Okay all you road warriors, I need some help with my route heading from Denver to Eugene OR. It the "TIME" of the year I'm most curious about and WEATHER. We'll be leaving out of Shawnee Oklahoma Sept 25th and well be traveling non-stop until we reach our destination. We'll be on I-80 to I-84 and what can I expect the weather to be on our route. Is it SNOWING that time of year?I thank all of you in advance for your thoughts.

In Sept should be no problem. Eugene is about two hours south on I5 from Portland, so to save time and miles at Ontario,OR take US20 to Bend, and on to I5 at Salem. From there its about an hour to Eugene. Or as an alternative take 97 south and take 58 west. That will drop you just south of Eugene.

donn0128 wrote:In Sept should be no problem. Eugene is about two hours south on I5 from Portland, so to save time and miles at Ontario,OR take US20 to Bend, and on to I5 at Salem. From there its about an hour to Eugene. Or as an alternative take 97 south and take 58 west. That will drop you just south of Eugene.x2. I-84 can be a zoo in Portland. Plus the winds out on I-84 near the Gorge can make you towing very interesting. There's a reason you see loads of people windsurfing on the river.Another alternative is to take 84 to Ontario, then 20 to Vale (26) and take 26 to Prineville, then take 126 out of Prineville to Sisters and then 126 towards Eugene. That takes you the the east side of Eugene. The drive from Salem to Eugene is about as boring as it gets. Same with 84 to Portland.

You shouldn't run into any snow, but do keep an eye on the weather. For Oregon roads check out tripcheck.orgI agree with donn0128 cutting across Oregon is still a nice drive but it's not interstate, but very scenic. I am not sure I would take 97 down to 58 from a time perspective. If you stay on Interstates the whole way do be aware of the what's called Deadman Pass or Cabbage Hill at milepost 229, watch your speed.Through Portland take I205 from I84 to I5.

Chances are you will have no problems at all. However snow is possible by then. I remember a Labor Day weekend at Crater Lake in the snow around Sept. 3.

I agree on avoiding Portland, I5 and I205 can both move at crawl speeds. If they are moving at all. I84 winds through the gorge can be a memorable experience, but doable.

Denver to Eugene Oregon-routing question | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

goducks10
Explorer
Aug 14, 2018
donn0128 wrote:
In Sept should be no problem. Eugene is about two hours south on I5 from Portland, so to save time and miles at Ontario,OR take US20 to Bend, and on to I5 at Salem. From there its about an hour to Eugene. Or as an alternative take 97 south and take 58 west. That will drop you just south of Eugene.

x2. I-84 can be a zoo in Portland. Plus the winds out on I-84 near the Gorge can make you towing very interesting. There's a reason you see loads of people windsurfing on the river.
Another alternative is to take 84 to Ontario, then 20 to Vale (26) and take 26 to Prineville, then take 126 out of Prineville to Sisters and then 126 towards Eugene. That takes you the the east side of Eugene.
The drive from Salem to Eugene is about as boring as it gets. Same with 84 to Portland.
donn0128
Explorer II
Aug 14, 2018
In Sept should be no problem. Eugene is about two hours south on I5 from Portland, so to save time and miles at Ontario,OR take US20 to Bend, and on to I5 at Salem. From there its about an hour to Eugene. Or as an alternative take 97 south and take 58 west. That will drop you just south of Eugene.

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Denver to Eugene Oregon-routing question

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