Taking I-20 west on way to Phoenix

[aydodster]

Planning on taking I-20 west through the heartland in a couple of weeks and wanted to see if anyone has any tips or warnings on the route? Plan on picking it up in Atlanta and running it till it connects with I-10 southeast of El Paso. Never been on this route before but I think it might have a bit less of elevation challenges than I-40 through NM.

We will be driving a 2013 SunSeekeer pulling our Equinox on a car dolly. This vehicle just does not like steep hills so trying to find a route that keeps them to minimum. Thanks Patrick

[richp]

Hi,

Looking at I-20 myself for my trip to Quartszite, and would be particularly interested in information about the difficulty getting through Dallas with a towed vehicle.

Rich Phillips

[aydodster]

I plan on hitting this route in about 2 weeks and will post my experience. Should not be an issue south of Dallas as it looks like it does not go directly into the city.

[jpaskell]

I made that trip to Phoenix from Florida in June. No really steep grades a couple of long ones but very manageable. Watch out for traffic in Houston, San Antonio and El Paso. Lots of construction in El Paso. Texas drivers a little sketchey.

Roads all in good shape and very easy driving. Lots of great scenery, especially around Louisiana with waterways and the causways. Didn't go through New Orleans. Kinda crazy traffic there also.

Good luck, enjoy the ride and drive carefully.

Jim

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by jpaskell

I made that trip to Phoenix from Florida in June. No really steep grades a couple of long ones but very manageable. Watch out for traffic in Houston, San Antonio and El Paso. Lots of construction in El Paso. Texas drivers a little sketchey.

Roads all in good shape and very easy driving. Lots of great scenery, especially around Louisiana with waterways and the causways. Didn't go through New Orleans. Kinda crazy traffic there also.

Good luck, enjoy the ride and drive carefully.

Jim

Uhh Jim, I think you may be talking about I-10 in South Louisiana, not I-20 which runs thru my part in North Louisiana.

I-20 can be pretty bad in Jackson MS and also Bossier City/Shreveport LA. Make sure to not have any open drinks when going thru either and if you wear dentures, you may want to remove them.

If you want a good food suggestion, Try Ralph and Kacoos in Bossier City. It's real close to I-20.

http://www.ralphandkacoos.com/locations/bossier

[aceinspp]

Pretty good route. Drove it several years ago and pretty level. If I understand you will stay on 20 till you hit 10 so you will not even hit Houston or San Antonio. You will go through Dallas Ft Worth tho. You may want to plan on Hitting Atlanta after rush hour in the am or pm. Enjoy your trip. Later RJD

[jpaskell]

wmtire,
You are correct sir, I did not note the connection to 10 @El Paso. My mistake. But the ride through 10, then to 20 to bypass New Orleans then back to 10 was nice ride.

Sorry for the confusion.

Jim

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by jpaskell

wmtire,
You are correct sir, I did not note the connection to 10 @El Paso. My mistake. But the ride through 10, then to 20 to bypass New Orleans then back to 10 was nice ride.

Sorry for the confusion.

Jim

Uhhh Jim, Now I think you may be talking about I-12 which goes just north of Lake Pontchartrain and reconnects with I-10 in Baton Rouge.

There is probably at least 180 miles distance between I-20 and New Orleans

I'm in no way trying to call you out, but just let you know which Interstates are where in my home state. The scenery is way different from I-10/12 and I-20.

The fastest way for me to get to The Big Easy is to take I-20 east to Jackson MS, then 55 south till it ends at I-10, and then take I-10 east into New Orleans.

The easiest way however (and my favorite) is to go to Jackson, park the vehicle and jump on the Amtrak 'City of New Orleans'. It takes about four hours but no New Orleans driving at all.

[doodler]

There is road construction through Webster parish, as wmtire stated rough roads through Bossier City, especially the overpasses! Speed limit drops to 60 is about where the rough parts start, I would recommend a little slower because they will give you a pretty good jar!

