Travelling to Florida from Ontario in winter

[Okanes]

Ok good to know! We are looking in the map now. That’s helpful

[SailorSam20500]

At this time, I-75 southbound is CLOSED just south of Detroit. Detour is out to either I-275 or US 23. US 24 (Telegraph Rd) can be used but has stop lights every mile for the about 10 mile stretch. Also currently, there is significant construction on US-23 between Brighton and Ann Arbor, a buddy of mine who sometimes uses it to get to work calls it "crazy times".

For me, If I were to cross in Sarnia, I would then take i-94 to I-696 to I275 or US 23.

Until the construction on US-23 is complete and if crossing in Sault Saint Marie, I would take 75 to to 23 to 96 to 275 and pick up 75 again just north of Toledo.. Once the US 23 construction is complete, 75 to 23 and then pick up 75 again south of Toledo. It is my understanding that the Cabela's on 23 does NOT allow overnight parking. (I live too close to actually try using it)

I've used the Kentucky Horse Park just north of Lexington KY as an overnight, about 6 hours from the Detroit area. Nice park with either W/E or rustic spots. Just off I-75. If you spend a couple of nights, it is convenient to many stops on the Bourbon Trail.

[ProfChuck]

You are welcome. By the way, if you are coming across on the Blue Water Bridge, you could take I-94 down to I-696 and go west to I-275. Then take that south and it will also hook into I-75. Or, you can stay on I-94 go through Detroit, and pick up I-75 there as well. I-69 across to I-75 is a fairly long way (Port Huron to Flint). I am just not a big fan of going through town and will go out of my way to go around it. This summer they will be working on I-696, but, they may be done by January. We have relatives near Port Huron and have found a number of ways to go, but, like the 94 and 696 route the best. I know when you are running an RV a few miles out of the way can make a lot of difference in just gas, let alone time, but, the drive through the Sault and Mackinaw is a very pretty drive (although not a lot will be happening in January). Gaylord is a good gas stop as well as West Branch, and Saginaw has a Pilot RV stop. Between Bay City (Zillwaukee Bridge) and Flint there is a fair amount of traffic, though, but, probably not too bad during the winter. In summer, worst traffic is Sunday afternoon when all the south bounders are on the way home. There are also Costco and Sam's club on the way down for gas and usually Toledo area has fairly cheap gas. Check Gas Buddy app to let you know where the best stations are. You can plug in your cities into the app and check ahead of time where the best stations are. Once you pass Atlanta, it is a pretty straight run to Florida, but, once in Florida it is a pretty long run downstate. There is a campground just inside the Florida boarder on I-75. We were only there once many years ago. Not sure what it is like now. Have fun.

[ProfChuck]

Quick answer about US-23 from Brighton to Ann Arbor: Construction is done and the road is open and has new pavement.

When you get close to Ann Arbor, do watch for the correct lanes to be in. You want the Toledo (south US-23) NOT M-14 to downtown Ann Arbor. Basically get in the center lane and stay to the left at the first tri-deck coming into Ann Arbor and then stay right to head south on 23 (M-14 goes to the left on the second tri-deck). They have new electronic signage along 23 so it should be fairly easy to follow.

[FrankG]

We travel I-75 from Toledo, OH to Dade City, Fl all the time. Now we normally do it in October and April to avoid the snow, salt and winterization issues. We are surrounded by Canadians down here so join the fun. We use a app called Allstays to locate Campgrounds and stops along the way. The wife has turned out to be a 4-star navigator and event planner.

Highway Diesel has been exceptionally High so be prepared. Remember, don't take southern fuel north, it will gel. Use some anti-gelling stuff. I got a recreational Pilot / Flying-J card to get a little discount and the ability to pay at the Truck Pumps. Some Pilot/FJ's are installing RV overnight parking spaces.

One other issue, a RV refrigerator quits working by design limitations at 32Deg F. Normally not an issue, but something to be aware of.

Good Luck and welcome to the good life.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by CampingGator

Are you heading via New York State or Michigan? Part of the trip depends on that. Either way, make your way to I-75. It’s much better than I-95. I am best familiar from Tennessee on down to Florida as far as I-75 goes. I cannot speak to north of Tennessee. I-95 is crowded from Washington, DC on south. On 75, go straight through Atlanta, not the bypass. If you travel at 65 MPH, most folks will go around you.

As far as natural stops, it depends on how long you like to travel between stops, what time of day and where you start out from.

We live in Florida, so never have to worry about winterizing, so I cannot speak to that.

I would suggest two things for a trip this long. You may already have them. A very good GPS and a rear view camera on the 5th wheel. Going through big cities, there is a lot of faster moving traffic. These drivers will come into the rear blind spot and then cut around you. They will be along side you in a heart beat when they get the chance. You can see this on camera and make safer lane changes.

As CampingGator says, we most often (with emphasis on most), plow straight through Atlanta on 75. Atlanta, being a very large city, has significant ebbs and flows of traffic. Sundays or off peak traffic are the best times to come straight through. Otherwise, it is stop and crawl. The bypasses under these circumstances are no better.

