February Travel Questions

[18sprint]

I wasn't sure where to put this question and I didn't really want to veer off the DIS Boards because I am quite sure someone out there has experience with this.
Has anyone driven to Disney from the north, say Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania for example in early February? We have driven twice from Ohio down 77 and really enjoyed it. A friend with experience recommended this route to avoid I75 and Atlanta specifically as our travel time would put us there during rush hour. What has me very concerned is it being February and the mountain areas in West Virginia and Virginia. Unfortunately, flying is not an option at this time. Any tips and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Never did it, but I know one of the states you drive through on 95 is a terrible speed trap that just gives out tickets hand over fist so some people drive around it. Waze warns about hazards like stuff on the road, fog, flooding, ice, accidents and speed traps in real time so that might be useful for someone to have going in the car.

 

[stsomewhere]

We drive from Detroit to Orlando. We always take 75. you can take a loop around Atlanta. We usually just drive through downtown and use HOV lane or the Express pass lane if it is open. ( We got billed by license plate months later. I think it was $24 for express but well worth it.

 

[Stratman50th]

You might want to ask your question in the camping forum. Pretty much everybody drives from their home state to Ft. Wilderness and they come from everywhere. Before we moved to Florida we used to drive down from MD. Good luck!
https://www.disboards.com/forums/camping-at-disney-world.24/

 

[cvjw]

75 thru Atlanta has free HOV lanes and pay extra ones. They are a godsend. Get a sun pass or peach pass and pay the cheaper rates. I live in Atlanta and loathe 285, the outer loop that let’s you avoid 75.

 

[HeatherC]

Where are you coming from? Depending on where you could always cut across VA and hook up with 95.

 

[18sprint]

We are coming from NE Ohio. We have driven twice down the eastern route, 77. I'm just worried about driving through the mountains in Feb.

 

[18sprint]

75 thru Atlanta has free HOV lanes and pay extra ones. They are a godsend. Get a sun pass or peach pass and pay the cheaper rates. I live in Atlanta and loathe 285, the outer loop that let’s you avoid 75.

Just curious, what is the issue with 285?

 

[sam_gordon]

We are coming from NE Ohio. We have driven twice down the eastern route, 77. I'm just worried about driving through the mountains in Feb.

I've gone down 77 in W. Va to get to NC in the spring. Those mountains SUCK. Especially at night, and especially if wet. If there's snow, I'd do almost anything to avoid it. I75 between Knoxville and Asheville I find less stressful.

 

[fla4fun]

My sister and BIL drove down 77 after Christmas a few years back, when snow closed their airport and they had to be back. They rented a four wheel drive and didn’t have any issues in the mountains. The big concern I would have is an actual snowstorm right when you plan to travel. I would probably map out a couple alternate routes so you have a Plan B or C in place before you go.

For example, you could take 75 as far south as Knoxville, take 40 across towards Asheville and pick up 26 heading south towards 95 to avoid Atlanta. Or instead of going all the way to Asheville, pick up US441 South, switching to US129 at Eatonton, GA, and picking up 75 in Macon.

My extended family lives in Cleveland and Canton, so we have made that drive a few times. Sometimes we went 77 and sometimes we went 75. There are mountains on each route, but so long as you aren’t driving during an active snowstorm, the interstates should be plowed and in decent condition.

 

[sam_gordon]

For example, you could take 75 as far south as Knoxville, take 40 across towards Asheville and pick up 26 heading south towards 95 to avoid Atlanta. Or instead of going all the way to Asheville, pick up US441 South, switching to US129 at Eatonton, GA, and picking up 75 in Macon.

Wouldn't those mountains be worse than staying on 75?

OP, you can have the best plans, but a good snow storm will mess you up quick. We just had about 5-6" fall in Central Ky in about 4 hours and I75 is at a standstill.

 

[cvjw]

Just curious, what is the issue with 285?

Living here and traveling on all these interstates, I just prefer not to use 285 if I don’t have to. They are always doing construction on it, which means multiple lanes closed. It is the interstate that transfer trucks are supposed to use, so it is wall to wall trucks in multiple lanes, which makes exiting challenging. It also attracts lots of insane drivers - usually in dodge chargers.

I will always pick 75/85 thru downtown, using the HOV lanes if possible.

 

[fla4fun]

Wouldn't those mountains be worse than staying on 75?

OP, you can have the best plans, but a good snow storm will mess you up quick. We just had about 5-6" fall in Central Ky in about 4 hours and I75 is at a standstill.

I was just giving them some options for avoiding Atlanta, if they decide to take 75. 40 east from Knoxville isn’t bad as far as mountain driving goes.. I actually think the mountain driving is about the same taking either route. I do feel the best advice is to have a couple backup routes and monitor the weather forecasts.

I have always enjoyed 75 through KY and TN.

 

[sam_gordon]

I was just giving them some options for avoiding Atlanta, if they decide to take 75. 40 east from Knoxville isn’t bad as far as mountain driving goes.. I actually think the mountain driving is about the same taking either route. I do feel the best advice is to have a couple backup routes and monitor the weather forecasts.

I have always enjoyed 75 through KY and TN.

Gotcha. I40 through Knoxville to Ashville isn't terrible, but I think 75 is a little easier. If you can time your path through Atlanta (hit the north part of town between 10a-1p or 6p+ if you're heading south) and utilize the HOV lanes, it's not really all that bad.

 

[_19disnA]

Similar to another recent thread, those months can be unpredictable for weather. At the higher elevations, there can be snow/ice/freezing rain, while other areas along your route have no weather related issues. Even if the weather is good in one direction, you just never know how it could change by the time you are returning. Always good to check the local weather forecasts before starting your trip in either direction.

Bad winter weather can cause HUGE backups on the freeways as you might have seen recently in VA on I-95.

 

[18sprint]

A big THANK YOU for all the responses. Very, very helpful.