Heading West

[randye]

Hi All We are leaving Casa Grande Az. March the 31st, we would like to know how hwy 93 towards Kingman Az,Is for travel. We will stay in Kingman. Then should we take 93 up to Las Vegas, how is it to travel through the Hoover Dam with a fifth wheel? The other options looks like 68 to Laughlin then 163 to 95 up passed Boulder City, Henderson and N. Las Vegas. Hwy 15 to St George and into Leeds Ut. We stay there for a while Until the Snow Melts at the N. Rim Az. If you can shed any light about those roads, it may make it much easier, Thanks.

[stimpy123]

Last time we traveled across the Dam, was early Jan 10 to go to Texas for the rally. There are checkpoints both sides of the dam that stop everyone that would be going across the Dam. Usually all the officer will do is ask to look inside the basement doors and inside your rig and let you go. Just a precaution after 9/11. Once you are across the Dam, you have clear sailing into Las Vegas. Depending upon the time of day and whether or not it is a weekend, there very likely will be taffic delays, so plan for it. You will want to have a camera ready, and stop on the way down the hill from the Ariz side. There is a new bridge being built across the Colorado river, downriver from the Dam. Here is a link to show what is being done with great photos. http://www.hooverdambypass.org/Whats_New.htm
Have not had much in the way of delay during the week, unless a holiday week. We have stayed in St. George, but the RV park where we stayed is no longer. Happy trails.

[8.1al]

The last time we crossed the dam heading towards Vegas we had a 3 hr wait. If you don't have to or want to go through Kingman and Vegas I can recommend a better route. If you want Veagas and not Kingman, I have a better route for that too.

[randye]

Charlie Thanks, we would be interested in your advice. We see another route that should take us just around Hoover Dam. We already have a reservation at a park in Kingman Az. so that being said we will stay there one night, looks like we are heading into a little weather distrubance.

[8.1al]

If you are set on staying in Kingman then you have 2 choices, you can go over the dam or just North of Kingman you can head west through Laughlin to Hwy 95 then up to Boulder City. The only thing I don't like about this is you'll have 2 long steep grades

[randye]

Good Morning Charlie We have decided to stay in Kingman, we have not been on steep hills yet. It may be interesting is seeing how the 07 dodge pulls on long steep hills. For future referance, in case that we have no other choice. Thanks for the advice, we leave Wensday. I see that their is a small storm coming in around Wensday and Thursday rain and snow in the Mountains. Will be setting up in the rain again, oh well I don't melt.

[PapaBeav]

We crossed the dam last May heading south. There is a pull out area on the right where they do the inspections and we were only there for about 10 minutes. They did come in the rig and ask a few questions but didn't go through anything inside. They took a peek inside the outside compartments and that was it. They were very professional and very nice.

[lasater]

I live in near Bullhead City. I have traveled Hwy 93 many, many times. It is a good road and you will make good time. Too bad you don't have time to stop at the Burro Creek Campground between Wickenburn and Wikiup.

When you leave Kingman, I recommend you take I-40 on past Needles to the US 95 junction. That way you will miss one of the long grades (the one between Laughlin and US 95). You do go through Searchlight this way but that is an easy climb. Just make sure you drop all the way to 25 MPH there.

[randye]

Thanks Lasater that is the info we needed, about the down grades are what I worry about. The up grades the Dodge can handle. A couple of years ago when we first came out to this area from Oregon. We found our self after a visit to Bryce Canyon, coming down Cedar breaks and it was a 16% down grade. Almost couldn't stop the Trailer hot brakes, I got it stopped and put the Trans in 1st and pumped up the brake control as high I dared and it was fine after that. So now that I have this Info I can do the same and not have the problem. Thanks again. You have helped more than you can know. randye

[stimpy123]

We just crossed the Dam yesterday. There were several elecrtonic signs Northbound stating "Expect Delays, Spring Break". We didn't have much of a wait at the inspections station. There was some construction with the road crews building the 4 lane to the approach to the new bridge. The travel was somewhat slow across the dam because of the people walking through traffic in the crosswalks. The wait time for the travelers going South across the Dam, was awful. People were bumper to bumper almost to Boulder City, or about 4 miles. Take your pick. Happy travels

[randye]

Hi Thanks everyone for you input. We left Casa Grande on Tuesday the 30th. Heading for Kingman Az, saw on the weather on line that a storm was coming in that evening and snow was to hit as low as 3600 ft. Kingman is 3585 ft. We decided to see if we could get over the passes just in case the storm was bigger than they even knew. We left at 8:45 a.m. and at 6 p.m. we reached Mesquite Nv. The two Casino's had RV parks we stopped and I use the house phone and called both were full. Next to the Casino was a large lot and a liquer store I went in and the clerk said sure you can stay here free. There was about 10 rigs already in the lot. Fifth wheels, pull trailers and motorhomes. I fired up the genie as the only thing we really needed electricity for was the bed it is a sleep number and we had emptied it on thier recommendation so the elevation would not add to its size. Once we got it up to the number we sleep at I shut it down and we only put out the bedroom slide, left it hooked to the tv and hit the sack at 8:30 p.m up at 6 a.m. and on the road by 7 a.m. make it to Leeds by 8 a.m. The site we had reserved was ready, got there set up just enough to put out the slides and then went into Hurricane Ut. to get breakfast. The route we took was Hwy 93 to hwy 68 to hwy 163 and then to hwy 95 then to the 515 and then I-15. We didn't find the grades tough at all, small on compared to ours at home in Oregon. The down grades we only 6% with the exhuast brakes it was a piece of cake. I did pull slow as 45 mile an hour up one of the grades most of the time 55 mph. all in all not a bad trip. We are here until the snow melts enough up at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon so we can start are work season until the middle of Oct 2010.