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LindanMick's avatar
LindanMick
Explorer
Dec 31, 2019

Oklahoma City to Palm Springs Ca. In February best route???

We are heading to Palm Springs from the middle of the country. I am looking at 40 west in Oklahoma City. We are coming down by I35. We don’t like to drive much more than 8 hours a day. This is our first time traveling in the winter have family near Palm Springs. We have a 5th wheel and hope for no bad weather. Any help would be great. Thanks.

7 Replies

  • DFord's route would be the one I would take. I40 can be a mess and if it snows anywhere in the US, it is in Flagstaff. Been there done that.
  • Thanks all. I did not realize Flagstaff was higher than Denver. I like the route DFord posted DFord we are now in north central Missouri around 30 miles east of I-35. Again Thanks.
  • We are in Phoenix right now. We got here yesterday from Denver via I-10, not I-40, because temperatures along I-40 were in the teens at night compared to the 30s along I-10. When you are stopping along your route for several nights, that is a major difference unless you have much better RV insulation than we have. And when we had rain on our route, Flagstaff had snow (the elevation of Flagstaff is 7,000').

    So I would definitely follow the I-20/I-10 route recommended by the others.
  • DFord wrote:
    Follow I-10 to I-8 bypassing Phoenix to get back on I-10 all the way to Palm Springs. You won't go very far on I-8 until you see the signs for the bypass and I-10.


    Agree that this would be the preferable route to bypass Phoenix and it's traffic.

    I-10 west to Casa Grande, AZ, I-8 west to Gila Bend, Hwy 85 north to I-10 west. There is a truck stop at the turn off to 85 (I-8 Exit 119) with RV lanes. Or at Quartzsite, I-10 exit 19 there is an Arco thats RV friendly. Gas is much cheaper in AZ than in CA.
  • I-40 through AZ in February is hit and miss; it can be open with dry roads and little wind, or it could be shut down due to heavy snow, ice on the roads, no visibility or high winds toppling trucks and RV's on their sides. You also face the problem of few alternatives that would be any better or even open once past Gallup NM. And, lets not forget there is the mystery of how long? One hour? Eight Hours? Two Days? Sometimes its just easier to save the gambling for the casinos.
  • From Oklahoma City, take I-44 to Wichita Falls. Continue on Texas highways to merge into I-20 just west of Abilene. I-20 runs into I-10 west of Van Horn Texas. Follow I-10 to I-8 bypassing Phoenix to get back on I-10 all the way to Palm Springs. You won't go very far on I-8 until you see the signs for the bypass and I-10. You could stay on I-10 but it goes through the western part of Phoenix and there's no sense in getting in all that traffic.

    You'll go right through Quartzsite, AZ. Why not leave a little early so you can be in Quartzsite the last full week of January and experience "RV Week" in the desert. It's the Sturgis of RVing. Every RVer should experience it at least once!
  • From reading others advice on I40 in winter, Staying on 35 down to I20 then to I10 . I have only driven 40 west of Amarillo in late spring/summer