From Oregon to Florida

[ScottGese]

My wife and I are planning to go to Florida next November or December. We want to avoid winter passes so are thinking about taking the coast Hwy. to Los Angeles area, Get on Hwy. 10 and take it all the way to Florida. Has anyone taken all or part of this route in Winter? I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks

 

[Rollin Ollen]

My wife and I are planning to go to Florida next November or December. We want to avoid winter passes so are thinking about taking the coast Hwy. to Los Angeles area, Get on Hwy. 10 and take it all the way to Florida. Has anyone taken all or part of this route in Winter? I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks

We lived on the West Coast of Canada for many years and have traveled that route numerous times. We have also stayed on I 5 from Portland to Redding and encountered SNOW around Grants Pass a couple of times so we now avoid it. Our latest trip began January of 2024. From Vancouver, we took I 5 to Tacoma then over to Westport and highway 101. You, of course, will be started further south. Highway 101 was in good condition all the way to Crescent City, California and beyond. From Crescent City we stayed along the coast to Fort Bragg. Depending on your rig, I would NOT recommend following our trail. Highway 1 from Leggat to Ft. Bragg is a terror!! Normally, we head inland to Redding and continue south on I 5 and then onto the 210 to Redlands where you pick up I 10. We did not encounter any road issues other than highway 1. Be aware, as you near the LA area there is a stretch of road called "The Grapevine". It is a considerable grade and it is said that there could be snow at the top. We have never seen any. There was ongoing road repairs to I 10 in Arizona especially in the Phoenix area. Perhaps they are complete now but, if not, signage was good and we did not encounter any serious delays. I don't remember any other issues. I think we may have hit some rough pavement in Louisiana but I'm not sure.

A side note: If you are not in too much of a hurry, I would strongly recommend following highway 1 and 101 along the coast starting from San Francisco. We love the journey. The views never get old. You pick up highway 101 at Ventura and it will take you to 210 and on to Redlands.

Safe travels.

Darrell

 

[Rich W.]

Really depends on the rig. The coast hwy through CA is a winding hilly slow road and even in 35’ coach some of the turns are a challenge. It is slow going and takes a lot longer and will take you out of your way if your goal is to hook up with “the 10” causing you to traverse a lot of LA. And if you got on it north of SF, it would take you right through the middle of that mess. It’s wonderful from Bodega Bay to Union Landing (nice private park at Westport on the beach) and up to Leggett, but not if you’re trying to get somewhere. Also that stretch from Leggett to Union Landing is a bit of a skills check - slow going and lots of tight turns and narrow with no shoulder.

My advice would be to save the Northern Ca coast hwy for a trip where that is the destination (it’s a wonderful area and I love going there) and use I-5 to get to 210 to 10 and then mosey on, unless of course you’ll be hitting the 210 any time during the day on a week day. Then it’s much better to take 5 to 58 at Bakersfield, to 247 to 62 and then hit Palm Springs on the 10.

You can also just take 58 to Barstow and head south on 15 to 210 but you can still hit a lot of traffic that way if your timing is off. 247 to 62 to 10 is all good road, pleasant, minimal traffic, and scenic (if you like desert). It also puts you in the Neighborhood of Joshua Tree which is a great place to stop if it works out with the travel plan.

You can experience some snow on both the Grapevine and 58 between Bakersfield and Barstow but it’s usually minimal and manageable. Unlike 80, 50, and the other Sierra passes. Watch for a weather window and head on out. Sounds like a wonderful trip!

Just read Darrell’s post which reminded me of the stretch of I-5 between Ashland and Yreka. That is definitely also snow country so plan for a weather window there too. The alternative is to get on 101 somewhere north of Medford and get into Ca that way, but getting back to 5 on 299 is no picnic either. 101 all the way down to to Bay Area is ok, but then you’re stuck traversing that mess. I’d just stick with 5 and work around the storms.

 

[Raydawg]

We travel each year to our kids home for the holidays in SoCal from Whidbey Island, Washington.
We have left as early as the 3rd week in November, and return in the first or second week in January....
It has taken as long as 3 plus days getting home because of the weather, but that was a freak year with snow all the way down to the coast from Northern California up to Whidbey Island.
I have found I-5 the best way to travel because they spend the most energy on keeping it open.
I travel when I have a window of better weather, and only travel in daylight, and I find the biggest threat is fog, not snow.