Need Help With Road Trip - Canada to Arizona Feb/23

[DaveNV]

In all seriousness, I was about to post the same thing about taking the Delta or Air Canada Expressway to and from Phoenix (or open jaw out of Las Vegas, but that might significantly increase the rental car rate). It is a guaranteed straight, quick shot well above any blizzards on the Great Plains.

If you are lucky enough to avoid blizzard road closures anywhere on your roadtrip in either direction, north of Cedar City, UT, you should spend all of your time in Las Vegas!

Flip the itinerary, and fly into Las Vegas - rent the car there - and return it to Phoenix. Will save substantially on the airport rental fees. I did a Denver to Phoenix road trip a few years ago for that exact reason. Saved about $200 in fees on the rental by returning it to Phoenix airport, instead of Denver.

Dave

 

[Guitarmom]

To back up sue1947's warning: I have a friend whose son makes a good living as a tow truck driver in Wyoming. His specialty is pulling semi trucks back onto I-80 after the wind has blown them off the road and down the mountain.

 

[BingoBangoBongo]

I just want to add to Jim's warning about I-80 through southern WY. It is notorious for wind = blowing snow drifts. It can trick you into thinking it is a better option than I-70 through the mountains, but the latter is better equipped to handle a storm, with options to stop and wait out a storm. Grand Junction has Colorado National Monument, for instance. Or US 40 or 50 might get you around the storm.

But take a close look at the idea of flying into Phoeniz/Tucson/Vegas etc and renting a car. Eliminating the drive to and from might be worth the extra money.

In late February 2017, I flew from the East Coast to SLC to drive my sons car back East (he was flying back to start a new job in Boston). Sitting at the outbound airport, I realized that I80 was going to close due to a winter storm. I had mapped out an alternative route using I70, but that also looked pretty dicey with ice and snow. I have lived my entire life in an area that receives over 100 inches of snow every year, so winter driving is not new to me. I ended up driving south and spent a couple of hours at Arches National Park and ended up in Gallup, NM on my first night. Even I40 had areas of ice in the morning which delayed my departure out of Gallup a bit, but exploring some options before the drive helped me navigate around a large storm. The trip ended up being around 2500 miles, which was about 500 more than the original route. The upside of the new route was that I traveled through some areas I had never been through before.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

When I drove between Denver and San Diego in the winter, I-40 was my go-to if snow was impacting I-70. Sometimes I dropped all the way south to I-10 if the storm impacted northern New Mexico as well as Colorado. Other times, though, I was going to northern CA, which meant taking either I-70 or I-80 depending on the weather.

In any case, OP, I'm with the others on this one, recommending flying to and from the southwest USA and getting a rental car if you can.

 

[callwill]

If you end up driving from Zion up I15n you will pass a wonderful part of Zion NP many never see/visit. Kolob Canyon. It is a beautiful drive to the top with many breathtaking pull offs.

 

[CO skier]

I just want to add to Jim's warning about I-80 through southern WY. It is notorious for wind = blowing snow drifts. It can trick you into thinking it is a better option than I-70 through the mountains, but the latter is better equipped to handle a storm, with options to stop and wait out a storm. Grand Junction has Colorado National Monument, for instance. Or US 40 or 50 might get you around the storm.

But take a close look at the idea of flying into Phoeniz/Tucson/Vegas etc and renting a car. Eliminating the drive to and from might be worth the extra money.

I-80 through Wyoming has snow and wind and ground blizzards.

I-70 through Colorado has snow and Avalanches(!) and (I-76) ground blizzards in eastern Colorado.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2178400102490595

 

[dreamin]

Initially I did look into flying but air fare and car rental was about $4200 CAN for 4 weeks and then there would be accommodation costs. If I have to spend that much I would just fly to Hawaii! We have been doing this for several years (pre-Covid) and have driven to Florida, Texas, Arizona and California. We’re familiar with the routes and can simply do our usual route. This year we thought we would do something different and go to Zion and through Utah. We’ll take into consideration all your advice and likely won’t make a decision on our return route until the day before so that we can check road and weather forecasts. Winter weather can definitely cause havoc to travel plans!

 

[dreamin]

I-80 through Wyoming has snow and wind and ground blizzards.

