advice my first trip to California in RV

I'm from South American, RV traveller, which just joined roadtripamerica. Since my native language is spanish, I´ll try to get the most information as possible from all you, expertise guys
I'll go to California first time december late with my family and we are going to rent a motorhome at los angeles. We think to rent elmonterv, cruise america or moturis,any suggestions?

I want advice from the circuit we have planned( 23 days total, from december 21 to january 12): we arrive to Los Angeles. and the suggested itinerarie is a round trip from LA to GrandCanyon,Las Vegas, death valley,yosemite, san francisco and then down the coast to los angeles.
my questions? (which is better trip LA to las vegas and then grand Canyon or better LA ,grand canyon and then las vegas, which roads??) i don't know if I can visit Yosemite at winter? any other suggestion? perhaps Joshua tree, palm springs, tahoe lake, monument valley,etc?? we think to have 3 or 4 days San Francisco, 4 or 5 days Los Angeles and the other options are open to your advice, how many days? Thank's to all the group and wait your response Daniel

.

Welcome to the RTA forum!

In answer to your questions, I'd recommend going from LA to Grand Canyon, then back to Vegas because it will save you a couple hours of driving.

Yes, you can visit Yosemite, but Tioga Pass will be closed and you'll have to cross the Sierras around Bakersfield and then enter the part from the West. You might also choose to visit Sequoia NP on your way.

Also know that In addition to Yosemite, the Grand Canyon is also at a significant elevation which can and does see snow - and which may make staying in an RV uncomfortable.

This is far and away the most popular trip on the forum, so you can also get a lot of information just by looking around. These threads are an excellent starting point. Let us know if you have any more questions.

Thanks Michael which road do you suggest from los angeles to grand canyon? The shorter or most sccenic? Can you explain please
you are very kind for the quick response to my post Daniel

The fastest way to the Grand Canyon is to take I-15 to I-40 to Williams Arizona. That is a full day on the road, so if you want to do the trip in one day that's really your best bet.

If you've got a bit more time, then you could look at going out to Joshua Tree NP and then head over through Lake Havasu and cut north to I-40 in Arizona, but you'd want at least 2 days going this route.

We are a family of 6 persons and we 'll travel to California for 20 days, from December 22 until January 11 roughly. I need advice on the best route and best sights to see in winter, our planned journey is from Los Angeles (where we arrive) to Grand Canyon, from there to Las Vegas where we stay Christmas, then we plan to go to Death Valley ?, Sequoia? and Yosemite park? and from there to San Francisco and along the coast back to Los Angeles.
I wondered what is the best route at this time of the year, worth it the trip to Death Valley, Sequoia and Yosemite park or is too ambitious?. Of those which parks do you prefer in winter? or you have an alternate suggestions ?
I have no experience in traveling in the snow with RV.
Grateful greetings from Uruguay this is a great site congratulations
sorry for my english I speak spanish
Daniel

You've really just repeated the same questions you asked here a few months ago, so I would simply refer you to the answers you've already been given.

If you have some more specific questions that haven't already been answered, we'll be glad to help you as best we can.

sorry Michael you are right. To be more precise, which road do you recommend to go from las vegas to death valley, and from death valley to bakersfield in winter? which long it takes go from death valley to sequoia and yosemite? are Sequoia and yosemite similar or can i spare one or you suggest to visit both thanks Daniel

From Vegas you can take 160 to Pahrump and the Ash Meadows/State line Rd to Death valley junction and 190. The 190 goes to 395 where you can head South, either on the 14 to to 58 to Bakersfield or head West past Lake Isabella on 178. How long it takes depends on how much sight seeing and detours you do. In an RV you could drive from Vegas to Lake Isabella/Bakersfield same day and do a little sight seeing. You could drive from Bakersfield to Yosemite same day but a detour into Sequoia NP will take most of that day up. Both Parks are incredible in their own right AND VERY INDIVIDUAL, Yes you could make comparisons, but only in a way that you could compare LA to NY.

