Texas to Lake Lanier Margaritaville Georgia

[Skipper]

Will travel I-20. The questions is whether to go thru Atlanta (do not want to travel on 285) or take a Northern route maybe from Birmingham to Rome to Cumming to Lake Lanier. Traveling in a Class A Motorhome with car dolly.

 

[ziplock]

Is this issue still there:

lake lanier georgia - Bing video

www.bing.com

 

[John From Detroit]

I would avoid Atlanta if you can go north.. 285 is not as bad as The UI-75 parking lot
"
OR try to hit at a low traffic time (like 3AM)

I go to Lake Lanier from time to time but I cheat. I hop down at the speed of light (literally)
(Ok Ok so I do not physically go there.. As a Ham Radio operator I use Remote Hams to connect to a host radio that is on the Lake side of Buford GA. or to the co-net control on the Mall of Ga side)
(normally i'd not do a net via a remote as I don't want to tie up the radio for an hour but .. As it's the Net Control's radio. it's already tied. in fact remote tuning is disabled. local only).

 

[ziplock]

in fact remote tuning is disabled. local only).

Oh, thought so, thanks.

 

[Skipper]

Is this issue still there:

lake lanier georgia - Bing video

www.bing.com

Been traveling thru Atlanta for 22 years but on twice in a motorhome. Many drivers have no regard for motorhome operations except stay out of their way. They drive too fast weaving in and out of traffic; tail gate each other and slam on the brakes. Add a tow dolly and your pucker factor goes up. Just trying to get to the destination the less stressful and safest route.

 

[Aaron5er]

Skipper
I lived in Buford for about 25 years and now about 40 miles north of Buford Dam on the I - 85, I - 985 side.

I came back from Arizona in January pulling a 36' 5er and took 59 north out of Birmingham to Chattanooga on my way home, to shop for a toy hauler.
59 was like a bronco ride for 50-60 miles and I felt beat up but it did get better further north.
I doubt I'll take that route again.

2 weeks ago I came home from Texas on I-20 pulling my 42' 5er and took 285 N at 4pm to I-85 N. Traffic was not as bad as I had expected.

I have pulled through Atlanta with both Rigs.
20 through downtown has some sharp curves that can sneak up on you. That's why I took 285 N this time.
285 N wasn't bad.
I stayed in the 4th lane from the left and I believe there were 2 places that only 3 lanes were available to stay on 285.
Yes I certainly agree that we're in the way of the locals that zip in & out of traffic, block the travel lanes so they can exit without a clue of what it takes to stop our rigs.

Hope this helps you out some.
Let us know what route you decided to take and how it went.

 

[JudyJB]

I just left Old Federal Campground (Corps of Engineers) this morning. I was there a total of ten days, and while I did not go boating, I saw a lot of boats and sailboats on the lake and never saw any oil sheen or abandoned boats of any sorts. Lots of birds and ducks around. Old Federal is just a couple of peninsulas northeast of Margaritaville.

First, the water level is pretty high because of rains this summer, and the water looked pretty clean and clear. I saw a lot of people swimming and no notices of any closed beaches. Old Federal is one of my favorite campgrounds, especially since the cost is only $13 per night for a paved site with water and electric if you have the senior pass. And every RV site has a view of the lake and almost all are directly on the lake.

I have also driven through and around Atlanta with my motorhome several times over the years, and had no problems, as long as you time it for mid-day or on a Sunday. Today was a bit stressful, but the traffic kept moving at 65 MPH on the eastern arm of I-285 with no real problems. Just watch your lane and the guy next to you. I pretty much stick to following truckers anyway through difficult areas. Certainly not any worse than driving through the Bay Area in California!!

 

[regval]

I live in Lawrenceville, GA and pull a 33ft 5th wheel Heartland. I suggest exiting I20 at the west loop of I285 and stay on I285 towards I85 N. Travel in the 3rd or 4th lane from the left median as best you can. There’s always slowdowns near GA 400 and construction in that area. Take I85 N to I985 N towards Lake Lanier. 10AM-2PM or 9PM-5AM are best low traffic times on I 285 / I85 but I’ve been thu in the middle of rush hour and other than frustration at the idiots, no issues.
Safe Travels

 

[Skipper]

Skipper
I lived in Buford for about 25 years and now about 40 miles north of Buford Dam on the I - 85, I - 985 side.

I came back from Arizona in January pulling a 36' 5er and took 59 north out of Birmingham to Chattanooga on my way home, to shop for a toy hauler.
59 was like a bronco ride for 50-60 miles and I felt beat up but it did get better further north.
I doubt I'll take that route again.

2 weeks ago I came home from Texas on I-20 pulling my 42' 5er and took 285 N at 4pm to I-85 N. Traffic was not as bad as I had expected.

I have pulled through Atlanta with both Rigs.
20 through downtown has some sharp curves that can sneak up on you. That's why I took 285 N this time.
285 N wasn't bad.
I stayed in the 4th lane from the left and I believe there were 2 places that only 3 lanes were available to stay on 285.
Yes I certainly agree that we're in the way of the locals that zip in & out of traffic, block the travel lanes so they can exit without a clue of what it takes to stop our rigs.

