San Francisco to Utah National Parks flatest routes

2gypsies nailed it. Definitely the easiest grades. If you have time going home, consider making a loop by going south from Moab on 191 & 163 to Monument Valley. Gouldings is a good place to stay. Then west to Page, Kanab, Fredonia, to Hurricane and back on I-15. All easy driving.

Once you get to the Utah parks you will be a pro at driving the ups and downs! You do have some 'hills' to cross. I wouldn't go out of your way to try to find the flattest. Millions of RVers do it and you'll do just fine.

You might look at route I-5 or 99 south in Calif. to Hwy 58 at Bakersfield and east to Barstow. Then pick up I-15 through Las Vegas into St. George Utah. Then head to Zion Nat'l Park via Hwy 9 - almost flat - and stay in the park or in Springdale. The free park shuttle stops along Main Street - very convenient and it's a neat little town.

After Zion, head west on Hwy 9 and again pick up I-15 north. Then for Bryce Nat'l Park take Hwy 20 (the easiest way across a small hill :) - the other crossings will be steeper) to 89 south to Hwy 12 to Bryce - no hills. Stay in the park or at Ruby's just outside the gate and again, a free shuttle will pick you up.

From Bryce you could do a day trip up to Capitol Reef Nat'l Park along Hwy 12. You wouldn't like driving you MH there.

Or...from Bryce backtrack on Hwy 12 west to Hwy 89 north to 62 at Kingston and pick up Hwy 24 east to Capitol Reef. The town of Torrey has RV parks or stay in Capitol Reef in it's lovely campground.

To get to Arches Nat'l Park from Capitol Reef, stay on 24 to I-70 at Green River and take 191 south to Arches - a easy drive. Drive Canyonlands in your towed vehicle.

Have a great trip!

I'd look online about the route via Bakersfield and I-15. It's been 6 years since I went to Arches but I've made several trips to Tahoe in recent years. If memory serves, it's flatter to go south and around but as they said, no matter what you will have some hills.

I know that's the long way around but if avoiding hills is more important than time, it's worth a little more research.

Ditto, you start at sea level in Frisco and the parks are up to 9000 feet. So you will be gaining (several times probably) 9000 feet of altitude. Just a guess that a big chunk of that might be the pass on I-80 into NV

Just checked that, Donner is at 7000 feet but Reno is at 4000, so you lose 3000 ft back there. Thats the way it will go. Nevada is Range and Basin country, the Ranges are mountains and the Basins the Valleys in between. There are a lot of them.

There are no flat routes that I know of. Any way you go you will have some serious pulls.... I think the best thing you can do is get your rig all serviced, get the radiator and coolant checked out, make sure you have good tires and have them up to the correct psi. So I think having your 87 rig in real good condition is the most important thing to do !!!! because there just isn't any getting away from the big hills. As far as diesel you can get it just about anywhere along any route you choose.

I think that from SF, the least-hilly way over the Sierra is east through Bakersfield on 58. Then hook up with Interstate 15 north. There are some long grades on both 58 and 15, but it may be better than 80 or 50. On 15, there are very good truck lanes for us slow-moving folks.