Good Route in Northern IN to avoid Tollroad

[MartiB]

Taking my new Salem CruiseLite from Oshkosh WI to Wauseon OH in about two weeks. I'd like to avoid the Indiana Tollroad if possible and wondered if anyone was familiar with Rt 20. I was thinking of taking I94 to Rt 20 or even up into Michigan and picking up Rt 12. Both are listed as 2-lane so I'm not sure if saving money is worth the extra time it will probably take. Seems having an I-Pass or EZ Pass only saves you about 5 cents on the whole toll trip. Alternate ideas?

[purduepete97]

There is no faster way than the toll road to go straight across the top of the state. Not sure where Wauseon is, but if south you could take 65 down to Indy and then 70 across to OH. 20 will be a fair amount of stopping in smaller towns if I recall correctly.

[eco2011]

I pass definitely saves more than 5 cents on that trip. 20 isn't too bad a several small towns personally I'd take the toll road

[MartiB]

Wauseon is about 1/2 way between the IN line and Toledo - right off I-80/90
Adding up all the tolls through IL, IN and OH, it came to $103 round trip. Thought there might be a cheaper way. I might cut a bit off if I drive through on the expressways in Chicago. Came back that way last year with my old trailer. There is construction everywhere around here.

Not necessarily in a hurry. I might want to stop somewhere and stay over unless the drive goes well. I figure it's about 7 hours between Oshkosh and Wauseon...as long as I stay clear of rush hour in Chicago. I can't drive as long as I used to be able to. My head says 7 hours is fine but the body may tell me something else.

[purduepete97]

There are a couple of really neat things close to where you'll be going. First is the RV museum located just outside of Elkhart. You could spend a couple of hours or probably a couple of days there if you really wanted to. And there is also Shipshewana which is a large Amish population and they have a very large flea market certain days of the week. And as I'm sure you know there are a lot of RV manufacturers in northern Indiana. At least a few of them still offer factory tours. We did one at Newmar a few years ago and it was really fascinating.

[MartiB]

Thanks for the tips. I know I said I wasn't in a hurry but I was thinking "hurry" as in the difference between using the toll roads and taking other highways. I do need to be in Wauseon for a geocaching event either Wednesday afternoon or early Thursday morning.

I live just outside Chicago so those trips can come later. Sounds interesting. Will give me something to take the trailer to that isn't real far away.

[purduepete97]

Gotcha. Have a safe trip.

[Hpuck99]

I 20 is all good road Lotz of people take that way to avoid the toll road.

[MartiB]

Thanks Hpuck99. I'm leaning toward taking that. Maybe if I get to Elkhart early enough I can stop in at the factory.

[woody9]

The I-Pass is worth it in cost savings. Can't recall if IL or IN, but one was nearly HALF the rates if paying manually.. but the semi's on the toll road can get thick at times, more so over towards Illinois line & Michigan City. I lived outside Tomah, WI a number of years back and used to hit South Bend (just east of Elkhart) fairly often. I'm now between Lansing & Detroit and still head to SB & Elkhart frequently.. Maybe it's the Michigan blood in me, but I like 12 and it's NOT very far north of the toll road. You could take that over to 23 (near Ann Arbor) and then down to Toledo. To me it's less stress, NO tolls and more picturesque.

[MartiB]

Thanks woody9. Yes, the IPass for Illinois is about 1/2 price however no savings in Indiana (which is more expensive). I do have IPass.

Looks like a decision between US20, Rt 12 and the tollways. I do like the scenic drive idea - and less trucks.

[glfillion]

The other advantage of I Pass is the faster throughput at the toll booths. You could waste 5 - 10 minutes each time you hit a booth. Also, although US 12 is wide and well maintained, it still goes thru countless little towns that will eat up time. I would pay the tolls and tour the local region when you have more time.

[Big Bill]

right now there is construction on 94 at MM22.5 long backups , non tollway, rt 20, 6,and 30 are ok if you are not in a hurry

[Ronsc]

pick up 94 out of Chicago into Indiana then drop down to either route 20 which takes you through South Bend or go down to Rte 6 which take across IN into ohio to Napoleon, OH. Pick up Rte 108 into Wauseon OH. According to Mapquest it's 393 miles and 7Hrs or so. I used to run Rte 6 when i drove truck.

[rockfordroo]

I-pass in in Illinois is 1/2 the cash rate, at least for the TV. I went thru the South Beloit, IL tollbooth last weekend. Forgot my I-Pass, so I paid $4.00 for TV and 2 axle RV. In theory, the TV was $1.90 (double the $.95 I-Pass rate), leaving RV to pick up the other $2.10. Not sure if the RV would have been cheaper with the I-Pass.

Here's a thought - why not take the SS Badger across the lake; Manitowoc to Luddington?
SS Badger, Lake Michigan Car Ferry | Manitowoc, WI - Ludington, MI

$66 for TV, $7/ft for the RV. So probably not cheaper, but a heck of a lot more interesting and less stressful!

[trbomax]

Haveing been born and raised in toledo i can tell you that 12 is like a snake and 20 has a lot of small towns .We used to go to coldwater mi a lot camping/boating and harrison lake state park oh. We always took the toll roads.We still meet up with the family at harrison lake 2 times a year even though we are now located in northern mi.If you are going 12 or 20 you will be hard pressed to average 45mph for a day.

[newcowg]

I make the same run often and I always drop South to US 6 just after intering Ind. from Chi. Most trips are with 32 ft TT.

[Det107]

I-94 mostly parallels the toll rd. then goes into Ill which is a toll, if you go south on St. Rd,In 49 South and catch US 30 it will take you into Ill without tolls, but through a lot of stop lights, taking US 20 W. will take you into Gary In. on 5th. ave. which it down town Gary, probably a route to avoid. I don't know anything South that would help. On our GPS there is a "avoid toll roods" feature" but I don't know if most have this feature or not.

[FarmerJim]

I live in NW Ohio (Bryan) and travel 20 lots ! Its a good road fairly fast and not very much traffic . Lots faster than Rt 12 in Mi. . You will save a ton and it isn't 30 min different from the state line all the way to Toledo (way past Wauseon ) . Have a great trip ! Route 120 in Indiana is good too ! Farmer Jim

[MartiB]

Thanks Farmer Jim! I'm seriously considering Rt 20. I need to stop fairly often so Rt 20 sounds like a decent way to avoid the expensive Indiana tolls. Illinois and Ohio aren't that bad.