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Road trip: Seattle to Vegas

BluePonyGT

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My wife and I are planning on driving to Las Vegas from Seattle the week of the 18th of Feb (Presidents Day), staying 3 nights then driving back.

I know. It's winter.

My plan involves driving south to Bakersfield, CA, to avoid the passes up here, then head east.

The question is - how much hwy 101 do we see?

Here's my current plan:

We leave on the 16th early in the morning (saturday):

  • Day 1 drive south to Crescent City, CA (a bit over 8 hours of driving). Take I-5 south to Grants Pass then take 199 over to 101 and stay the night in Crescent City, CA.
  • Day 2 drive to Bakersfield, CA using mostly the 101 then jump over (longest leg - over 9 hours)
  • Day 3 Drive to Vegas (4+ hours) using hwy 58 to I-15 - get there on the 18th in the afternoon (Monday)
Stay 3 nights, then head back on the 21st.

Going back I'm thinking we head back to Bakersfield, then take I-5 north all the way. The highest elevation I can find is Mt. Shasta. That's most likely the place we'd see weather.

  • Day 1 head back to Bakersfield, CA. same way we took earlier
  • Day 2 Drive either to Redding, CA or Medford, OR and stay the night.
  • Day 3 get to seattle in 6-7 hours on the evening of the 23rd.

Any thoughts? Advice? Yes, we're going, and no we're not waiting until spring/summer.
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pjk

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I did this drive in March several years ago. I know we went by Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe during the drive.

Last winter (jan) I took the 2015 Mustang from Seattle to St. Louis via I-90 through Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, etc. We hit some significant snow (~4-6" at times off the interstate) but nothing unpassable. We even made it to Mount Rushmore on snow covered roads. I had just put new Michelin AS/3 on and the car was heavily weight with junk I was moving. I did buy some "snow socks" as I couldn't find any chains that would fit but I didn't use them.

Sounds like a fun trip. Take your time and enjoy. Also, just park the car and walk or take the tram in Vegas. Traffic and parking is a pain.
 
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BluePonyGT

BluePonyGT

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Cool. I'm avoiding I-90, the passes, and even though lake tahoe would be great we'll be skipping it. Better to do that when the weather is good.

I want to play it safe so we have fun, so that means taking the 101 and avoiding elevations. Hence Bakersfield.
 

c_reber

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Moving from Seattle area to Vegas, I have made the drive about 6 times. I have used 4 different routes. Certainly some nice views here and there. (never used 101, but I can almost guarantee traffic will be bad near the bay area).

I guess my question to you would be why not book a flight? ;)
 

jimmerheck

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I drove this route last March. Actually, it was from New Mexico through Vegas to Vancouver WA. Ran into a little bit of snow on the roads in some areas between Reno and Klamath Falls at the higher elevations, be careful. Nice drive, Went from Vegas to Reno and spent the night, then from Reno home through K Falls.
 

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Interceptor

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Seattle to Redding
Redding to Bakersfield
Bakersfield to Vagas
 

NoVaGT

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Just enjoy it. It's truly the drive, enjoying where you're at, and who you're with. Enjoy every minute of it.

I'm sure you'll see that they're called GTs for a reason. Truly epic Grand Touring cars.
 

cop on my back

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I agree, stay away from I90, I82 and I84. I did that last year in March in my Honda Ridgeline and it was bad for snow. Just watch the weather forecast closely before you go. I did a trip from Victoria BC, to LA, Phoenix, Vegas and back home all in 8 days in the Mustang, it was awesome. That was in the Spring.
 

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Vicr

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Watch out for black ice in the Willamette Valley. Also, the pass from Sunny Valley to Grants Pass can be really bad as well. I've driven from Snohomish to Grants pass 20+ times during the holidays taking the family to the in-laws in Grants Pass but always in my 4x4 Titan rice burner.
 

Vicr

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Rjames18

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It's weird seeing everyone say watch out for black ice and snow.. Texas is a great country lmao
 

pjk

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It's weird seeing everyone say watch out for black ice and snow.. Texas is a great country lmao
Had the whole family in a Suburban headed back to Austin after Christmas going south on I-35 and almost bought it on black ice. I saw a guy on the side of the road that looked like he was bowing and didn't realize he was telling me to slow down due to black ice. I needed a new pair of shorts after that.

It's rare but can happen in TX. That said, I'll take Austin weather over Seattle (and most everything else Austin over Seattle).
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