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ricelake922's avatar
ricelake922
Explorer
Jan 07, 2016

Preparing to spend next winter in California

Hello. I have a 1996 Monaco Dynasty DP that I have owned for 4 years and have done a lot of maintenance and trips. I have decided to take my first winter trip this October to April and go to California. I don't know what I don't know so any information from yexperienced RV travelers would be extremely helpful. I am a 58 year old female and will be traveling alone with my dog. Thank you.
  • Any chance of moving your date range backward about 3 or 4 months? Mid to late summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains and Northern California is where I would want to start. But not in a coach once the snows start. After you're had you're filled of high altitude rarified mountain air work your way west to the coast then south as the seasons change.

    Start at US395 west of Barstow and head north all the way to Oregon. Once you reach Lakeview Oregon turn west on Oregon state route 140 and pick up US US199 at Grants Pass which will bring you back into California at Crescent City. Head south on US101 all the way to LA if you choose. Research US101 in California a bit. There are sections that have length restrictions. Also plan your stops as much as possible. You could run up against coach lenght problems at some camp grounds.

    Have fun and good luck.
  • Palm Springs area is a neat place. We like Palm Dessert and the Emerald Desert RV Resort. We also go to Malibu Beach RV Resort. Great view and well located to either take a spin north or into LA area. Dockweiler is a State Park on the water not far from LA X and you do hear and smell planes but very well located and less expensive than others. I saw a reasonably nice park in Long Beach. Golden is in the name. Chula Vista in San Diego is very nice with great views and nice park for Dog walking. All require some driving in traffic but surprisingly I guess I have found the California city drivers to be pretty reasonable about accommodating a motorhome. If you go north from LA it seems there are neat places all the way to Pebble where we stayed in Marina in a nice park. A bit cooler there. Good luck.
  • If you are going to be in Northern CA, I can give you some places to stay.
    Prices anywhere from $20 to $75 with hookups.
    Will average around $45.
    Better to stay for one month in each place.
    About $600 a month plus $ for electricity.
  • I would check out Black Meadow Landing, CA. in Eastern San Bernardino County It's a low elevation RV Park (under 500' which is important during winter storms in the S.W.) And the longer you stay the less you pay, which is typical in most RV Parks in the S.W.
  • Winter trip to calif.
    You need to give us a little more information about your needs, preferences, likes and dislikes related to traveling and RVing:
    1. mountains
    2. ocean
    3. cities vs country
    4. sight seeing places
    In general, the weather from oct. to april in calif. can be less than warm especially in the northern part of the state. I prefer central calif. coast areas in the winter. The weather will be more ideal in the months of March and April. Personally, I stay 100 miles away from the Los Angels to San Diego areas because of the traffic and congestion and crazy drivers there. Areas like Palm Springs and Indio are ideal during the winter months.
  • The bad thing about the warmer winter areas in California is they can get expensive. But depending on where you are from, anyplace in California may seem warm to you in the winter. We start to freeze here when it gets down to 50.

    In the summers it's usually a lot cooler by the coast than it is inland. That reverses in the winter and it can be warmed by the coast than inland. The coast from Monterey up to Half Moon Bay would be a great place to spend all winter.
  • I leave N Calif during the winter for warmer weather in AZ as it is usually 10 to 15 degrees warmer in AZ. Use to go to Hemet and Palm Springs or the Cal desert but we prefer Yuma Az. Also spent two winters at RGV and one winter in Florida
  • CA is a big state. In the winter much of the camping is done in the desert areas or some of the southern coastal areas. In the coastal areas expect RV parks to be about $55 a night or higher.