Coast Hwy
Driving from So Cal to Washington state, late january, Best way to go.?
My main concern is the Oregon passes, I've driven them before, but never in a u-haul and towing a car. Is there anyway to avoid the passes? I know of hwy 101, the oregon coast, but I would also like to spend as little time on the road as possible. If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE HELP!
If the destination is western Washington, then I-5 is the way to go. It gets by far the heaviest traffic and the most attention from the highway crews even when snow covered.
US101 along the coast is a fine highway in southern California, but by the time it gets to Oregon, it is mostly a twisty two lane road (one lane each direction) at up to 25 mph through every city—and every traffic signal the city has is on it. It is posted up to 55 mph for stretches between cities. But please don't subject traffic to a U-Haul through that route!
If going to eastern Washington, it's best to cross the Cascades are far south as possible. If Weed (California) has good conditions, exit from I-5 there to take US 97 the rest of the way to Washington. It is a less controlled highway and mostly two lanes (one each way). But that route is much drier than I-5, and colder if there is winter precipitation so it should be dry cold snow—much more controllable to drive on than wet icy roads.
If even Weed has heavy snow, then you probably want to go up the east side of the Sierras, and get on US 395 through northeast California and the southern half of Oregon. From there, US 20 to Bend is usually fairly dry as above, and connects with US 97.
The eastern routes are fairly paranoid though. As long as you take it easy, I-5 should work just fine. I'd do US 97 for an eastern Washington destination unless I wanted to visit the Willamette Valley.
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