Washinton to LA area - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Olywa · RV-Dreams Family Member

Washinton to LA area

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Go east over the Rockies and then you can go south. September it is still hot in the south, including California, so stay north for as long as possible. September is shoulder season for camping, so you reservations are not needed. You can't avoid high elevations, there are mountains on all routes. Even in winter, there is no reason to take the Grapevine since CA58 heads east out of Bakersfield and is a good road.

I-84/I-80 and I-90 are good, I-70 goes up to almost 11,000 feet in Colorado, so it is not the best route. The straightest route is to take I-84 into Utah, then I-15 south to US6 to US191, then stay on US191 through Moab, which includes a section of I-70, then US491 to Shiprock, NM, US64 east to US550, to I-25, to I-40 east. Sounds complicated, but it is easy once you look at a map. Good roads, some scenic areas and many places to camp, including some Passport America campgrounds. Another route is I-84, to I-80, to I-29 to I-70 and then south. Of course there are alternates that stay mostly stay off the interstates.

-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 24th of July 2014 10:23:25 AM

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you're just trying to avoid the Grapevine, don't waste your time and money. Just drive over it. It has a 6 mile 5% downgrade going into LA but it is nothing to avoid. It is probably the easiest mountain drive I can think of. I drive it several times a week. I play a game where I am not allowed to touch the service brakes. I've gotten to the point where I very seldom touch the brakes. Going north, I coast from the summit, 16 miles to the fuel pumps at the station at exit 3 on 99.

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

I agree, the Grapevine is only a problem on the VERY FEW times each winter when it has snow. The Siskiyous is a much longer, steeper climb going down I-5. Of course in September the drive down Highway 101 is really nice, no crowds and still pretty good weather - that's the way to go in my opinion.

Barb

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Most direct route is I-5.

Like others have said it's a very good drive in an RV except in storm conditions and if you hit major cities during commute times (rush hours).

To avoid the Grapevine you can take Hwy 101 south out of San Jose. However, Hwy 101 also has some good climbs and down grades.

I-5 is really the best choice and don't worry about the Grapevine. Some of it's reputation comes from the 20's through the 70's, it's been tamed a lot since then.

HighwayRanger · RV-Dreams Family Member

Barbaraok wrote:
I agree, the Grapevine is only a problem on the VERY FEW times each winter when it has snow. The Siskiyous is a much longer, steeper climb going down I-5. Of course in September the drive down Highway 101 is really nice, no crowds and still pretty good weather - that's the way to go in my opinion.

Barb

I agree with Barb, 101 is by far the nicest north/south route suitable for RVs, especially if you're not in a hurry (nice campgrounds in Paso Robles right off the freeway. Wine Country!) Only challenge is getting onto the 101 and not getting stuck in Bay Area traffic. I-5 is the straight shot, and the Grapevine is not a big deal. If you choose the 5, there is a nice RV park in Patterson (about 100 miles south of Sacramento, called Kit Fox RV Resort) that we always stop at when we're going through the Central Valley of CA.

Timing your arrival in LA is a big deal. Unless its on a weekend, try to plan your arrival to be after the morning commute (around 10:00 should be late enough.) If you arrive after 3:00 pm, you're gonna regret it!

Enjoy!

Roy

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

You can tell I am a fulltimer since I saw "LA" and thought Louisiana, not Los Angelas. Who cares about Los Angelas when it doesn't have jambalaya and gumbo?

Los Angelas is a large area. Where in it are you going? Campgrounds close to the city are pricey.

-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 24th of July 2014 10:52:02 PM

Olywa · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks everyone for the route suggestions. Our nephew is in the film/gaming industry and lives about 5 miles from Beverly Hills so we are looking for a place about an hour or so from there, since we are heading to Arizona after our visit I was thinking about finding something to the east of Los Angeles, if any one has suggestions I would appreciate them.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

The 101 is a far more scenic alternative to the 5. It is four lane and the majority has exits like an interstate. I would catch it off the 80 or 680 at san fran. I think the 680 has a toll section or bridge.

