Way Too Early Planning Advice - OKC to DLR - Traffic Concerns, Hotel Recs in AZ, etc.

[momof2n2]

What you really want to avoid is the Vegas to SoCal traffic on Sunday. You really can't conceive how bad it will be till you hit it wrong. It could easily take 4 hours to go 50 miles. My guess is that is anytime after 10 Sunday. Maybe even 9:30. For that reason only, I would push to Kingman and leave Kingman early Sunday. Very early. The are plenty of places to stay there (nothing fancy and lots of full on skeevy places). Personally, I would try to find another way to break it up so that you end up in Barstow Saturday night. (but not by stopping in gallup!) Or even in primm on the nv/ca border. Seriously, get past Vegas.

Hmmm. May I please chime in here? Our plan is to leave Kingman, and visit Oatman on a Monday morning, and then head in to Anaheim. Will it be relatively quiet on Monday morning?

 

[momof2n2]

@Xenorye
As we are planning our route for this June, I am using Google Earth a lot to drop down and look at the roads themselves. I drive a 2005 12-passenger van with 178,000 miles on it. I have been doing a lot of scoping out.

 

[chickapin parterre]

not sure when you want the quiet to happen on Monday......Oatman, in june, will be downright quiet, look for the burrous in the shade once downtown Oatman. If you are squeaking thru Oatman in the dark of Monday morning, then skip it and head straight to Laughlin, I have never been north of Oatman, alway come in from the south side and that is a great road south of Oatman. Try trip advisor on what the north side road is like for Oatman. At laughlin you have two choices, keep heading west or work the signal lights in Bullhead city. if the 178,000 miles is of concern, then bullhead city has services all the way to Needles, which is your last taste of Civilization until the Cochella valley. The nice concept about California travel, is that they have 911 phones frequently in the middle of NOWHERE along the roads., I memorized them on my 1998 170,000 truck heading south of needles into Yuma in the hottest September on record for the area.

 

[Xenorye]

@Xenorye
As we are planning our route for this June, I am using Google Earth a lot to drop down and look at the roads themselves. I drive a 2005 12-passenger van with 178,000 miles on it. I have been doing a lot of scoping out.

Just did that this morning for I-17 from Flagstaff to Phoenix and I didn't see any two-lane highways or "mountain roads" like the ones I remember when I was a kid.

 

[momof2n2]

not sure when you want the quiet to happen on Monday......Oatman, in june, will be downright quiet, look for the burrous in the shade once downtown Oatman. If you are squeaking thru Oatman in the dark of Monday morning, then skip it and head straight to Laughlin, I have never been north of Oatman, alway come in from the south side and that is a great road south of Oatman. Try trip advisor on what the north side road is like for Oatman. At laughlin you have two choices, keep heading west or work the signal lights in Bullhead city. if the 178,000 miles is of concern, then bullhead city has services all the way to Needles, which is your last taste of Civilization until the Cochella valley. The nice concept about California travel, is that they have 911 phones frequently in the middle of NOWHERE along the roads., I memorized them on my 1998 170,000 truck heading south of needles into Yuma in the hottest September on record for the area.

We will likely leave Kingman around 9 AM on Monday morning, so that we don’t get to Oatman too-too early. Our rental in Anaheim isn’t available until 3 PM anyway. I just don’t love the idea of being in bumper to bumper traffic in 100°F weather.

Thank you for the advice on service stations. .

 

[Nevada Jen]

Ahh. I missed the part about Oatman. I figured you were throng to do Kingman to Anaheim in one day. Most Vegas traffic will be "fine." In that case definately stop in flag, not Kingman. If you can time it to hit black barts for dinner, all the better. Noise cancelling ear phones for the little guy would be a good idea. Little America is by far the best hotel in town but it can get expesive. The other hotels are nothing special. Even the better name ones. And I find them to be noticeably worse than their national chain names would suggest. Personally, I would just go with any motel. But book ahead of time. Flagstaff hotels book up in the winter.

 

[azdisneylover]

Dropping down to Phoenix and I10 takes you down some two lane highways through the mountains. If there is any snow it can be slow going. Looks like 20hours of drive time. I’d do I40 and stay in Flagstaff or look at the cost difference of flying. You’re looking at at least $700 in travel cost if you drive. If you don’t need a car and can get a reasonable rate into Santa Anna might be a more relaxing trip for only a couple hundred more.

Been living in AZ for over 30 years, (from So, Cal) and we NEVER had snow on the I10. You have a bigger chance of driving through snow/rain on the I40 than the I10. On the freeway in the middle of nowhere desert, the speed limit in AZ is 75 and in CA it is 70. So, even though it is just two lanes, it moves.

 

[Xenorye]

Ahh. I missed the part about Oatman. I figured you were throng to do Kingman to Anaheim in one day. Most Vegas traffic will be "fine." In that case definately stop in flag, not Kingman. If you can time it to hit black barts for dinner, all the better. Noise cancelling ear phones for the little guy would be a good idea. Little America is by far the best hotel in town but it can get expesive. The other hotels are nothing special. Even the better name ones. And I find them to be noticeably worse than their national chain names would suggest. Personally, I would just go with any motel. But book ahead of time. Flagstaff hotels book up in the winter.

