6. Carry chains during the winter

Many people aren’t aware that numerous roads out West require that chains be put on your tires during extreme weather conditions. Always keep a set of tire chains in your car to prepare yourself for drastic weather changes. With so many changes in elevation (that come on quickly), you may go from mild temps to snow in a matter of hours (maybe less).

Driving out West

7. Break up the trip

Take out the stress and boredom of a long trip by splitting the trip into several nights. I think that 7-8 hours of driving a day makes the perfect distance; not too long, but long enough to get some mileage in. I usually stop driving before it gets dark; you tend to get more sleepy and bored as the night goes on. We made the mistake once of driving 30 hours without stopping; we lost the entire next day. Trust me it is not worth it!

8. Plan out your hotels in advance

There is nothing worse than driving around late at night after being on the road all day and finding out that every hotel is booked. You are wasting both gas and time! Save yourself some extra hassle and cash by booking your hotel online before you leave. This also allows you to find a hotel with your required amenities (pets friendly, free breakfast, pool, etc.). Being tired at night and searching for a hotel is not fun!

9. Invest in Sirius Radio

Sirius/XM Satellite radio comes in handy when driving long distances out West as many areas lack radio reception or quality stations. I can’t even explain how much Sirius has helped us get through some long 20+ hour drives! The combination of fun stations like ’80s on 8, ’90s on 9, sports radio, comedy, and more really keep you interested after you get bored of traditional stations.

10. Check for road closures

Road closures often happen for a variety of reasons whether it be due to construction, weather, or something else. On a cross country trip from Illinois to Nevada, Mike and I were excited to take off on the final portion of our journey: a 7 hour drive from Phoenix to mid-Nevada. We were glad to have such a short drive as our previous day’s drive was over 30 hours.

Unfortunately, our drive turned out to be much longer than expected. When reaching the Hoover Dam, we were forced to turn around. Due to the construction they weren’t letting any trailers cross. We had to turn around and go back over 3 hours and take another road; this added over 6 hours to our trip! The worst part of all is that we planned on driving through Las Vegas at night to see the lights; well we ended up not passing Vegas until the morning hours! Make sure to check for road closures on the Federal Highway Administration website.

Snowy views driving out West