West coast driving

[gypsy-jim]

We are from Ft. Lauderdale Florida presently in Olympic Park area in Washington traveling with a 40  ft. MH and a jeep.  Our plan is to travel down Route 101 to San Francisco area.  Having never traveled along the coast, are there any parts of 101 that a MH or more important its owner will regret traveling?  Any other route suggestions?  Any RV Parks recommendations we tend to stay at full service parks. 

After San Francisco (early October) we had planned to head down to route 10 for our trip back to Florida.  We chose this route as we have friends in San Antonio and Houston.  Is this the best way?  If so what highways would you use to get to route 10.
Thanks as always for your help
Jim & Viv

 

[maverickbbd]

It is a great trip.  Have done it several times.  From ONP you should make it to Florence, Ore in a day.  We stay at Pacific Pines.  Then if you want to see the redwoods, I would recommend Hiouchi RV park in Cresent City.  You may want to swing around S.F. as traffic can be a bit dicey.  Pick it up again south of the city and enjoy the trip. 

 

[cpeters]

Enjoy the west. It is the best.

Just my opinion.

Enjoy the adventure. Some people never get to see this great land. We are Blessed.

 

[Orick]

You'll love it and you're coming in to the best time of year to be on the west coast.  You won't find anything on 101 to cause you problems... top to bottom.  101 runs parallel to US1 or PCH (Pacific Coast Hwy) which is one of the most scenic roads anywhere.  BUT.... much of that is best seen from your toad.  Especially headed south you could find yourself in trouble with your co-pilot who would be hanging out over the cliffs much of the trip.

Oregon State Parks are the best we've found anywhere and Cape Blanco State Park there is one of our favorite all time spots.  Secluded sites in the trees but a 100 yard stroll and you can watch whales from the cliffs or hike a beautiful trail to the lighthouse.

If you have any handling issues with your coach, you'll be passing through Grants Pass, Oregon and Henderson's Line Up there is top notch.

Fort Bragg area in NorCal is very nice.  Unless SF is on your bucket list for this trip the advice to take I5 around it is probably a good idea.  There's no easy way to get through my home town in a car and a big rig.... well.

The central coast, Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Solvang, etc are all within easy reach of 101 and are spectacular.  Flying Flags RV Resort in Buelton just off of 101 is a very nice park to base and visit Santa Barbara and Solvang.  Another option in that area that we love is Lake Cachuma County park.

If you are around LA and need a place to overnight, we always use East Shore RV Park in San Dimas.  It isn't the cheapest place in the area but very nice and pretty easy to get to.  The big Pamona RV show is coming up and only a few blocks from there too.  If you do stay there and feel like splurging on a really nice site, ask for one of their "executive" sights overlooking the lake.  Very nice for being in LA basin.

Unless you wanted to head to San Diego, I10 would be the way you would want to head east.  If you're not going to visit LA, you can cut over from I5 across the 210 to I10 through Pasedena.  East Shore would be on your way using that route.  If you do go to San Diego, then you'd probably want to use I8 to head east at least to Yuma/Gila Bend.  In the Phoenix area (where our grandbabies live) we stay at Destiny RV Resort in Goodyear, Az.  Nothing spectacular but an easy stop with long pull throughs.

As you head east you might consider Kartchner Caverns State Park just south of 10 on the road to Tombstone.  As you head across Texas, we have found we like to overnight at the Fort Stockton RV Park http://www.travelingusa.com/business/fortstocktonkoa/index.html?from_cat=Places%20to%20Stay because the pull throughs are easy to access and they have their own home cooking cafe on site.

As you near San Antonio about 60 miles east is Buckhorn Lake Resort... very nice.  There is a park in downtown San Antonio we stayed at as well with easy public transit access.  If you plan to see New Orleans consider the French Quarter RV Resort.  Pricey but located within walking distance of the French Qtr with great security. 

From there you're probably more knowledgeable about the areas than I but we just made that big loop this past winter and are now in Minnesota about to head back to Arizona and then California in a few weeks.

Safe Travels...
Rick

 

[Marsha/CA]

Orick gave you some great advice.  I'd add one thing.  We have a 36' DP motorhome and are pulling a toad.  We've driven Highway 1, also known as Pacific Coast Highway from Carmel to Moro Bay.  It is SPECTACULAR.  We didn't have any trouble with the length of our rig.  The pull offs are on the west side of the road and if you are going to see this stretch of highway, it's best done from north to south which would be the way you are heading. 

We have done this part of PCH highway 1 several times, just check to make sure there is no fog.  You won't see anything when there is fog ;D .

Marsha~

 

[bigbit]

What Orick says.  The 101 is fine.  It's the PCH (Highway 1) that has long, windy, hilly stretches that could be difficult for a rig.

