Florida to Michigan

[Cass Sumrall]

Is I-75 an okay route for a Class A towing fron north FL to Michigan?

[NXR]

Should be. We take I-75 from Cincinnati to SW Florida and back every winter in a 38' gasser. I've driven a car from Toledo to Cincinnati on I-75 several times. There was construction around Bowling Green, OH the past few years but it was winding down last year.

Be aware in MI because there is a section somewhat north of Ohio where the road does a sweeping 90 to the left under a bridge. A few times when I've hit that curve the traffic was at a standstill just after that bridge. There's no way to see that traffic so begin to slow down as you see that turn ahead.

If you're an FMCA member you can stay for free two nights a month at their campground in Newtown, OH, off I-285 east of Cincinnati.

Ray

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Cass Sumrall

Is I-75 an okay route for a Class A towing fron north FL to Michigan?

Big 4 lane divided highway all the way into Michigan. You go thru a couple of large cities, but what do you mean by "Is I-75 an okay route?".

[Cass Sumrall]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

Big 4 lane divided highway all the way into Michigan. You go thru a couple of large cities, but what do you mean by "Is I-75 an okay route?".

I can see it would be the fastest & most direct but I was wondering about the condition of the road & the traffic.

[arcaguy]

The road itself is as good or bad as any in the country depending upon where you are. As far as big cities go you have Atlanta, go straight trough at non rush hour the bypasses are just as busy, then you get to Knoxville, same thing try and miss rush hour. The next big city after that is Cincinnati. I think I heard they were having some issues with the bridge over the Ohio River for a while so check it out before you get there. After that you have Dayton but it's really just an extension of Cincinnati. Again try to avoid rush hours. Next you get to Toledo which isn't too bad but there's a lot of construction right now. Depending on where you are going in Michigan you may be better off taking I-475 west around Toledo and going north on US-23. It's a freeway that takes you on the very eastern edge of Ann Arbor but you miss Detroit. If you are going into Detroit there is a section of I-75 just north of the Ohio border that has been terrible for years, I think it still is but I could be wrong as I rarely go there any more. If you're going into Detroit there is a campground in Belleville at the Wayne Count Fair Grounds that is the closest one I know to Detroit. Happy trails. If you have any questions send me a PM I'll do my best answer.

[2cyber71]

When we do a trip to Traverse City & Traverse Bay Rv Resort we take 23 at Toledo to 75 to 72 to Traverse City.
Most of it is a good road, some sections are older roads but ok.
Traffic around Ann Arbor is crazy, take it easy, keep your distance, lots of crazies

[MW22r]

Which area or part of MI do you need to get to? I spend the winters in the middle of florida and because I live on the west coast of MI I take I75 north and cut over to I 65 around the Tifton to Perry Georgia area....Agree with the above analysis but would like to add that one of my least favorite cities is Chattanooga. For the west coast of MI, I avoid Atlanta, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Cincinnati as well as any mountains by taking I65 north.The route I take would make no sense if you were going to the metro Detroit area or any part of the state east of Lansing....

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by arcaguy

The road itself is as good or bad as any in the country depending upon where you are. As far as big cities go you have Atlanta, go straight trough at non rush hour the bypasses are just as busy, then you get to Knoxville, same thing try and miss rush hour. The next big city after that is Cincinnati. I think I heard they were having some issues with the bridge over the Ohio River for a while so check it out before you get there. After that you have Dayton but it's really just an extension of Cincinnati. Again try to avoid rush hours. Next you get to Toledo which isn't too bad but there's a lot of construction right now. Depending on where you are going in Michigan you may be better off taking I-475 west around Toledo and going north on US-23. It's a freeway that takes you on the very eastern edge of Ann Arbor but you miss Detroit. If you are going into Detroit there is a section of I-75 just north of the Ohio border that has been terrible for years, I think it still is but I could be wrong as I rarely go there any more. If you're going into Detroit there is a campground in Belleville at the Wayne Count Fair Grounds that is the closest one I know to Detroit. Happy trails. If you have any questions send me a PM I'll do my best answer.

