Traveling thru Houston?

[RoadrunnerII]

Hi
Better half and I are currently near Edna Texas but will be heading to Sebring Florida later this month. Suggestions on a nice route? We like the roads less travelled best ie 4 lane non interstate but towing our Eagle 321rsts sometimes an interstate is best sometimes not so much. Any suggestions on a route. Houston is a busy city hoping to route around it. Don't mind going out of our way to avoid the big cities. Trying to keep our days to 350 miles. Looking for smooth roads with less traffic.
Thanks in advance
RoadrunnerII

[leeinmt]

Beltway 8 toll road around the city. Almost no stress.

[RoadrunnerII]

Originally Posted by leeinmt

Beltway 8 toll road around the city. Almost no stress.

What kind of $$$ for the toll road to go around
Thanks
RoadrunnerII

[rickrockport]

I'd take 59/69 to I-10 east but try to hit it on Sunday morning. (I try to hit any big town on Sunday morning). The Beltway can be even more difficult with all the toll stops and people driving 80 and it isn't cheap. If you can't go on Sunday then try to get there around 10 am on a weekday. With Galveston Bay blocking the south route you can burn lots of diesel going north. Hwy 90 east out of Houston is an option if you absolutely don't want the Interstate but lots of stop and go getting out of Houston. There is some construction with narrow lanes from Kendleton to Sugarland on 59 but we tow on it without problems

[Camper_bob]

I-10 from Houston through Louisiana is absolutely miserable. Not necessarily traffic-wise, but construction and BAD roads. HOURS of misery.

ETA: Getting through/around Houston is probably better just to pick an "off" time and "punch the gut"; take I-10 straight through. The "loops" are long and expensive.

Unfortunately, there really isn't a good alternate route through there that I know of. To the South you have lots of marsh/swamp/bays to contend with. Some of that to the North as well. And every little town is going to be at minimum a speed zone where you have to slow way down. That's the most annoying part IMO. I get really tired of constantly varying my speed and having to watch so closely for sneaky speed changes with equally sneaky LEOs watching for me to miss the sign.

Lots of ways to zig-zag your way along the coast, but that could literally add days to the trip. Probably a really pretty drive though...

[rickrockport]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I-10 from Houston through Louisiana is absolutely miserable. Not necessarily traffic-wise, but construction and BAD roads. HOURS of misery...

You need to stop and smell the crawfish along the route!

We bought our Jayco in Breaux Bridge on I-10 and travelled back south to Rockport on I-10. Not great but not the worst ever. There is an awesome RV park in Breaux Bridge where we did our checkout for a couple days. Poche's RV Park. Great food at Poche's Market a short drive away too. Definitely on our "return to" list and it is a PA park.

[RoadrunnerII]

So thinking we might just try the run around south of Houston. So taking 59 to 69 but then what? Not wanting any toll roads and avoiding I10 as much as possible and as far east as possible.
Any thoughts?
Are we nuts? I can deal with big roads but not being a texan the tolls are a hassle we don't need. If staying on I10and dealing with it is best we can do it. Looking for alternatives for scenery and less stress


Thank you
RoadrunnerII

[Octopus Prime]

I lived in the Houston area 13 years. If you time it right, just staying on I 10 through Houston is easier.
We try to drive through Houston at about 5:00 am on any given morning. At this point, the traffic isn’t so heavy to make lane changes impossible. There are plenty of lanes. Passenger needs to help watch the signs and get in the appropriate lanes ahead of time.

[RedHorse1]

Roadrunner, we’re In SW Houston and I use the beltway8 if going east, it’s has construction on that stretch that slows things down a bit and I seem to recall there will be some late night closures as a result. IIRC there is a toll bridge between hwy 255 and I-10 that is toll-tag only (no cash lanes). Unlike FL, TX has not learned how to mail a toll bill to our visitors.
If headed west or north I use Grand Parkway (hwy 99) to get to I-10 or I-45, but it does not yet connect to I-10 on the east side.
Like earlier suggestions, you might be better off just gutting it out and taking I-10 straight thru.
I-10 around the TX-LA border is under construction as is a stretch east of Lafayette. The piece east of Lafayette is an awful stretch of rough road and we have avoided it by taking LA 165 to Kinder Coushatta casino road and LA 190 to Baton R. It’s a bit bumpy but is a pleasant drive and adds a few minutes to the trip but avoids that stretch of 10.
Safe travels!

[Camper_bob]

You could take HWY 6 South, catch 45 onto Galveston Island and take the ferry across to Bolivar Peninsula, then head back North and pick I-10 back up in Winnie.

Ferry rules:
https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/d...rry-rules.html

I can tell you that I would rather take I-10 than try to navigate my rig through Galveston. But that's largely because I've been to Galveston dozens of times, so it's nothing new to me. And some areas of Galveston can be pretty tight quarters.

It's a considerably longer route that will take considerably more time. But it will definitely be more scenic and interesting!

Other than that, you're looking at a toll road around Houston, punching the gut on I-10, or taking a REALLY long detour. Beltway 8 around S. Houston is DREADFULLY boring, and there are PLENTY of places you DON'T want to get off the freeway. So if you decide to go that route, be sure you're full up on fuel so you don't have to stop on the Belt. The North Belt is a bit more "interesting", but still a major HWY and toll booths to deal with. In my experience, traffic is generally worse on the North side too. Neither way would be worth it IMO to avoid I-10 if you're going straight through. The traffic will likely be at least equally bad, and there are toll booths to contend with.

I still contend that you're best off timing the route to get through Houston at a non-peak time and just ride on through. We've generally had good luck in the late evening. Watch out for construction coming through Rosenberg on 59/69.

