Best route??

[Medic_Chick]

Greetings all! I originally posted this in the Class A forum, before I realised there was a dedicated spot for asking about routes. 🙂

I am supposed to be driving from Northern Alberta (east of Edmonton), down to Westminster Colorado at the end of May for a week-long visit.

Google Maps & MapQuest show me two different routes to take, so I'm wondering if anyone has experience with either route; or any suggestions, recommendations, for a better path to follow? I own a 1986 30' Triple E Invitation (Class A) on a P30 chassis with a 454 in it. I will be traveling alone (well, except for the 500lbs of dog flesh that will accompany me), but have no issue parking in a truck stop/rest area/etc for my nights on the road.

I've brought my dogs back & forth across the border before (we come down to the US a few times a year for dog shows) - but wondering if either of the border crossings listed is recommended over the other for any particular reason?

Here are the two links to the different routes suggested:
Google: https://goo.gl/maps/zXb8u
MapQuest: http://mapq.st/1h8zEoR

Looking forward to your thoughts/suggestions!

[padredw]

US89 vs MT200/US191?

Last Summer we spent a delightful overnight at Big Timber, MT at the Spring Creek Campground. We had come to Big Timber from Billings. We found the route entirely routine.

From Big Timber we followed US 191 north to US 87 and over to Great Falls. We were headed to Glacier from the south. But this part of the route seems to be part of your possible itinerary, so thought I would share.

[paulj]

AB41 in SE Alberta crosses the only hills in eastern Alberta, Cyprus Hills. Google Maps shows a Hidden Valley Ski Resort on 41. That's got to be one of the easiest ski resorts to drive to (600m higher than the Trans Canada Hwy).

news on Wild Horse border crossing

Wild Horse is ... one of the lowest volume ports...

[Medic_Chick]

paulj... absolutely! I learned that the hard way many years ago with paper maps (suffice to say it was an 'adventurous' trip through the Montana backwoods to a ski resort)... hence the request. I realise that what I consider nail biting and what others do, may be entirely different - but knowing that I'm considering (for example) a road with say 6% grades & C Train trucks vs. a quiet secondary highway through open grassland - is a huge help! 🙂
What do you know about big truck traffic on US89 vs MT200/US191? They're both single lane highways with minimal to non-existent paved shoulders, correct?

pianotuna - LOL, in some cases that's very true! I've driven a few roads in your beautiful province too, but not for a number of years. 🙂

wallynm - I did look at that route as well, I think it's basically the same from the border to CO, as what Google Maps gave me... except that I would have to add another 100 miles on to drive west to Edmonton & then angle back southwest towards the border. AB2 is definitely a better highway than AB36 though (2 lanes each way vs. one)!

[wallynm]

From Edmonton, Alberta down through Calgary to I15 to US 87 to US191 to US 12 to MT 3 to I90 to I25. . The trip takes 1267.4 mi/ and 18:27 h.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Stay in Alberta. The roads are better.

[paulj]

Keep in mind that map programs generally try a number of routes, and give you the shortest or fastest. They don't use 'special knowledge' about the routes. And 'fastest' depends on the speed estimates they put on different types of roads.

Google is sending you south through the main Alberta/Montana crossing to Great Falls, and then diagonally on 2 lane highways to Billings. Quest sends east to Medicine Hat, and then across the border at minor crossing and on to Havre, then to Billings.

I don't see anything wrong with either. Also the time/distance differences are minor. Both stay in flat open country. US89 south from GF crosses the Little Belt Mtns, but MT200/US191 bypasses those. The Havre route uses a lesser crossing (which might not be 24hr), and overall is a little more remote.