The Brent Spence Bridge is being repainted. Last reported it was going to take months to finish, I think I seen sometime in November 2021. To get around take 275 west and then pick up I-75 north from it.
When you go thru Dayton stay in the center lane, allot of on/off traffic.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by Cass Sumrall

I can see it would be the fastest & most direct but I was wondering about the condition of the road & the traffic.

In southern Ky, around London, there is major road construction, traffic could be heavy there. Last time we were thru there, Sept 2020, they stopped you for a few minutes to move heavy equipment.

Have you decided to stop any where on the way north?

[dramsey1]

Should be fine. Just be aware that you have some large cities to go through (Atlanta is the most challenging in my opinion) and be prepared to take your time. It's likely you will be in some stop and go traffic. Also, stay current on the road and bridge construction. Don't be afraid to take RV safe detours when necessary. I usually go south from MI to FL every fall and back again every spring. Recommend you don't try to push it or hurry.

[Tim_T]

expanding on Arcaguy's comment,
- Toledo has some construction right now
- I75 north of Toledo was "repaired" a few years ago and now has a patch every 20 or so feet. thump thump thump thump thump. I think that is southbound though. Some construction on 75 between Toledo and Detroit too.

Depending on where you are going in Michigan, I'd suggest taking I-475 around the west side of Toledo, then take US23 north to Flint to rejoin I-75. It's more direct, the road is a little better, you avoid going through downtown Detroit, and you can stop off at Cabelas in Dundee, MI if that floats your boat.

Friday afternoon/evening half of the population of lower Michigan hops on I-75 to go "Up North" and then comes back down on Sunday afternoon. Try to avoid that schedule.

[Cass Sumrall]

Originally Posted by MW22r

Which area or part of MI do you need to get to? I spend the winters in the middle of florida and because I live on the west coast of MI I take I75 north and cut over to I 65 around the Tifton to Perry Georgia area....Agree with the above analysis but would like to add that one of my least favorite cities is Chattanooga. For the west coast of MI, I avoid Atlanta, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Cincinnati as well as any mountains by taking I65 north.The route I take would make no sense if you were going to the metro Detroit area or any part of the state east of Lansing....

I appreciate all the good advice I have gotten so far in this thread, but now I think we will go your route & cut over to I-65 on 82 at Tifton, GA to avoid Atlanta & the other cities we would need to traverse on I-75. We normally like to take the back roads & mostly stay off the interstates but we will be a month later leaving FL this summer & want to escape the heat & storm threat as quickly as possible so we will need to do interstates at least part way for the first few days. Then we will be looking for interesting Harvest Host spots, state & county parks & places we can use our inflatible kayak. Thanks for the info!

[brandss]

Originally Posted by MW22r

Which area or part of MI do you need to get to? I spend the winters in the middle of florida and because I live on the west coast of MI I take I75 north and cut over to I 65 around the Tifton to Perry Georgia area....Agree with the above analysis but would like to add that one of my least favorite cities is Chattanooga. For the west coast of MI, I avoid Atlanta, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Cincinnati as well as any mountains by taking I65 north.The route I take would make no sense if you were going to the metro Detroit area or any part of the state east of Lansing....

I have thought a lot about taking this "detour" but haven't done so yet. Can I ask what road you take to get from 75 to 65? To not have to think about Atlanta and Chattanooga is probably worth it. Last time I looked it may add an hour to the trip but when you consider the traffic and stopped traffic the other way, not sure it would be longer at all.

[Mike8253]

If you've got nothing but time, that would be the only way I'd jog over from I75 to I65. Because that's not going to be any walk in the park, and doing that will take you through Nashville, Louisville and Indianapolis. None of those are trafficless, and they have had, or are in the midst of their own construction projects. Being a Cincinnati boy, I'd just stick to I75, take the circle freeways and take advantage of the mileage savings of a more direct route. Or take a route that avoids the interstates altogether because there is always that option. But the shortest, most timely will be I75.