Best route from Salem, Oregon to West Valley City, Utah?

Thanks, "Blazing Zippers"! I actually decided to just send flowers and call her. An actual phone call will still be a first, and it would be safer and much, MUCH cheaper than my other options. I took my van in for a safety inspection, and it would cost more than air fare, hotel accommodations, and a rental car just to get it safe to drive that far! And right now I don't have enough dough to do either, so.... Flowers, a nice note, and a phone call. I'm repairing my van piece-meal, so maybe it will be up for the trip by summer. :)

Robin W, I admire your wishes for adventure----However, in my opinion, leave the trailer for better weather.
I've been over all the routes mentioned on here, and for a beginner, none of them are probably safe for a first timer in winter.
Now, I'm surmising that with a handle of Robin, you might be female---DO NOT let that stop you from becoming an avid RVer!! My bride of over 5 decades is very capable of getting out there and going down the road. We've met over thirty ladies driving class A's to class B vans, so as the gut in the movie said, "YOU CAN DOO IT!"

Sorry, SteveAE, I had not seen that you responded. I will definitely look into taking out the bench seat, then! Thanks for your awesome advice! I have an inflatable camp mattress; I wonder if it would fit....

enblethen: Thanks, I will! :)

Awesome story. You are making a wise choice and I hope you have a great trip and reunion.

It's super easy to remove the bench seat(s). So, unless you have a bunch of people going, just take it out and leave it at home as it would be a whole lot more comfortable sleeping on the floor. A big foam pad (or one of those blow up beds) for underneath and a bunch of blankets (or sleeping bags) above and you'll be fine....unless it just happens to be during a rare cold snap.

Don't forget that, if you go over any of the passes (almost impossible not to), you will need to have tire chains for the front tires along just in case. If you get them at Les Schwab, they are more expensive, but you can return them if not used (just don't lose the receipt!). Or just get them at Walmart as they are probably a lot less expensive than Schwab.

Hwy 20 east to I84 would be the quickest and shortest route. About 3 hours to Bend and then another 12 hours from Bend to SLC (have driven it sooo many times). Tons of good places to stay along that route too.

Safe travels and Happy Birthday.

Be safe! have a good visit!

WOW, these are ALL informative and very helpful! Thank you ALL!!! I wish I could reply individually, but I don't see a button for that....

I believe I will just try driving it in my van, sleeping on the bench seat in the back. After all, it's only for a week. But I do feel like I have to make this trip. This is a sister I never knew I had, but always missed, growing up like an only child. We met through Ancestry.com a few years ago, and since then we've built a relationship through social media chats and text messaging, though we're both too shy to have tried a phone call yet. This will be a surprise visit for her 50th birthday, and, as an element of our unique situation, I will also still be 50 at that time! It's the perfect setting for us to finally meet each other in person! :) I just wish our birthdays were in the summer.... Lol

I too don't want to be Debbie Downer, but I would just drive to UT and leave the TT in Salem. But if you want to tow the TT maybe you drag somewhere for a week-end trip and see how the TV does and how you do. As far a route I would take US 20 thru Bend to Ontario then the freeway into Utah. Just my .02. Good luck on whatever you do.

Columbia River gorge could be very windy.
Santiam Pass would be easier to go over then going up Cabbage Hill into the Blues. There are two other fairly healthy climbs in the Blues.

For the first part of the trip, locals, your friends and neighbors probably can give better advice than us - they can see your rig, and have driven the route(s) many times. Local news will also tell you a lot about pass conditions. There's also the State `Tripcheck` website.

Going east on 22/Santiam Pass is mostly uphill, peaking at 4600 ft, and only dropping to 3200/3500 for Sisters and Bend. After that 20 is relatively flat, but remote to Idaho. I84 in Idaho is fairly flat and straight, with a broad pass crossing into Utah.

I really, really hate to be a naysayer -- I am a great believer in adventure and taking moderate risks.

But.

Towing an old trailer on slippery winter roads as a newbie is not a moderate risk. Ironically, the biggest problem is the Caravan -- I have towed a small trailer with a Caravan, and the vehicle was not suited to long downgrades.

No matter how much I downshifted, the brakes would get hot. The rotors eventually warped.

Taking the van without the trailer would be a lot safer.

You'll have to run the numbers to see if driving is any cheaper than flying.

Good luck, and stay safe.