Midwest to GA - avoid steep grades?

Rebelkitty wrote:


Kansas City -> St Louis, MO via I-70
St Louis, MO -> Mt Vernon, IL via I-64
Mt Vernon, IL -> Nashville, TN via I-24
Nashville, TN -> Birmingham, AL via I-65
Birmingham, AL -> Atlanta, GA via I-20
Atlanta, GA -> Savannah, GA via I-75/16


any thoughts you may have would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

With the exception of starting from Chicago (taking I-57 to Mt. Vernon), we just completed this trip. No mountains to speak of and very good roads once you're out of IL. There also was minimal construction along the way. We went thru Atlanta on a Sunday afternoon and traffic was minimal. Not sure why people are telling you about mountains around Chattanooga.

Thanks everyone, I definitely feel a lot better now after reading your posts. Since our kids and grandkids are on a time constraint, we plan to drive it in 2 days - planning to drive 14 hours the first day and 12 hours the next day. They are older and with electronics, will be just fine for a long car trip. At least we hope we can make it - we are praying for good weather, as we'll be driving it just after Christmas! Google maps clocks it at 20 hours. Given that we'll be towing a vehicle, do you think 26 hours is a good estimation?

monteagle is the only concern you would have between nashville & chattanooga and as has been stated not a big issue. i go to fla. that way in fall and come back in spring, i have an 05 35ft georgie boy pursuit and tow an 05 chevy malibu. i have towed my jeep grand cherokee the same direction without a problem. just use common sense and the gears.by the way i have the 310 hp ford triton not the new one.

I will go contrary to the advice you have been given. I've been up and down Monteagle twice in my previous motorhome - a 1990 Winnebago Chieftain (31').

I had no issues. Going up from Chattanooga towards Nashville was relatively easy - I was able to maintain 40-45MPH fairly easily. Coming down I was real nervous. So, I downshifted to second gear and let the engine keep me in the 35-40MPH range. I would start to creep up in speed. So, about every 0.-5-0.75 miles I would stab the brakes and get my speed back down. It worked like a champ. I was fine both trips.

Monteagle is really the only hill to worry about on I-24. It feels tight between there and Chattanooga. But, its more illusion than reality. If you have been up and down the pass by the Eisenhower Tunnel, I can't see how this one will present much of an issue. It really not that long and that bad - just a bit steep.

Also, you are not at near the elevation that the Eisenhower tunnel is, so you should get much better performance than out west.

I have not taken my Bluebird up and down that hill yet. I will get that chance at some point, though.

Ironically, I have not been up I-75 from Chattanooga to Jellico in Tennessee. So, I can't comment on how easy/difficult that hill is. I had always been under the impression that Monteagle was the worst to deal with. I may be wrong, though.

The sections of I-24 and I-65 you mention are fine. I-24 between IL and TN was quite pleasant to travel as there was just light traffic. I-65 has some hills, but no mountain driving.

Get a copy of Mountain Directory East to help plan your trip. The `mountains' around Chattanooga are a pain but not insurmountable. We travel thru there every year on the way down to Florida in December.

Thanks everyone! Our last trip was a loop through KS, CO, NM, AZ, UT and NE. While our companions (driving a Titan, pulling a 35 foot TT) did not encounter any issues, we really had issues driving I-70 around the pass and Eisenhower tunnel in CO. It was extremely frustrating because we just crawled up the inclines. We weren't towing a vehicle. I am trying to avoid that situation this time, especially given the fact that we will be towing a vehicle.

Also, because other people in our group have time constraints, we plan to skip the sight seeing on the way down to allow them more time in GA before they have to return home. It'll be just the two of us on the way back so we can plan a more leisurely trek. The trip appears to be just over 20 hours via google maps - but is it realistic to plan more in the neighborhood of 25-26 hours? Pre planning, as we'll need a motel room for some of the group - there's only so much room in our RV.

No grades to speak of on any of those routes.

A couple of possible routes you want to avoid, if you are concerned about driving on long or steep grades: I-24 between Nashville & Chattanooga, TN, and I-40 between Knoxville, TN & Ashevill, NC.

DeLorme sells a topo program, and I had a early version back in 2006. It has a plug in GPS receiver for a USB port. Basically I could use my 15" computer screen as a GPS!

I could also plan a route in about 2 minutes. Then check the maximum grade, or things such as counting the feet in elevation change over the distance of the route. I had used it to avoid several steep grades.

You can also look up anyplace in the United States with maps.google.com and then click on Terrain! It will offer a topo map of anyplace!

Fred.

I have not been on the sections of I-24 or I-65 that you mention, but the other sections pose no problem.

If (as it sounds) you have little experience with mountain driving, I have this advice. Before starting down a 7% or 8% grade, slow down enough to allow a downshift to low gear. If that gear holds the speed so that you only need to tap the brake once in a while, then you have the right gear. Or, if you have to use a little bit of gas pedal to maintain speed, that is ok too. If you have to use a lot of gas pedal, then you can try going up a gear. I would rather "drive down the hill" than have to use a lot of brake.