Pacific coast hwy

I drive my 27' (96" wide) MH from Jenner to Gualala at least once every year. The first time I was a little nervous, but now I can't imagine why. Just go SLOW in the turns and pull over a lot to let faster vehicles pass. I pull over whenever safe when there are any vehicles behind me and I am under the speed limit on hwy 1. And that is most of the time in the twisty parts.

The views are spectacular!

I've have driven on what is probably the worst parts of Hwy. 1 - the sections in Northern California along the high oceanside clifs with little, or no, guardrails. I drove in a small sports car and had a passenger.

I found that driving these parts of Hwy 1 - even in a small vehicle - is not only about how skilled the driver is, or how relaxed the driver is, or how much fun the driver is having. It's all about how comfortable the passenger(s) are while on the road sections that have been cut from steep and long high hillsides with guardrails that appear, or are, marginal for a recreational vehicle. If passengers can be bothered by these conditions I'd recommend staying off parts of Hwy. 1 with a motorhome, TT, or 5'er ... as it could be a very non-fun experience for the passenger(s).

P.S. Just as a reminder, many modern recreational vehicles are 100-102 inches wide. Vehicles this wide can wind up bordering on being just plain discourteous to other vehicles behind you and coming towards you on roads such as certain sections of Hwy. 1 being talked about.

Here is a website that lists restrictions for large motorhomes and tractor trailers.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/trucks/bus-mh/busmap-d01.pdf

I believe that part of this route is restricted for Motorhomes 40ft and over and for tractor trailers with kingpin to rear axle distance longer than 30ft.

We have some great scenic drives in the USA but its no fun if you have a bunch of vehicles behind you and you don't have time to enjoy the view because you are looking for pullouts to let them pass. Its not about the roads driven, its about enjoying the view.

We can't drive the going-to-the-sun hwy because of our size. The best decision we ever made was to take one of the park mini buses on that route. Got to see sooo much more and it was an enjoyable and relaxing trip.

Never driven the California Hwy1 route, but now I am very interested. There are sections which I would drive in the motorhome...other parts I would take a car or maybe a maxi scooter if the weather is nice. Putting this one on my bucket list.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/california-pacific-coast-road-trip/

Seems that ego and enjoyment of slight risk are a part of this discussion. I have driven #1 in a 23 footer and encountered hairpin turns where your rear end overhangs to other lane. Some of the scenery on US 1 is nice but a lot is rather desolate looking. US 101 is easy to drive with many small seaside towns and some really beautiful and famous redwood forest with nice state and US forest camp sites. There are usually road repairs every so often on US101 and some twisty areas that will need your attention. If you are an aviation fan, the Evergreen air museum is worth an inland diversion to McMinnville OR, the Spruce Goose and lots of other aircraft are on exhibit there. Tillamook air museum is nice but old and limited in aircraft, was a Navy blimp facility during WWII. You might like to stay at the KOA ranch RV park in Petaluma, CA, has shuttle service to San Francisco tourist attractions. Call ahead.

http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/

DougE wrote:
Once again, it's a matter of competence, confidence and attitude. If driving the "Going-to-the-Sun" road in Glacier or going up Pikes Peak tenses you up then taking a big rig on Hwy 1 may not be for you, but your rig can do it.

x2


Gary Haupt

Once again, it's a matter of competence, confidence and attitude. If driving the "Going-to-the-Sun" road in Glacier or going up Pikes Peak tenses you up then taking a big rig on Hwy 1 may not be for you, but your rig can do it.

I would recommend Hwy 101 going south and Hwy 1 only going north, so that you, and your wife, are on the inside lane. Hwy 1 is a beauty, but narrow and twisty with cliffs on both sides. Stops at Marina Dunes and Hearst Castle are recommended, plus Cambria and Monterey.

We did Rt 101 from northern California north as far as it went. It was a great trip. We especially liked the Oregon coast. We were pulling our Subaru.

Drove 50-100 miles then camped and explored. Don't remember anything special about the road itself, just a normal road.

We have not made the PCH (Cal. 1) trip in our RV yet, but have done it several times, southbound, in cars. And, at least once, we have followed a 27 foot, class C on the road. I'm not going to advise you on what to do. But, I will agree with others who stated the the road can be narrow, twisting, and sometimes crowded with vehicles of all sorts. There is also road re-construction going on at times. One recommendation that I can add to the others is do not attempt the trip from Monterey to the Hearst Castle as darkness is falling. The road is difficult enough in daylight.

Bob

Wow, mockturtle, you're making assumptions. I don't do either. I am very aware of other traffic and exhibit courtesy well beyond the average driver. I probably keep up with the traffic flow better than some of the sedan drivers and I certainly look for a spot to pull over if being tailgated. On that road there were things I would like to have taken a better look at but didn't because there was no good place to pull over or turn around within a reasonable distance.