 

[Carl L]

Unless SF is on your bucket list for this trip the advice to take I5 around it is probably a good idea.  There's no easy way to get through my home town in a car and a big rig.... well

I beg to differ.  There is a way through SF that is doable -- 19th Avenue Street.  Cross the Golden Gate and grab the CA-1/19th/Golden Gate park offramp which is immediately after the tow plaza.  The route goes thru the MacArthur Tunnels and turns into a wide 4 lane city street that heads straight SW thru the city without hills.  Eventually it merges with I-280 at the south city limit.  I-280 runs thru some nice country and merges with 101 around San Jose.

I made that route with a 23 foot TT.  Do note that I said through SF -- there are no turnoffs or stops that you would want to take on the route.  Nor is there any alternate route you would want to take.  Trying to follow US 101 thru the city to the freeway would be a nightmare in an RV.

If SF is on your list of musts, I recommend stopping at the Petaluma KOA and taking the toad or a rental car into the city an hour south on 101.

 

[Tony_Alberta]

The pull offs are on the west side of the road and if you are going to see this stretch of highway, it's best done from north to south which would be the way you are heading. 

Now that's good to know.  And I can see in my mind exactly what you mean.  A lot easier getting off and back on the highway especially if traffic.  And I assume there's a lot of traffic on that road.  (Sometimes when I've driven our highways in the north or at night I might only see a vehicle every half hour.)

 

[34footer]

Unless you wanted to head to San Diego, I10 would be the way you would want to head east.  If you're not going to visit LA, you can cut over from I5 across the 210 to I10 through Pasadena.
Safe Travels...
Rick

I-5 to the 210 to the 57 south, then you can catch I-10. The 210 can take you I-15 south and then to the I-10 east also, if you don't want to stop in San Dimas.
J

 

[Lou Schneider]

CA1 north of San Francisco is breathtaking, but it's a trip to take in the toad.  For the most part it's not suitable for a motorhome, except for a couple of stretches around Fort Bragg and again around Bodega Bay to the south.  To visit these with the motorhome you'll have to go out from 101 and then back again.  Don't take the motorhome north of Fort Bragg or south of the Manchester KOA near Elk.  CA 1 is very tight and twisty in these areas - barely different than when it was first carved out along the cliffs in the 1930s and if you take the motorhome the trip won't be fun at all.

Fort Bragg and Mendocino are a nice visit if you have the time.  Both have been used in films - Fort Bragg's harbor was used in the 1960s film The Russians are Coming and Mendocino was the New England town in the TV show Murder She Wrote.  There's also the Russian settlement at Fort Ross, where the state has recreated the original fort.  The Mendocino-Fort Bragg area has a few RV parks and campgrounds, and the Manchester KOA is a good base to explore the area.  But make sure you go there via CA 20 from Willits or CA 128 from Cloverdale and don't take the motorhome north of Fort Bragg or further south than the KOA.

There's another nice area around Bodega Bay (Alfred Hitchcock's Birds) and the Pt. Reyes National Seashore, but again go out from 101 in Petaluma and back again from either Tomales to Novato or from Olema to San Rafael or Greenbrae (this last goes through city traffic for the last 8 miles or so). There's a nice county campground right on the bluffs overlooking the ocean in Bodega.  Avoiding taking the motorhome on CA 1 north of Bodega or along the stretch between Stinson Beach and where 1 rejoins 101 north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Petaluma KOA is a nice park but it's an hour north of San Francisco in good traffic, twice that during the morning and afternoon commutes.  You might consider Marin Park just off the freeway in Greenbrae.  It's just a gravel lot with hookups but has good management and it's a 15 minute walk to the Golden Gate ferry terminal.  The ferry takes you on a scenic crossing to the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street.  San Francisco has excellent public transit and from there you can take historic streetcars and cable cars to Fisherman's Wharf and most of SF's tourist spots. Marin Park can give you all the information when you check in.

CA 1 south of San Francisco MAY be drivable with your motorhome.  If you don't mind going along Devil's Slide (soon to be bypassed by a tunnel) when you head over the mountains south of Pacifica you'll probably be OK in the Big Sur area south of Monterey.  But allow plenty of time and don't be in a hurry.  If Devil's Slide makes you nervous, head back to 101 at Castroville/Monterey then take a day trips in the toad to Big Sur and/or Hearst Castle.

 

[DonTom]

I beg to differ.  There is a way through SF that is doable -- 19th Street.

You mean 19TH Ave. SF has both Aves and Streets with the same numbers and they are far from each other.

BTW, sometimes 19th Ave is too busy and in SF you take the Great Highway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Highway to / from  the GGB. It's never too busy, but the other ways are usually faster when it's not commute time (around 1500-1900 hrs on weekdays).

Both 101 as well as 19TH Ave get very busy and slow at commute time. That's when it's best to use the Great Highway to get to and from the GG Bridge.

