Route from Seattle to Grand Canyon (early - mid March)

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braduah

Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
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11
Fellow RVers...

We are relocating to Florida and planning a family road trip with my wife, 4 kids, and two dogs.  We are leaving out from Seattle on March 8th and planning to get to Merritt Island, FL by the 17th or 18th.  I'm mostly concerned about the weather during this time frame, specifically from Seattle to the Grand Canyon.  We have a 34' gas pusher and will not be towing.

Here is the route we are planning to take:  I-5 (Seattle) to I-84 (Portland through Boise), picking up I-15 in Salt Lake City and picking up I-40 in Las Vegas. 

The main question....are there any major passes along this route we should be concerned with?  If for some reason there is some minor snow, do they plow the roads?  We will not be carrying chains, as if the roads are in that type of condition, I will prefer to wait it out vs risking it with my entire family.

Any inputs or help would be greatly appreciated!
 
With Boise ID elevation around 2700' and Salt Lake City at 4,000+ and similar elevations down the I15 corridor of Utah, I would suspect snow would be a very distinct possibility early and mid March. But the good news would be good snow removal is necessary on the Interstates.
 
Snow is a definite possibility on I-15.  We've driven on I-15 in Utah and been in snow the first week of May.  If there's any chance of snow I might be inclined to head straight south with Siskiyou Summit at the Oregon/California border and snow country south beyond Mt. Shasta, but you'd probably get out of snow country faster using I-5.  Maybe others will chime in on that comment.  In case you're tempted to use the Reno-Las Vegas route (U.S. 95) there are several passes in Nevada that are in the 6,000-7,000 ft. range and they also get snow.  It all depends on the severity of the winter and how far south it extends.

Regardless, keep a close watch on the weather systems moving in from the Pacific.  But you already know that if you live in Seattle!

ArdraF
 
Brad,  You won't be picking up I40 in Vegas.  I 15 and I 40 cross in Barstow, Ca.  You would have to take 93 from I 15 to catch I 40 in Kingman Az.
 
Thanks for the clarification...yes, we plan to pick up the 93 in order to get from the 15 to the 40.
 
Why go so far east then back west?  I5 to Sacramento, I80 to Reno and US395 might be a more direct route.  Or for a more scenic, I90 to US97 south to LaPine 31 SE to Lakeview, 395 thri Alturus into Reno
 
Made the trip from Seattle to Salt Lake City via Portland twice in the last several years.  Crossing the Blue mountains between Pendleton and La Grande Or., Cabbage Hill to Deadman Pass, is one place to look out for in winter.
 
i have driven all the above routes plus going thru twin falls many times. i would let the weather and road conditions dictate your choice. i prefer going through susanville and reno to 95 as there are less large cities to deal with .
 
We also use the shorter Mt. Shasta to Susanville to Reno route, but it also can be dicey if the weather is bad.  It's a good road surface but is up and down and sometimes has a lot of lumber trucks (although they tend to move pretty fast!).  Southbound has a steep hill with very low speed limit going into Susanville because there's a sharp right turn at the bottom of the hill as you enter town.  We usually don't take it in the winter, instead going south to Bakersfield and across the Tehachapi range to Barstow.

ArdraF
 
Wow, that is going to be a tough trip.  It looks like you will need to average over 300 miles per day for ten days.  In March you can definitely hit snow on I 40.  I am not certain where you are going to cut South, but there is a hard pull out of Albuquerque.  Snow in March is a possibility in AZ or NM.  If the forecast is bad, consider I5 to LA.  Yes, LA.  You should hit it on the weekend.  The traffic is not that bad on the weekends.  The grapevine, North of LA, is a hard pull.  There is also a long grade from Indio going East.  I think it is 6%.  From I 5 take I 210 to HW 59 to I 10.  Follow I10 to FL then I 95 to your destination.  Traffic will be a problems in the large cities, but less weather problems this way.  Good luck on your trip.
 
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