Driving from Chicago to Seattle/Portland in March. What route is best?

[TurtleCrusher]

I am driving a 99 Saturn (1.9L, FWD, ~38.5-41MPG Highway) from Chicago to Seattle or Portland come March 1st-5th when I graduate my Navy school. What is the best and safest route?It will be me and my lady with the back seats packed. Least snow/inclines the better.

Any tips?

UPDATE!

I did the trip. I left on the 2nd at noon and got to Seattle at 6pm last night. I took I-80 and I-84 the whole way. Wyoming and Iowa was the worst. In Iowa i saw tons of jackknifed trucks and cars wrecked on the snow right after a snow storm. Wyoming was very hard on my car. 50+mph sustained winds and a snow storm kept my car under 45mph the first 245 miles. Idaho was a breeze and Blue Mountain in Oregon was beautiful.

I made it from Great Lakes Illinois to Lincoln Nebraska, then the next night I got to Tremonton Utah, then Seattle Washington.

 

[Miramonti]

There is really only one route.

 

[herm0016]

how far out of your way do you want to go? I would take 80 to salt lake, then north on 84. I live in rock springs, and travel I 80 all the time.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

how far out of your way do you want to go? I would take 80 to salt lake, then north on 84. I live in rock springs, and travel I 80 all the time.

Yep!

Its I-80, they keep it clear due to so much traffic so carry chains but don't expect to use em.

 

[Printer Bandit]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=directions+chicago+to+seattle

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=directions+chicago+to+portland

 

[skyking]

I90 has been pretty rough for the last few years. I've done the 80 thing with a semi out and back once. Only snow problems will be around Salt Lake unless a big storm is blowing through.

 

[EagleKeeper]

how far out of your way do you want to go? I would take 80 to salt lake, then north on 84. I live in rock springs, and travel I 80 all the time.

This
80 slips through Rockies without serious grades. 90 is trouble.

 

[KillerCharlie]

Either way, 90% of the scenery is depressing...

 

[herm0016]

Either way, 90% of the scenery is depressing...

90% is beautiful if you have any appreciation for the earth and how those things were formed.

from experience, I would not drive 90 in the winter if I could avoid it, plus, when you get to Wyoming you will have to go north more than you need to around Yellowstone and up to Spokane.

80 is a very good road. the worst spots will be Elk mountain between Cheyenne and Rawlins and then the pass at the Utah border. 84 is usually good up through Boise and then you are pretty much home free. I drive Elk mountain every 2 weeks and go to salt lake a few times each winter. I was in Michigan last week, took 80 all the way to Gary, IN.

 

[SKORPI0]

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Thank you for the informative posts, except for the lmgtfy douche. Id like to know from people with experience on these forums. I've been looking around and have seen very conflicting advice on I-90. I'm going to Portland, but a trip up to Seattle for a day would be good if I took 90. My dad who is a trucker (30yrs) also suggested 80 to 84. I am hesitant for this trip as I drive a very light economy car that can be seriously moved by wind. If I get stuck, does 80 have a lot of traffic and small towns?

TIA.

 

[Born2bwire]

That's the way I did it, but I went to Portland first. The one thing I would mention is that there are not many hotels or anything west of Cheyenne in Wyoming. I would bunk there for the night and if you get a good and early start you can probably get into Portland in the late night (may just want to do another day if you are going first to Seattle).

I drove from Champaign to Portland and did it in two days but I started at like 5 AM or 6 AM each day. I got into Cheyenne around 9 PM which was good but since you are starting in Chicago you could probably get in about that time while starting around 8 AM I guess.

 

[herm0016]

it does get very windy, but you will be fine, as there are towns every 50 miles at a maximum and there is tons of traffic.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I did the drive from Toledo, OH to Seattle in September of '04. Just stayed on I-90 the whole way and didn't have any real problems. For me, it was a 3-day trip (Toledo, OH to Mitchell, SD; Mitchell, SD to Butte, MT; Butte, MT to Seattle, WA). I don't recall having issues with the mountains, but the weather is probably a bit different in early September than it is in March and I was driving my grandfather's big ol' V8 Lincoln at the time. It wasn't that great on gas (~27 mpg at a steady 75), but it just plain didn't care what the incline was; it just torqued itself right along.

Still, either way if you stick to the interstates things should be fine. Just carry a set of chains as a precaution. Barring a freak storm though, the interstates are usually pretty well kept so there shouldn't be issues whichever way you take.

ZV

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Op updated

 

[FoBoT]

glad you made it safe
where are you stationed? bremerton? or Everett? Oak Harbor?

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Reservist out of Portland.

 

[MotF Bane]

Oh, I would've said run through South Dakota and detour to Mt. Rushmore.

 

[SKORPI0]

52 hours driving, not bad at all. I've had my share of long distance driving, very enjoyable to see the scenery.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

52 hours driving, not bad at all. I've had my share of long distance driving, very enjoyable to see the scenery.

32 approx. I spent the night in Nebraska and Utah.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Oh, I would've said run through South Dakota and detour to Mt. Rushmore.

I looked it up before I left and there were more possible severe weather alerts posted, so we decided on I-80.

 

[Deeko]

I am sorry to hear you are now in this hippy infested swampland.

 

[herm0016]

glad you made it. the last few weeks have been the worst road conditions of the season here. we have had some fun drives in the morning to work.