California - Montana Owners Club

Virginia Young · 04-23-2015, 01:24 PM

We are planning to travel the state of California, from South to North. We have never been there and are looking for suggestions on routes and what to see. I know we need to do Hwy 1 without the Big Sky, so I figure we will leave it at a campground and make that trip in the truck. Suggestions for campgrounds are also welcome. Time isn't an issue for us.

Thanks!

rohrmann · 04-23-2015, 01:49 PM

If you are just doing the coast, you will miss a lot. Doing Hwy 1 in the Big Sur area, and there are a few others, in your dually could be quite exciting, especially on the parts where two small cars passing is a challenge. The state is huge, and some parts are better visited at different times of the year, than others. I would go to a travel agency to get all the info you can. Go to http://www.visitcalifornia.com/ , lots of info there, too. If you have a library nearby, see if they have a collection of Sunset magazines, as there is a wealth of info on things to see and do, mostly in California. Have fun.

Virginia Young · 04-23-2015, 03:03 PM

Thanks for the info on Hwy 1. Guess we will leave the dually with the fiver and rent a car. We don't want to only do the coast, and I guess I should have said we want to do some of Hwy 1. Especially Big Sur. Maybe we will just do Northern California this year. We just retired and this is our first cross-country trip with the fifth-wheel. Don't really know where to start . . .

catskiner · 04-23-2015, 03:38 PM

Virginia Hi, I would say to stay on the outskirts of Ca. big cities and make day trips with the truck to see stuff of interest. Ca. freeways have gone from bad to worse sometimes being shut down for hours or even days. Towing can become a nightmare. Dont forget to travel Hwy.395 to see the oldest,highest,and lowest.

davidaf · 04-23-2015, 04:06 PM

From where in the South will you start? Are you just going north or heading back south as well? As Rohrmann said, it's a big state with everything. I've lived here all my life and there's no way I could recommend a one way trip either north or south. Just too much to miss. The center isn't the most exciting until you get way north. So It's either the 101 or 395. To do it right you'd really need to plan an ocean side trip and a mountain/desert side trip or a loop. I love the ocean and the Bay Area but I just wouldn't be happy if I had to skip the Sierras and desert.

BTW, i've driven the 1 with my Dually and Lance camper. It's not too bad if you are going North but I certainly wouldn't tow.

Virginia Young · 04-23-2015, 04:23 PM

Thanks everybody! This is our first long trip with the fiver and we are still trying to figure out how to do it. What we would like to do is find a good centrally located park, stay there for a week or more while we drive around an see the sights, then move on to another good centrally located park and repeat. If we really like an area, we may stay longer. If we get bored with an area before a week is up, we will move on. It's so nice to be retired and not under any time constraints. The bad thing is that I'm not really good at planning. I am more of a "go where the wind blows me" kind of person. I'm sure, once we get started, we will get it figured out.

rohrmann · 04-23-2015, 07:08 PM

If the throwing a dart at the map is your style, that works. Once you've landed somewhere, you can investigate your next landing, or just throw the dart again.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 04-24-2015, 04:22 AM

Virginia.

We did a lot of CA coastline from About Morro Bay, north.

We drove the 1 to Big Sur from Morro Bay and later to Big Sur from the north. We have a dually. It is doable, IF you are careful. You don't want to do it towing. Renting a car is also an option, but, we just took Jolly.

Good friend Mina, Mynabird, here on the forum told us, If you do the 101 you will be fine towing. She was right.

I have many many posts on Reflections (see the last line in my sig line here on the MOC for the link). Go visit, use the search box on the top left, type in California.

Here is a link to a post covering Big Sur to Morro Bay.

There are places we did not tow Tana, and for us, it was the right decision. Look at the top of Reflections, and you can study our routes via the maps posted. You are looking for THE Trip, THE Encore' :: The Maps, and Part 2, as well. I note if we did not tow in the descriptions.

Enjoy, it was fab!

hunts800 · 04-24-2015, 05:06 AM

Living in California, I have towed two fifth wheels and a travel trailer before that up and down Hwy 1, Hwy 101 and many interior roads in the mountains and through the valleys. In fact, the smaller highways are in much better shape than the freeways. There are some sections of Hwy 1 (e.g. Westport to Legget) where the switchbacks are too sharp, but you can easily move over to Hwy 101 which parallels Hwy 1, and is big rig friendly.

That said, if you plan your trips along the Coast or in the mountains, there are very few places where I would not feel comfortable taking my rig. Call the RV Parks where you want to go and ask them about the best routes or any concerns. There are a tremendous number of RV parks in California, many right on the ocean, and I am surprised by the number of replies telling you to rent a car. We have done Alaska, Canada, and much of the lower 48, and I have never been without the truck and trailer. I have, INFREQUENTLY, made day trips in the truck when the places we wanted to see we're not suitable for taking the trailer, but have had no problem seeing what we wanted to see in the truck.

hunts800 · 04-24-2015, 05:42 AM

One more thought.....Califirnia's RV parks are not too good for free wheeling, especially along the Coast. I would strongly recommend reservations.

davidaf · 04-24-2015, 07:33 AM

x2++ Some if not most of the beach parks in SoCal have the weekends booked solid for the next 6 months.