You have quite a bit of time to complete your trip so you need to look at maps and do a little research to see how you want to spend your time. When you have done this we can help fill in the blanks and make suggestions that might be beneficial.

I love travelling in an RV, and have done so in wintry conditions. It can be fun but can also be challenging, especially in extreme weather, more so in your case I would imagine where there are six of you in tight quarters and nowhere to 'escape' to, if there are sub zero temps outside. Your RV will most likely have been winterised, in other words had all it's water tanks flushed and drained. You can fill them when travelling, but if overnight temps freeze the tanks and cause damage, you will most likely be held accountable for costs, so check your contract ! You will have to keep up to date with road and weather conditions while travelling and be prepared and willing to alter your plans accordingly. Sequoia NP in particular, has some pretty challenging mountain driving when in an RV, with poor conditions and/or snow on the ground it will become much more of a challenge.

Get yourself an outlined plan set up and then we can guide you through it.

This is our probably itinerary

21/12/2010 arrive Los Angeles and take the RV about 15 hs then leave to grand Canyon, stay in the road or city? first night
22/12 grand canyon stay at night
23/12 after noon leave to las Vegas
24/12 las Vegas
25/12 Las Vegas to Death Valley stay at night
26/12 Death Valley to yosemite park
27/12 yosemite park
28/12 Yosemite to San Francisco
29/12 San Francisco
30/12 San Francisco
31/12 San Francisco
01/01 San Francisco to Monterrey, Carmel and Big Sur ??(stay at night)
02/01 Hearst Castle, Cambria and Morro bay??
03/01 Lompac, Gaviota , Santa Barbara??
04/01 Santa Barbara to Los Angeles Universal Studies
05/01 Los Angeles Anaheim Disney
06/01 Los Angeles
07/01 Los Angeles
08/01 Los Angeles
09/01 los Angeles San Diego Los Angeles
10/01 Los Angeles
11/01 Los Angeles
12/01 depart early at the morning airport to my country
Is open to suggestions because is my first trip to California for example when driving from San Francisco Los Angeles, places to stay? roads ? and fill the blanks
thanks Daniel

A couple of issues:

First, most RV companies will not allow you to pick up an RV the same day you arrive on an international flight, so I suspect you'll have to rework that first day - and push everything else down a day. That's done for everyone's safety, as after a long flight the last thing you should be doing is getting behind the wheel of a large unfamiliar vehicle and try to embark on a long drive.

I will also say that just in general, since the "roadtrip" portion of your trip to Grand Canyon/Death Valley/Yosemite is such a small portion of your overall trip - compared the the days upon days you are spending in cities like San Francisco and LA, I simply don't think an RV makes much sense for this trip. Those are not places where its going to be easy to get around in a big lumbering RV. I suspect you will have a more fun and relaxing experience if you stuck to driving a car.

Michael is correct, I have not come across an RV company that permits an International visitor to take it on the same day as arrival, I think it is law. Although I have never been asked when I had arrived in the US when collecting an RV, I don't think it is a good idea to try. There is a lot of paperwork and explanations of how it all works and you might even have to sit through a 20 min video as well before they will let you take it. Driving a huge vehicle like this while feeling the effects of jet lag isn't going to be a great way to start the trip, find yourself a reasonable priced airport hotel and relax.

Las Vegas has a few RV parks, although limited. [The Oasis RV resort is cool] San Francisco also has limited choices, there is one that offers free bus rides downtown, [you don't want to head to the City in an RV] but I understand it to be no more than a parking lot for RV's with a few facilities. I think it is called 'Candlestick' but just google 'San Fran RV resort'.

If you are spending a week in LA, and you still want to travel in an RV, I would seriously consider dropping the RV off when you arrive back at LA and rent an apartment for all of you.

I'll also mention as a route suggestion - San Diego is a bit far, and has so much to potential do, that you might want to make it a destination by itself rather than just trying to squeeze out a daytrip from LA.

