Arkansas to Ogden, UT., need advice

JimFromJersey wrote:
Have you considered going staying 'south' as you go west first, and then heading up I-15 to Ogden rather than going 'north' and then west? Looking at a map, it appears that you just need to figure out where to branch off and head north in order to connect to I-15 in Utah. It looks like you might be able to take 191 north from I-40 just inside of Arizona, that will head up to to Moab, and then you can jump on I-70 west, take it right to I-15 and then I-15 north. If I remember, I-15 south of SLC (or actually south of Odgen for that matter) is fairly flat and uneventful, compared to I-70 in Colorado, and I-80 and I-84 in western Wyoming and Utah.

I agree with staying south if the weather is at all "iffy" on I-70 or I-80. However, I would suggest leaving I-40 at Albuquerque and heading NW on US 550 to Farmington. It's a very good road, generally 3- to 4-lane and no major climbs. Then head west to Shiprock and north on US 491/191 to Moab and I-70. US 191 joins US 6 at Green River, which will take you into Provo and I-15. You will have some hills/grades along US 6, but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle.

The only real difficulty with this route, as others have said about I-80, is the potential for strong winds during spring. That is a distinct possibility across Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, where you might face 40-50 mph winds from the west and NW. Ask me how I know!