[jpaskell]

wmtire,
You are correct. It was 12 we took to bypass New Orleans. I need to keep my map in my lap when I respond, I guess.

It was a confusing trip. Phoenix to Lafayette, La, to Syracuse, NY, to Cleveland, OH, to Scranton, Pa, to West Palm Beach, Fl, to Phoenix.

I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday! Again, sorry for any confusion I may have caused. Lesson? Don't follow me.

Jim

[aydodster]

thanks for all the inputs. We leave VA on 28 Nov and hit Atlanta to see one set of grandkids on the 29th. Head out from there on 30th heading to Phoenix and our new home. I expect to get theree on 5 or 6 Dec. We have done the I40 and I10 route before so wanted to see how I20 was. I will try to post some experiences on the trip and conditions as I go through it.

Having to keep my speed 60 and below with this rig is never a problem. Thanks to all the posters. Patrick

[hsvjim]

There are three or four fairly steep crawls once you pass El Paso. You will pass over the continental divide around Deming, NM. The elev gets up to close to 5000 ft. Just slow down and down shift and keep your engine and tranny cool.
Jim

[elchilero53]

We've traveled I-20 from Atlanta to Texas both ways and it is good. Some long hills near Birmingham AL but road is good. In Texas, watch out for the DFW Metroplex. The road has some splits in the Fort Worth area where you must exit left to stay on I-20 (I-20/287 split and the I-20/I-820 split). After that it is smooth sailing. One long and one short climb at Ranger Hill west of Weatherford but fairly flat otherwise. The traffic around Midland-Odessa is very heavy (oilfield traffic) and the drivers can be suicidal.

Another way would be to take US 67 south of Dallas through Cleburne, Glen Rose, Stephenville, to San Angelo then across to I-10 east of Fort Stockton through Rankin and McCamey then on to El Paso. It is a pretty way to go without a whole lot of traffic or nutty drivers in DFW or Midland-Odessa.

[Jakieboy]

Don't miss the chance to visit Carlsbad Caverns, just north of I-20 as you approach the junction with I-10. US Route 285 will take you north to Carlsbad. The Carlsbad KOA just north of town is one of the best RV Parks we have ever visited. US Routes 62/180 will then take you back into Texas and join I-10 near El Paso. All good roads.

[aydodster]

We have built in a day's worth of slop and that would be a nice side-trip for us to take. Will have to see how it works on the schedule. As to the previous posting on elevation, I am doing the southern route as I40 going through NM goes over 7,000 elevation and just don't want to dog the RV that much. Thanks again for all the posts and I will be sure to update this with our travel experiences. Patrick

[Vegasmailman]

I taken 20 several times. The only problem I had was we found it rather boring to be honest. Unless in a schedule I would take other roads. You be surprised how enjoyable small towns can be. I have towed as well thru Dallas I would consider crossing early before business traffic or evening. Go luck and enjoy

[aydodster]

We have a deadline this trip and have to be in Phoenix NLT 6 Dec so not a lot of time for side trips. Current plans have us leaving Phoenix around first of Feb and then heading to Hoover Dam, Vegas, across into CA and working our way north to San Fran. Then back to AZ and back east for our grandsons Lacrosse season in Atlanta. Then back to AZ in April to remember what our house looks like and a babysitting job with the three kids there.

Sure would be nice to earn FDM (Frequent Driver Miles) this coming year. Will be fun experience...Cheers Patrick

[peterbilt]

I20 kind of south of down town dallas fort worth like a loop

[fbconsults]

Just took the 20 from Dallas to the 10 and on into California. No problems, light traffic and the road wasn't too bad. Roads in the US are all substandard these days, but the 20 is ok.

Happy Trails, Forrest

[CedarCreekWoody]

You will be fine on I-20 through Texas. Dallas not a problem but avoid rush hours if possible. Only real hill is Ranger Hill west of Fort Worth. Enjoy your trip.