Within the scope of your entire trip, it might make sense to do this first, going to SD then the Grand Canyon. But if you wanted to do it at the end to break up the long stretch in LA, that would work too.

Thanks to all you are very kind,
*I'll just rent a minivan when we arrive to Los Angeles and maybe at San Francisco but we'll sleep at the RV because the rooms for 6 are not cheap. You think San Diego deserve more days,ok. My itinerary left 7 days to Los Angeles because it was open to delays in the trip or changes in the estimated routes or places. I can't travel in another season of the year and I feel sad because I dream to know Yosemite, but in winter i know I'll have problems because it is not the best time to go.
anyway thank's to all from Uruguay South America Daniel

You should be able to visit Yosemite Valley - worst case, CA-140 is almost always open with no issues. Check the Caltrans website for road conditions and chain restrictions before you go.

While it might look on the surface that it will be cheaper for 6 people to sleep in an RV, I think when you factor in all of the costs, the numbers will be much closer than you'd think.

With 6 people you'll need two motel rooms. That will probably cost $100-200 a night, depending on your location and how nice of a place you want to stay.

However, in many places you're going to need to spend $50 a night on an RV Park with hookups. Throw in the fact that you'll be spending about twice as much on gas, plus the higher cost to rent an RV -especially one big enough to sleep six, plus the cost to rent a minivan to "get around," and those costs are going to even up very quickly.

Then on top of that consider the comfort factor. It will be much easier to get around in a regular car/minivan than a large RV, and many of the places you'll be visiting will be in higher elevations and desert area where temperatures will get quite cold overnight - in several cases likely dropping below freezing. The could make it difficult to get a comfortable night sleep in an RV (or spending a lot of extra money on generator fuel to keep the heat going at full blast).

There are plenty of cases where an RV really makes sense, but there are alot of times where people just assume an RV is the best choice without really breaking it down. When you consider everything, I'm still not sure you wouldn't be better off skipping an RV for this trip.

I hope can visit yosemite, any suggestions about camping in a 29 feet RV at yosemite. Do i need to make reservations? There are camping inside and outside the park, is that right?

One of the 'Pines' campgrounds in Yosemite valley would be my choice. In the heart of the park in a wooded setting and great value. find info here. At this time of year they are not reservable if I remember correctly, but it shouldn't pose a problem.

Depending on how your time works out, a couple of others I have stayed at near Yosemite are; Yosemite Pines and if you are arriving late in the day from the South, Oakhurst is home to the High Sierra RV park. There will be others if you google, but these are the one's I have stayed at, but there is nothing quite like at least one night in Yosemite NP. Make sure you have some logs on board to light up the fire pit provided, get a hot drink [with maybe something a little stronger mixed in to keep you warm ;-) ] and it will be a night to remember !

Great Dave, all of your advice has been of utility, I will follow all your suggestions,this is a great site for inexperienced traveller like me. One last question because i don't want to abuse of your kindness, whar road do you suggest from san francisco to los angeles because I have read the coast road is dangerous for a motorhome ,is that true ? My estimated plan was to travel for the Pacific coast highway because the scenic places to see and visit. Thanks to all Daniel

The coast highway is not particularly dangerous for a motorhome, it's just slow going. Be considerate and use the turnouts to let others who may be more in a hurry to pass you.

Thanks to all, I wait for you at Uruguay it's a nice country
don't hesitate to write me
Daniel

You are most welcome Daniel, and thanks for the offer, maybe one day I will get a chance to visit your country.

Wherever you are driving with a large RV, if you are on a 2 lane Rd and you get a queue of traffic backing up behind you, when possible and safe to do so, use a pull out [lay-by] to let them passed as glc noted. It will take the tension away from you, and you will be rewarded with a smile and a wave from the other motorists.

Quote:

---

. One last question because i don't want to abuse of your kindness,

---

If you think of further questions please don't hesitate to ask, if not please drop by after your trip and share your experience with us.