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by hunts800

One more thought.....Califirnia's RV parks are not too good for free wheeling, especially along the Coast. I would strongly recommend reservations.

SLO Life · 05-26-2015, 03:16 PM

We live here in Morro Bay and hwy 1 is constantly being worked on. Here is the current situation on Hwy 1. You can also get current road conditions here:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi

This highway information is the latest reported as of Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 18:04 .

SR 1
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.

[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA]
1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC FROM 1 MI NORTH OF THE RAGGED POINT INN
(SAN LUIS OBISPO CO) TO THE SAN LUIS OBISPO/MONTEREY CO LINE 24 HRS A DAY
THRU 0001 HRS ON 6/1/16 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC 5 MI NORTH OF LUCIA /AT BIG CREEK RD/ (MONTEREY CO)
24 HRS A DAY THRU 0001 HRS ON 6/1/16 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS FROM WESTERN DR
/IN SANTA CRUZ/ (SANTA CRUZ CO) TO THE SANTA CRUZ/SAN MATEO CO LINE
FROM 0600 HRS TO 1600 HRS MONDAY THRU THURSDAY & FROM 0600 HRS TO 1500 HRS
FRIDAY THRU 11/30/15 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION - MOTORISTS ARE SUBJECT TO DELAYS
OF UP TO 20 MINUTES

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS FROM 3.3 MI NORTH OF MARSHALL
TO 1.3 MI SOUTH OF TOMALES (MARIN CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK THRU 0001 HRS
ON 6/30/15 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION

[IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS FROM 2.8 MI NORTH OF
FORT BRAGG TO 2.5 MI NORTH OF WESTPORT (MENDOCINO CO) FROM 0800 HRS TO 1700 HRS
TUESDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU 5/29/15 - DUE TO MAINTENANCE

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC 8 MI NORTH OF FORT BRAGG /AT OCEAN MEADOWS CIR/
(MENDOCINO CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK THRU 0001 HRS ON 1/1/16 - DUE TO
CONSTRUCTION

washley1 · 05-26-2015, 06:17 PM

I agree with those that say 101 is fine for towing. But beware of hiways like 99, up the middle. It is extremely bad! Too rough on the trailer. We recommend the KOA in Petaluma if you want to see San Francisco.Also, speed limits for pulling trailers are fairly strict, as I recall 60 being max...but it might have been slower! My brain is fried...

Charli · 05-27-2015, 04:23 AM

We are planning taking the 101 down from Washington, Oregon to Southern Calif so this is some good info. We too plan on finding a central campground do some exploring and then move on to another area. It's a snowbird trip so will start our travels in Nov so hope campgrounds will be less congested to allow for spontaneity. Want to go as far south as San Diego so it sounds like we're ok to take 101 along the coast from the Cdn border to San Fran and then continue slightly inland on 101 with day trips to the coast in the truck. We would hope to cover some of the interior on our way back North in March.
We are busy doing research online and getting travel guides at book stores so we can hit the high points. Sounds like California roads are the worst so we will feel right at home

c214dick · 05-27-2015, 05:37 AM

When planning your stops make sure water is available in the central region. We just visited our son, who lives about an hour from Modesto, and the state parks are experiencing a shortage to the point of closing. We did not bring our fifth wheel but checked out the area near him for future reference. Maybe the private campgrounds have better resources. Good luck

J-KB · 05-27-2015, 07:31 AM

Stay off the I5 it's a nightmare, we just got back from CA and the 5 is the worst road I have driven in my life, especially north of Bakerfield

dandt · 05-27-2015, 09:42 AM

MAN...do I agree with condition of I-5....Glad that I tied all the cabinets closed and strapped down TV's......the road between Bakersfield and Sacramento was BAD.......but what options do you have. 99 is bad too and 101 has too many towns with traffic....just drive slow and strap it down.....

J-KB · 05-27-2015, 03:36 PM

Also beware of the 199 from Crescent City to Grants Pass, very windy with lots of switch backs and they made the roads around the redwoods, meaning they are right next to the road.

washley1 · 05-27-2015, 06:18 PM

As I have said somewhere before, I left California in 1971, and when I returned in 2012 I thought no one had done any road maintenance in all the years between...

paulinbaja · 06-02-2015, 06:12 AM

I have also lived in California all my life. I, like you do less planning and more "shoot from the hip". I think your idea of finding a central location for a few days at a time,visiting the areas then moving to another central location is GREAT. You should select the sites and areas you want to visit--the must see sites-- get to the first. Then talk with the other travelers in the campgrounds and plan the next destination as you go. Remember the coast is spectacular but the interior is the same. Lassen Nat. Park is lovely, Yosemite is amazing, the High Sierras should not be missed and neither should the deserts of SO. Cal. The deserts are HOT in the summer, you may choose to see them in late fall. ENJOY

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