Travel route from San Francisco to Mt.Shasta

[Krista]

Hi....we will be travelling from San. Francisco to Mount Shasta, N. California and will do this part of our trip in 1 day. In our 1973, 1300 Trillium, we prefer to stay off the I-5, at least until we have more driving experience (or perhaps pick it up further outside the city limits). Does anyone have an alternate route suggestion for this part of our trip? Thanks, Krista

[Doug in Sacramento]

There's really no easy practical route. You could take 101 north to Ukiah and then 20 east to Williams, but that's a long, winding alternative. There's a route through the wine country (Napa, Calistoga) that intersects 20, but that is also long and winding. The easiest route is 80 east to 505 north to 5 north. Nothing to fear about I-5.

[Donna D.]

I drove from Portland to the NorCAL rally last year... 99% on I-5. I thought it was pretty easy, especially since the highest speed on I-5 in California when towing a trailer is 55 mph. I will be doing it again this coming September.

[DavidG]

Originally Posted by Doug in Sacramento

There's really no easy practical route. You could take 101 north to Ukiah and then 20 east to Williams, but that's a long, winding alternative. There's a route through the wine country (Napa, Calistoga) that intersects 20, but that is also long and winding. The easiest route is 80 east to 505 north to 5 north. Nothing to fear about I-5.

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Doug is right, I-5 has fast traffic but it is wide and traffic spreads out because few towns above Sacramento. But it has beautiful scenery and nice rest stops. If your tires are good ( did you check the date of manufacture on the back ? ) and bearing have been repacked , you should be fine.
BTW, you are heading for Lake Shasta, which is almost full now. But the 'town' of Shasta , or Shasta City, is 5-6 mi west of Reading on 299. It is a row of standing brick walls, store / cafe, and courthouse / museum that is very interesting. When the RR went through in the 1870s it was placed 6 mi east, so Shasta was abandoned and the people moved to the new 'Reading', taking a lot of the buildings with them. It is right by Whiskeytown Reservoir which is also very nice. David in Fresno and Sonora

[Doug in Sacramento]

If you can spare more time, you could see some of the best of California by taking 101 north to Arcata and then 299 east to Redding and I-5. You would see the redwoods (Avenue of the Giants), Ferndale (stay overnight in Fortuna), and Weaverville.

[Randy B.]

Take I5 just stay in the right hand lane (make sure your tires are good) a-side from that just don't push the TV on grades and you will be fine (don't ride the brakes on down hill slopes). Its the fastest most practical way and the best part is if you do have some mechanical problems your on a major road and not some back road with no cell service. Lots to see just take it slow no one say you have to drive 65 or 70 go 50/55 since its the legal limit towing. Make good use of the rest areas to take a break relax then move on don't stress.. Mt. Shasta is frigging fantastic area, enjoy the trip.
Take 80 out of SF to Vacaville then North 505 to I5 lets you skip Sac and Davis. Be sure to stop in Corning at the Olive Pit for some snacking and Olives (Note: Beer Olives are great in Martinis) The trip is about 4-5 hours your good.

[Krista]

Thanks! We heading south down the Washington and Oregon Coast from victoria, via Port Angeles, to San Fran....then heading back up through central oregon via Mt.Shasta, to Columbia River Gorge before back to port Angeles. 2-1/2 weeks. Ironic that you mention Corning....because I was literally looking at google earth following the I-5 and saw all these cool Olive Groves and just happened to tag Corning as a place to stop! Good to know that is comes recommended. Cheers, Krista

[Randy B.]

Originally Posted by Krista

Thanks! We heading south down the Washington and Oregon Coast from victoria, via Port Angeles, to San Fran....then heading back up through central oregon via Mt.Shasta, to Columbia River Gorge before back to port Angeles. 2-1/2 weeks. Ironic that you mention Corning....because I was literally looking at google earth following the I-5 and saw all these cool Olive Groves and just happened to tag Corning as a place to stop! Good to know that is comes recommended. Cheers, Krista

Your gonna enjoy that trip, the coastal route is fantastic along the WA & OR coast. Just FYI there are allot of areas where there is no cell service along the WA & OR Coast, There a bit of construction also happening on 101 from the storms we had. I would suggest you look for some apps such as TripCheck Mobile (Oregon App) that will make you aware for road closures and construction. there are also campground apps and apps such as Gas Buddy it can map and give the most current pricing. (Free apps) Also since your coming out of Canada you may want to check you cell phone company and going international for a short period or get a burner phone from Walmart in the U.S.

