Route to Florida from Ontario with less hills/steep terrain

[Canoeguy1950]

The two main routes being I75, vs I77 to Orlando which is the less steep for towing. Thank you . February travel.

[richard5933]

I can't answer your question specifically, but here's a website which will help you find the flattest route between two points.

https://www.flattestroute.com

[Hans627]

I didn't know there was such a website. Interesting!

Thanks for sharing!

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by Hans627

I didn't know there was such a website. Interesting!

Thanks for sharing!

Used it all the time doing route planning when traveling in our vintage bus conversion - it couldn't climb a steep grade to save its life. This website was a lifesaver.

[Canoeguy1950]

Originally Posted by richard5933

I can't answer your question specifically, but here's a website which will help you find the flattest route between two points.

https://www.flattestroute.com

I am surprised it is showing I77-I26-I95 ...we travelled from Windsor to Panhandle I75 then cut over to blue grass parkway to Nashville....Alabama etc and thought it was not steep terrain ...the only thing going I77-I26-I95 is February storm alert in West Virginia... thank you for sharing this tool.

[Rollin]

Having done I-75 many times, it is not terribly steep when considering towing uphill. Braking downhill is also not terrible steep but you need to exercise caution for slow-moving trucks. Another consideration is traffic. Cincinnati and especially Atlanta can be brutal while towing. Avoid Atlanta if possible, the bypass around Atlanta is worse then I-75 through downtown. Here is an RV link from a few years ago for another perspective. Keep us posted on your decision and thoughts on your final selection after you complete the journey

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f42/i-77...da-226464.html

[Silvr_Bullet]

The RV Life app has a elevation profile for a given route, I have found that helpful with route planning.

[B17drvr]

If you are going to Ontario California I-10 is fairly flat.


If you are going to the Provence of Ontario Canada, would need to know what are of the Provence you are going to. It is pretty big.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I would very much think about the traffic / congestion on this or that route before I got to worried about hills. Looking at Peterborough to Orlando on Google Maps, there are three recommended routes:

1) Cross over at Detroit and head down I-75. Pretty much all Interstates in the US

2) Cross over at Buffalo and head down I-90 to I-79 to I-77 to I-26 to I-95 again mostly all interstates.

3) Again cross at Buffalo and wander some back roads in NY and PA. Then hit I-80, I-99, I-70, I-270, to I-95

While the 3rd one lets you see the sights in upstate NY and central PA, you run through a ton of traffic once you get to Washington DC. I would very much avoid this route traffic wise.

Route one is going to hit some urban areas and there will be traffic. Each time we've driven it, Atlanta has been the worst of the bunch.

Route two seems to have more hills that route one.

So there's no ideal answer. You will be compromising in some way on all of those routes.

There are other "not interstate" answers to the question. They will take a bit longer. You can zig and zag to dodge around this or that urban area. Do you save any time that way? In some cases you very much do (stuck for 4 hours between Washington and Richmond is not unheard of).

What would I do?

Route number 4:

Cross over at Watertown and head down I-81. Stay on that to I-77 and then cut over to I-95 on I-26. Google thinks it's an hour or two longer. I'd bet it turns out to be the fast route. No comment about the hills as you head down I-26. Just grin and bear it for that stretch.

Bob

[civeng99]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

I would very much think about the traffic / congestion on this or that route before I got to worried about hills. Looking at Peterborough to Orlando on Google Maps, there are three recommended routes:

1) Cross over at Detroit and head down I-75. Pretty much all Interstates in the US

2) Cross over at Buffalo and head down I-90 to I-79 to I-77 to I-26 to I-95 again mostly all interstates.

3) Again cross at Buffalo and wander some back roads in NY and PA. Then hit I-80, I-99, I-70, I-270, to I-95

While the 3rd one lets you see the sights in upstate NY and central PA, you run through a ton of traffic once you get to Washington DC. I would very much avoid this route traffic wise.

Route one is going to hit some urban areas and there will be traffic. Each time we've driven it, Atlanta has been the worst of the bunch.

Route two seems to have more hills that route one.

So there's no ideal answer. You will be compromising in some way on all of those routes.

There are other "not interstate" answers to the question. They will take a bit longer. You can zig and zag to dodge around this or that urban area. Do you save any time that way? In some cases you very much do (stuck for 4 hours between Washington and Richmond is not unheard of).

What would I do?

Route number 4:

Cross over at Watertown and head down I-81. Stay on that to I-77 and then cut over to I-95 on I-26. Google thinks it's an hour or two longer. I'd bet it turns out to be the fast route. No comment about the hills as you head down I-26. Just grin and bear it for that stretch.

