I75 or I77/79/95 or I81/95?

[Canadave]

Am I foolish to even think about the 2 eastern routes at the end of January. We've travelled the I75 route and it was very good (especially with Dave Hunter's book), but that way is about 3 extra hours driving (assuming good weather and road conditions) from our house. Also, I thought it would be nice for the kids (and us) to see a different part of the USA.
My concerns are (obviously) the weather and the road conditions, mainly going through the mountains. Any opinions on whether it would be worth taking a chance? I would definitely check the weather forecasts before we left. Any sign of snow and it would be I75
Thanks all

 

[from Canada]

I' d like some opinions too. We bought Dave's book, and are all set to go I75, but a lot of people I talk to say to go via Buffalo. From Barrie, that would be quicker to the boarder which Im sure would be nice, especially for the trip home. Is the total drive time really that different?
Karen

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Hey Karen and Canadave!

We have driven both ways a few times.
My personal opinion is I like I-75 better because it seems more direct to me, more options for stops, and much better in potentially bad weather.

Timing for either route (I-75 vs 77/79...) is probably much the same, so the only difference is the potential weather problems.
We drove 77/79 last Xmas, and we had rain, freezing rain and fog through the mountains. It wasn't a great drive. However, we did that route in the summer and in November......it was beautiful!

I would check the driving routes on www.weather.com prior and if it is shorter to head to Buffalo, then do it!

Also check out www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca for Board wait times. Click on "Board Wait time" on the right side of the site. I found this to be helpful when crossing this Xmas.

I will say, however that I really enjoyed following along with Dave Hunter's book, and planning the stops as we went along, a real advantage for travelling on I-75. I found it was a real time passer since I couldn't see the DVD player in the back!!

Have a great trip and safe drive!

 

[wrabs]

Hi Canadave. A few threads down the page, I asked the same question. We're travelinng in March (myself, wife, and 5 yr.old.son), and I think that I'm leaning toward the 79/77 route. Hopefully the weather in March won't be that bad. I also heard that the 79/77 route has fewer gas stations, hotels, and restaurants, but there are more now than there was 5-10 years ago.

Good Luck,
wrabs.

 

[iluvflorida]

Hi Canada Dave. I,m from near Bancroft, Ont. I go every Year and cross at Ganaoque (Hwy #41 to 401 to Ganaoque) pick up IS#81 to #77 just south of Roaoke to #26 to #95 to #4 to Orlando (Kissimmee) It is great. Not as many hotels etc as #75 (i used to take when lived elsewhere) but no problems and no cities to go thru like Atlanta. Only area we had any problem in 10 years was around Syracuse with lake effect snow. On #75 have had to get off three time for ice storms not fun. Also far less traffic than #75

 

[Canadave]

Thanks all for the replies.

I talked to CAA yesterday (to get my trip-tik) and they highly recommended that in January, it is best not to travel the 77/79/95 route as it is the most mountainous way.

iluvflorida...1) how long did it take you to get to Orlando from Gananoque? and 2) how bad were the mountain areas? ie. is there a lot to travel through, what are the road conditions through the mountains (steep?), and where are the mountains on that route?

 

[Cruisin]

Hi Canadave:

We are also going to be at the Pop Century in 17 days, we are staying the nights of Jan 27 & 28 and leaving for a 3 day Disney Cruise on the 29th.
Have a good trip and maybe we will cross paths at the Pop Century.

 

[Canadave]

Cruisin....we're hoping to arrive at Pop Century Thursday morning. We're planning to hang around the pools until our room is ready. We requested the 50's building. We'll have our lime green ribbons on...so maybe you'll see us there
ps. have a great cruise

 

[jersey shark]

Here's a non-local perspective on the route from someone who loves to "run the numbers" on these things....the keys seem to be i) where are you starting from, ii) what is your tolerance level for bad local weather (through mtns etc...) and iii) do you like to stop at malls to stretch legs etc...or drive straight thru.

My take on it is this....

a) if you live in Toronto (and even up to 100 miles east of Toronto) it seems to me your best bet is I-75. Why? The mountain weather factor on I-77/79 is too much of a deterrent....keep in mind some of those local conditions can't be predicted much in advance from the national weather service (fog, snow squalls etc..) The potential for lost time and scary driving experiences wouldn't be worth it to me.

