So my fiancee and I are planning a road trip from Santa Fe, NM to Portland, OR next week.
I was thinking, it would be kinda cool if there was something out there that could tell you the best route from a topography perspective, or other perspectives.
For example, we're planning a stop in Grand Junction, Colorado. However, there are two ways to get from Santa Fe, NM to Grand Junction, CO.
The route using US-285N and US-50W is 7 hours and 10 minutes, 388 miles.
The route using US-84W and US-550N is 7 hours and 16 minutes, 381 miles.
They're essentially the same time/distance. However, it would be interesting to know some other statistics about the routes, like total elevation gain/loss. This would help determine which route would be best for fuel economy. Are there any tools like this available? Maybe a plugin for Google Earth, or something?
It is unfortunate that most route planners only take into account the road's speed limit. For example, one route may be technically faster, but if you're winding up and down switchbacks most of the way, it will end up being slower - because you can't maintain the posted speed limit. While another route may be technically slower, but faster overall because it's a straight shot.
I have had this exact scenario happen while using my GPS to get to a location. It had me go over a mountain pass - destination was 50 miles away, and it said it would take an hour - meaning it thought the speed limit on the road was about 50MPH. However, this was a single lane mountain road, full of blind corners. I'd have ended up at the bottom of a ravine if I tried to go 50MPH. It ended up taking 2.5 hours to get to my destination.
lol.. Anyway, anybody have any insight to these problem?
Thanks.
I was thinking, it would be kinda cool if there was something out there that could tell you the best route from a topography perspective, or other perspectives.
For example, we're planning a stop in Grand Junction, Colorado. However, there are two ways to get from Santa Fe, NM to Grand Junction, CO.
The route using US-285N and US-50W is 7 hours and 10 minutes, 388 miles.
The route using US-84W and US-550N is 7 hours and 16 minutes, 381 miles.
They're essentially the same time/distance. However, it would be interesting to know some other statistics about the routes, like total elevation gain/loss. This would help determine which route would be best for fuel economy. Are there any tools like this available? Maybe a plugin for Google Earth, or something?
It is unfortunate that most route planners only take into account the road's speed limit. For example, one route may be technically faster, but if you're winding up and down switchbacks most of the way, it will end up being slower - because you can't maintain the posted speed limit. While another route may be technically slower, but faster overall because it's a straight shot.
I have had this exact scenario happen while using my GPS to get to a location. It had me go over a mountain pass - destination was 50 miles away, and it said it would take an hour - meaning it thought the speed limit on the road was about 50MPH. However, this was a single lane mountain road, full of blind corners. I'd have ended up at the bottom of a ravine if I tried to go 50MPH. It ended up taking 2.5 hours to get to my destination.
lol.. Anyway, anybody have any insight to these problem?
Thanks.
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