Bob

Agreed. Tackle Washington DC, MD etc at night if bumper to bumper during the day bothers you.

[DIDJA]

We go from North Georgia to Buffalo often. I like taking I90 from Buffalo to Cleveland; I71 to Cincinnati, and catch I75 all the way down. Not too many bad hills except in Tennessee. Roads are in excellent shape and the only bottleneck can be Cincinnati if you catch it at rush hour. We do not, however, have to deal with Atlanta on this trip. If you decide to try this route, you want to avoid rush hour, and as someone else said, take I75 right through downtown Atlanta.

[civeng99]

Atlanta isn’t a big deal if you plan I it out and zip through at 10 pm or 4 am. Personally I find traveling at off hours sooo much more enjoyable. Hit the road at 3 am. Plan not to be in a big city for the morning rush and call it quits at noon and relax.

Originally Posted by DIDJA

We go from North Georgia to Buffalo often. I like taking I90 from Buffalo to Cleveland; I71 to Cincinnati, and catch I75 all the way down. Not too many bad hills except in Tennessee. Roads are in excellent shape and the only bottleneck can be Cincinnati if you catch it at rush hour. We do not, however, have to deal with Atlanta on this trip. If you decide to try this route, you want to avoid rush hour, and as someone else said, take I75 right through downtown Atlanta.

[Scott S]

Just my opinion, 6 of 1 and half dozen of another. For many years I drove from Cleveland to Tampa for Christmas. I-77 through West Virginia is curvy through the mountains and is a toll road. While I found that the more scenic option I also found it more tiresome to drive especially if it was snowy. That said I seem to remember one particularly long and steep downhill on I-75...which also takes you through Atlanta which is not fun.

[Mollysdad]

Having driven I-75 at various times from Detroit to Florida, the one caution I'd fear in February is "The Cut of the Hill" where I-75 descends from Northern Ky. into Cincinnati. The DOT in that area doesn't have many snow plows since it rarely accumulates, and an ice storm can leave 100 vehicles in a pile. Normally, it's a pretty view of the Cincinnati skyline as you approach. (I lived there for 10 years.)
You could avoid that by using the I-275 bypass around Cincinnati.

I'd do almost anything to avoid I-95 in S. Carolina where the potholes are bone jarring.

[pawsonross]

I live just north of you and pull a 34' with a Dodge Caravan. I am not home currently so can't give you the highway #'s. We cross at the Ivy Lea Bridge and it is a straight shot thru New York State and Pensylvannia into Virginia. Some years ago someone from Virginia that we were volunteering with at Pennykamp State Park in Key Largo gave us a route through to pick up I95. As you can appreciate with my tow vehicle I want the flatest route possible.

[ssksfk]

Originally Posted by richard5933

I can't answer your question specifically, but here's a website which will help you find the flattest route between two points.

https://www.flattestroute.com

Thanks for mentioning this app!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The "flattest" north south road is I-95. It pretty much follows the path of US Route 1. That followed the Post road from colonial times (where that existed). If you are hauling goods with a horse, flat matters

The problem is that it went between big towns. Some of those grew some .... not so much. The result it that it's a bit much in terms of traffic. There might be some magic way to get on I-95 at NYC and go from there. Traffic wise, it would be nonsense.

For true adventure, take US-1 rather than I-95. As bad as I-95 is, my guess is you'll be back on it at the next interchange

Bob

[northfayston]

6% is the maximum allowed on interstates to answer your question. Each will cross the Appalachian Mts at some point.

Food for thought - For the most part we avoid interstates especially in Florida because of the number of trucks and cars traveling at a high rate of speed. I would be looking at which major cities these interstate travel through. You want to avoid Atlanta on I-75. You might also want to be watching the weather a week out to see if one route would be better than the other as storms move through. Take an extra day and travel the Blue Highways (non-interstates). Especially enjoyable in northern Florida as you travel through old classic towns. Many of the US highways are now four lanes or quality two lane roads. 441 through Georgia is a good road. Route 17 along the coast.

[SilverCabin]

I tow through Atlanta all the time. If you time your transit through the city most of the time you will have no issues. Some say to travel through at night, and that works if you want to drive in the dark. Personally, I don't like to tow at night, so I plan my transits to be between 9:00 am to 11:00 am, or between 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. And, always drive I-75 through the city; stay off the beltway as it is loaded with trucks.

Randy

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by northfayston

6% is the maximum allowed on interstates..

While I think you're correct that 6% is the standard, there are stretches of Interstate with 7 & 8% grades.