Hi AllI’m new to the forum and was hoping to get some advice!My family purchased our first Diesel Pusher (2009 Berkshire 390BH) this summer. We have been travel trailer RV-ers for over a decade but wanted to take it to the next level. Living in southeastern British Columbia, we are used to spending our summers hitting great RV destinations in BC, Alberta, and the northwestern US. Now that we have a bigger rig, we want to expand both our travels and our camping season. I’m strongly considering a Spring Break (mid-March 2020) 10-12 day road trip with my sons (aged 6 & 10h) down to Disneyland in California with the bus. Given that we live about an hour east of Cranbrook BC I know that winter weather is a risk. Thoughts on how to get south of the snow safely at this time of year? What recommended routes are available? Also any good RV park recommendations along said routes? Will RV parks be open? I’m thinking I can log about 800kms/day. Thanks in advance for the help!

Sounds like a great trip! Don't forget to consider roadway elevation as part of the time and show calculations... 800 km would make for dinner long driving days with darkness. Maybe N. Cal makes more sense.

Disneyland trip! If Disneyland is the major reason for your trip and you only have 10 to 12 days available for your trip, I would suggest you consider flying into L.A., renting a car and staying at the Disneyland Hotel. 6 out of your 12 days will be spent bouncing down the highway. Your proposed 400 miles per day trip is more like a marathon and guaranteed to give you a case of SORE A_ _! with little time to stop, rest and enjoy the trip!! Driving a RV in southern Calif. is a nightmare for me. I will drive 100 miles out of my way to avoid driving anywhere near L.A. And yes I use to live in L.A.

Think about coming south to Longview, WA, then US 30 to US 101 at Astoria, OR, then south on US 101.A slower, but scenic and normally no snow route.

.... I’m with Mark Twain on his comments....

Road Trip! BC to California | Good Sam Community

Moderator
Moderator
Nov 18, 2019
Moved from ATC
PartyOf_Five
Explorer
Nov 18, 2019
Sounds like a great trip! Don't forget to consider roadway elevation as part of the time and show calculations... 800 km would make for dinner long driving days with darkness. Maybe N. Cal makes more sense.
MarkTwain
Explorer
Nov 18, 2019
Disneyland trip! If Disneyland is the major reason for your trip and you only have 10 to 12 days available for your trip, I would suggest you consider flying into L.A., renting a car and staying at the Disneyland Hotel. 6 out of your 12 days will be spent bouncing down the highway. Your proposed 400 miles per day trip is more like a marathon and guaranteed to give you a case of SORE A_ _! with little time to stop, rest and enjoy the trip!! Driving a RV in southern Calif. is a nightmare for me. I will drive 100 miles out of my way to avoid driving anywhere near L.A. And yes I use to live in L.A.
enblethen
Nomad
Nov 18, 2019
Think about coming south to Longview, WA, then US 30 to US 101 at Astoria, OR, then south on US 101.
A slower, but scenic and normally no snow route.
_1Flyboy
Explorer
Nov 18, 2019
.... I’m with Mark Twain on his comments....
ppine
Explorer II
Nov 18, 2019
Find a weather window and drive south on the east side of the Cascades. Your best bet is the Columiba Gorge to I-5. I like the east side highway through Bend, crossing the Columbia at Goldendale, WA when the weather allows it, to US 395 south. There are many routes, depending on the weather.
romore
Explorer II
Nov 18, 2019
We did it in 2010, I would not try it again. We lost 6 days of our vacation driviving the rather boring I-5,parts were scenic but overall it is mind numbing. For the limited time you have fly down and rent a car.
garyhaupt
Explorer
Nov 18, 2019
The drive from north to south is THE way to go, so good for you. My feelings are...it is all about whether you want to make miles or see stuff. If it's miles, the 101 doesn't make it. But..if you want to just take it all in? Take I-5 to Olympia and hang a right off to Aberdeen. Once there, bear right and up the coast a bit to the best Wa State Park...AT the beach..not ON it. Pacific Beach. My issue is cost. It's going to be $100.00 per night.

Head south on 101 and just cruise. There are state parks and national parks all along the 101. Stop every chance you get..all the small towns. We keep our phone on and my co-pilot is looking at every spot, on-line..learning what's what and if we need to go see something. This way..took us three weeks last year to get to San Diego.

Gary Haupt
enblethen
Nomad
Nov 18, 2019
Yes, you could go straight south or north on I-5. Badest area is south of Ashland, OR over the Siskiyou mountains down to almost Redding, CA. You can check road conditions on tripcheck.com.
You might think about going down on US 101 and returning on I-5 or other routes.
Biggest thing is to watch the wether! You must "carry" chains in WA and Or, but try to avoid areas.
4runnerguy
Explorer
Nov 18, 2019
Another vote for flying vs. driving. Half or more of your trip just staring at the windshield. And driving your rig around LA wouldn't be fun at all. Maybe you've driven in Calgary or Vancouver but neither of those hold a candle to the mayhem and madness of driving in and around L.A.

Besides, there's a whole lotta other things to do in and around the area once you get there. And San Diego also has great attractions. Head to the beach, Seaworld, the San Diego Zoo (world class). Spend your time doing things your kids will remember other than spending days in the coach.