I'd also suggest crossing the border at Sarnia/Pt Huron to avoid potential delays at Windsor/Detroit (provided you don't go during in-bound Detroit rush hour). This would give you less time on the 401 (sorry, hate that highway) and less risk of squalls there (isn't the London-Windsor run a potential for lake effect snow?), more time on 1-94 with more services, less straining to read billboards,
(joking here, but why are Cdn billboards too far away from the road to read???????), generally more interesting drive.

b) if you live more than 100 miles east of Toronto in what looks to be Trenton, ON, Belleville, ON and points east, your best seems to be I-81

c) I would avoid the I-77/79 route altogether...apart from the mtn factor once you get to W Vga, too much lost time "wrapping around Lake Erie" ...definitely too much lake effect snow potential here as well!

d) from Montreal and point east in Canada...don't forget the "secret" highway (Rt 13) that's in Delaware and would affect your drive starting from I-87 to I-95 to US 13....by taking it you can avoid the entire state of Vga...a pretty big short cut...look at a map to see what I mean!

Happy Motoring!

 

[iluvflorida]

Hi CanDave: When we always go in Feb. Have had more trouble on #75 than on #81-77-26-95 route. Not sure where #79 is so can't speak of it. I know CAA recommends other routes but having gone the other ways prefer this route. I agree if you are west of Toronto than #75 is more convienent.

It is about 21 hours actual driving time from the Border to Orlando and I do not speed. Just over limit to not be run over. The traffic is not as heavy as #75 till you hit #95.

You are travelling in the valley between most mountains but to cross the odd range. Around where #81 join #77 is the worst. Steep. But does not last long. There are a lot of mountains on #75 as well. Also you do not go thru as many cities as #75 or go around them more.

 

[CindyCan]

Hi Canadave:
We have actually done 4 different routes now, & just got back 3 hours ago from our latest trip. Here are my thoughts:

We're in Whitby, so we're about 4 1/4 hours from the Windsor border,
2 hours from the Niagara Falls border, & 2 3/4 hours from "Kingston" border.

I75 through Windsor: safest for weather, & most places to stop. We took it home this time. Total kms from Orlando: 2,360. We always do this 1 way each trip. (Sidenote: In the past, we have gone through Sarnia as we have had relatives to visit just north of Detroit. Today we decided that we definately shaved off a good chunk of time by going through Windsor...family has now moved up past Sault Ste. Marie area.)

I79/I77 through Buffalo: Did this route 3 years ago, late Nov. Pretty route, only 2,300. I think we're most likely to avoid this route during heavier snow times. Also, exits are much farther apart. CAA is also recommending not using the "short cut" in WV (go through Charleston instead?) because of the steep hill or something. We found the drive around Lake Erie to be kind of frustrating...you feel like you're so close to Canada, but so far!

US15 through Buffalo, to I81 at Harrisburg, to I77, to I95. Did this on the way down late Nov 2002. I recorded 2,700 kms, but we did MANY different side trips & took 5 days to go down, so you can't use this for comparison! I81 from Harrisburg is actually in the valley, not on the mountains, but I think there's still a good chance you could get a good storm. Very pretty, with lots of side trips available.

I81 through "Kingston", to I83 at Harrisburg, to I95 at Baltimore : Did this route down this time, 2,540 kms. We enjoyed this route, and even though it was longer kms, it wasn't longer time-wise. It seemed that alot of the hwy was 70mph. We didn't have as much trouble finding places to stop as we did on I77/79, and while the first day to Hershey PA was "mountainous", it was NOTHING like what you go through on I77/79. We chose this route this time because (we like to try new routes and) we figured if there was bad mountain weather we'd miss it.

My husband, who does all the driving, prefers I77/79 for the landscape. However, if faced with bad weather, we'd choose either I75 or I81 over to I95 to avoid the major mountains.

I hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip, & I hope you have weather as nice as we did.

 

[from Canada]

Thanks for the help CindyCan. I pretty sure we'll use I75. Now were trying to decide if crossing in Sarnia would be better than Windsor. We are going from Barrie, to 401 to Windsor, but could get off at ?402 and head to Sarnia. Im wondering if that means a longer trip thru Detroit? Also, is that really out of the way? We were planning to cross the border in Windsor at around 9am (?after rush hour). What would you recommend?
Karen

 

[jersey shark]

Hello Karen from Canada:

I'm a NJ-based road warrior and can possibly help with your decision as to where to cross the border into Michigan...this has been a common question over the past few months!

