Driving to championship game.

[UtahUtesRock]

ive never done I 80 Reno to Sacramento. Any ideas about how nasty that is late November? Am I crazy to try and drive that. Currently they are saying chains are required.

[UTE98]

Don’t stop on Donner’s pass, take as long as you need getting down the other side. It’s been a long time since I drove I-80 through there, but I remember thinking that part would be very very bad in the winter. (Elevation is about 7000 feet)

Doe’s Utah have any passes on I-15 that high? Colorado has Palmer Pass, between me and Colorado Springs at over 7300. And it is nasty in the winter, but I don’t think as bad as Donner’s Pass due to the fact we go from 5280/5900 up to that, where Donner’s pass seems to be a bit more of an uphill/downhill slope. 

Just looked it up, from Donner Pass to Auburn, CA, about an hour (same distance as Denver to Palmer) the elevation change is about 5800 feet. That’s a pretty huge wall for snow/clouds to get over without taking a dump.

[UtahUtesRock]

Thanks for the information. 

[Brichaute49]

If it really dumps they will close it until it is cleared. Just watch the weather report. I’ve gone through there many times at all times during the winter months. 

[Anonymous]

They maintain it pretty well. Just be careful. I’m doing it too.  

[GameForAnyFuss]

I grew up in Truckee, right on top of Donner Pass. It can have some ragers, but in the era of global warming, usually not too many. 

The thing you have to remember is CalTrans are a bunch of tools. If there’s any snow at all, it’s full on chains required (and they do check every car), and if there’s 4″, the road will close. They just have no idea how to deal with snow. 

Of course, they’re also dealing with the least common denominator when it comes to snow drivers: Bay Area ones. So I can’t fault them totally. 

[PlainsUte]

Do you have “chains” (todays are not acutally chains, but “traction devices”) for your car? Might pick up some as sometimes they have chains or 4WD required.  Also learn from the Donner Party and pack a sandwich.

[Warrior Ute]

I live right off 80 halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco.  Family is still in Idaho and Utah so I drive this fairly often. Typically if you are driving a 4 wheel drive with all season tires they don’t require you to chain up.  It often takes as long to get past the tire check as up and over.  Last Thanksgiving coming back from Utah, they required chains and the backup for the check was almost an hour. On the way over I drove on wet roads with some slush between the lanes and maybe about 200 years of broken snow floor. 

I have been through some heavy snowstorms across the pass, but nothing that seemed scary to a kid that learned to drive in the Idaho Utah area.  You will want to make sure that your windshield washer fluid is full land that you have some extra with you.  It seems like there is tons of water thrown up on your windshield and I gave gone through a full tank of fluid on one way over the pass.