I-70 through Colorado has snow and Avalanches(!) and (I-76) ground blizzards in eastern Colorado.

Yikes! This is the information I needed to hear as you and others have confirmed my fears! I would be white-knuckling the whole drive! It’s looking more likely that Zion may have to be eliminated from this road trip.

 

[CO skier]

Initially I did look into flying but air fare and car rental was about $4200 CAN for 4 weeks and then there would be accommodation costs. If I have to spend that much I would just fly to Hawaii! We have been doing this for several years (pre-Covid) and have driven to Florida, Texas, Arizona and California. We’re familiar with the routes and can simply do our usual route. This year we thought we would do something different and go to Zion and through Utah. We’ll take into consideration all your advice and likely won’t make a decision on our return route until the day before so that we can check road and weather forecasts. Winter weather can definitely cause havoc to travel plans!

Can Canadians get a Costco membership?

30-day car rental through Costco out of PHX beginning Jan. 29 = $1,438 ($1,941 CAN)

RT flights PHX through Expedia ($435 approx. per person) ($1,175 CAN for two)

$2,600 CAN looks like a fantastic deal to me for what you want to do. Considering wear and tear on your vehicle and personal nerves and time and additional accomodations driving versus flying, flying is a no-brainer.

I have been to Hawaii -- hot, humid, no desire to ever go back.

I go back to Zion NP, and Arches NP, and Canyonlands NP, and Grand Canyon NP year after year.

So, take the trip you have planned and fly to get there. 110% guaranteed you will LOVE IT!

 

[callwill]

Can Canadians get a Costco membership?

30-day car rental through Costco out of PHX beginning Jan. 29 = $1,438 ($1,941 CAN)

RT flights PHX through Expedia ($435 approx. per person) ($1,175 CAN for two)

$2,600 CAN looks like a fantastic deal to me for what you want to do. Considering wear and tear on your vehicle and personal nerves and time and additional accomodations driving versus flying, flying is a no-brainer.

I have been to Hawaii -- hot, humid, no desire to ever go back.

I go back to Zion NP, and Arches NP, and Canyonlands NP, and Grand Canyon NP year after year.

So, take the trip you have planned and fly to get there. 110% guaranteed you will LOVE IT!

Im not sure they would even need a membership if they know someone that had one! All they might need are Costco gift cards that totaled that amount.

 

[Snazzylass]

Yikes! This is the information I needed to hear as you and others have confirmed my fears! I would be white-knuckling the whole drive! It’s looking more likely that Zion may have to be eliminated from this road trip.

Yup! How far in advance can the weather be predicted? A week or less? This is the reason we skipped planning a trip to Zion in Dec a few years back. Sure, you can do it if you get a break in the weather.

I drove with my son from Chicago to San Francisco at the end of March once. We had to pull off in NE - lots of semis weren't so lucky, and we didn't see anything of WY, which was a huge disappointment to me. The weather, a winter snow storm, was really bad starting in IA.

Not sure what you are planning to do in PHX, but the Legacy resort is close to South Mountain. Other than jacked-up prices, the Super Bowl should be a nonissue. Same with the Gem Show, which is really interesting if you have not been. The Jackson-Barrett Auto Auction should be going on in Scottsdale and it draws a lot of spectators, as does the PGA Waste Mgnt Open. So truly a busy time in PHX which can effect rental car and flight prices. Still, it's a big area. So, it can also be a nonissue.

 

[dreamin]

UPDATE: My husband refused to fly so our 6 week road trip ended up at 11,237 km/6982 miles! I managed to get last minute stays at the Legacy Resort in Phoenix, Ridge on Sedona, WM Rancho Vistoso in Tucson, The Oasis in Palm Springs and Wyndham Grand Desert in Las Vegas. We filled in the gaps by staying at hotels. As predicted, we were unable to go to Zion because there were winter weather advisories for our travel days. Instead, we left Vegas and drove to Denver for a 3 day stay. Red Rocks Amphitheatre was amazing! The weather was cool and windy the whole trip unfortunately. Tucson and Denver were our favourite places. We have been to all these locations in past trips and, although we enjoyed our road trip, we probably would not do it again. One day we might do a fly/drive Fall vacation to visit the national parks in Utah. Thanks to all of you for your help in planning our trip.