Ontario to Texas Gulf coast

[susseandchris]

We have booked the month of January at Gulf Waters rv resort in Port Aransas, Texas. Looking for advice on a route from Niagara Falls, Ontario that avoids mountains and congested city routes. Can this be done?

[jjriker]

You already have plenty of route info... 🙂 but I just wanted to say that we are at Gulf Waters right now staying here for the month of March, and it is wonderful. Enjoyed the hot tub this afternoon... 😄 You are going to love it!

[sdianel_-acct_c]

BB TX, you're right. thanks!

[susseandchris]

Thanks, everyone! I have so much good information here that it should make things easy. Now, I'm looking forward to the trip instead of dreading it!

[padredw]

We all have our opinions, experiences, and ideas, so here is mine (only related to the Texas portion of your trip.)

Here is what I would do and have done many times: I would take US 59S at Texarkana then turn at Linden, Texas onto Texas 155. I have traveled this highway many times. I would stay on 155 through Gilmer and Tyler to Palestine, where I would pick up US 79 and stay on US 79 all the way to the intersection with US 77 (near Rockdale, TX)and take US 77 S at least through Victoria, TX. I am not familiar with the roads from that point to Port Aransas so I'll make no comments about that final leg of the trip.

US 59, TX 155, US 79, US 77 to Victoria--I've made that route several times.

[BB_TX]

I think sdianel meant I-64 west to I-57 south to I-55 south to I-40.
And you can take I-40 west to Little Rock, but then you must take I-30 to Texarkana.
If it were me, I would stay on I-30 toward Dallas, I-635 south to I-20 west to I-35E south toward Waco/Austin. That does get close to Dallas but for the most part bypasses most of it around the south east and south sides. Hit it after 10 am and before 3 pm and there should not be much traffic to contend with.
Going down I-35 you will hit some sections of major rebuilding of the highway between Hillsboro and Salado but for the most part they keep it so that it does not have much impact on traffic flow.
Austin and San Antonio can be a traffic problem most any time but especially near rush hours. You can avoid both by taking the new (but fairly expensive) toll road around the east side that goes all the way down to I-10. Then take I-10 over to I-410 south to I-37 toward Corpus Christi. That bypass all of Austin and most of San Antonio. Otherwise again hit it mid day and you may have a few slow miles but probably nothing particularly significant.
If you are needing to get south as soon as possible you could take I-90 to I-79 south (bypasses worst of Pittsburg) to I-77 south to I-81 west to I-40 west and continue toward Memphis/Little Rock as before. Although I-77 would have a few miles thru the mountains before it hits I-81, but we are not talking about steep mountain passes.
Getting farther south faster you could take I-77 to I-81 west to I-40 west to I-75 south to I-20 west toward Dallas. Or in worse case from I-20 you could take I-57 or I-55 south to I-10 west for the most southerly route. Of course that would put you thru Houston which is generally not good any time.
Each of the routes do go thru or near some major cities. But as long as you do not hit them during rush hours you should have little problem, except maybe Houston.
Weather from November on can be so unpredictable that during any given few days the weather for the northerly route may be fine, or it could be "get south as fast as you can" type weather. With several options available, a daily check of the next few days forecast could alter your route dynamically as you travel. Or if you are not in any particular hurry, just pick the route you think you would prefer and maybe be prepared to stop over a few days at one place or another for the weather to clear.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

I would take I-90, 271/480 around Cleveland, I-71 to Columbus, 270 around Columbus, I-71to Cincinnati, 275 around Cincinnati. At Jeffersonville IN, take US64W to US57S to US55S to Memphis. I-40 W to Texarkana, US59 S to Carthage TX, US 79W to Palestine TX, US79/84 W to Waco, Loop 340W (TX6W) to US77S. You can adjust your route depending on weather.

[susseandchris]

Since it is January, the object would be to get out of the colder weather as fast as possible... hence, interstates.

[BB_TX]

Do you prefer interstates for the fastest, simplest, easiest route?
Or secondary US and state highways for the more leisurely scenic route, but with more small towns, lower speed limits, and likely more turns and highway changes?
You could conceiveably bypass every large city enroute using secondary highways but at a cost of quite a bit of extra driving time.