Atlanta,Ga

[Baileys_Buddies]

We are planning a trip next year travelling from Charleston, SC to Lake Bruin State Park in Louisiana. Everything i have ever heard about towing thru Atlanta is it is best to avoid altogether. Would it be worth bypassing the city south via 285 to get back to 20 or is traffic on that road heavy as well? We would be leaving by noon on a Friday.

[jaycocamprs]

I usually tell someone to go straight thru, it's what I do. But not this time, AVOID! It's 6 hours to Atlanta from Charleston. Leaving noon Friday means Atlanta at 6:00 pm. Leave much earlier, later, or go thru Macon.
I'd pick a route from Macon thru Columbus to I-85 at Opelika, AL. Then US-80 across from Montgomery to I-20 at the AL/MS line

[Horsedoc]

I hate to tell anyone to "come on thru" but that might be the best advice. We have terrible jams here at times. Any time fridays is usually bad. Or on rainy days. Very early in the AM can be good, but it also routes you through some curves. You will have west bound traffic will start around Conyers. Can be a pain sometimes. We have a gold dome on the Capital you will be able to see as you come thru parts of old Atlanta. After that area you should be OK

[LMHS]

Ever thought of just getting off the Interstates completely and running the US Hwy system? I find it much more relaxing. You do have to put a bit more planning into it rather than the brain dead get-on-the-Interstate route planning. A good truckers Atlas helps with the big rigs. Just try to catch the designated "truck bypass" to prevent getting hung up in traffic in the center of some small towns.

US280 is a good E-W route and you can pick I-85 up in Opelika or near Tuskegee

I used to run N/S and had to bypass Atlanta either via US441 thru Athens on the east side (heading to SW NC) or US27 on the Westside (heading to Chattanooga) to pick up I-75 north of Atlanta. I was going to/from S GA or FL panhandle. The US highways look like they would take longer but I discovered that I may have added 50 miles to my route going the Athens route but I saved an hour in time as opposed to going thru Atlanta, sitting on the 285 parking lot and again at the exits around the malls at Macon. And I was not as tired. (FYI, I take the west Bypass around Athens as it is better than the east side that LOOKS shorter but, time-wise, isn't), and I was having to do it in a limited amount of time due to work.

I have found that between traffic and road construction, I tend to make better time on US hwys and State hwys (designated SR on maps). But then I also consult my trucker's atlas when planning a route. And after my last teeth-jarring, hair-raising trip on I-20, I will probably go out of my way to stay off of Interstate hwys as much as possible. But that's just me and I tend to do things a little differently.

[Second_Chance]

This has been asked and answered innumerable times on the forum. Having lived in Augusta, GA, for 26 years necessitating towing through Atlanta to get west, we found that towing straight through on I-20 to be the best - avoiding rush hours, of course. Avoid the loop I-285 AT ALL COSTS. An RV-specific GPS such as the Garmin RV series really helps with being in the correct lane making things smoother and less stressful.

Rob

[theoldwizard1]

Drive straight through !

Just plan on getting there before 6AM or after 8PM.

[ken56]

I would look at secondary roads to go around ATL. 16 to Macon and 80 over to 20.

[agesilaus]

My advice used to be just drive on thru. But Atlanta has gotten so bad that we avoid it by driving north thru Alabama instead the last two years. Not great but needs must