You're probably better off with the 402 into Sarnia/Pt Huron and NOT Windsor. Here's why...

a) less chance of border delays at Pt Huron....(virutally no delays there ever...with Detroit, you never know)

b) I'm pretty sure that the 401 route is prone to snow sqaulling a little more than the 402/I-94 combo (and looks slightly longer in terms of actual distance).

c) this is my US bias showing but I'd look to minimize the drive time on the 401 (I find interstates generally much safer routes to be on vs 401...I've previously stated on these boards that the 401 lanes seem narrower, shoulders are narrower, safety strips are non-existent, signs cannot be read at night very well, the road itself is not as smooth (though Detroit freeways aren't in the greatest shape either!)...a truck passing you (or you passing a truck) in even moderate snow seems much more intense/scary an experience in Canada because of road quality imho

d) with Sarnia, the 402 freeway takes you right to the border....at Windsor, there's that annoying 5 miles or so at the end (beginning?) of the 401 where you must deal with traffic lights and in my case one time...heavy truck traffic (so heavy it was hard to see the sunlight!...surrounded by trucks!) that caused me a 30-minute delay including border traffic lines.

e) there's many more services/gas/restaurants along 1-94 in Michigan which you may not need, but you never know versus the 401 between London and Windsor. All other things equal...better to be near civilization than not when on the road!

f) only caveat....watch the "inbound Detroit rush hour".... which should clear by 9 am (but don't plan to be near Mt Clemens, MI at 7:30 am or you will get slowed down by the morning rush.

Good luck!

 

[CindyCan]

Hi Karen,

Actually, we now swing opposite of jersey shark's advice. We're much more likely to go through Windsor. We have heard of long line ups at Windsor vs. Sarnia, but have yet to experience them. We also shaved off at least an hour compared to going up to Sarnia & back down to the 401. I know the Windsor-London 401 stretch can be dangerous during bad weather, so we might change our minds on the spur of the moment if the weather was bad.

Also, while we have NEVER been stopped at any other border crossing, we are ALWAYS stopped at Sarnia (doesn't even matter whether we're entering the US or Canada). We are always told it's a random computer thing, but I kid you not...EVERY TIME we go through Sarnia (& we used to go that way once or twice a year to visit family) we have been stopped (not even with same vehicle!). We have never been searched...they just look over the car, ask us more questions, then send us on our way, but we are now (since family has moved) very likely to avoid Sarnia!

So, we're kind of biased against Sarnia, & will avoid it whenever possible. I would leave the decision until you're on the 401 & you know better what the weather is. Good luck & have a great trip!

 

[hockey mom]

Dave just to throw another option out there we cross over at Buffalo and work our way over to I-75. I hate the long boring drive to Windsor. I would also question through the mountains during winter. We took that route last April and it shaved a few hours off the trip but I can see where it would get very scary in bad weather. We also prefer the the more frequent gas stations in case of bad weather.

 

[hockey mom]

Now to add one more thing in the mix SW has great prices to fly out of Buffalo. I just put in what I think are your dates and the rate is $137/person x4=$548x1.30=$712CDN Subtract $300 for gas and say $150 for a hotel room on the way down and back and say $200 for food on the drive and the difference is roughly $60 to get there in 3 hours. Just another thought.

 

[kellyla]

Having just come back a few weeks ago,I want to say that the 77/79/95 route is beautiful.We only ran into snow from Fort Erie till just past Pittsburgh.We were told by the CAA not to go this way but I75 but we monitored the weather conditions and wouldnt hesitate to ever go this way again in the winter.Coming home we drove through the mountains in very early morning and even then the scenery was nice.

 

[Mortlives]

Originally posted by kellyla
Having just come back a few weeks ago,I want to say that the 77/79/95 route is beautiful.We only ran into snow from Fort Erie till just past Pittsburgh.We were told by the CAA not to go this way but I75 but we monitored the weather conditions and wouldnt hesitate to ever go this way again in the winter.Coming home we drove through the mountains in very early morning and even then the scenery was nice.

Thanks, we're driving this way March break because we're doing the East Coast of FLA, so it made more sense not to drive far over to the west. I'm also looking forward to the mountains, and have planned the trip based on interesting towns/cities to stop in. Do you happen to know if there's a resource for location of rest stops, restaurants? Are there any you can recommend?

TIA,
Mort.

 

[Canadave]

It seems that everyone has had different experiences. I think (AKA "DW has decided" ) that we are going to go I75 on the way down (lessen the chance of any major delays on our way to our holiday) and take one of the other routes (depending on weather) on the way back. If we run into any major delays on the way home, that means we'll have to take a few more days off with our girls ... see, there is method in her madness,lol
ps Hockeymom...you're supposed to be helping,lol. The SW rates are really good, but it took us long enough to decide to drive (vs flying), so I think we'll keep with the current plan...but thanks anyway.

 

[kellyla]

Mortlives,we didnt have any reference except our trip tik which only indicates which exits have gas,food.We were travelling with our sons 12 and 15 so we only stopped for fast fast as opposed to a nice sit down restaurant.There were lot s of exits and lot s of places to eat like Cracker Barrel and the normal fast food places.We didnt want to stop too long because the first night we had to make it to Mooresville,NC(we left at about 3 in the in morning and got there about 4PM)so my son to do the NASCAR places on the MOnday morning.
The scenery in the mountains is beautiful so enjoy as you going through them(my kids loved the tunnels)