Avoiding Sacramento

Roy&Lynne wrote:
We have decided How does this sound? We are going to I 80 over the mountains to Reno and then take 95 south in Nevada to Hwy 6 to Bishop. Should avoid most of the higher passes. Our back up plan will be to go to I 99 south to Bakersfield and then hold up for a nice day to tackle the Tehachapi.

California weather is very predictable in the winter. Snow comes from storm fronts that move in normally from the north. What that means is the snow is very predictable. You'll know if you are facing snow or not and what the road conditions will be several days in advance.

I like the 95 idea through Nevada, just keep in mind that is "middle of no where" country. You may drive for hours without seeing another car and won't have cell phone service out there. That's not a big deal unless the weather is iffy. As long as you have clear skys and no chance of snow, go for it. But if it's questionable stick to the main roads. I'd do 395 myself just for safety. But if there's a chance of snow, I'd just go straight down 395 or 99 and then over Tehachapi. Tehachapi is below 5000 feet so it rarely gets a lot of snow except during bigger really cold storms where the snow level gets that low.

Roy&Lynne wrote:
Thank you all. I said dead of winter, because we are leaving WA State end of November and depending on the weather, taking a slow route down the Oregon Coast to Hwy 20 and over to Beale, but if the weather forecast is ugly, take I5 and stay at Valley of the Rogue State Park in Oregon until we get clear weather and make for the Siskiyou Pass. So, it may be December or January.
And I really want to see the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine. What about going via Yosemite?

Highway 120 through Yosemite (Tioga Pass) closes in the winter and doesn't open until Spring. Dates when it closes and opens depends on the snow level.

Executive wrote:
Lynne, in my post I said head south on CASR 71. Please note this was a typo in my post. The correct State Route designation is SR 70. Hope you weren't confused. Thanks, Dennis

So, to reiterate:

South on SR 70 then
South on US 99/ I-5 then
East on I-80 just NORTH of Sacramento.
You'll connect with US395 in Reno.

I was confused. Couldn't figure out what the heck 71 was. I also couldn't figure out why you would tell them to go South on 70 to 99 to 80 and then take 80 to get to 395. That goes right through a whole lot of Sacramento that they want to avoid, and also adds lots of miles.

If they want to get to 395 from Beale, then take 65 to 193 and then 193 hooks up with I-80 near Auburn.

Us out West wrote:
When does the OP mean by the 'dead of winter'?

If this coming winter is anything like last winter it means when you see snow on the peaks at 13,000 feet.

Roy&Lynne wrote:
What if I went via Placerville and then down to Stockton and catching the 99 there? Or am I just trading one bad route for another?
Thanks

That is a very nice scenic route if time isn't an issue. It will probably add 3 or 4 hours to the drive even over going through Sac in the middle of rush hour. There is no real way to avoid Sac that would not add several hours to your drive. Seriously, even if you have to take I-5 south during rush hour, that is going to be the fastest route.

We have decided How does this sound? We are going to I 80 over the mountains to Reno and then take 95 south in Nevada to Hwy 6 to Bishop. Should avoid most of the higher passes. Our back up plan will be to go to I 99 south to Bakersfield and then hold up for a nice day to tackle the Tehachapi.

80 to 99 at Sac not bad if you go mid day. To Bakersfield east to Edwards. But the 99 is very boring. Careful of the tehacapai weather.

We like to stay at Boulder Creek RV Resort in Lone Pine. www.bouldercreekrvresort.com Every morning they make muffins in the club house. If possible prior to visiting Alabama Hills visit the Movie Museum in Lone Pine, you can also pick up Movie Road guide at the NP visitors center. You mentioned Yosemite, usually the pass from 395 into the park is closed in winter. D1ck

I lived in the Sierras -- be flexible with your trip. Personally, I'd just head south from Beale (I remember the SR 71's), through Sac. Catch Hwy 99 to Bakersfield, then over the top on Hwy 58.
The only problem in the Sac valley will be a possibility of fog, but you shouldn't have snow/ice to contend with.
Sac traffic is the usual congestion, but if you plan on leaving Marysville about 8:30 A.M. or so, the traffic will be pretty good by the time you arrive in Sac.
Have a great trip!

toedtoes wrote:
Just go straight south on 99/5. No reason to avoid that stretch of Sacramento unless you're hitting it between 7 to 9 am or 4 to 6 pm weekdays. It's an easy run straight through.

Going to placerville doesn't make sense - you'll end up going through Sacramento to get from 80 to 50 anyway.

X2