West Coast RV Holiday - Help!

I think you would be best to plan your trip with several different routes in mind just in case there are road closures. When I last drove from I-5 to Reno through the Shasta forest, Susanville, etc. (too lazy to look up the route numbers right now), there were several inches of snow on the ground. Yet, there was no ice. The driving was easy. In fact, you rarely noticed the snow at all. It simply made the views from the windows more magical.

On the way home from that same trip, the snow was still there on the way home. Same thing. No problems. Then we hit I-5 and drove north. While there was no snow on I-5, there was ice through the Siskiyou Pass. A lot of foolish drivers who are too dumb to use common-sense driving in icey conditions were slipping and sliding around. And, unfortunately, we thought a few were gonna hit us but they didn't, thank goodness.

So, really, you can't assume that the interstates are always going to be the best way to go.

Now, which route did you want more info on again?

The one you mentioned above, 1-5 to Reno and through Shasta forest. I want to spend about three day driving to Vegas, stay in Vegas for 3 nights, and then drive back in another 3 days or so. Can you suggest some "must see" stops along the way?

On I-5, roughly half-way between the towns of Mount Shasta and Dunsmuir, go east on 89. This will take you through the Shasta National Forest. Beautiful forests.

There are some great views of Mt. Shasta. I couldn't tell you where they are exactly. Just watch for 'em. I recall that one of the best ones is from a small parking lot off to the right of the road (if heading east). So, when you see that, stop, stretch your legs, and enjoy the view for a few moments.

There are quite a few different scenic viewpoints with interpretive story-boards of the geology, evidence of eruptions, etc. along the way. Watch for 'em, they're well marked.

At Old Station, continue east on Hwy 44. I'm pretty sure the sign says to Susanville and/or Reno on it so don't worry about taking a wrong turn.

At the merge with Hwy 36, follow that east to Susanville. Go through Susanville and stay on the main road going out of town to the east. The name of the road changes to 395. Follow 395 all the way into Reno. There are other interesting viewpoints along this route to watch for. I got a kick out of Honey Lake. (Lake? Maybe in the winter?)

Anyway, that's about it. It's about 220 miles and we did it in about 4-5 hours (really can't remember exactly how long it took). I think the last trip it was closer to 5 hours because of the snow but I believe I've made it in 4 hours during the summer months with clear roads. Hard to remember for sure.

Even though there was snow on the ground, we still made good time because there was no ice and the snow was very compacted. It is rather twisty-turney. I love driving the twisty-bits like this but you will need to go slower in an RV than we were moving. Also, this road is at a fairly high elevation. With my turbo, I don't notice it but cars of friends without a turbo do experience a loss of power making their vehicle's response sluggish and them unable to keep up with us. So, really, if that effects your RV, you wouldn't be able to drive this route too fast for the curves anyway. Just be considerate to other drivers who are traveling faster than you are and let them pass you, OK?

Of course, I can't guarantee that you will have the same type of snow to drive in during the month of December. We were there in April with the snow, and other trips have always been in the summer (no show). Anyway, there was only a few inches of snow and, while fresh snow had fallen during the night, there was no snow falling during the day. And we had blue skies. Anyway, visibility was good. It's very likely you will hit deeper snow and snow flurries in December. Or, it's also possible that it will be closed.

I really don't know if I would recommend that route during that time of year or not. You might watch the weather reports and check with CA-DOT shortly before getting there to see what they recommend. Of course, they might also require chains at that time of year.

A possible alternate route to Reno would be I-80 from Sacramento to Reno. Since it's an interstate, it might have enough traffic to keep it clearer and be plowed more regularly. I'm not sure if there are any better suggestions. I last drove this route about 22-24 years ago so I don't recall much about it. It was pretty but not as pretty as the route through Shasta/Lassan/Susanville, imho.

Hope that helps!

Edited to add: I think you'll want every bit of 3 days to get all the way to Vegas. I've done Washington state to Reno in 1 day, then Reno to Vegas in another 1 day shot. But that's a LOT of driving. I don't think you could make that kind of time in an RV. Places to explore along the way might include:
* Veering off-route to Carson City and Virginia City. Especially Virginia City, a true old west town with lots of fun things to explore. Carson City is the state capital and, as such, there is a bit of history there, too. Of course, you might really want to take some time to visit Lake Tahoe, too, if you have time. Beautiful/awesome/spectacular Lake Tahoe!

* You're basically taking 95 all the way to Vegas and, to be honest, it's pretty desolate. If you're a UFO buff, you might enjoy Area 51 and the Little A'Le'Inn but I can't really think of anything else specific to explore along that route. Maybe somebody else can jump in with some ideas. If you want to check this out, you'll go east from Tonopah on Hwy 6, then south on 375 a/k/a The Extra-Terrestrial Highway. You'll then pick up 93 then I-15 into Vegas. This alternate route is about 500 miles, Reno to Vegas, which is about 40 miles farther than the direct route on 95. Not much difference, especially if you're dividing this into 2 days. I'm not sure where to recommend stopping for the night through here though since I've never done that. Sorry.

Thank you so much for all this information! My only concern now is the weather...which I won't know till it gets closer to our trip. Also, would you have any suggestions for any back-up routes in case of road closers and such? Again, thank you Judy for all the details you've included for me. I really appreciate it!