The reason for the camera and the GPS is that there are a lot of lane changes. The changes are pretty well marked ahead, but the GPS really helps. We have found that a lot of semis also go straight through rather than use the bypasses. Finding a semi that is keeping the pace, we get behind and follow. They know the roads and make the lane changes well ahead. DW won't drive a big rig through Atlanta, but she sure make a heck of a co-pilot.

Florida is widening I-75 where there has been 4 lane to six lanes minimum. There is a stretch around Punta Gorda that is slowing traffic, but that should be fairly well along by the time you are coming down. Sarasota to Port Charlotte is done.

Happy travels!

[SailorSam20500]

I'm heading to Florida this spring. With all the talk on traffic in Atlanta, I laid out a trip that gets off 75 and goes thru or near Rome, Columbus, and Albany before getting back on 75 near Tifton or Adel.

Any thoughts on this as a route? I recognize that this will take a bit longer, but it doesn't seem to be all that much longer...

[Kaadk]

An alternative route to 75 is I think 77? Not sure on the exact route number, but back in the early 90's did a couple of trips with the parents to Florida. One trip we did down 75, one via what I think is 77 by looking at the maps. It cut through western West Virginia anyways and met back up to Florida near Savannah. At the top side we had cut across Ohio to get to it. As I recall, (at least back in the early 90's) the grades weren't as steep. When we did the 75 route in 92, Dad struggled on the grades, in 94 on the other route, we didn't. But we also had 4 less adults and that much less gear in 94, so I don't know how much that contributed to it.

Looking at Google maps, it's suggesting a route from North Bay that cuts over at Buffalo, skirts around Pittsburgh and then runs straight south through Charlotte on the way to Florida. It seems to be kind of the route we took before, except were we veered over to Detroit for crossing back home.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

I'm heading to Florida this spring. With all the talk on traffic in Atlanta, I laid out a trip that gets off 75 and goes thru or near Rome, Columbus, and Albany before getting back on 75 near Tifton or Adel.

Any thoughts on this as a route? I recognize that this will take a bit longer, but it doesn't seem to be all that much longer...

Never took that route, but it looks like a viable alternative. Well worth a try. If you ever got stuck in Atlanta traffic, even a light rain will cause major delays. Your route could be quicker. Let us know how it works out for you.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

An alternative route to 75 is I think 77? Not sure on the exact route number, but back in the early 90's did a couple of trips with the parents to Florida. One trip we did down 75, one via what I think is 77 by looking at the maps. It cut through western West Virginia anyways and met back up to Florida near Savannah. At the top side we had cut across Ohio to get to it. As I recall, (at least back in the early 90's) the grades weren't as steep. When we did the 75 route in 92, Dad struggled on the grades, in 94 on the other route, we didn't. But we also had 4 less adults and that much less gear in 94, so I don't know how much that contributed to it.

Looking at Google maps, it's suggesting a route from North Bay that cuts over at Buffalo, skirts around Pittsburgh and then runs straight south through Charlotte on the way to Florida. It seems to be kind of the route we took before, except were we veered over to Detroit for crossing back home.

We took a similar route north from Port Charlotte when we had to stop in Jacksonville. Unless heading to the east coast of Florida, I-75 is still the most direct. SailorSam20500 alternate route around Atlanta would make sense using I-75. It pretty much depends on the specific point A to point B

[bop11]

We have travelled from Port Huron MI several times early in January and every trip we have had to travel many miles to try and out run snow storms or it’s been way to cold (10*) to try and get the camper warm enough to spend the night. So far we have travelled I75 from Detroit to Florida. I would suggest using US23 from where ever is convenient in Michigan to where it rejoins I75 south of Toledo. This past January we were slowed to around 30 MPH the last 15-20 miles getting out of Michigan on I75. It was like driving on a gravel washboard road.
I have dewinterized in southern Georgia in a rest area and in Campgrounds in the Ocala area of Florida. I drain all of the antifreeze thru the low point drains into a bucket and dump it in the toilet. When I did it in the rest area I had stopped at a Pilot and got some water in the tank. Then I run 2 or 3 buckets of water thru the outside shower to make sure it’s running pink free then I continue to run it for 2-3 minutes on the ground.
It was only 10* this year when we got to northern Georgia so we just slept in the truck. We were able to get to Atlanta at 11:00am and made it thru fairly easily. It didn’t get above freezing until well south of Macon.
We’ll be heading back to Michigan next week. I’ll let you know how that goes!

[oldsmasma]

We're in northeastern Ontario. When we have done the Florida run we kept the motorhome winterized and the fridge empty and off. No food makes the border crossing easier. We watch for a few clear days and make a run for it. We cross at Sarnia and take 75. We stay in motels for the two nights it takes. First night in the Lima Ohio area and the second in the Dalton Georgia area. We have always gone straight through Atlanta without any drama. In fact it's an easier drive than a couple of other major US cities IMHO. Third night is Lake City Florida area where we spend two nights catching our breath and getting the motorhome stocked and de winterized then it's off to our final destination we go.

