Advice Please Re San Francisco and LA

In December, Hwy 101 would be my route of choice to stay clear of mountain summits that may get hit with snow.

PCH (Pacific Coast Highway)( CA 1) is incredibly scenic. However it is very curvy, so depending on your rig and driving skills, you can decide about driving it. California spends more money on that road than any other just because of the beauty and the popularity.

LA is dense traffic just about everywhere. Make reservations somewhere rather than search for parking after arrival. Plan for what you want to see.

Could you give us some specifics are your rig. MH, 5th Wheel, etc. length of rig, route you are taking getting to California, what do you want to see in SF and LA, how much time do you have. How much are you willing to pay for a site.

Barb

Paleo Ron wrote:
Hi everyone - I just wanted to try for some further advice following my request in July for info on California. I'd like to visit San Francisco this December and would appreciate any suggestions for campsites etc. I know it will be chilly but that's the only window I have.

Also, I'm getting the impression that, what with traffic and everything, LA might not be worth the effort. I'd appreciate any comments on this.

You guys are always quick to help and your input is most welcome.

L.A. is a cluster zoo of freeways and traffic but if you go to the Santa Barbara area to use as a home base for your RV then you can use your tow vehicle to explore LA. I avoid L.A. like the plague but then I lived there for about 10 yrs. The coast is always good to visit.
S.F.
Look for an RV park in a city near S.F. or go north into the Santa Rosa area. Trying to go into S.F. with an RV would not be my first choice especially if you are unfamilar with city and directions.

We stayed at the San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica in June. It's a short, easy drive out of the city. While the resort is really just a parking lot, it's a parking lot that is right on the ocean. Just walk to the end of the lot, and you have fantastic views. We enjoyed watching a beautiful sunset over the Pacific. You don't have beach access from the park since it's high on a cliff. Even though the spots didn't offer much in the way of scenery, the park is very clean and had nice showers. We enjoyed exploring the little town the park is in and visited the ocean there and had a couple of good meals in town. As far as we could tell, this was the closet park to SF that had good reviews.

We have a 21-foot travel trailer and didn't have trouble in the traffic. We paid good attention to our Google Maps directions and made sure to try to get over to the right lane at the right now. We found San Francisco to be a very charming city! I have just posted a few blog posts about SF on my website travelswithbirdy.com.

LA is fine as long as you check the traffic flow maps before embarking.

End of December? Consider the Rose Parade with the wonderful seats. Fantasy RV Tours.
Pat

Paleo Ron wrote:
Hi everyone - I just wanted to try for some further advice following my request in July for info on California. I'd like to visit San Francisco this December and would appreciate any suggestions for campsites etc. I know it will be chilly but that's the only window I have.

Also, I'm getting the impression that, what with traffic and everything, LA might not be worth the effort. I'd appreciate any comments on this.

You guys are always quick to help and your input is most welcome.

X1 for skipping L.A. or look at alternatives like flying down to L.A. and renting a car, or stay in a RV park in the Santa Barbara area.

Thanks everyone. For those who asked, I have a small (17ft) fiberglass trailer. The sites visited would be the usual tourist favorites. Costs are not a big factor for a few days.

Limited camping options. I used Trailer haven in San Leandro then took BART in.