-Don- South San Francisco, CA​

 

[Carl L]

Thanks for the correction, Don.  Insofar as rush hour, I do not recommend transiting any urban area during rush hour.  Before or after, not during. 

 

[ArdraF]

Lou,

Have they actually made a decision about the Devil's Slide bypass?  They've been fighting over it for at least 20-30 years and when we left the area 10 years ago they were still fighting.  I never heard about a decision being made.  They certainly need a bypass!  After the last time the road slid I refused to go on it again.  I don't think anyone should take an RV over Devil's Slide, much less someone who is a newbie!  The word Devil is in the name for a reason!  :

ArdraF

 

[wackymac]

Orick----- The last time I went thru Grant's Pass, it was on I5 not 101.  Been thru SF on 19th Ave. several times with the MH.  Sometimes a little tight but doable.  If you want 101 take 280 south of SF and it does hit 101 at San Jose.  If you want to do Highway 1 south of SF that will work also.  Devil's slide bypass is getting close to being finished.  Highway 1 will take you thru Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Then you have a choice of either catching 101 in Salinas or going to Monterey and taking Highway 1 south to Morro Bay and catching 101 there.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Ardra,

The Devil's Slide bypass was approved a couple of years ago - the approach bridges are finished and the tunnels are 80-90% complete.  Caltrans expects it to open in 2011.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/dslide/

One interesting point that hasn't received too much press, is the tunnels were intentionally designed just slightly too narrow to accommodate a second traffic lane in each direction.  So they'll have a single traffic lane and a bike path going each way.  That's the compromise that pacified the environmentalists and NIMBYs who were concerned that dual lane tunnels would result in a 4 lane freeway from Pacifica and open up the Half Moon Bay coast to development.

 

[Orick]

Orick----- The last time I went thru Grant's Pass, it was on I5 not 101.  Been thru SF on 19th Ave. several times with the MH.  Sometimes a little tight but doable.  If you want 101 take 280 south of SF and it does hit 101 at San Jose.  If you want to do Highway 1 south of SF that will work also.  Devil's slide bypass is getting close to being finished.  Highway 1 will take you thru Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz and Watsonville. Then you have a choice of either catching 101 in Salinas or going to Monterey and taking Highway 1 south to Morro Bay and catching 101 there.

Of course you're right about Grants Pass being on I5.  I guess I jumped around too much between the scenic route and the fact that they would be passing through southern Oregon.  It would be a trade off to be sure to miss the beauty of that coastal area to go inland to get the coach worked on. 

As for taking the Golden Gate Bridgen into The City and down 19th Avenue and across Devil's Slide... I certainly agree it's "doable".  But, I grew up there and now have 30,000 miles behind the wheel of our coach and I would "choose" to avoid it.

Rick

 

[Carl L]

As for taking the Golden Gate Bridgen into The City and down 19th Avenue and across Devil's Slide... I certainly agree it's "doable".  But, I grew up there and now have 30,000 miles behind the wheel of our coach and I would "choose" to avoid it.

The Devils Slide and 19th Ave are two different issues.  19th Ave. is offered only as a way thru SF, the only way thru.  I have pulled it with a trailer.  In fact, I used to commute between the Presidio and CCSF on it many, many moons ago.  It is an urban arterial surface street, not an interstate.  It is to be avoid in rush hours...as is any freeway in the Bay Area.  Or LA for that matter.

Devils Slide I would give a pass on.

 

[DonTom]

Lou,

Have they actually made a decision about the Devil's Slide bypass?

See:

http://cbs5.com/local/devils.slide.bridges.2.826647.html

-Don-

 

[Orick]

The Devils Slide and 19th Ave are two different issues.  19th Ave. is offered only as a way thru SF, the only way thru.  I have pulled it with a trailer.  In fact, I used to commute between the Presidio and CCSF on it many, many moons ago.  It is an urban arterial surface street, not an interstate.  It is to be avoid in rush hours...as is any freeway in the Bay Area.  Or LA for that matter.

Devils Slide I would give a pass on.

Gotcha Carl... those many moons ago when you were at CCSF, I was probably just down the street from you since I owned the gas station at Geneva & Mission. 

Rick

 

[gmsboss1]

I have driven through SF both north and south on US1/19th Ave with our 40fter plus Tahoe toad and just don't want to do it again.

Last Friday we needed to get from Gilroy to Santa Rosa and we were considering driving through SF again.  Fortunately, ;D, we were delayed leaving Gilroy until we would have been in the heart of the Friday afternoon exodus from SF, plus whatever additional traffic disruptions caused by the gas explosion/fires.

Our solution was US 101 to I-680N to I-780N to I-80E to CA 37W to US 101N to Santa Rosa. Other than couple of minor slow downs on CA 37 and where US 101N goes from 3 lanes to 2, it was an easy drive.

The reverse of this route should work as well.

We'll go back to SF with the toad and see the sights.

Have a great trip!

Don