Class A on Hwy 1 in No. CA

Have driven both ways. Take your time and you will be fine. Going north, watch the rock walls on the inside -- we were quite close, but we also have a 40DP.

biknvikn wrote:
In September we plan to travel from Southern California to Fortuna to visit our daughter. Getting there is easy enough as we will travel on the 5 and cross over to the 101 on Hwy 20. However going south again, I would like to depart the 101 at Legget and follow Hwy 1 down to the Bay Area. My RV is a 30' Thor ACE 29.2, and I will tow a PT Cruiser on a dolly. Has anyone done this route in a Class A MH? Are there any nice FHU campgrounds on the route, or State Parks that are good for Class A MHs. Thanks in advance for any information.

It's doable, but if it was me, I'd probably stay on 101 and stop for awhile in Petaluma at the KOA there, where they have their own tour bus for touring San Francisco. It's also not too far to the GG Ferry near San Quentin for a nice bay ride to Fisherman's Wharf.
Then across the GG bridge, where I would stick to RT 1 and 19th ave for getting out of town. There's a park or two right on the coast that's not far if you'd like to stop again and we did so at Half Moon Bay, but it's tight and crowded in summer, so call ahead. I'd get on 101 again around Salinas or thereabouts and stay there all the way to Goleta before getting back on RT 1. It's a much easier drive going this way and you'll still see plenty of coastline. Since you have a car, you can still see a lot of places, that you would normally miss like Hearst Castle and we did that with our toad from Paso Robles. We also did Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel by the Sea from the KOA in Salinis, before proceeding down 101. You'll be on the coast again at Pismo Beach and there's plenty of parks there, although pretty crowded in summer.

Going south, it all depends on your right seat passenger's tolerance for being on the edge of the cliff! My wife would much rather go over the North Cascades on SR-20, because the cliffs above the road are on her side. She's a lot more nervous on US-2 because the cliffs down from the highway to the Wenatchee river are on her side.

We've done part of the Oregon coast both ways and did it from top to bottom this year. On the whole, the road isn't too close to the sheer drops, and not having to turn across the southbound traffic is a plus.

We used to do it regularly with our 40' DP towing...no problem...Bodega Bay has three great campgrounds, and there are several more all along that route. Be sure to stop and visit the lighthouses.......Dennis

Thank you all so much for the information.

Biknvikn

Some people recommend the South to North route to stay away from the cliffs, and I guess that's okay if you're afraid of heights, but most of the turnouts are going to be on the ocean side of the road when you want to stop and see something. And if you do stop on the cliff side while going North, you have to cross the road and risk getting nailed by a guy in Porsche. In a slow moving motorhome you'll also want to use those turnouts to let people pass, and I would guess there are 10 times as many turnouts on the ocean side of the road versus the cliff side. I've never even driven my MH Northbound on the PCH. If I'm going to do it, it's southbound.

haven't done it in our (new to us) class a, and probably wouldn't, just because I'm nervous enough about this road in a car, much less an RV with a toad. yes, lots of hairpin turns, some making sharp drops or straight up at 10 or 15 mph. gorgeous scenery, scary road.

Some of the sheer cliffs scare me so, I prefer driving my RV from South to North on Pacific Coast Hway (Hwy 1) and just risking rock slides on the inside lane; prefer North to South in my compact car because it gives a bit more distance from the cliffs.

From Leggett to Ft Bragg on Hwy 1 will be the longest (time wise) short drive (in miles) you'll probably ever do. most of the drive is inland in dense forest. I did it once, never again, in any vehicle. Hwy 20 from Willits to Ft Bragg is windy enough.

Having taken a 28 foot A over part of that route, as well as trucks pulling trailers, and the family cars, I would say it is a qualified yes. Much of the route has wonderful views, but it is narrow and twisty and doesn't have nearly enough pull outs. It is much more enjoyable it the MX-5 than the other vehicles:-)

We stayed at the Caspar Beach RV park near Mendocino. It was okay. We've also stayed at Bodega Bay RV Park, which was much nicer. There are other RV parks along the coast, but to my recollection, while many state parks allow RVs, none of them have any hook-ups.

I hate driving Highway 1 between Stinson Beach and Marin, in any vehicle. It has a stretch of extremely narrow road with a sheer drop off (!) and one must fend off an abundance of impatient idiot drivers. It's a white knuckler even in the MX-5. We've not driven that stretch in the RV, and if I have my way, we never will! Unfortunately, the best option for getting back to 101, Valley Ford road to 116, splits off north of Pt. Reyes and Drakes Bay. Depending on your comfort level, it may be worth back tracking to that route, because Pt. Reyes is worth a visit.

Also, for reference, Caltrans has a couple of maps available that can help you plan your route. The truck map shows where trucks are limited, and what those length limits are; and an RV/Bus map that shows where RVs and buses are limited. For example, on most of Highway 1, buses and motorhomes over 40 feet are prohibited.http://www.dot.ca.gov/maps.html

Have a great trip!

Mrs.Gryphon