[Okanes]

Thanks you so much! So helpful. We are from the North Bay Area. We will take your advice! Would you be able to tell us which motels you have us? We are fairly new to hauling the fifth wheel and my husband is a bit concerned about parking lot size, access and exit hauling the trailer. So any suggestions for motels would be wonderful! Thanks in advance.

[oldsmasma]

Small world - Corbeil here lol. We have stayed at several different motels/hotels in each area depend on how far we can travel. We were also looking for pet friendly accommodations. We've never run into parking problems either with the motorhome or when we had a fifth wheel. You can always use street view to check out the parking lot or email the facility and ask.

[Okanes]

No way! Hey neighbour! If you can think of the names of the pet friendly motels that you stayed in, please let us know. Thanks for the information and maybe we will see you in the ‘hood! ��

[Villagerjjm]

I would take I-81 south all the way down to Rt 77. Then Rt 77 to Rt 26 (Columbia, SC), then Rt.26 from Columbia to I-95. I think that this route will give you a much less stressful travel experience than taking I-95 from Fredericksburg, Va.. There are a lot of campgrounds that offer overnight camping with full hook-ups available all the way along this route. Also, Rt. 301 through Florida: There are alternatives to I-75. Look at CR471 from Sumterville and some of the routes that go down the MIDDLE of Florida. Less traffic, speed limits will vary but 85% of the journey is on well paved 2 lane S and 2 lane N highways similar to I-95 with speed limits up to 70mph. That is how I travel from Wildwood, Fl. to Naples with my TT, or to the Finger Lakes in NY.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

I'm heading to Florida this spring. With all the talk on traffic in Atlanta, I laid out a trip that gets off 75 and goes thru or near Rome, Columbus, and Albany before getting back on 75 near Tifton or Adel.

Any thoughts on this as a route? I recognize that this will take a bit longer, but it doesn't seem to be all that much longer...

We pull our 5th right thru Atlanta. Have done it a dozen times. Just plan your trip to hit Atlanta between 10am and 2pm. We use the HOV lane. Zip right thru unless someone does something stupid and causes an accident but that can and does happen anywhere on the interstate system.

[oldsmasma]

Originally Posted by Okanes

No way! Hey neighbour! If you can think of the names of the pet friendly motels that you stayed in, please let us know. Thanks for the information and maybe we will see you in the ‘hood! ��

We did it last in 2015 so things have no doubt changed tenfold but Motel 6 in Lima had absolutely no frills but there is big rig friendly parking and multiple restaurants close by so it worked for us. The Econo Lodge in Dalton was pet friendly and we had no issues parking and finding places to eat. You can time the departure from Dalton to miss the morning rush in Atlanta and from there it's an easy run to Florida

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

Never took that route, but it looks like a viable alternative. Well worth a try. If you ever got stuck in Atlanta traffic, even a light rain will cause major delays. Your route could be quicker. Let us know how it works out for you.

Well, I've completed the run down to Florida. Got off I-75 in Adairsville and spent a couple of nights there. Survived the storm line that came thru.

From there I took Georgia 140 (Adairsville Rd) west to Georgia 53/US 27. There was some easily navigated construction on 140. US 27 was a pleasure to drive. Mostly 4 lane divided highway with 55-65 MPH (>70% at 65 MPH). 3 towns to go thru, I just stayed in whichever lane I was in and got thru each town in under 5 minutes each. Much of the drive there was no one in sight heading in my direction. For the most part traffic was very light. Nice having two lanes to myself. Took US 27 to I-185 which I was on for about 25 miles, then back to US 27. Continued on 27 to Georgia 37 which I took to Reed Bingham State Park where we spent a couple of nights - very nice park. 37 was a standard 2 lane road but in good condition. Only downside to the route is that the wind was ripping for a good part of the day!

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

Well, I've completed the run down to Florida. Got off I-75 in Adairsville and spent a couple of nights there. Survived the storm line that came thru.

From there I took Georgia 140 (Adairsville Rd) west to Georgia 53/US 27. There was some easily navigated construction on 140. US 27 was a pleasure to drive. Mostly 4 lane divided highway with 55-65 MPH (>70% at 65 MPH). 3 towns to go thru, I just stayed in whichever lane I was in and got thru each town in under 5 minutes each. Much of the drive there was no one in sight heading in my direction. For the most part traffic was very light. Nice having two lanes to myself. Took US 27 to I-185 which I was on for about 25 miles, then back to US 27. Continued on 27 to Georgia 37 which I took to Reed Bingham State Park where we spent a couple of nights - very nice park. 37 was a standard 2 lane road but in good condition. Only downside to the route is that the wind was ripping for a good part of the day!

I'm sure that I, along with many others here, appreciate your update. Thanks!