Help - Safe passage to Seattle from Reno in mid November

Hello everyone I?m new here. I am a travel nurse from Houston Texas currently working in Reno Nevada. My recruiter wants me to head up to Seattle in mid November for my next assignment as there are some very good paying jobs there but I don?t know if I want him to submit me for these jobs if I can?t even get there safely with my RV. I am pulling a 37 foot 5th wheel. Being from Houston means I?ve never really been around snow or ice, I?ve never driven in it, and I don?t want to have to LOL. Especially with the RV. I wouldn?t have a clue what to do. Does anyone know of any routes that go from Reno to Seattle that avoid a lot of snow and ice prone areas? I?m most afraid of being up in the mountains and having a steep downgrade. The good Sam app takes me north from Reno up to Susanville and then up to Klamath Falls, and I cross the mountains on 58 going west and then head up the West Coast starting at Eugene all the way up to Seattle. I?m wondering if that pass on 58 through the mountains is very steep & snowy or if it?s better to cross further north at Mount Shasta? Any advice would be helpful. And if anyone is from the Seattle area can you tell me what it?s like over winter there? Am I going to be dealing with a lot of freezing temps or is it fairly mild in the city?

You cannot go from Reno to Seattle without crossing the Sierra mountains. No one can predict the weather next month, much less next week. The only way is to keep a close eye on weather reports and when it looks clear for the next few days to make a run for it. If bad weather pops up unexpectedly then park it and wait it out. It is a lovely route you are planning. About 700 miles and two days. Eugene would make a nice place to spend the night.

Take I 80 to I 5 and go north to Seattle. I've driven those roads many times in the winter and they are kept pretty clear all the time. That is all four lane highway.  I've been the Susanville way and while it's shorter I still prefer the four lane highways.

As SeilerBird mentioned wait until the weather is going to be nice.  However should a storm hit there are several campgrounds along the way where you can wait out the storm. I've done that on both sides of the Siskiyous along the California Oregon border.

double

Thanks for the quick answers! My recruiter is harrassing me to give him an answer lol. I?ve driven I-80 west to Sacramento a couple of times while here & I was thinking to myself  how horrible it would be to drive it with the 5th wheel due to high altitude (I think it?s >7000 ft at the summit / Donner pass) & there?s a long steep downgrade. But it makes sense what you are saying that the roads are well maintained since it?s a major freeway. I do like that there?s a big shoulder area on most of the pass to pull over & put on snow chains & several sections also have a third lane for trucks only so I could just get in that lane and follow the trucks going nice and slow.  I?m wondering how the Donner pass compares to some of the other passs further north in terms of steep downgrades & ability to pull over if conditions are too bad up there. And is it single lane or double lanes... I don?t want to have to worry about holding up traffic if I want to go slow. I?m less concerned about getting there quickly & more concerned about getting there alive haha.

I read on another forum about traveling from Portland to Reno that the drive on I-5 south of eugene through yreka is ?terrible? in the winter but the poster did not say why it?s so terrible. Also read mixed reviews on traveling along Klamath lake; some love it, others hate it but again no one really said why. Sorry for being so paranoid, I am used to driving flat straight roads my entire life so all of this makes me nervous! Tempted to tuck tail and run to Arizona for the winter but the jobs are very low paying.

Unless your recruiter or employer can guarantee you'll have a place to stay in your RV, I suggest flying to Seattle to scout out the area first.  Southwest has cheap flights if you can book a week or more in advance.  RV parks in the Seattle area are few and far between, especially during the winter and when they get snow the entire region basically grinds to a halt so you don't want to live too far from work.

Fly up, rent a car and stay in a motel for a day or two while you scout out the work location and see if there's a place reasonably close by where you can stay with the RV.  Or if the job pays well enough, maybe rent a small apartment or a room in an extended stay motel for the duration and put the RV in storage until spring.  You may be better off going to Arizona for the winter and heading to Seattle in the spring. 

I-5 is a constant series of 1000-2000 ft. ups and downs south of Eugene with the highest point being 4,300 ft. Siskiyou Summit just north of the CA border.  The constant traffic keeps the road clear, but you may have to wait out a storm or be at reduced speeds the whole way.

US 97 from Weed on I-5 to 58 is mostly flat and avoids the mountain ranges on I-5 (it's the route the railroad follows) but lacks the traffic that keeps the road clear.

Be sure to carry chains for both the truck and trailer as Oregon and Washington require you to have them available during the winter months or face a fine if you're caught without them.

Lou has given you excellent advice.  One thing I might add about the Siskiyou Summit north of Yreka:  watch the reports for ice on the highway.  The drop from the Summit into Ashland is pretty steep and not fun in icy conditions.

I agree with the downhill headed west from Donner. I'll never forget the time I got behind a Ruan milk tanker truck that went down the entire grade at 35. I stayed behind him so everybody would blame him for the slow speed!

We go to Eugene every couple of years and don't have any complaints, yes there are some mountains but you will hit that anywhere.

After being rear ended last year by a texting driver I am avoiding single lane roads as much as possible. Too many people not paying attention and I don't want a headon collision.

I've never carried chains for my RV anywhere.  I won't drive on icy snow covered roads in my RV and I've never been asked if I had them.
 

