Washington State to Vegas via stops in California

[Tigre10]

After having the first trip under our belts we are looking for suggestions on the route to Vegas returning Oct 31st. to beat the snow.

We plan on the I5 from the Canada/USA border to the 505 for San Francisco.
The 101,85,& 17 to Santa Cruz.
The 1 to Monterey
The 68, 101, 46, & 5 to Santa Monica
The 405 to Long Beach
91 & 10 to Palm Springs & the 15 to Vegas.

The route home is the 95 to Virginia City & Reno.
The 395,139,97,58 back to the 5 & home.

I know there is lots more to see but these are the stops for this trip as we need to be back by Oct 31.

Does anyone have any concerns with the plan that I am unaware of ?
Thanks for your help!

[Tigre10]

Sorry it took me so long to get back on line after our adventure.
Do want to let everyone know we had an absolutely great time & thanks to many of the suggestions here.

We did start out with a less than stellar first day in Seattle. Someone lost a living room club chair on the #5 which a truck hit just as we were coming past it & flew it into & under our motorhome. We made it to the next rest stop & had a gas line leak & some minor body damages.

Good Sam was great & after getting the fire dept. to OK moving us & spending the night at the rest stop, we got a tow & repairs done in a day.

We pretty much stuck to the planned route that many of you helped us with on the way down & had great times in every stop. All through California & Lake Havasu to Vegas.

As it was the end of Oct & we didn't want to get stuck with snow issues we opted for the #5 home instead of the Reno route. It was a lovely drive in the fall colours.

We plan on returning to Vegas the Reno Route south this coming Sept.

Again thank you to all who helped us on the planning stages for our great 2nd adventure with our Motorhome. It truly is appreciated.

[Jbrowland]

I live in Los Angeles and avoid driving to Santa Monica in a Mini Cooper. 😉

I assume you are driving the class A and toad in your profile? If so, I would avoid Santa Monica and Long Beach. I would stay in an RV park in the West Valley or farther out of town and drive the toad in.

As for RV parks in the inner city, there is one in Malibu just above Santa Monica (very expensive). There is one in the Van Nuys area not far from me where friends with similar rigs have stayed. There is an RV park right on the water by LAX. Just south of Long Beach is the OC area. Lots of lovely state parks on the water that may have last minute cancelations. Problem is they all book up months in advance. Maybe not the one in Van Nuys. So many names. Just google the locations. Good luck and have a blast!

Walk of Fame is in the Hollywood area around the block from the Magic Castle. I am a member of the Magic Castle. That's the only reason I go to that area. It is no Time's Square for sure. As a former New Yorker, the walk of fame area scares me and is underwhelming at best. A better reason to visit the area is getting tix to see an event at the Hollywood Bowl just up the street! :).

[msmith1199]

Tigre10 wrote:
Looks like we will be heading out on Sept 10th.
Can I get recommendations for places to stay in the Santa Barbara Area? We don't mind 100 mile return trips for day sight seeing in the car.

That being said, if I want to see Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Pier & Venice Beach along with the walk of Fame, can I get suggestions for parks for the Motorhome please...between mountains & the city grid it looks daunting to find something.

I've gone down and stayed in the parks around Disneyland a few times in the Motorhome, but never stayed up in the Santa Monica area. That's all a very congested and populated area, so there may not be much to chose from. If you do the Walk of Fame, go in daylight hours. Hollywood Blvd is basically a cesspool. I wouldn't go there at night and I'm a retired cop. Then again, I probably wouldn't even go there in the daylight!

There are quite a few RV parks in the Ventura area. I'll let somebody more knowledgeable of the area give you that advice, but I consider keep the RV in that area and then just driving the toad down into Los Angeles. Just keep in mind commute traffic will be a pain. But then again every time I go down there traffic is a pain regardless of the time of day or day of week.

[msmith1199]

Tigre10 wrote:
After having the first trip under our belts we are looking for suggestions on the route to Vegas returning Oct 31st. to beat the snow.

We plan on the I5 from the Canada/USA border to the 505 for San Francisco.
The 101,85,& 17 to Santa Cruz.
The 1 to Monterey
The 68, 101, 46, & 5 to Santa Monica
The 405 to Long Beach
91 & 10 to Palm Springs & the 15 to Vegas.

The route home is the 95 to Virginia City & Reno.
The 395,139,97,58 back to the 5 & home.

I know there is lots more to see but these are the stops for this trip as we need to be back by Oct 31.

Does anyone have any concerns with the plan that I am unaware of ?
Thanks for your help!

Keep an eye on the weather. Snow is very possible by October 31.

Like somebody else said, unless you are afraid of heights, you can take Highway 1 south from Monterey. Best bet is to leave at first light, and take all day to make the drive down to Pismo or Morro Bay. I've taken my 35' DP down that stretch many times, and although it is windy, it's very doable.

[Tigre10]

Looks like we will be heading out on Sept 10th.
Can I get recommendations for places to stay in the Santa Barbara Area? We don't mind 100 mile return trips for day sight seeing in the car.

That being said, if I want to see Malibu Beach, Santa Monica Pier & Venice Beach along with the walk of Fame, can I get suggestions for parks for the Motorhome please...between mountains & the city grid it looks daunting to find something.

[Us_out_West]

I'll send you a pm. I did this trip late Oct 2015.

Why not share with all?

[Naio]

Tigre10 wrote:

"I would stay on I-5 to 152 near Los Banos and take 152 over the hill to Watsonville, then up to Santa Cruz."

