Has anyone ever driven...

[mmi]

Over the Appalachian mountains? SO and I are thinking about it (we have to get from the Southeast to the Midwest) but we have no experience in mountain driving. We'd also be doing this around Christmastime. How dangerous would it be?

Thanks in advance.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Depends on your route. Rural Kentucky can get icy, major routes/highways/freeways should be easy peasy

 

[anitabee]

i've driven I-75 it a zillion times from detroit into florida. it's a hugely traveled route esp during the cold season - brings all the snowbirds from the north to the south.

not sure which highway(s) you'll be travelling but i wouldn't sweat it. the appalachians are really old and gentle mountains. due to the massive weathering that has occurred over the millions of years, they're relatively tame mountains: not many jagged peaks and the elevation is nothing like the western rocky mountain range.

now if your question was about the rockies in the winter, i'd say NO to driving. i now live on the west coast and a good chunk of people opt to NOT drive through the rockies during the cold months due to frequent horrific driving conditions.

btw, i totally love the appalachians. it's a gorgeous area. i love driving through them and if you get a chance check out the smoky mountain range (part of the appalachians) around gatlinburg, tenn. we've been to the peak - clingman's dome - absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I did that route - midwest to southeast and back - last Sept. Ok, no offense to those from the area, but those are not really mountains (I'm from the west - the ROCKIES are mountains).

The drive was a lot of fun with lots of winding twisting roads, but I don't think it'd be too bad overall (and winters down there are much milder too).

 

[dragonfly411]

I love driving through Gatlinburg area, or Cade's Cove. Also the area around Mount Mitchell is just stunning to drive through. You have to be careful of ice this time of year. Once you start sliding....well yeah. Also going down steeper areas with sharp turns is pretty common, just drive slow.

 

[iLander]

I'm from the south (the FLAT part) and drove over the mountains this summer.

Scared the living s@#t out of me. . .

And it wasn't even snowy . . .

 

[charbie]

Done it a few times, last time was in February. Once you hit the North Carolina border into Tenn, its only going through Smoky Mtn National Park that a little rough. Not long, not bad. We went from Western NC to Ohio (we live in Ohio) and even got stuck in a snow storm. Make sure you have a vehicle with 4 wheel drive or chains for tires or they may not let you on some roads. Its a very pretty trip to make in winter!

 

[elrohwen]

I've done it many times through Pennsylvania in the winter (I grew up in Pittsburgh). It's really not that bad - I wouldn't really call them mountains, just big hills (not like you're crossing the Rockies or anything). It can get snowy and foggy and can be rough driving in the snow, especially if there's a storm and you're not used to that kind of weather. If you're a good winter driver and you pick a day where there isn't a snow storm, you won't have a problem.