Cross country route finder

[splitinbend]

So my brother is moving to Bend from Dallas next week, and he's going to be driving a big uhaul rig towing his car. I can't seem to find a route finder site that would let me customize to avoid all mountain passes or potential slick roads. This may not be available out there but anybody in the collective know of an app of this sort, or know the roads well enough to suggest a safe route?

On maps, the third option appears to bypass most pertinent mountainous areas.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dall...acc720d1b4!3e0

[KQ]

So my brother is moving to Bend from Dallas next week, and he's going to be driving a big rig towing his car. I can't seem to find a route finder site that would let me customize to avoid all mountain passes or potential slick roads. This may not be available out there but anybody in the collective know of an app of this sort, or know the roads well enough to suggest a safe route?

I thought MapQuest had an option where you could select features you wanted to avoid.

Edit: "Passes" is not one of the options you can select but it does have "seasonal roads" and "highways" which might help.

[splitinbend]

I tried mapquest and the seasonal road option and here is the route. I can't imagine going north through Montana is a better option.



This route stays east of the Rockies until getting north of CO. Anybody know if going through NM and getting west of the Rockies from the south is better than the mapquest route?

[snoqpass]

Wait until summer

[splitinbend]

Not an option unfortunately

[Tye 1on]

vegas-slc-twin falls?

[Adolf Allerbush]

I think AAA TripTik does it http://www.oregon.aaa.com/resources/default.aspx or at least has options to avoid weather, which might get you what you're looking for.

[riser4]

I can't really think of any major highway that doesn't involve a pass of some kind between anywhere and Bend. And even without mountain passes, crap weather is still crap weather.

[Danno]

Best route to avoid weather and passes would probably be to stay south and drive all the way west into CA, then north, but that's quite a bit longer (3 hours and 300 miles by google).

[butterscotch]

The route through northern MT is hilarious. Lots of time in no man's land then through the mountains south of Glacier National Park. Then wandering through Northern Idaho...Pure fail.

I would avoid the front range and Wyoming. Wyoming is windy.

Best route IMO is across to Flagstaff, then pick up I-15 in Vegas or St. George (a worthy diversion), then rally I-15 north to SLC and on to Bend as in your second route. Pretty much all high desert driving. Only snafu could be SLC where it snows occasionally and the momos can't drive in the stuff.

Danno - you can't be serious, you'd drive all the way to CA to avoid I-15?

Edit: now that I think about it, there's a hudge canyon between Vegas and St. George. I've done it hauling a trailer, but it wasn't my truck pulling it. As if you need another reason to drive through Zion.

[Harry]

So my brother is moving to Bend from Dallas next week.....avoid all mountain passes or potential slick roads

If the Texas bro can't drive in mountainous terrain then maybe he should stay in fucking Texas ?

Just sayin...

[char]

West to I15. North to Twin Falls. West on I84 to Ontario, OR. West on OR20 (not 26!) to Bend. There are a fair number of options to stop and get a hotel when the weather turns. Not advisable to do the Ontario to Bend piece at night in a Uhaul if roads are questionable, can get a little lonely out there and plowing can be hit or miss. Also not sure what the fueling options are after 9pm in Burns.


Or go over to Vegas and head north on 395/97. That's a shitty drive though.

When he gets to Bend tell him to take a class in the low traction car and pony up for snowtires immediately. In fact he should just buy some in Texas and show up prepared.

[splitinbend]

If the Texas bro can't drive in mountainous terrain then maybe he should stay in fucking Texas ?

Just sayin...

Well thanks for that worthless contribution. He's not from Texas, moved there with his cunt wife who bailed on him after two years. And is now moving in with me. He will have a driving partner, and has driven icy roads in Big Bear plenty of times, but he's coming. 97 from Klamath is awful so I'll advise him to come through eastern Oregon. Who wants to live in fucking Texas anyhow? Place is Americas asshole.

West to I15. North to Twin Falls. West on I84 to Ontario, OR. West on OR20 (not 26!) to Bend. There are a fair number of options to stop and get a hotel when the weather turns. Not advisable to do the Ontario to Bend piece at night in a Uhaul if roads are questionable, can get a little lonely out there and plowing can be hit or miss. Also not sure what the fueling options are after 9pm in Burns.


