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Ericmpls
Explorer
Feb 13, 2017

Mpls to SE GA flattest route

Towing my camper for the first time out of state next January from Minneapolis to SE Georgia, Crooked River State Park Campground. Looking for the quickest route that avoids the mountains (steep inclines)
  • Stay off I-24 headed toward Chattanooga. (I think I saw a suggestion for this)
    Up and down the mountain at Mounteagle is steep and long. Have seen many semi trailers's brakes overheat coming down the route.
    If you try this route, just take it slow and easy down and don't ride the brakes. There are a few more hills before Chattanooga and a few on 75 toward Atlanta.
  • Taking 57 and 45 out of Paducah down to 10 east over to Crooked River State Park is 1700 miles - 23 hours 50 mins

    Taking 65 out of Nashville down to 20 east to 75 south to 95 south to the campground is 1571 miles 22 hours 40 mins.

    I don't mind driving down 65 with semis blowing by me, I'm just trying to avoid steep up hill inclines and as many stoplights as possible
  • We found I-65 south in AL to be horrible also. There were so many semi's and all going 70 + pushing, pushing pushing along with the other traffic, a few steep downhills and it was not a nice drive at all.

    Another route we have taken is I-57 to 24 to Padukah, then US 45 south. 4 lane divided, very little traffic and it runs along the east side of MS, then into AL. We headed towards I-10 and west in MS, so can't say what it is like in AL.
  • There are some pretty big "hills" west of Chattanooga on I-24. It also can get pretty foggy there at night. Personally I'd rather go that route than take I-65 thru Alabama - unless you like NASCAR, that is. Anytime I've been through there it's been high speeds, heavy traffic with a lot of people changing lanes.
    I don't think your route would take you through there, but avoid the Chicago area if possible. The traffic is usually bad.
  • H E R E is the flattest route you'd be able to find. Highest point would be outside Chattanooga TN. I used Brunswick GA as a SE GA destination. Won't get much flatter and quicker than this.


    Actually, you can...tried to re-route the map via a different way, but the map wouldn't hold it. Anywho...from Nashville, take I-65 all the way to Birmingham AL. From B'ham take US 280 south through Columbus GA and you could stay on US 280 to US 341 to Brunswick GA. Flat...flatter...flattest....! Most of this I've driven, the TN and AL parts, not all the way across south Georgia.
  • Not sure about quickest, but I-57 to I-55 to US49 (n of Jackson MS) to I-10 in MS - west to AL, thru FL then up into GA. No mountains that way. That's why we take this route to the south.