Santa Cruz Hwy 17

We stay at Smithwoods whenever we come to the Santa Cruz area. Lots of big trees, right near Henry Cowell Redwoods.

Felton requires travel on Hwy 9 which is 1 lane in each direction. I would not recommend staying in Felton if you like sunshine. Drive time to Great America is going to be double that of coming from Morgan Hill area and traveling on Hwy 101.

Hwy 17 has some of the worst traffic congestion of any highway in the area and it is bad on weekdays and on weekends. And from the Santa Cruz and Felton area if there is a problem on Hwy 17 there is no alternative route you can take. I avoid this area with a car and an RV would be even less fun.

It's 2 lanes, so just stay in the right and take your time.
---
17 is two lanes in *each direction*. Stay in the right lane, go slowly, gear down when on the "downslope" toward Santa Cruz. And, avoid weekends and commute times; you'll be heading south, i.e., towards Santa Cruz, so the heaviest traffic will be in the afternoons from about 3 on. (Wait until after 10 if you go back over 17 towards San Jose on your return trip.)

I've been towing over HWY 17 for years with boats, trailers etc.
I just came over it yesterday with a 40 ft. Phaeton.
It is twisty and windy. The key is not to let anybody rush you. It's 2 lanes, so just stay in the right and take your time. If a sharp turn says 40mph, then I'm doing 40 or a bit less.

Through a large portion of 17 there is a 35mph truck restriction. Most times I just follow the trucks and go slow.
There are a lot of CHP on this road looking for speeders.

Take your time and you'll be just fine.

17 is Doable, yes it does get hairy but it is doable...We just did it from San Jose around New Years...... There are a few camp grounds in the Felton area.....

Safe Travels......