Chicago, IL to Imperial Dam LTVA - 11/10/20

Another winter season begins! Time for all of us snowbirds to head south for warmer climes to ride out the harsh winter temperatures and conditions we would be exposed to in the northern climes.

This year, as in past years, we will spend the winter season near Yuma, AZ. During our earlier snowbird ventures we would alternate our winters between Arizona and Florida. We eventually decided Arizona was more suitable to our camping lifestyle. Arizona provides an abundance of BLM land for low cost or free RV camping with access to urban areas nearby. We enjoy being able to sit outside at night without being attacked by insects. If you enjoy desert camping, either dry camping or staying at RV resorts with all of the amenities, then you should check out Arizona.

Florida tends to be more expensive and much more congested with traffic. Add in the mosquitoes and no-see-um’s and it can be pretty uncomfortable camping in some locations. Finding a place to camp, without prior reservations, can also be problematic.

Although Arizona is quite a bit further from Chicago than Florida, we do not mind traveling the extra miles. Hey… we’re retired! We don’t need to set any records to see how fast we can get from Point A to Point B (my wife may disagree with me on that last statement).

We don’t always take the shortest route to Arizona. The shortest route goes west into Iowa before heading into a southwesterly direction. Depending on the temperature and weather this may not be the best route to take. We prefer to take a route southwest out of Chicago on the premise the temperature and weather will be more favorable.

Travel time from Chicago to Arizona is generally five days. We take our time and try to schedule our daily travel to under 300 miles.

Our travel this season will follow this route:

Chicago, IL to Imperial Dam LTVA - Yuma, AZ
Google Maps: 1,949 miles - 29 hrs
Travel Route:
I-88
I-39
I-55
I-270 West loop around St Louis, MO
I-44
I-40 Oklahoma City, OK
I-25 Albuquerque, NM
I-10 Las Cruces, NM
I-8 Casa Grande
US-95 Yuma
Imperial Dam Rd (US Army Yuma Proving Ground entrance road)
Senator Wash Rd