You can do that if you want, but the person who said 17 was narrow and winding was wrong! It is a freeway now. Once upon a time, back in the 80s, it was narrow and winding, but no more. The Los Banos is the narrow one now, as it is just two lanes. But if you like back roads, like me, then it is a good one.

Looking at the route between Virginia City & Reno & decided on 95 to 50 to 80 & Reno. Then north on 395. At Susanville to Bellingham getting to the I-5 as easily & as soon as feasible. It will be the end of Oct. & hoping there won't be any snow in higher elevations yet.

Looking at this suggestion: "139 from Susanville is on the narrow side. Your rig will be riding the depressed reflectors on the centerline and at the same time riding the fog or shoulder stripe for about the first 60 miles. The good part is that it's not heavily used".

Any other thoughts on this last leg?

I took 395 north from Susanville, instead of 139, this summer. A fine two lane road, flat, through farm country. 139 is the mountain option.

I prefer to stay east of the mountains north of Susanville rather than going over to I5. There is far less traffic on the east side -- almost none. It is fast two lane roads rather than freeway, though.

The I5 pass over the Siskiyous at the CA/OR border is beautiful, but I find it very scary to drive because of all the semis.

Snow/ice is unlikely in late Oct, but you can look at caltrans and ODOT websites close to the day. You have to cross a mountain pass either way -- on I5 it is the siskiyous, and on 395/97 it is the cascades.

Also looking for recommendations of campgrounds along the I-5 from Eugene OR to Los Banos CA.

I'll send you a pm. I did this trip late Oct 2015.

Do you have reservations / places to stay in Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, etc.? If not, reserve now! Things fill up. North of there you don't have to worry about.

[Us_out_West]

Tigre10....

After re-reading your post a few more times think I figured out where you want to go after Vegas...Virginia City then Reno then North.

So yes 95 to ALT 95 to 50 to Six Mile Canyon Rd into Virginia City. Six Mile is a little twisty but certainly doable.

About 425 miles and a little over 8 hours.

Want an overnight stop along the way? We like Whiskey Flats in Hawthorne.

We get up to VC a few times a year and stay at Virginia City RV Park and the link will show you how to get there.

When leaving to Reno use the directions I gave previously using Geiger Grade NV 341.

Again safe travels.

[profdant139]

When you are in southern Calif, be sure to check both Sigalert.com and google maps for current traffic. For example, from Long Beach to Palm Springs, you have many options -- maybe the 605 to the 10, avoiding the 91. It all depends on what is happening when you are getting ready to leave. And even when under way, your navigator can spot new problems and can route you around them.

[Us_out_West]

"Looking at the route between Virginia City & Reno & decided on 95 to 50 to 80 & Reno."

95, 50, 80?? 95 does NOT go to Reno.

Confusing????

Virginia City is 26 miles from Reno or about 30 min.

We use Geiger Grade (NV 341) out of VC for the short trip.

Leaving Reno to get to I-5, and you said "getting to the I-5 as easily & as soon as feasible".

Reno-Susanville --395

I would not take 139 or 395 out of Susanville.

Susanville to I-5.

36 out of Susanville to 44 to 89 to I-5. You will join I-5 just South of Weed, CA.

All good roads with no issues that I'm aware of. You'll enjoy viewing Mt. Shasta for a good potion of the trip.

Safe travels.

[Tigre10]

So we have rerouted these parts & taken the advise offered here: Sorry its a long one!

"Take the 405 & 205 around Seattle & Portland."

"I would stay on I-5 to 152 near Los Banos and take 152 over the hill to Watsonville, then up to Santa Cruz."

Next we listened to & will follow: "at Thousand Oaks take the 23 inland, it becomes the 118, which becomes the 210. Take the 210 South to the 15 and head to LV."

The return home from Virginia City to Reno & Bellingham is the last part to reconsider.

Looking at the route between Virginia City & Reno & decided on 95 to 50 to 80 & Reno. Then north on 395. At Susanville to Bellingham getting to the I-5 as easily & as soon as feasible. It will be the end of Oct. & hoping there won't be any snow in higher elevations yet.

Looking at this suggestion: "139 from Susanville is on the narrow side. Your rig will be riding the depressed reflectors on the centerline and at the same time riding the fog or shoulder stripe for about the first 60 miles. The good part is that it's not heavily used".

Any other thoughts on this last leg?

Also looking for recommendations of campgrounds along the I-5 from Eugene OR to Los Banos CA. Also Palm Springs, car driving distance from the LA Beaches. Then Lake Havasu, Reno & along the I-95 heading north from Las Vegas.
Thanks so much!

[TyroneandGladys]

Alternate route back would be:
North of Las Vegas take 93 to I-84
I-84 to I-82
I-82 to I-90
I-90 to I-5

[Tigre10]

Thanks for the suggestions. Doing some fine tuning based on these!

[kalynzoo]

DO NOT TAKE THE 1 FROM MONTEREY TO MORRO BAY THROUGH BIG SUR! jmho. This is a beautiful very winding two lane road with shear drops into the ocean, and going south you are on the ocean side. Often no barriers and very little if any shoulder. Just don't do it in the rig. Unless you like traffic and have a reason to travel through LA, at Thousand Oaks take the 23 inland, it becomes the 118, which becomes the 210. Take the 210 South to the 15 and head to LV. Moss Landing KOA is nice in Monterey, Flying Flags RV Resort in Beulton.