Hope this helps you out some.
Let us know what route you decided to take and how it went.

Thought we would take 59 to Gadsden. How was the road to about that point? Then Gadsden toward Rome to Cumming. Believe I pickup 411 to Canton into Cumming to Buford. Google Map shows A few spots where road narrows to 2 lanes but overall doesn't seem too bad. It's that route or thru Atlanta.

 

[Aaron5er]

If I recall correctly the roughest part of 59 was between Birmingham and Gadsten then got better. But it's certainly doable. I'm sure you know we just slow down on the bouncing roads.
I'm not familiar with between Gadsten and Rome.
It looks like you're thinking of hwy 20 between 75 and Cumming then on to Buford. It's been quite a while since driving it but it is a smaller state hwy and small towns to go through along with more stopping and red lights.
In late February I drove hwy 20 between Cumming and Buford. They were widening that stretch to 4 lanes for the last few years and not too bad.
I wouldn't consider your projected route terrible.
I chose to stay on 75 S to 285 to 85 N back in January instead of hwy 20 to Buford from I-75.
Maybe Regval can chime in again also since he's in Lawrenceville just past Buford on hwy 20.
Again, I hope this helps you out some.

 

[Skipper]

If I recall correctly the roughest part of 59 was between Birmingham and Gadsten then got better. But it's certainly doable. I'm sure you know we just slow down on the bouncing roads.
I'm not familiar with between Gadsten and Rome.
It looks like you're thinking of hwy 20 between 75 and Cumming then on to Buford. It's been quite a while since driving it but it is a smaller state hwy and small towns to go through along with more stopping and red lights.
In late February I drove hwy 20 between Cumming and Buford. They were widening that stretch to 4 lanes for the last few years and not too bad.
I wouldn't consider your projected route terrible.
I chose to stay on 75 S to 285 to 85 N back in January instead of hwy 20 to Buford from I-75.
Maybe Regval can chime in again also since he's in Lawrenceville just past Buford on hwy 20.
Again, I hope this helps you out some.

Thank you for the reply. Have traveled from Lawrenceville to Rome to Birmingham many years ago. Road wasn't bad then; nice drive. It's going to be a trade between interstate Atlanta traffic and small towns. We have a daughter in Cumming and another in Flowery Branch. Have traveled 20 many times. We are going for a grandson wedding. Will update this after the trip.

 

[Alontheway]

What REgval said. You don't even go through Atlanta (inside the perimeter/285) to get to the Lake from Alabama if you are going to the 400 side. You take I-285 around to Hwy 400. If going to the i-85 side (Gainesville) then you might route through Atlanta to 85, but can take i285 also.
It all depends on the time of day. Avoid rush hour like the plague. It will be in full swing at 3pm, and run til 8pm at least. Heading up 400 is a traffic nightmare, and i85 is only slightly less worse. If you go against rush hour in the morning then heading away from town is not so bad.
Yes, i20 inside the perimeter is scary for out of towners. I am always amazed how bad the local drivers are when I return from a long trip. Not uncommon for home boy to make his exit from lane 5 to the exit ramp in the last 40 feet, cutting across everyone's front bumper. Just maintain your speed and they will probably miss hitting you.
The section from 285 along i20 to i85 is just a few miles and I bet you can make it.
I would NOT advise trying a northern route. This is ALL backroads and will add hours to your trip.

 

[Skipper]

UPDATE: Just returned from Margaritaville. Stayed there 8 days; wonderful place. Got there by going around Atlanta via Gadsden to Canton to Cumming. I59 out of Birmingham was somewhat rough to where the loop connected back in. Road from Gadsden to Canton was good but 2 lanes in some locations. Road at Canton was Under construction with some backup. After Canton it was easy go. Travel in Cumming along 20 was easy around 2 pm to destination.

My son-in-law suggested taking 85 to 285 east for return trip so we did. Left about 9:30 am. Some stop and go on 85 but once on 285east, traffic moved non stop. Got back on 85 south without a problem and kept on going.

Georgia is a beautiful state to visit. Thanks to all for your input.

 

[Aaron5er]

Thanks for the update....
Nice to hear your route was a good one for y'all and everything went great.
Glad you enjoyed your time in Georgia!
I'm heading to Buford today to see my grandkids.
We'll head over to San Angelo TX in 6-8 weeks and wander around for a few months before heading to Alaska for the summer.

Safe travels

 

[Skipper]

Thanks for the update....
Nice to hear your route was a good one for y'all and everything went great.
Glad you enjoyed your time in Georgia!
I'm heading to Buford today to see my grandkids.
We'll head over to San Angelo TX in 6-8 weeks and wander around for a few months before heading to Alaska for the summer.

Safe travels

Sounds like great plans ahead. Stay safe. And, welcome to Texas!