Central California to Elkhart, Indiana
Trip planner wants to send me thru Denver. It looks like there are some really high elevations and steep grades on that route. 30 ft. TT with a GMC 2500 D/A. Is there a better route or is this doab...
Forum Discussion
I just tried this on Google Maps.
The shortest route is around the south side of the Sierras, I15 through Vegas. That explains I70 through Colorado, connecting to I80 in Nebraska.
But it shows an alternative that's less than a 100 miles longer (an hour) - crossing the Sierras on I80, and staying on that the whole way. If you start a few miles further north, eg. Merced, this would be the shortest.
You could also continue on I15 to SLC and take I80 from there. That's a bit longer than the Denver route, but shorter than the Reno one.
With a long drive like this, the time you spend at the overnight stops affects your overall time more than minor route variations like this.
I40 across Arizona and New Mexico isn't that much longer.
Most route planners use a simple criteria like shortest distance, or fastest time (assuming certain speeds). They aren't choosing the 'best' route - what ever that means.
The shortest route is around the south side of the Sierras, I15 through Vegas. That explains I70 through Colorado, connecting to I80 in Nebraska.
But it shows an alternative that's less than a 100 miles longer (an hour) - crossing the Sierras on I80, and staying on that the whole way. If you start a few miles further north, eg. Merced, this would be the shortest.
You could also continue on I15 to SLC and take I80 from there. That's a bit longer than the Denver route, but shorter than the Reno one.
With a long drive like this, the time you spend at the overnight stops affects your overall time more than minor route variations like this.
I40 across Arizona and New Mexico isn't that much longer.
Most route planners use a simple criteria like shortest distance, or fastest time (assuming certain speeds). They aren't choosing the 'best' route - what ever that means.
