Seattle to Reno

[porhomee]

Hi there,
I am driving from Seattle to Reno in early September and am curious about what the fastest route is.
I haved looked at Google maps and see several options as far as leaving I-5 and crossing over to the East side of Oregon or California but am unsure of what the less travelled roads will be like in terms of crusie speed.

If it means less time of the road I wouldn't even mind driving as far South as Sacramento and then heading East as I will have my wife and my in-laws with me so other than a lunch stop and quick fuel stops I want to get us into town in one(long) day.

Thanks,
Mark

[glc]

I'd advise you to take a day and a half - you are looking at 750 miles. This is going to take you about 14 hours. Spending a night in Weed or Mt. Shasta would add greatly to the safety of this trip. If you have no choice and absolutely MUST do it in one day, put at least 3 drivers in the rotation and follow speed run procedures, keeping 2 people awake and alert - a driver and a navigator.

The fastest way is I-5 to Mt. Shasta, then CA-89 to Old Station, CA-44 to Susanville, and US-395 to Reno. Going via Sacramento adds 140 miles. I have not traveled this way, but I'd expect the speed limits to predominately be 55 to 65 except through towns and in winding sections.

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Heading as far South as Sacramento isn't a viable option when the aim is to get there as quick as possible. Yes the cruising speed is higher but the extra miles [150 plus] do not counter balance it. There is only a small difference in getting off at Eugene on OR 58 to US 97 / OR 39 / CA 139/ US 395 or coming off near Pioneer on CA 89/ 44 to US 395. Possibly less chance of delays by sticking on Interstate for longer, but perhaps a little more enjoyable scenery getting off earlier. Expect a 14 hour day with a good stop for lunch and frequent short rest breaks along the way, which is a bit further than we would normally recommend. It would be easier if you could get 2 or 3 hours of driving under your belt the day before to ease the burden a little.

[porhomee]

Thank you very much for the feedback.
We have decided for the way down to stick to the one day plan and get off near Pioneer on CA 89/ 44 to US 395.

Depending on how the trip down is we will decide of we want to break the return trip in half by spending the night in Eugene.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Mark

[Rook]

Just a word of caution. When I lived in Reno, the section of US 395 south of Susanville to the Nevada line was called Blood Alley because of the number of roadkill. I never had problems during daylight hours but be carefull if driving through this section at night or early morning. I think it is close to deer hunting season so animals may be on the move and crossing the highway. I remember that there was talk of putting in underpasses for deer crossing so this might not be an issue anymore.