Iowa to Phoenix winter route

lc0338 wrote:
you don't say where in iowa you are starting from but the flattest route is:

35 to wichita ks
400 to mullinville
54 to tucumcari
I40 to holbrook
377 to 277 to 260 to 87 to 202

That would be my preferred route weather permitting if weather is bad check weather for this route
I35 to OKC
I44 from OKC to Wichita Falls
277 from Wichita Falls to I20
I20 to I10
I10 to Phoenix

Google says this about the Flagstaff AZ area...

"Located in the high country mountains of northern Arizona, Flagstaff is not the Arizona experience you may expect. At 7,000 feet elevation, temperatures rarely exceed 90 degrees in the summer, fall brings a brilliant change of color, winter snowfall averages 108 inches and spring bursts with blossoms."

Truck it with caution during the winter months... This is a great time to have a CB radio and listen to what the truck drivers are dealing with in this area. You hear the phrase "Lets go ice skating alot on Ch 19"

Then you have to deal with windy mountain passes on I17 heading down into the Phoenix area...

Just keep being aware of the conditions...
Roy Ken

You are going through my neck of the woods.
I would recommend leaving Iowa on I 35 then pick up 36 west in Cameron , MO through St. Joe into Kansas at Concordia 81 south to I 70 west exit at Ellsworth, KS on 156 south/west to Great Bend 56 west to Dodge City then to Kinsley , KS 183 South to Greensburg, KS and go west on 54 follow 54 to Santa Rosa, NM then 54 goes south towards Alamogordo. At Alamo. pick up 70 south/west to I 25 south to I 10 west to PHX.

There are no big Mt. grades going this way and all the routes are good roads with not much traffic and RV friendly !!
I have run all these roads many, many times for many, many years.
Today in South east NM the sun is shining and the sky is bright blue......Have a great trip whatever way you go.

from carson iowa to 22701 N Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85027 - flattest route
i80 to kearney
44 to 34 to holdrege
183 to 383 to 36 to 383 to 83 to us40 to kit carson
287 to 96 to 109 to 350 to i25 south
to 140 to i17

unlike the other route there is one moderate grade 5-10% on I17 out of camp verde. the rest is <5% slope

We are 20 miles south of I80 and 80 miles east of I 35 staying on north, north side of Phoenix just off I17.

lc0338 wrote:
you don't say where in iowa you are starting from but the flattest route is:

35 to wichita ks
400 to mullinville
54 to tucumcari
I40 to holbrook
377 to 277 to 260 to 87 to 202

I did that route two years ago leaving on Jan 19 (From ~35 miles north of Kansas City on I-29) with rig in my signature without issues. I adjusted slightly to avoid a very local snowfall event on the last leg into Phoenix. Planning to do it again about Jan 25.

RGWC362 wrote:
We are making our 1st road trip to Phoenix at the end of this month towing a 30ft 5th wheel. Trip planner has us taking Hwy 54 thru KS to Santa Rosa, NM, is that an RV friendly road/route? From Santa Rosa to Phoenix is our real concern with multiply choices. Not on a tight time schedule so a longer route is okay to avoid steep grades and or snow. Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks

I just drove I-80, I-76 and I-25 this past weekend. I'm not sure how close you are to I-80, but it was clear sailing all the way from Council Bluffs through Denver, and onto Santa Fe. I-40 between Santa Fe and Flagstaff was in great shape as well. No major construction, etc.

Of course, this doesn't do you much good. The weather will have changed between today and a few days from now or whenever it is you leave.

Check out this:
Interstate Conditions Forecast

you don't say where in iowa you are starting from but the flattest route is:

35 to wichita ks
400 to mullinville
54 to tucumcari
I40 to holbrook
377 to 277 to 260 to 87 to 202

The big wildcard is the weather. At this time of year we always plan on ending up on I-10 and coming up to PHX from the south. Then the only question is how far south how quickly?

Re the route you mentioned, 54 from Santa Rosa is a good road. No real hills. It's sparse, but there is gas every 35 miles or so. In good weather, you could then turn west onto US 60 at Vaughn NM, and take that all the way to Apache Jct. It's scenic and it's a good road, BUT it does have some fairly strong hills and some hairpins as you drop down to and up from the Salt River. I have never tried it in mid-winter. I think at the higher elevations you should expect snow.

Or instead of taking 60, you can stay on 54 down to Alamogordo, then take 70 to Las Cruces, then I-10 west. There are no real hills to challenge you there. But it can still snow. Roswell had 18" of snow last week. It's not common but it happens.

If the weather allows, and we watch it closely, we will go through Tulsa, OKC, & Amarillo, then down through NM as above. But most years we allow for going through Dallas or even bypassing it to the south, to be in better weather. That basically adds a day to the trip. But if weather permits, we will do the OKC route instead. In your case you'd probably be looking to go through KS if you get good weather.

So bottom line, plan two routes. One that's pretty direct, and one that will give you the best shot at avoiding snow storms.