Minnesota to Washington State

[solitude]

Hello! We are planning an extended future trip from Minnesota to Washington State and then South thru Oregon and California - hoping to hit all national parks along the way. We have a 41 foot fifth wheel. I am planning the entire route using RV Trip Wizard- but am very nervous regarding roads thru mountainous areas and possibly tunnels. A friend suggested buying the Rand McNally Motor Carriers road atlas as an companion to the RV Trip Wizard app - to check routes for safety. Has anyone done this - or have a different suggestion? Thanks!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

We have the Motor Carrier’s Road Atlas and, while it does provide some useful information, we rarely use it. For the most part, we use a Garmin RV890 GPS unit that allows us to input the RV parameters (height, width, weight, etc.). It adjusts the route accordingly.

We have traveled extensively in the Mountain West in a 40’ motorhome towing a car and haven’t found many roads that worry us. Admittedly, we don’t get way off the beaten path on secondary roads very often, but can’t remember any times where we were particularly concerned. Well, the tunnel on the Oregon Coast (US 101) marked 11’6” height restriction did raise our eyebrows a bit, but it turned out that measurement was at the curved edge; the middle of the tunnel was 14’ plus.

Seriously, unless you plan to travel on the back roads, you shouldn’t have many issues. The Motor Carrier Road Atlas will show you the location of any restricted overhead clearances and overly steep grades. On interstate highways, any clearance less than 15’ must be marked prior to an exit where you can bypass it. Most states in the west use the same procedure and rarely will you encounter any overhear clearance less than 14’ on state highways.

As for “roads through the mountains,” we do have that! You don’t mention what tow vehicle you are using, but if it is properly matched to your 5th wheel, you should be fine. If it is marginal, you may want to stick to the interstate highways as much as possible…or, upgrade to more truck!

For the most part, you will be the deciding factor. Drive at reasonable speeds, use good judgement and don’t let other drivers push you past your comfort zone and you’ll do fine. There’s lots to see out here in the West, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore.

TJ

 

[J&JD]

We use a Garmin 770 and it has rarely steered us wrong. In 16 years of driving a 40’ mh and towing, with a fair share of it out west, I’ve never had a road I couldn’t manage to navigate. Certainly some have been a bit tense (especially for the DW copilot) but we have always managed to make it through.
A good example might be traveling south on 101 in Northern California. At Leggett you can finally turn west onto highway 1 towards the coast and then travel all the way to LA on 1 with a jog or two here and there (A 600+ mile adventure). Beautiful trip for sure but you will hit some very narrow, very curvy areas on 1 that might cause you to wonder why you were there. You could easily lose a mirror on a giant redwood tree dead on the edge of the road with a logging truck meeting you with virtually no room to spare. Or you might think you will fall off a cliff into the Pacific. No big deal (again, the DW copilot might beg to differ).

Like Tj said, just take your time, enjoy the wonders of the area……you will do just fine. It’s all good!

 

[Gronk]

Hello! We are planning an extended future trip from Minnesota to Washington State and then South thru Oregon and California - hoping to hit all national parks along the way. We have a 41 foot fifth wheel. I am planning the entire route using RV Trip Wizard- but am very nervous regarding roads thru mountainous areas and possibly tunnels. A friend suggested buying the Rand McNally Motor Carriers road atlas as an companion to the RV Trip Wizard app - to check routes for safety. Has anyone done this - or have a different suggestion? Thanks!

That's very similar to what my wife and I are planning! You probably won't run into many tunnels, but I suppose it is possible. Like the others have said, a good GPS (we have a Garmin 770RV) and the Motor Carrier Atlas will get us to where we want. We have a 38' fifth wheel and a Dodger 3500 dually. Planning on a Sept.8th departure date!