Tips for California early April RV trip

"I drive a max of 4hrs. or 400 mile per day, whichever comes first."

Ummm...how can 400 miles ever come first. That would mean you are driving 100 miles per hour. Am I thinking correctly?

OP, if you happen to drive on 58, consider staying the night in Tehachapi. Mountain Valley RV Park is next to a glider airport. Also, you can take a self-guided drive through the wind farm:
Tehachapi Wind Farm Tour

Thank you! I like the idea of skipping LA totally and going through Bakersfield. Thanks so much for that idea and for the specific ideas in PS, JT, etc. the four hours or 400 miles rule of thumb is very helpful too.

Thanks so much.

Mark, how many days have you done 400 miles in 4 hours? Just estimate. lol

As a kid I always enjoyed any stay where there was someplace to swim or climb rocks or visit nature centers/museums. Carmel and Morro Bay provide some good sights to see and things to do along the way and in town.

Palm Springs ride the tram to the top of San Jacinto Mountain. Also visit the https://www.indian-canyons.com/ and from trip advisor here are some museums:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g11789173-Activities-c49-Greater_Palm_Springs_California.html

Joshua Tree lots of great hikes be sure to get a brochure with a list and map of all the things to see while in the park. The town of Joshua Tree look for murals painted on the side walls of businesses around town. The murals depict the history of the area.

Near Joshua Tree and North of Yucca Valley off of Hwy 247 is Pioneer Town. It was used in many of the old western TV shows and movies and in recent music videos. It has seen better days but was interesting to visit as a kid.

April can be cold, windy and rainy with possible snow around Joshua Tree or it can be sunny and in the 80's...so be prepared and check the weather reports for flash floods.

abp615 wrote:
Hello all,

My family (2 adults, 2 kids) is planning our first RV vacation. We will go from San Jose area to Carmel, then to Morro Bay. We have a few days then want to spend time in Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, then have one night to spend to get back to the Bay Area.

Any tips on the best spot to stop along I-5 that might have some fun stuff to do that is midway?

Any tips on best places around LA - we don't need to get in and see the city and in fact are prioritizing safe roads for RV-ing since it's our first time.

Any advice on routes and even specific campgrounds would be welcome. We have reserved one night in Morro Bay and two nights at a campground in Joshua Tree (this one with no hookups).

Thanks so much and happy to review old posts but I didn't see anything specifically related.

~ABP615

I don't have a clear picture of your schedule. How many miles are you willing to drive in a day. Personally I drive a max of 4hrs. or 400 mile per day, whichever comes first. It shoulds like you are trying to really cram in a lot of activities/miles into short period of time based on the number of days your vacation allows for. I would stay totally out of the L.A. area especially the coast. Too much traffic and too many crazy people, not a real RV friendly place to visit! I will drive 200 miles extra to avoid going any where near L.A..
I would go from Morrow Bay to Bakersfield on Hwy.58 or for a long day all the way to Joshua Tree and come home the same way. I-5 is not a real sight seeing route but just going from point A to Point B.

If you like the Desert, see Borrego Springs. Lots of choices in rv parks too. We liked the luxurious- Springs at Borrego. Mineral baths, pool, golf and great dining nearby.

Not US Hwy. 1....California Hwy. 1. Between Monterey and Cambria is a beautiful drive! You could stay at Hearst San Simeon State Park. IF you are lucky try for Plaskett Creek USFS campground. Reservations are accepted.

If you us US Hwy. 101 Monterey County’s San Lorenzo Park in King City is very nice with lots of old farm equipment to view. I stayed here two months ago.

Another decent route is 40, 58, 99, 46, 5, 156. In a few days we'll stop at Orange Grove CG in Edison and pick the oranges - the best we've ever eated by far. Decent CG just east of Bakersfield.

Hopefully you're aware that US 1 south of Big Sur is not a road for everyone and check that it's not closed yet again when you're ready.

King City has a CG (city, county?) that has a museum that the kids should like but it's been years since we've been there.

We're at RV Ranch in Paso but it's close to Morro Bay.

"Any tips on best places around LA - we don't need to get in and see the city and in fact are prioritizing safe roads for RV-ing since it's our first time."

Good luck with that! One route is 101, 134, 210, 10 MIDDAY ONLY.

Another is 126 from Ventura to 5, 210 or 126, 5 14, 138 to Josha or drop down 15, 215, 210, 10.