Portland OR to Milwaukee WI

[BobH1949]

My wife and I are planning a trip from the Portland, OR area to Milwaukee, WI in late August in our 30' class A. We want to visit Sandpoint, ID and then head southeast through South Dakota. This is our first lengthy trip in this rig so we're looking for a route that is not too "white knuckle" producing for an RV. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, BobH

2019 Newmar Bay Star Sport
2009 Winnebago View (previously)
Hillsboro, Oregon

[enblethen]

I would not use US 2 east of Sandpoint It gets narrow and no shoulders until you get more familiar with the rig.

[BobH1949]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Only had the new rig for about six weeks and still getting used to sitting higher than in the View, and the noticeable "roll" on sharp curves. I truly appreciate the feedback from much more experienced RVers.

[paulj]

From Sandpoint, ID/MT 200 is also a good route. It stays in a major river valley until US93 (Missoula). Combine that with I84, US395, I90, and you stay in the Columbia River drainage all the way to the Continental Divide in Montana.

[Roy_Lynne]

If I were going beyond Sandpoint, I would take Hwy 2 east and believe me, I understand about "white-knuckle" driving as I have a fear of heights that is disabling.

[rhagfo]

enblethen wrote:
East out of Portland to Umatilla, OR, US 395 to I-90, US 95 north to Sandpoint,ID
Only grade is from the Columbia River bridge toward Tri-cities. It is a very easy climb.
Double back on US 95 to I-90. You will have three steep climbs. More to be concerned or at least aware of is the down hill side. Watch your speed shift down, do not ride the brakes! Short climb out of Coeur d'Alene, Big pull east of Kellog at the Montana border, then climb east of Butte, MT. Descent from climb at Butte is the one to watch out for.

This is a good plan!

[myredracer]

A 30' Class A is like driving a car! You should be able to handle that anywhere... 🙂

If new to RV-ing with a Class A, you might want to stay off I-84, it's got a bad reputation for accidents on part of it (Deadman's Pass area) and has some twisty and steeper sections. Very busy route and is the only hwy in Oregon going east - west across the entire state. Google it if you're considering it. Wonderful scenic drive otherwise. Not a problem for me towing a 29' TT.

Hwy 26 is a pretty easy drive past Mt. Hood and very scenic - we were just there. One of my favorite routes. Grades aren't that bad and in the 6-7% range IIRC. Could take you farther south than you want at first tho. Watch for aggressive drivers and speeders east from Sandy.

Could go north to near Chehalis and take hwy 12 over to Yakima and then the I-90 over to Spokane and beyond. The I-90 route is many miles of open grassland and easy driving. Besides possibly hot in Aug., not a whole lot of scenery IMHO to get excited about. Can be very windy too. I would take hwy 26 east out of Portland over hwy 12.

Can't help east of the WA/ID border but have heard hwy 2 which runs all the way eastward near the Can/US border is a nice route.

[enblethen]

East out of Portland to Umatilla, OR, US 395 to I-90, US 95 north to Sandpoint,ID
Only grade is from the Columbia River bridge toward Tri-cities. It is a very easy climb.
Double back on US 95 to I-90. You will have three steep climbs. More to be concerned or at least aware of is the down hill side. Watch your speed shift down, do not ride the brakes! Short climb out of Coeur d'Alene, Big pull east of Kellog at the Montana border, then climb east of Butte, MT. Descent from climb at Butte is the one to watch out for.

[romore]

Going east out of Portland you are going to encounter stiff grades, there is no way around it. I-5 to highway 12 then 97 to I-90 is not a difficult route. Don't go to Seattle to pick up I-90, you think Portland is bad!
As the previous poster asked what is your experience with a large rig and what do you consider 'white knuckle'?

[paulj]

What you give you white knuckles? Where have you driven the RV so far?