The search is on....
So we are starting to think about a family camping trip for this year. Last year we did Niagara Falls and had a great time. We were thinking about D.C. this year but wanted to see if anyone had any ...
Forum Discussion
If you go across the Pennsylvania Turnpike and follow I-70 south from Breezewood the highest elevation will be about 2600 feet. Fifty years ago when I was doing it, that was the only way to go, except there was not a I-70 out of Breezewood, it was still all U.S. numbered highways.
Crossing the Appalachians further south may take you to slightly higher elevations, but those routes don't make sense for Detroit to DC.
The best corridor, for road quality, traffic, safety and speed, would probably be I-68. I think on that one, the highest point is about 2300 feet.
While this is higher than what you've done so far, as the routes from Detroit to Nashville do not cross very high areas (most of Michigan is higher elevation than western Tennessee), rather the hills or grades are mostly down into river valleys and then back up.
Elevations along Interstate highways through this part of the country are not a particular problem; they stay low enough that there is not much power loss, even for unsupercharged engines. What impacts your towing are the grades, how steep and how long. Grades are what stress your tow vehicle, more power needed to climb, heating the engine and transmission, and braking to manage speed going downhill.
I-68 probably has more grades than the route across I-70, but not steeper, as there is a standard for grades on the Interstate system. There should be nothing steeper than what you encountered going to Nashville, but some of the grades will be longer, measured in miles rather than fractions of a mile. The added safety of wider lanes, wide grass medians, and more gentle curves designed for higher speeds would make I-68 my preference towing. It also saves on tolls.
Crossing the Appalachians further south may take you to slightly higher elevations, but those routes don't make sense for Detroit to DC.
The best corridor, for road quality, traffic, safety and speed, would probably be I-68. I think on that one, the highest point is about 2300 feet.
While this is higher than what you've done so far, as the routes from Detroit to Nashville do not cross very high areas (most of Michigan is higher elevation than western Tennessee), rather the hills or grades are mostly down into river valleys and then back up.
Elevations along Interstate highways through this part of the country are not a particular problem; they stay low enough that there is not much power loss, even for unsupercharged engines. What impacts your towing are the grades, how steep and how long. Grades are what stress your tow vehicle, more power needed to climb, heating the engine and transmission, and braking to manage speed going downhill.
I-68 probably has more grades than the route across I-70, but not steeper, as there is a standard for grades on the Interstate system. There should be nothing steeper than what you encountered going to Nashville, but some of the grades will be longer, measured in miles rather than fractions of a mile. The added safety of wider lanes, wide grass medians, and more gentle curves designed for higher speeds would make I-68 my preference towing. It also saves on tolls.
