# Driving US. Route 93 in late January



## NWL (Nov 13, 2010)

DH has gotten it in his head to drive to Palm Desert in January via US Route 93.  We normally take US 93 from our home down to Missoula, hop on I 90 to just outside Butte, then I 15 to CA.  It takes us 22 hours to do this trip (no weather delays, so far).  DH is looking at taking US 93 all the way to Las Vegas *then* hopping on I 15. 

My questions are:

1) what's US 93 like from Missoula to Las Vegas?

2) how many hours between Missoula to Las Vegas? 

3) where would you stop for the night between Missoula and Las Vegas?

4) would you stop for more than 1 night?

Thanks for your help!

Cheers!


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Nov 13, 2010)

NWL said:


> DH has gotten it in his head to drive to Palm Desert in January via US Route 93.  We normally take US 93 from our home down to Missoula, hop on I 90 to just outside Butte, then I 15 to CA.  It takes us 22 hours to do this trip (no weather delays, so far).  DH is looking at taking US 93 all the way to Las Vegas *then* hopping on I 15.
> 
> My questions are:
> 
> ...



I've only driven portions of the north half of that route - in summer.  Specifically I've gone from Idaho Falls to Craters of the Moon, then up to Salmon, across the Continental Divide, then down the Bitteroot to Missoula.  Decent road - it's a federal highway.  Of course, in January there's always the possibility of winter weather.  Since you live in Montana no need to explain much more. 

I've also done the stretch south from Twin to Jackpot.  That road is typical western high desert - grass, sage and creosote.  You do gain significant elevation from Twin to Jackpot - while it doesn't appear as if the amount of precipitation increases I would expect Jackpot to be more wintry in January that Twin. 

I have no experience with any portions of I-93 in Nevada.  But in northern Nevada is going to be very high desert - ~6000 foot elevation.  In January that means it will be most likely be cold, particularly at night  Overall pretty similar to areas such as Butte and West Yellowstone.  

After you cross a pass near Ely, NV elevations will begin dropping all of the way to Las Vegas.

If I were going to spend the night halfway - and looking cheap accommodations, I would probably stay in Twin Falls.  I've Pricelined into Twin Falls in the past for about $30/night in a Holiday Inn Express level of property.

++++

Google maps says it's 15 hours from Missoula to Las Vegas on that routing.


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## NWL (Nov 14, 2010)

Thanks for the detailed travelog, Steve!  If we only take 2 days to do the drive, we might try to get a bit further along than Twin Falls for our overnight.  If we break it up into 2 nights on the road, Twin Falls would be perfect for night #1, then Las Vegas for night #2.  

As always, the weather will dictate when we leave and how far we'll go each day.  Normally DH just wants to get in the car and go.  He surprised me this year with "what about taking the scenic route?"  He must have hit his head during his car accident last month.


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## Passepartout (Nov 14, 2010)

We have a lot of snowbirds pass through Twin Falls every day. Many stay a night. It's a pretty logical stop- about a day from Missoula, 9 hours to Vegas. There aren't real good stopping places further S. (Jackpot & Wells). January can be iffy. Most of Nevada is 6-7000 ft, and from Jackpot to S of Ely can get storms. Not so much snow falls but it all moves- the wind blows. Not much maintenance at night.

Obviously, if we are going either way, US 93 is our road of choice. I'm happy to provide any more detail you want.

Jim Ricks


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## NWL (Nov 15, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> We have a lot of snowbirds pass through Twin Falls every day. Many stay a night. It's a pretty logical stop- about a day from Missoula, 9 hours to Vegas. There aren't real good stopping places further S. (Jackpot & Wells). January can be iffy. Most of Nevada is 6-7000 ft, and from Jackpot to S of Ely can get storms. Not so much snow falls but it all moves- the wind blows. Not much maintenance at night.
> 
> Obviously, if we are going either way, US 93 is our road of choice. I'm happy to provide any more detail you want.
> 
> Jim Ricks



Thanks Jim!  One question comes to mind: do we have to be mindful of the gas gage between Darby, Mt and Twin Falls?  It looks like there are not many towns along the way.  Our experience has been just because the map says there is a town there does not mean it has an open gas station.   

We're thinking of stopping for the night in Wells, NV.  It's about halfway to Palm Desert for us.  Found a reasonably priced Motel 6.  Any thoughts on this?

Cheers!


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## Passepartout (Nov 15, 2010)

NWL said:


> Thanks Jim!  One question comes to mind: do we have to be mindful of the gas gage between Darby, Mt and Twin Falls?  It looks like there are not many towns along the way.  Our experience has been just because the map says there is a town there does not mean it has an open gas station.
> 
> We're thinking of stopping for the night in Wells, NV.  It's about halfway to Palm Desert for us.  Found a reasonably priced Motel 6.  Any thoughts on this?
> 
> Cheers!



