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Tom gave you some good alternatives, especially around Lake Tahoe. (I lived in the SF area for 39 years.)  If your sister really wants to see a dam, here's another easy one to access.  South of San Jose, between highway 101 and I-5 is the San Luis Reservoir.  It's on CA 152 (known locally as the Pacheco Pass road) which goes along the water's edge so you get a good view of the reservoir and then turn right to the dam (assuming coming from San Jose).  At the top of the hill there's a nice visitor center (with restrooms) where you can learn about the dam before driving down to it.  You can see it from both the top and below it.  There's a campground below the dam.

By the way, down near the I-5 side is the California Aqueduct which takes water from Lake Shasta to Los Angeles.  Most places don't have big cement waterways so it's interesting to see if you're nearby.

ArdraF
 
ArdraF said:
Tom gave you some good alternatives, especially around Lake Tahoe. (I lived in the SF area for 39 years.)  If your sister really wants to see a dam, here's another easy one to access.  South of San Jose, between highway 101 and I-5 is the San Luis Reservoir.  It's on CA 152 (known locally as the Pacheco Pass road) which goes along the water's edge so you get a good view of the reservoir and then turn right to the dam (assuming coming from San Jose).  At the top of the hill there's a nice visitor center (with restrooms) where you can learn about the dam before driving down to it.  You can see it from both the top and below it.  There's a campground below the dam.

By the way, down near the I-5 side is the California Aqueduct which takes water from Lake Shasta to Los Angeles.  Most places don't have big cement waterways so it's interesting to see if you're nearby.

ArdraF
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My sister loves you  ;D - Thanks so much
 
SeilerBird said:
Hi Phil - I have many thoughts about your route but first let me tell you my qualifications. I have been RVing most of my life and for 10 years was a full timer. I have been to all of the national parks. I lived in three of the places you will be visiting. 30 years in Ventura, 7 in Santa Cruz and 3 in the Tahoe area. Personally I feel that Yosemite is the most beautiful spot I have ever seen. But I have a question for you first. You are planning on visiting some of the most beautiful spots in the world, Yosemite, Tahoe, Big Sur, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. Why in the world would your sister want to visit a dam? I have been to all the major dams in the state and there is nothing to see at any of them except a big concrete wall holding back a fake lake. You can see the same thing looking at a postcard. The exception is Hoover Dam that has tours and a visitors center.

When you pick up the RV in LA I suggest heading for I-10 and go west to Santa Monica. 10 turns into Highway 1, the coast route. Stay on it until you get just past Oxnard where it turns into 101. Stay on 101 till San Luis Obispo and then turn off onto Highway 1 to get to Pismo. Personally I would prefer Morro Bay over Pismo. Hop on 41 and take it to 198 in Lemoore and take 198 all the way to Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon NP. There is a southern road into Sequoia and you do not want to take that road. To steep and narrow.

Take 198 out to 99 and then hop on 41 to get to Yosemite. You do not want to go east on 120 and exit the eastern end of the park. The road after it leaves Yosemite is very steep and very high (10,000 feet). Go west on 120 and take 49 to 50. 50 will take you to South Lake Tahoe. Here I would recommend a side trip around the lake. It is 75 miles of the most jaw dropping scenery on Earth. Emerald Bay is way beyond description. When you get back to SLT hop on 50 west and at Sacramento get on I-80 to San Francisco (do not call it Frisco or the locals will tar and feather you).

In SF I would take I-80 to I-280 over to Pacifica and hop on Highway 1. Stay on 1 until you wish to return. Your map shows the SF drop located in San Jose. Let me know if you want camping recommendations.
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WOW - Thanks Tom, that is so useful! My sister is a Damaholic! I've plotted the route and all looks great. Just one question, from Yosemite to SLT - is the 88 (from the 49) not an option? Just we'll be doing the 50 to SLT and then also from SLT to Sacramento.
As for camping recommendations, yet I could do with some. I know Yosemite is out of the question, but other places would be great. Could we be flexible to not pre-book? I'd like a bit of freedom on dates and locations, if possible.

Thanks so much for that detailed post, really appreaciated.

Phil  :)) :))
 
philipjones1050 said:
WOW - Thanks Tom, that is so useful! My sister is a Damaholic! I've plotted the route and all looks great. Just one question, from Yosemite to SLT - is the 88 (from the 49) not an option? Just we'll be doing the 50 to SLT and then also from SLT to Sacramento.
As for camping recommendations, yet I could do with some. I know Yosemite is out of the question, but other places would be great. Could we be flexible to not pre-book? I'd like a bit of freedom on dates and locations, if possible.

Thanks so much for that detailed post, really appreaciated.

Phil  :)) :))
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You are welcome Phil. I have never traveled on 88 so I cannot say one way or the other. I have been on 50 many times so I am confident recommending it.