Los Angeles is like a whole other country. The first time I drove across town east bound I left Oxnard at 3PM and passed through San Bernardino at 7PM. Looking at a map of L.A. It is about 1.5 hours from west to east, depending on traffic. For example, from long beach to san bernardino is about 70 miles. It is not a horrible city to get around in. Its always best to have a mental picture of where you are going. For that i use google maps or earth. Especially for excursions off the interstate. Remember, most of my Los Angeles driving includes a 53' referigerated trailer so i can recognize a challenge when i see one. However, since I do this all the time, i have some difficulty empathizing with those of you who have less experience. For that, I apologize. The key to a satisfactory trip for an L.A. novice is to plan your route through the city. Take your time. Remain alert. Do not have arrival time expectations. If you are prone to road rage, you will be miserable and I will be laughing at you. Its silly to waste all that valuable hate and discontent.

There are several rv parks in the eastern half of the metro area. Its free to use rvparking.com and they list several. They all appeared to be $50 a day and under. The worst of them looked very nice.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Note that southbound I-680 is toll free. Northbound there is toll to cross the bridge, $20 for four axles.

The campgrounds start around I-215 going east, with choices in Colton, Loma Linda, San Bernardino, and Perris. There are also a couple in Lytle Creek, in the mountains north of Rancho Cucamonga. The KOA in Pomona is likely the most convenient, but it is not cheap. Dockweiler RV Park, in Playa del Rey, might be your best bet. It is a county park - http://rvparkreviews.com/regions/California/Playa_del_Rey.html .

-- Edited by bjoyce on Sunday 27th of July 2014 11:11:29 AM

-- Edited by bjoyce on Sunday 27th of July 2014 11:16:49 AM

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for that info, Bill. Now I know to only avoid half of the 680!

Bill and Jodee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Seven Feathers Casino has a nice park for overnight just before you leave Oregon on I-5. From there, the Patterson stop is an easy drive. Grapevine is easy to drive, designed for large rigs. On the south side of the Grapevine is the Santa Clarita Valley. Traveltown RV park in Valencia (Hwy 126) is about 35 miles from Beverly Hills. You can get to and from the LA area on the train if you don't want to drive to visit. If you want to be east of LA, take the 210 off I-5 to bypass the metro area completely.

If you just don't want to drive the Grapevine you can take Hwy 101 to Hwy 126 in Ventura and cut over to Valencia that way. Hwy 126 is a nice drive, easy for a rig, pretty hills.....

Finally, like many metro areas, getting fuel in the LA area is a bear for rigs. Learn where the truck stops are!

Enjoy your time here. It will still be hot in September.

Jodee

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

I realized that in September the US395 route south would also be a good option. Scenic and interesting. You could get to US395 anywhere in Oregon or take CA89 out of Mount Shasta CA to Reno to catch it.

Olywa · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions. I am checking all of them out to see what fits our time line and the budget. We are looking forward to getting on the road, still a few things to get done at our summer location but September is just around the corner.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

While we haven't gone across the Grapevine, we have traveled most of I-5 up and down the West Coast. The southern half of OR has quite of few short grades, sharp curves so allow time to enjoy the drive and not be rushed. It's not hard, just takes a little more time when you're not driving a small car. This spring on the way north, about a month after I had completed RV driving school Dale thought this would be a good section for me to continue to practice my RV driving. I'm sure I drove those 6% grades and sharp curves slower than he would have! I would advise that you check the OR DOT site for the construction project they had going near Cottage Grove and if it's not complete, avoid that section on a weekend, took us 2 hours to go 51 miles last spring and 1 hour of that was for a 6 mile stretch of Interstate.

If you choose the I-5 route and need a stop near Mount Shasta, the Lake Siskyous RV resort was great with FHU sites but felt more like a state park with the space between the sites. We were there over Memorial Day and even being there on a holiday weekend we found it very peaceful.

We also really like Valley of the Rogue state park near Medford OR, great bike trail goes right by the park and it's easily accessible with a big rig, select one of the loops furthest away from I-5. Hint - if you like pizza and are passing through Medford near lunch or dinner, Kaleidoscope pizza has some great food.