travel to northern california

101 is a good north- south highway but is not on the coast until you get to Eureka. hwy 1 north of Fort Bragg has size restrictions on Rvs and is not fun to drive. DW and I just returned from Fort Bragg. Outside of about 11 miles from 101 to highway 1 (which was brutal) the ride was reasonable. From Fort Bragg you can take your toad to a lot of places for breathtaking views of the coast. There are wonderful state parks, touristy spots like Mendocino, and wonderful weather. From 101, the two main highways to get to highway 1 would be 128 or 20. The fire on 20 is dwindling down now but you can check the cal trans site for road conditions to get the latest.

For pulling a 5er it is best to stay away from the Bay area with the 5er.

There are some RV parks but not many (we like Trailer Haven in San Leandro). The Bay area is not RV friendly nor is it truck friendly after you un=hitch. If you want to see the sights of San Francisco and there are many good ones to see, do not plan on driving your truck into "the city" as it is known as.

BTW: I agree with Korbe about getting off of I-80 once you get into CA.

I suggest when you get to Sacrament that you just continue heading west to Highway 101 and take 101 north ...all the way up the California and Oregon coast.

donn0128 wrote:
Personally I would reverse the trip.........The Pacific coast is much better seen traveling north to south.

I don't agree with that.

When you get to Reno, you have a couple options. You can go over Donner on I-80 and hit the construction mess where 80 hits I-5, or you could go north on 395, and take 44 and 89 for some great national or state parks along the way, and miss some of the California metro areas. Or you could take 20 from 80 and miss the mess in Sacramento. 20 will take you to 101 and once there, you are on your way......enjoy.

Personally I would reverse the trip. I90 to Ritzville,WA, 395 south through Tri Cities, I84 to Portland, then either US30 or US26 to the coast. The Pacific coast is much better seen traveling north to south.

We will be traveling from Michigan west, probably out I 80. I thought thru Reno, towards Sacramento, then ??? to get north.

Yes, a lot of roads to get here and there. Where do you want to come in from? South north east?

Right now the worst fire area is southern Humboldt county with smoke heading northeast. Haven't heard of any major road closures.

No, its not mean. We have no specific destination. Want to see the redwoods and the coast and from what I can tell, that encompasses a lot of N. California. Could tailor trip to the road conditions, etc. We usually stop at one spot for several days and roam out during the day from there. This is our first long (1 month) trip.

You will likely take either I80 or I90 from home? I80 will dump you in Sacramento. From there your choices are either I5 or US99 to????

I don't mean to sound mean but Northern California is very large. Where might you be going? Some info might help answer your question.