Darby to Twin is about 325 mi. and it's about 100 to Wells from Twin, so depending on what your vehicle's range is, you may want to adjust your fuel stops. True, the towns are a ways between, but these days most gas stations have 24hr card-reader pumps, so you can fuel even when nobody's there.

There are some smallish casino/hotels in both Jackpot and Wells. Wells suffered damage in an earthquake a bit over a year ago and iirc not much has been rebuilt. If it was me I'd stay in Jackpot at Cactus Pete's, 'cause the road's better from there South than N.of here. Pete's got good food, too. In Wells a truck stop's about the best they can manage.

When you leave Ely, take US 6 to NV318, not US 93. Much better road. Saves 20some miles, too.... Jim

P.S. Watch your speed in McGill and coming in to Ely.


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## NWL (Nov 16, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> Darby to Twin is about 325 mi. and it's about 100 to Wells from Twin, so depending on what your vehicle's range is, you may want to adjust your fuel stops. True, the towns are a ways between, but these days most gas stations have 24hr card-reader pumps, so you can fuel even when nobody's there.
> 
> There are some smallish casino/hotels in both Jackpot and Wells. Wells suffered damage in an earthquake a bit over a year ago and iirc not much has been rebuilt. If it was me I'd stay in Jackpot at Cactus Pete's, 'cause the road's better from there South than N.of here. Pete's got good food, too. In Wells a truck stop's about the best they can manage.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the new tips, Jim.  One trouble with the 24hr card-reader pumps (around here) is they don't work very well when the temperatures get too cold.  For once DH is not looking to drive all night, so we should be fueling up when the stations are open.

The trip is a little over 22 hours for us, door to door, so we want to get as far south as we can on the first day.  We won't get to Palm Desert in time to check-in at 4 pm, but we'd like to get there before we get stuck in an "accessible" room because we're one of the last to check in.

We very rarely eat good, wholesome food while on the road (we never stop long enough), so truck stop fare fits right in with our trip.   

Cheers!


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## NWL (Feb 12, 2011)

*Trip Update*

We returned from our journey Feb 5th.  For future reference, here's our thoughts on driving US 93 from the Canadian border to Las Vegas:

Surprisingly, it was a very good road.  The 1 hour drive from our house to Whitefish was the worst part.  Lots of frost heaves and pot holes, but we already knew that.  From Whitefish to Las Vegas it was very smooth.

We need to find a route that takes us around Missoula.  What a mess!  I haven't seen traffic that bad since I left the D.C. area!  I have named US 93 through Missoula the "Tysons Corners of the West".   

We will not stay overnight in Wells, Nevada again.  The Super 8 was a bit more expensive than the one we stayed at in Twin Falls on the way home, and it was not very nice. We'll be overnighting at Cactus Pete's in Jackpot or the Super 8 in Twin Falls next year.

From now on we will leave home early enough to get through the Idaho mountains during daylight.  Not only because we didn't get to see the mountains, but also because of the blowing snow.  There were not enough people on the road, so it was difficult to see the lines on the road.  Why can't road departments replace the roadside reflectors in a timely manner?   

Passepartout's recommendation of taking US 6 to NV 318 out of Ely, NV and rejoining US 93 at Crystal Springs was spot on.  The cars all stayed on US 93 while the truckers all took the alternate route.  We followed the trucks.  Great road and very few vehicles.  He was also correct about watching your speed coming into McGill.  Fortunately the officer was already busy with a trucker.   

Overall, it was a great route.  Beautiful scenery all the way, a lot less traffic, and a great road surface (much better than I 15 through Utah).

My thanks to T_R_Oglodyte and Passepartout for their assistance!

Cheers!


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## Passepartout (Feb 12, 2011)

De nada. Always happy to help. If you'd called we coulda had the coffee on or if you're staying in Twin, something more adult can be arranged. Glad you got home safely and without contributing to the coffers of Ely or McGill.... Jim


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## Karen G (Feb 12, 2011)

NWL, thanks so much for posting about your trip. It's always good to hear back from folks when they've asked for advice to know how it all played out. Glad you are safely back home.


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## NWL (Feb 13, 2011)

Passepartout said:


> De nada. Always happy to help. If you'd called we coulda had the coffee on or if you're staying in Twin, something more adult can be arranged. Glad you got home safely and without contributing to the coffers of Ely or McGill.... Jim



I almost messaged you before our trip home, but then realized how late we would be arriving.  Maybe meet for breakfast next year?  We'll bring "adult beverages" for you and your DW to enjoy later in the day!



Karen G said:


> NWL, thanks so much for posting about your trip. It's always good to hear back from folks when they've asked for advice to know how it all played out. Glad you are safely back home.



You're welcome!  TUG is a great resource.  I wish more people posted the results of their inquiries.  

Cheers!


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