Eugene, OR, to Valley of Fire, north of Las Vegas in late February

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JudyJB

JudyJB

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In Florida for winter
I am a very experienced motorhome driver, but am concerned about the best (least likely to be snowy and icy) route to take from Eugene to Valley of Fire State Park, north of Las Vegas.  Late February means there will still be snow in the mountains, and I will not drive in snow.  If it says to put chains on, I will turn around and exit as quickly as possible!! 

I do not care about sightseeing along the route as I have been on most of these routes in good weather.  Just want to get there as quickly and as safely as possible.  I know to check the state highway people at the last moment, but what is most likely the best route to take to get me to Las Vegas.  (Coming back will be in late April, so won't have weather issues then.) 

I would prefer the shorter route east of the mountains, but am not sure where the best place is to cut across. 
 
If you have a thing against snow, I suggest staying on I-5 to Bakersfield where you can take Hwy 58 to I-15 and on into Vegas. The Oregon mountains are actually having a winter this year.
 
As a CA native, I agree with Wendy.  The lead story yesterday in the SF Chronicle was 10 straight days of incoming storms for Oregon and Northern California, including heavy snow in the Sierra Nevadas.

I-5 is a boring drive, but the advantage is it's heavily trafficked and as such it's a high priority to be kept open and unimpeded. 

There are several ups and downs in Oregon, but the main pass you'll have to cross is Siskiyou at the CA/OR border.  Time your trip to get over the stretch between Siskiyou and Redding during the day, stopping in the Medford area if necessary to wait for a storm to pass.

Once you're in Redding it should be clear sailing the rest of the way.  But beware of Tule fog in the Central Valley.  It's thick fog that happens when the air cools over wet ground, dropping the ground level visibility to a few hundred feet or less.  Again, don't be afraid to pull over for a while and wait out better conditions
 
Excellent advice from both Wendy and Lou.  I-5 can be boring, but it's expedient.
 
Tagging this thread.  Driving from Seattle to La Grande to San Francisco in February.
 
Yep, in the winter we also go I-5 to CA-58 to Barstow and I-15 to Las Vegas.  Siskiyou pass can be interesting in winter so watch the weather cams.  Also 58 over the Tehachapi range can have snow but it's a good road.  Again just watch the weather forecast.  Lou mentioned fog.  We once left Medford in bright sunshine and by the time we reached Siskiyou summit it was heavy fog.  I was driving and Jerry navigated me over the mountain by using the GPS picture of upcoming curves!  Not one of my favorite driving days.

ArdraF

 
ArdraF said:
Yep, in the winter we also go I-5 to CA-58 to Barstow and I-15 to Las Vegas.  Siskiyou pass can be interesting in winter so watch the weather cams.  Also 58 over the Tehachapi range can have snow but it's a good road.  Again just watch the weather forecast.  Lou mentioned fog.  We once left Medford in bright sunshine and by the time we reached Siskiyou summit it was heavy fog.  I was driving and Jerry navigated me over the mountain by using the GPS picture of upcoming curves!  Not one of my favorite driving days.

ArdraF
Click to expand...
Yep this^^^^^
 
It looks like I am going to be delayed until early March.  Not sure that will affect the weather, but i will definitely check the weather and road conditions.  I think as long as it is dry and has been dry for a few days, the mountains will be OK.  Will be very careful however.
 
Agree with Terry's Weed observation.  We've been through there when it was snowing heavily on one side of town and dry as a bone on the other side.  March should be good except for a fluke storm.
Margi
 
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