, don't want to do that pass... how is the Monida pass we have driven I 90 all the way to Spokane and all the passes, never been south on  1 15.....

Yes watching weather... have great weather now but weren't ready... so now I am seeing the long forecast is not good.. ugh have week at zion starting March 5th... may have to change ?

This is our first trip south.. and don't want to drive on ice... any suggestions for place to stay south of Pocatello...
 
We stayed one night at Century RV Park in Ogden which was ok. Right next to interstate but a lot quieter than we expected. Folks there helpful and friendly.

There was an air museum nearby which looked good, was closed when we were there unfortunately.
 
There aren't a lot of places open that time of year. Just a short way north of Pocatello is a campground at an Indian Casino. It is very new, but it looked nice when we drove by last year. The name is Buffalo Meadows. I seemed to remember it was reasonably priced but not free (full hookups). We slopped by to see the very interesting museum there at Fort Hall. I recommend that. I also highly recommend the Air museum associated with Hill AFB just off the highway in Ogden. Wonderful, and it has parking for big vehicles that time of year.

If you need to leave a bit earlier than your current reservations allow, there are a number of parks in St. George where you could spend a few extra days.
 
Thanks for info everyone... we want to leave Dillon, Montana in am and get thru Salt Lake during non commuter traffic... idea of how far south to go to be out of this traffic.. and where to stay South of there.... want to be on South side so we will miss traffic in am....

Now if this weather will clear for a few days! We would really be happy!
 
http://www.mountain-shadows.com/ 

That's where we stay every other year when we go to SLC for our family reunion. Spots are a bit tight but it is close to I15 and restaurants are nearby as is a Camping World. 
 
UTTransplant said:
Watch the weather, as a PP said. As for route, I would recommend I90 to MT 55 to MT 41 toward Dillon, MT. Pick up I-15 there and take it though SLC to St. George. It is a good compromise between taking interstate all the way since you go so far out of your way to hit 15 from 90. However if the weather is bad and you still have to go, stay on the interstate the entire way. It will take a lot longer though. As for going through SLC, as long as you drive it between 9 and 3 you will be fine. If you hit it at rush hour, you will regret it. I live here and I know! I would recommend taking I-15 directly rather than one of the I-215 belt loops.

It is about 5 hours from SLC to St. George. If you decide to stay in SLC, I recommend the KOA on South Temple St. it is right across the street from the light rail that will take you straight to the downtown area with Temple Square and other neat historic sites. Pony Express is also a good one, but no light rail. I don't have recommendations for campgrounds north of there since we generally drive from SLC to Bozeman.
Click to expand...

Decided to stay North of Salt Lake as I think we can avoid the traffic better that way the next day. Staying at BY, and then can get up leisurely and travel the 15.  Are you talking about 5 hours to St. George after say Provo???? Interesting you say to avoid the 215 loop our neighbor recommended it today when they go with their camper??? Wondered why you say the avoid the 215 South Loop??  thanks for the info! Enjoy getting first hand info!
 
It is 5 hours from downtown SLC to St. George. You could take 5.5 or 6, depending on your speed and how many times you stop. Nice straightforward drive with slow vehicle lanes on the passes. As for the bypass (215) in SLC, it is great until you have to rejoin 15 across multiple lanes of traffic. A royal pain with a big vehicle though I do it in a car a lot. I highly recommend just staying on 15, and I live just off 215! There is also construction on 215 right now that has narrow lanes and split lanes. Not something I recommend for your first trip through town since you said your town is pretty rural.
 
I go to SLC every two years and would also suggest staying on I15 the whole way.  As a side note I found the drivers in SLC very courteous.

I counted 6 times when I turned on my turn signals to change lanes the people dropped back and allowed me to change lanes right away.  Amazing. Maybe they noticed my California plates and were leery of me but, whatever the reason, I was a happy camper.
 
Arch Hoagland said:
I go to SLC every two years and would also suggest staying on I15 the whole way.  As a side note I found the drivers in SLC very courteous.

I counted 6 times when I turned on my turn signals to change lanes the people dropped back and allowed me to change lanes right away.  Amazing. Maybe they noticed my California plates and were leery of me but, whatever the reason, I was a happy camper.
Click to expand...
Utah drivers are generally good, and the SLC highways are great, a legacy of the Olympics. Lots of lanes. I just get to the lane second to the right and cruise right through town at 65. Oh, and it is hilarious to hear folks from Utah complain about their roads or drivers. I travelled a lot on business before I retired, and I spent more hours than I ever wanted to in Boston, Chicago, and LA. SLC is a breeze compared to those (lived here 5 years now).
 
You shouldn't have a problem. Just keep on I-15 the entire way. Do you have the UDOT app? It is really good to show slowdowns or incidents. It comes in Android and iPhone versions. The weather shows rain coming in, but that shouldn't be a problem.
 
on: Today at 05:15:24 PM ?
Quote
You shouldn't have a problem. Just keep on I-15 the entire way. Do you have the UDOT app? It is really good to show slowdowns or incidents. It comes in Android and iPhone versions. The weather shows rain coming in, but that shouldn't be a problem.

What is the u dot app for utah??
 
tanglemoose said:
on: Today at 05:15:24 PM ?
What is the u dot app for utah??
Click to expand...
UDOT -> Utah Department of Transportation. It is an app that shows road conditions throughout the state. You can see traffic conditions, live, construction issues, and it has links to all the live cameras the state manages (hundreds). We consult it on a regular basis. I have downloaded DOT apps from any other states, but the one from UDOT is the best I have seen. You can find it on the Google store or the Apple Store. Just search for UDOT. It is free.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,129 (members: 24, guests: 1,105)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,933
Posts
1,387,742
Members
137,684
Latest member
kstoybox
Back
Top Bottom