I am the OP, and the part about Oatman was actually for @momof2n2.

 

[momof2n2]

I am the OP, and the part about Oatman was actually for @momof2n2.

i'm so sorry. I never meant to hijack.... :'(

 

[Xenorye]

i'm so sorry. I never meant to hijack.... :'(

No need to apologize! I was just pointing out that @Nevada Jen didn't miss anything from my post. I seriously don't mind at all. I've gotten way more information than I expected out of this thread.

 

[HydroGuy]

What you really want to avoid is the Vegas to SoCal traffic on Sunday. You really can't conceive how bad it will be till you hit it wrong. It could easily take 4 hours to go 50 miles. My guess is that is anytime after 10 Sunday. Maybe even 9:30. For that reason only, I would push to Kingman and leave Kingman early Sunday. Very early. The are plenty of places to stay there (nothing fancy and lots of full on skeevy places). Personally, I would try to find another way to break it up so that you end up in Barstow Saturday night. (but not by stopping in gallup!) Or even in primm on the nv/ca border. Seriously, get past Vegas.

Ahhh, someone who obviously has felt this pain like I have. From both the I-15 and I-40 side!

You have confirmed what we discussed earlier and I think the Barstow advice is sound as that is right where I-15 and I-40 meet. Once you are there you are home free. But (LOL) you are really close to DLR! Like 90 minutes more!

I think we have scared the cr*p out of the OP here and, if so, we have done a good service!

 

[oklamomof4boys]

We have made the drive from Clinton (90 miles west of OKC on I40) to DL about 18 times. We almost always go I40 to Barstow and then I15. But during the cold months we always check the weather before we leave and adjust our route if needed.We try to leave about 4:00 am (especially when the kids were younger- we just threw them in the car in their pajamas.) We wait to decide on whether we are going to stop in Kingman or Flagstaff depending on how the drive is going. Usually we are so excited to get there we make it to Kingman. Of course, we are 90 miles further down the road. We also have our stops down to a science- we can go to the bathroom, get gas and food and be back in the car in about 15-20. Minutes and we only stop every 4-5 hours. My kids have been doing this since they were little so they are used to the drill. Once we know where we are going to stop, I get on Expedia or Priceline and look for a hotel. We seem to get a much better price than we do when we have just walked in and looked for a room. Once I book it I call the hotel to tell them we are going to get there late. In Flagstaff we have stayed in numerous hotels. I think the best bang for your buck (we don't need fancy, just clean and comfortable) are the Days Inn and a Travelodge. You have fewer options for hotels in Kingman. If you think you are going to go to Kingman, make sure you have a hotel there before you pass Flagstaff. We've been stuck at some sketchy places in Kingman. There are a couple of Best Westerns in Kingman that have been pretty decent.

 

[azdisneylover]

The hotels that I know of in Kingman are:Springhill Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Days Inn. They are owned by the same company. Three are on Andy Devine Ave, and Hampton Inn is on Sycamore Ave.

 

[MonocularVision]

Sorry one lane each direction.

Flagstaff to Phoenix is two lanes on both sides the entire way.

 

[Xenorye]

We have made the drive from Clinton (90 miles west of OKC on I40) to DL about 18 times.

Thanks! We've decided to drop down to Phoenix from Flagstaff and stay there for the night, then continue west on I-10 early the next morning, but it's always good to hear from someone who's close!

Flagstaff to Phoenix is two lanes on both sides the entire way.

Thanks!

 

[tori.bh3]

I live in McLean, TX (about 3 hours from OKC on I-40) and my dad and I made the drive a few years ago. I would go to Kingman, stop for the night, and wake up early the next day. We did that and were checked in to the Hampton Inn on Harbor, on the bus, and in Disneyland by 2:30. Plus a stop at In & Out in Bakersfield.

 

[Xenorye]

I live in McLean, TX (about 3 hours from OKC on I-40) and my dad and I made the drive a few years ago. I would go to Kingman, stop for the night, and wake up early the next day. We did that and were checked in to the Hampton Inn on Harbor, on the bus, and in Disneyland by 2:30. Plus a stop at In & Out in Bakersfield.

Not ashamed to say that (maybe more than a small part of) the reason we're staying in Phoenix instead of Flagstaff is because there are In-N-Outs in Phoenix...

 

[azdisneylover]

There is one off I10 and Dysart Rd. You can get off the freeway (go right/north), grab your food, then get right back on I10 and be on your merry way.

 

[HydroGuy]

LOL, you folks are too much...

 

[Xenorye]

There is one off I10 and Dysart Rd. You can get off the freeway (go right/north), grab your food, then get right back on I10 and be on your merry way.

I think we've picked out the Springhill Suites just a bit north of downtown Phoenix on I-17, and there's an In-N-Out about a mile away.

LOL, you folks are too much...

Why yes, I *am* planning where I'll be eating dinner 9 months in advance.