Or go over to Vegas and head north on 395/97. That's a shitty drive though.

When he gets to Bend tell him to take a class in the low traction car and pony up for snowtires immediately. In fact he should just buy some in Texas and show up prepared.

Thanks.

[Danno]

Danno - you can't be serious, you'd drive all the way to CA to avoid I-15?

fuck no. But he asked for routes that avoided mountains and snowy weather. And for an additional 300 miles and 3 hours on such a long drive to begin with, it seems like something his brother might want to consider.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Take I 20 to I 10 and then take I 5 north to Weed and then take US97 to Bend. That is the least mountainous route with likely the best road conditions from Dallas to Bend.

[hutash]

Best route to avoid weather and passes would probably be to stay south and drive all the way west into CA, then north, but that's quite a bit longer (3 hours and 300 miles by google).

This, as for a little snow affect roads go. The few passes you go over are rarely a problem except in the most severe storms, and then they are just wet and sloppy and few of Californians who cant drive in rain let alone snow.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

97 from Klamath is awful so I'll advise him to come through eastern Oregon.

There will be a lot more awful than US 97 between Klamath and Bend on any of the northern routes this time of year. Do you mean awful as in boring? If so, I would agree.

I've been in snow storms in Eastern OR and NV in March and April, December won't be better unless the weather continues as it has been.

[ill-advised strategy]

Take I 20 to I 10 and then take I 5 north to Weed and then take US97 to Bend. That is the least mountainous route with likely the best road conditions from Dallas to Bend.

I would probably suggest this too.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I would probably suggest this too.

I didn't even need an app.

[ill-advised strategy]

although really I think I'd only go the long way if there were going to be storms in Wyoming or Central Oregon. Going up through Denver and Ogden/Boise is not a bad drive unless you hit storms. I'd go for it if the weather is clear.

[zion zig zag]

The route through northern MT is hilarious. Lots of time in no man's land then through the mountains south of Glacier National Park. Then wandering through Northern Idaho...Pure fail.

I would avoid the front range and Wyoming. Wyoming is windy.

Best route IMO is across to Flagstaff, then pick up I-15 in Vegas or St. George (a worthy diversion), then rally I-15 north to SLC and on to Bend as in your second route. Pretty much all high desert driving. Only snafu could be SLC where it snows occasionally and the momos can't drive in the stuff.

Danno - you can't be serious, you'd drive all the way to CA to avoid I-15?

Edit: now that I think about it, there's a hudge canyon between Vegas and St. George. I've done it hauling a trailer, but it wasn't my truck pulling it. As if you need another reason to drive through Zion.

Shit, I've driven mountain roads and snow half my life and I'd take a three hour detour if the weather was bad. St.George to SLC can be every bit as bad as I-80 across Wyoming. I've sat in three hour long traffic jams in the middle of BFE and snowstorms and an extra three hours of good roads would have been preferable.

In other words, watch the weather and plan the trip based on the forecast.

[RShea]

Interstates are going to be your best option as they typically are designed for truck traffic and better grade than most other roads (typically 6 percent or less). Delorme Streets had pretty good selections of types of roads to prefer or avoid (been a while since I have used it though- older versions only with Google maps on the phone), but probably not grade specific without looking at topographical data.

[dtown]

Have done Denver to Seattle and Seattle to Dallas. This time of year, assuming no blizzards, I'd say Dallas --> OKC --> Amarillo --> Raton --> Denver --> Cheyenne --> SLC --> Boise --> Bend. Doesn't avoid all passes but if the weather is good you don't have to worry about much. Raton and I80 can be shitty in snow but not nearly as bad as I70 (in a uhaul) in my opinion. Haven't done it going straight west and then up but that seems like a lot of added time.

[char]

Take I 20 to I 10 and then take I 5 north to Weed and then take US97 to Bend. That is the least mountainous route with likely the best road conditions from Dallas to Bend.

This is a good alternative if things are looking iffy.

[riser4]

The thing about 84 is if you get to where you want to take US 20 and the weather is looking iffy across the Oregon Desert, stop and spend the night or day or whatever the heck time it is. Going up and around on 84 will suck even worse if that whole area has shitty weather. That crazzy hill on 84 on the res before you get to Pendleton is exactly the kind of shit you are trying to route your bro around. You want chains for that hill if it is bad.