Hwy 101 and Hwy 1 (PCH) Can it be done in a larger Fiver?

Recently talked to a guy in a 40' Phaeton pulling a dinghy. He'd just did the portion of 1 south of Monterrey. He admitted that there were stretches where he had no choice but to cross the center divider. The question of Highway 1 does come up a lot. I will continue to respectfully state the following. The RV stays on 101. Use the dinghy/tow vehicle for days trips on 1. Lots of very nice private parks on 101 will facilitate this.

aerbus32 wrote:
Recently talked to a guy in a 40' Phaeton pulling a dinghy. He'd just did the portion of 1 south of Monterrey. He admitted that there were stretches where he had no choice but to cross the center divider. The question of Highway 1 does come up a lot. I will continue to respectfully state the following. The RV stays on 101. Use the dinghy/tow vehicle for days trips on 1. Lots of very nice private parks on 101 will facilitate this.

The more reading up I do the more I am thinking that 101 is the way to go and doing side trips over to Hwy 1 with the tow vehicle. I think it would be more enjoyable that way and less stressful for my navigator in the passenger seat.:W

I guess the next question would be for people who have done it or live in the area would be when is the best time to go? Is fog an issue, the amount of people on the highway?

Thanks

I believe articulated vehicles are allowed an additional 10' on that map.
Have also seen some pin to axle length limits but not sure how that applies to CA1.

I would go for it but plan wisely as there may long slow areas with no place to stop so plan for a looong day as needed.

Best time to go would be in late September early October you get some very nice days then. Also the traffic has died down and you should have no problems navigating the road. Everyone is correct the only bad part of 1 is between Legget and Fort Brag. But the good news is you can check your own brake lights in quite a few places on that road. After you leave SF you go through a place called Devils Slide it is pretty narrow but not all that curvy. Fog would not be a factor in September "Normally" You get quite a bit of fog in the summer months but it normally burns off by midday. Hope this helps and hope you have a fun and safe trip.

diazr2 wrote:
Best time to go would be in late September early October you get some very nice days then. Also the traffic has died down and you should have no problems navigating the road. Everyone is correct the only bad part of 1 is between Legget and Fort Brag. But the good news is you can check your own brake lights in quite a few places on that road. After you leave SF you go through a place called Devils Slide it is pretty narrow but not all that curvy. Fog would not be a factor in September "Normally" You get quite a bit of fog in the summer months but it normally burns off by midday. Hope this helps and hope you have a fun and safe trip.

Devils Slide is no longer part of Hwy 1, they built a tunnel to bypass it.

I did the trip last May with my truck and slide in camper. Hwy 101 from Astoria to Willits, then Hwy 20 to Ft Bragg. South on Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay. From Ft Bragg to Bodega Bay was about 5 hours. A lot of curves and slowing down. A couple of spots seemed tight for a rig of your length. We got off Hwy 1 after Bodega Bay because it was late afternoon and we wanted to make better time. We headed over to Hwy 101 and took it over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. That put us on the Golden Gate and through the city during rush hour on a Monday. Not a problem for us, but anything bigger I would think would not have been fun. From there we stayed on Hwy 1 to south of Santa Cruz and spent the night at the KOA. Next morning headed out and stopped at Hearst Castle around 2pm. Road up to there had a couple tight spots and one area of construction that was a little tight. Afer touring the castle, headed south to Santa Barbara and spent the night at the Ventura RV park. Next morning, Hwy 1 all the way to Huntington Beach. We are planning a similar trip this April. I will be staying on Hwy 101 until south of San Francisco. After our trip last spring my transmission needed a new torque converter. I'm sure all of the slow then go through the curves of Hwy 1 were a big contributor. If you have the time, do the touring with you tow vehicle. You'll probably enjoy it more and your right seat passenger will be a bit more relaxed.

Doug

Fuzzy Bear wrote:
I did the trip last May with my truck and slide in camper. Hwy 101 from Astoria to Willits, then Hwy 20 to Ft Bragg. South on Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay. From Ft Bragg to Bodega Bay was about 5 hours. A lot of curves and slowing down. A couple of spots seemed tight for a rig of your length. We got off Hwy 1 after Bodega Bay because it was late afternoon and we wanted to make better time. We headed over to Hwy 101 and took it over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. That put us on the Golden Gate and through the city during rush hour on a Monday. Not a problem for us, but anything bigger I would think would not have been fun. From there we stayed on Hwy 1 to south of Santa Cruz and spent the night at the KOA. Next morning headed out and stopped at Hearst Castle around 2pm. Road up to there had a couple tight spots and one area of construction that was a little tight. Afer touring the castle, headed south to Santa Barbara and spent the night at the Ventura RV park. Next morning, Hwy 1 all the way to Huntington Beach. We are planning a similar trip this April. I will be staying on Hwy 101 until south of San Francisco. After our trip last spring my transmission needed a new torque converter. I'm sure all of the slow then go through the curves of Hwy 1 were a big contributor. If you have the time, do the touring with you tow vehicle. You'll probably enjoy it more and your right seat passenger will be a bit more relaxed.

Doug

I like the way you did it using Hwy 101 to Willits and going to Fort Bragg on Hwy 20. Thanks for the tip on Bodgea Bay. I think after seeing Fort Bragg I would get back on 101 down to San Fran then pick up Hwy 1 from Santa Cruz to Santa Maria.

I would say you would be missing a lot of great scenery if you don't travel on CA 1. Whether you day trip from US 101 with your TV or take the rig, you need to see the CA coast in this area.

Never did hwy1 south of SFO but north of SFO we have done what johndeere4955 did with his TC. We are 55'LOA bumper to bumper. Yes the trailer will cross the centerline, many times. You just do it & assert your size to cars coming the other way sometimes. Most are understanding & give you space.

Do it going south. Makes for easier getting into & out of turnouts. Also puts the passenger looking down the cliffs. Scared the DW a few times. She is usually pretty good about challenging roads.

Johndeere4955 wrote:

Fuzzy Bear wrote:
I did the trip last May with my truck and slide in camper. Hwy 101 from Astoria to Willits, then Hwy 20 to Ft Bragg. South on Hwy 1 to Bodega Bay. From Ft Bragg to Bodega Bay was about 5 hours. A lot of curves and slowing down. A couple of spots seemed tight for a rig of your length.

I like the way you did it using Hwy 101 to Willits and going to Fort Bragg on Hwy 20. Thanks for the tip on Bodgea Bay. I think after seeing Fort Bragg I would get back on 101 down to San Fran then pick up Hwy 1 from Santa Cruz to Santa Maria.

:E

Danger Will Robinson! ;)

I think you must've missed the below earlier, spot-on post from Veebyes:

Veebyes wrote:
Hwy 1 between Legget & Ft Bragg, a short extremely twisty section with length restrictions. Did it, TV only, not to be done with a trailer.

Also bearing in mind that Fuzzybear went over it in a truckcamper...I've done it with a trailer, BUT the tug/tow combo wasn't even as long as your fiver alone. Even then it was a white-knuckler, what with the drivers stacking up behind, and the pullouts either too small or not-enough-notice for pulling over to let them pass.

And if you need any more proof of how slow that thirty or so miles is, even Google maps gives its driving time as nearly an hour...and that's in an ordinary car.