Good luck!

[RoadrunnerII]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

Roadrunner, we’re In SW Houston and I use the beltway8 if going east, it’s has construction on that stretch that slows things down a bit and I seem to recall there will be some late night closures as a result. IIRC there is a toll bridge between hwy 255 and I-10 that is toll-tag only (no cash lanes). Unlike FL, TX has not learned how to mail a toll bill to our visitors.
If headed west or north I use Grand Parkway (hwy 99) to get to I-10 or I-45, but it does not yet connect to I-10 on the east side.
Like earlier suggestions, you might be better off just gutting it out and taking I-10 straight thru.
I-10 around the TX-LA border is under construction as is a stretch east of Lafayette. The piece east of Lafayette is an awful stretch of rough road and we have avoided it by taking LA 165 to Kinder Coushatta casino road and LA 190 to Baton R. It’s a bit bumpy but is a pleasant drive and adds a few minutes to the trip but avoids that stretch of 10.
Safe travels!

Thanks this is what I am looking for. Is there an alternate around I10 at the Texas/Lousiana border?
Thanks
RoadrunnerII

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by RoadrunnerII

Thanks this is what I am looking for. Is there an alternate around I10 at the Texas/Lousiana border?
Thanks
RoadrunnerII

I used hwy 12 many years ago to head home from a paper mill I was doing some work at. You can pick it up just east of Beaumont and it changes to 190 which heads thru Kinder. Be aware that I’ve not pulled a trailer over that route nor have I driven the road in about 15 years so I can’t speak to its current condition.
I’ve had 1 speeding ticket in my life, got it on the way home in Dequincy LA which is where I picked up hwy 12 so I’ve never had very fond memories of that road.

Check the route out on google maps (or the mapping tool you use) and see if you like it. If you go that route I’d like to hear how it works for you.

BTW, I use 415 to change from 190 to I-10 just before the river as you enter Baton R.

Here’s a related update... I-10 westbound has just been closed due to a barge hitting and damaging a bridge crossing the San Jacinto river near Baytown TX (east side of Houston). Hopefully that will get sorted out quickly

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by Octopus Prime

I lived in the Houston area 13 years. If you time it right, just staying on I 10 through Houston is easier.
We try to drive through Houston at about 5:00 am on any given morning. At this point, the traffic isn’t so heavy to make lane changes impossible. There are plenty of lanes. Passenger needs to help watch the signs and get in the appropriate lanes ahead of time.

I agree that staying on I-10 straight thru is likely to be the least problematic. Sometimes timing is everything and my experience with Houston this is one of those times. On the last trip we were heading West and South so we had to navigate around the east side of H. Timed it before drive time [5 am] and made it without any significant delays. The other mistake people commonly make is not understanding the route you are wanting to take so your navigator can stay one step ahead and keep you heading for the correct exit or merge. Making a decision at 60mph on a 4+ lane highway pulling an RV is an accident waiting to happen.

[Octopus Prime]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

I agree that staying on I-10 straight thru is likely to be the least problematic. Sometimes timing is everything and my experience with Houston this is one of those times. On the last trip we were heading West and South so we had to navigate around the east side of H. Timed it before drive time [5 am] and made it without any significant delays. The other mistake people commonly make is not understanding the route you are wanting to take so your navigator can stay one step ahead and keep you heading for the correct exit or merge. Making a decision at 60mph on a 4+ lane highway pulling an RV is an accident waiting to happen.

Agree. We map our trip out ahead of time. Our GPS has a bad habit of telling us we need to turn about a nanosecond before we need to do so. Our reflexes simply aren’t that quick. [emoji23]

[mikensue]

They are rebuilding the by pass around Houston, was there 2 weeks ago. Pulled our 321 RSTS through there, make sure everything is stowed well. Some pretty rough areas...

[RoadrunnerII]

Well made up our mind. Leaving Sunday and running I10 thru Houston and will run out on 90 or 190 on east side to avoid I10 any further. Aiming for I12 at Baton Rouge for the night or 3 Then 12 around New Orleans. Hoping the roads and wind gods behave.
Thanks everyone for the advise.

RoadrunnerII

[TxTwoSome]

Have A Safe Trip May The Camping Gods Be With You!

[RPR]

Where 12 runs back into 10 is fun. Tighten up your seat belt. Will bounce you out of your seat. Live in Mobile and traveled that section once a month before retiring. Had a water bottle in a dash drink holder in the truck and the bounce busted the drink holder. Reminded me of the trip on certain sections of the Alaska Hwy couple years ago.

[RedHorse1]

If you are in the Kinder LA area (the 190 route) for the night the CG at the Coushatta casino is very nice and is priced right ($19/Night last time I was there).
Safe travels!

[RoadrunnerII]

Well we made Baton Rouge unscathed. 90 and 190 are pretty nice roads overall. Missed one turn in Houston. Should habe exited right instead of left. Headed toward Galvanston. Woops! A quick exit an about face direction and right back on course. For the amount we where actual on I10 glad we took the secondary roads. It was busy and rough near Beaumont. Highly recommend the 90/ 190 route to 12. Staying here in Baton Rouge a couple of nights. Need to go after Jayco for a warranty service call on the big Swinteck slide. It refused to open or close at our lunch stop. Didn't want to ooen without a push from me here in BR. Still warranty but if it fully fails the better half and I will be unhappy. Thinking it is weak motors.
Thanks everyone for the great recommendations on route!
Better half is smiling!
Old guy is enjoying the trip!

RoadrunnerII