As I said I prefer Morro Bay over Pismo and one reason is the Morro Dunes RV Park:

http://morrodunes.com/morro_dunes/index.html

Most all of the campgrounds at Kings Canyon and Sequoia do not take reservations. So if you arrive before noon you usually have your pick of the sites. Azalea Campground in Kings Canyon is one of my all time favorite campgrounds in the country.

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/azalea.htm

For Yosemite you might want to try Indian Flats RV Park located right at the west entrance:

http://www.indianflatrvpark.com/accomodations.htm

Lake Tahoe has a number of campgrounds but I never stayed at any of them because I lived there. Meeks Bay looks pretty good:

https://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/meeks-bay/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=71664

If you wish to tour San Francisco then get a spot at the Marin RV Park:

https://www.marinrvpark.com/

And take a ferry to SF and then hop on a tour bus or a cable car.

 
Thanks Tom - I'll check these out over the weekend.

Anything recommendations a short distance out of LA? Don't think we can collect to 3pm on the first day and Morro Bay could be pushing it - would like to get used to the RV without rushing!

Also any recommendations in the Carmel area?

Phil
 
philipjones1050 said:
Thanks Tom - I'll check these out over the weekend.

Anything recommendations a short distance out of LA? Don't think we can collect to 3pm on the first day and Morro Bay could be pushing it - would like to get used to the RV without rushing!

Also any recommendations in the Carmel area?

Phil
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The best one north of LA would be in Ventura, where I lived for 30 years. I have camped here and it is a really nice park:

https://www.vbrvresort.com/

For the Carmel area I used to live close by and the only places I have camped is the Monterey Fair Grounds:

https://montereycountyfair.com/about-the-rv-park/

When you are in the Monterey area be sure and check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
 
Where exactly will you be picking up the RV?  3 PM is the beginning of LA's evening commute so traffic will be at a crawl until after 6 or 7 PM.

Picking up the RV adjacent to LAX puts you in the middle of the city and at that time of day it can take 3 hours or more in heavy traffic to get from there to Ventura.  Been there, done that, spending 5 years maneuvering through LA traffic to farflung radio transmitter sites.

If you're getting the RV some distance towards the outskirts, you can travel to the rental location earlier in the day and have a shorter drive in heavy traffic to get out of LA.
 
Picking the RV up from 2233 E 223rd St, Carson, CA 90810, USA
They say between 1pm and 4pm - but I will try and get that brought forward.

No doubt they'll need to give me a tutorial (which is fair enough) although I've hired on several occasions for NASCAR races!  :))
 
How many years ago was that, Tom?  LA traffic has gotten exponentially worse even over the 5 years I was there ... at 3 in the afternoon it can take over an hour just to get from LAX to the 10.

Philipjones ... if you're interested in visiting dams, head north on I-5 out of LA.  You'll approach the base of Castaic Lake Dam, it has a visitors center and a no hookup campground, or nearby is Castaic Lake RV Park with full hookup sites.  Then a bit further north is Pyramid Lake and dam, with another visitor center that describes the California Water Project, the series of  canals and pumping stations that transports water uphill from Northern California to LA.

In northern CA, Oroville Dam's 770 ft. height makes it the tallest dam in the US, surpassing Hoover Dam by 50 ft.  As a bonus, it's in the middle of a massive reconstruction of it's spillway after the same storm system that closed Hwy 1 destroyed the old one and threatened the dam itself.

Oroville Dam is about 1 1/2 hours north of Sacramento.
 
Lou Schneider said:
How many years ago was that, Tom?  LA traffic has gotten exponentially worse even over the 5 years I was there ... at 3 in the afternoon it can take over an hour just to get from LAX to the 10.

Philipjones ... if you're interested in visiting dams, head north on I-5 out of LA.  You'll approach the base of Castaic Lake Dam, it has a visitors center and a no hookup campground, or nearby is Castaic Lake RV Park with full hookup sites.  Then a bit further north is Pyramid Lake and dam, with another visitor center that describes the California Water Project, the series of  canals and pumping stations that transports water uphill from Northern California to LA.

In northern CA, Oroville Dam's 770 ft. height makes it the tallest dam in the US, surpassing Hoover Dam by 50 ft.  As a bonus, it's in the middle of a massive reconstruction of it's spillway after the same storm system that closed Hwy 1 destroyed the old one and threatened the dam itself.

Oroville Dam is about 1 1/2 hours north of Sacramento.
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Thanks Lou - damtastic info!
;D
 
California Route 1 near Big Sur just reopened yesterday!  So happy for the people in the area who had to close or reduce their businesses for a year after a slide closed the road.

When the Oroville Dam was built we walked across the Oroville bridge before the reservoir was filled with water.  It was too high for my taste!  Now we drive across it.

ArdraF
 
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