You can purchase tire chains at any Les Schwab dealer in Oregon or Washington.  If you never have to take them out of the box, you may return them for a full refund.  https://www.lesschwab.com/more/tire-chains

Thanks for the tips about the Seattle area in winter. I guess I just imagined that most of the RVers would be heading south for the winter so finding a space wouldn?t really be an issue. Also a good point about more traveled roads being clearer too.
Snow chains, yikes, I need to get some & learn how & when to use those apparently. Will go read up on that next! Fortunately I will have new truck tires before I leave and I also have 4wd if that helps when towing in iffy conditions.
Sounds like I?ll probably just have to check road conditions when it?s time to leave and decide my best route then. Hoping it won?t be too bad in mid November!

I lived in the Seattle area for 5 years, the problem is most of the RV parks are at the extreme north or south ends of the metro area, or they're in the mountains to the east.  In the mountains you have snow and below freezing temperatures all winter long.

Take a look at the maps at www.rvparkreviews.com and zoom in to the Seattle area.

If you're going to work in the City itself, you may have a long commute to your RV spot, especially in bad weather.

395 to susanville then 36-44 to I-5 has a lot easier climb and decent than donner pass,all good road if weather cooperates .
seattle is huge and total grid lock so narrow you search to somewhere close to where you will be working .lou gave you some very good advice about flying to seattle and finding a spot that meets your demands.

I agree that the Susanville to Mt. Shasta route is an easier climb but it's also a two-lane road with lots of up and down.  It's also much more isolated than the freeways.  We do not take it once winter moves in.  On I-5 northbound the Siskiyou Summit is one LONG uphill.  They do have cameras at the summit so you can see what the weather is like before driving up.  Whichever route you take there will be mountains!  Our practice is to follow the truck speed signage.  If it says a curve ahead is 50 mph for trucks then make sure you are at or below that speed before reaching the curve.

ArdraF

She is from Houston, she knows gridlock lol. All good advice here. As long as you drive carefully, gear down on the grades and use the brakes sparingly you should be fine. Above all plan ahead and don't panic.
Make sure your new tires have a snowflake meaning they are rated for winter driving. All weathers do not cut it here. You may have to shop to find them where you live.

We live in Fallon Nevada and travel thru Reno to Sacramento on I-80 many times each winter.  If snow is forecasted we leave early or stay home longer.  Usually in a day or two weather changes and the highways are clear and safe.  Have only got caught once in snow, but were only driving our Jeep GC, so no problem.  If heading to Oregon we usually like and take 395 & other highways either thru Susanville to Mt Shasta or thru Klamath Falls.  Dick nvrver

All good advice above.

and I also have 4wd if that helps when towing in iffy conditions.

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It can help for getting rolling and, to a limited degree sometimes, steering, but 4WD doesn't help braking at all.

That sure is a beautiful plane Larry. What is it?

Thanks for the compliment, Tom, that's an L-21, the military version of the Piper Super Cub. There were 8 of us in the club that owned it (and rebuilt it), and it was the sweetest flying Super Cub I've ever had my hands on. It originally had the Lycoming O-290 (125 HP) engine, but we converted it to the O-360 (150 HP) after one of the members ran it off the runway and flopped it on its back. We also opted for the STC* to up the max gross from 1500 lbs to 1750 lbs.


* STC- Supplemental Type Certificate, an FAA approved procedure for major changes to the aircraft.

RNTX22 said:

Thanks for the tips about the Seattle area in winter. I guess I just imagined that most of the RVers would be heading south for the winter so finding a space wouldn?t really be an issue. Also a good point about more traveled roads being clearer too.
Snow chains, yikes, I need to get some & learn how & when to use those apparently. Will go read up on that next! Fortunately I will have new truck tires before I leave and I also have 4wd if that helps when towing in iffy conditions.
Sounds like I?ll probably just have to check road conditions when it?s time to leave and decide my best route then. Hoping it won?t be too bad in mid November!

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Don't worry about chains!  You don't want to be pulling a 37' 5th wheel on hard packed snow or ice, chains or no chains.  Just plan for a week to 10 days for the drive from Reno to Seattle.  If there is snow anywhere along the way, just stop in an RV Park in lower elevations and wait until the roads clear.

About steep climbs and descents: 
--  Going up, down shift the transmission and keep your RPM's up in the 60% to 70% of the max range.  Having your RPM's in the 30-40% of max will load up the transmission and cause it and engine to over heat.
--  Going down, at the top just before starting down, slow down, manually down shift to 4th or 3rd gear and let the engine to the vast majority of keeping your speed down.  You really want to be going slow enough and in low enough gear that you don't have to press on your brakes more than once every 40-60 seconds or longer.  When you do press on your brakes, press hard enough to slow your speed 10-15mph in 10 seconds or so of pressing on the brakes.  Riding your brakes to keep your speed down will over heat the brakes and can cause them to fade and you can loose all of your braking.

Tom and Margi said:

You can purchase tire chains at any Les Schwab dealer in Oregon or Washington.  If you never have to take them out of the box, you may return them for a full refund.  https://www.lesschwab.com/more/tire-chains

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The website says, "You can return your unused Les Schwab passenger or light truck tire chains at the end of the season for a full refund."  What it doesn't make clear is that you have to wait until then to do it.  Most return policies specify the latest date something can be returned; this one is different in that it specifies the earliest date the chains can be returned.

Personally, I think they could do a better job of making that clear, but it would probably hurt sales.

Plus note that it applies to passenger and light truck tire chains--it probably doesn't include motorized RVs and I'm not sure about the trucks that can pull big fifth-wheels.