[Gilda]

We are natives of S.F. and now live north of The City. The drive on HW 5 is fine. We discovered a hidden gem of a state campground in Corning called Woodson Bridge. You will see tons of signs advertising the "Olive Pit" store and restaurant along the HW. IMHO the store is not worth visiting, even though they have every flavor of olives known to man, and there are few, if any places, to recommend for food. The campground is small, near a waterway where you can see migrating birds. Across the street there is a relatively short nature walk. Nearby is an RV park, but we prefer this campground.

[Elizabeth EWA]

Originally Posted by Krista

Thanks! We heading south down the Washington and Oregon Coast from victoria, via Port Angeles, to San Fran....then heading back up through central oregon via Mt.Shasta, to Columbia River Gorge before back to port Angeles. 2-1/2 weeks. Ironic that you mention Corning....because I was literally looking at google earth following the I-5 and saw all these cool Olive Groves and just happened to tag Corning as a place to stop! Good to know that is comes recommended. Cheers, Krista

Sounds like a fun trip. By the time you get to I-5, you shouldn't have a problem. Traffic is usually not too bad from the I-505 junction north. What I would worry about is driving anywhere in the San Francisco Bay area and especially San Francisco. Your best bet might be to find a nice campground / RV park north or east of SF and take day trips to see the city.

If you are going through central Oregon, you need to stop at Crater Lake. You don't have to camp in the park. There are several nice campgrounds in the area.

[DavidG]

Originally Posted by Gilda

We are natives of S.F. and now live north of The City. The drive on HW 5 is fine. We discovered a hidden gem of a state campground in Corning called Woodson Bridge. You will see tons of signs advertising the "Olive Pit" store and restaurant along the HW. IMHO the store is not worth visiting, even though they have every flavor of olives known to man, and there are few, if any places, to recommend for food. The campground is small, near a waterway where you can see migrating birds. Across the street there is a relatively short nature walk. Nearby is an RV park, but we prefer this campground.

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Woodson Bridge RV park just hosted a Vintage Trailer Rally. The Sacramento River Delta is a nice place for camping, birding, fishing , and pirate and Crawdad Music Festivals. I haven't seen the state campground, but will check it out next time.
And speaking of Vintage Trailers, tomorrow Julie and I are taking our Scamp to a rally put on by Vintage Camper Trailer Magazine at Gibson Ranch County Park just north of Sacramento. No, we are not turning to the Dark Side ( Tin Side ? ) , but we enjoy vintage trailers, cars and trucks in a camping setting. David ( Scamp 13' ) from Fresno and Sonora

[Krista]

Thanks everyone....lots of great suggestions and feeling a little better about navigating out of SF. On the way down we will definitly hit the Redwoods and do the coastal highway the whole way (kids = beach). In San Fran we are staying in a concrete jungle, but conveniently located, RV park North of the city as per one suggestion and will commute via ferry into the city. But this trip won't be complete without a drive across the bridge and some b-day cake on the other side for one of our kids.....also finding our way to a few hidden city gems while leaving the trailer parked. I wish we had more time in N.Cali, but will have to save something for the next trip. We are staying in Crater lake for a few nights before heading onto Bend and the Columbia River Gorge. Fingers crossed there won't be any forest fires this year.

[slowpat]

I second the Olive Pit stop. If you don't find anything to buy, they do have nice washrooms. I have brought back "orders" of olives for friends up here.

The road between Arcata and I-5 is noted for having some very sharp curves all along it. It is scenic and we rejoiced when the Burger King opened in Weaverville. That was a just right location for a pit stop on the way to Redding.

In Oregon, just south of Chiloquin is a nice state park with a logging museum--Colliers SP. On Father's Day Weekend, I think they have a steam up and run the old equipment so that campground might be filled. I accidently hit it on that weekend and only a couple of spaces were available to camp in. In case of emergency, there is a casino up the highway that you can pull into and casino camp.

South of Bend is LaPine State Park and it is a woodsy campground, and would probably have spots to camp in. It is near the Deschutes River and has the largest diameter Ponderosa Pine in Oregon. I was disappointed in that tree, being a forestry nerd, I determined that it was the largest pine because it was a cull and not worth cutting down for lumber when its cohorts were cut.

Oh, I do agree that I-5 is easy to drive on through that stretch. Willows used to have the cheapest gas in that area. I'm not sure about now.

[Jack L]

In Corning, the Olive Pit has good RV parking. In addition to olives, they have a very large selection of pickled peppers, hot sauce, almonds and olive oil. On the East side of town was a great breakfast stop. Hometown Café, 1081 Solano St. Corning is a small place so the other side of town is not far.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by slowpat

I second the Olive Pit stop. If you don't find anything to buy, they do have nice washrooms. I have brought back "orders" of olives for friends up here.

The road between Arcata and I-5 is noted for having some very sharp curves all along it. It is scenic and we rejoiced when the Burger King opened in Weaverville. That was a just right location for a pit stop on the way to Redding.

In Oregon, just south of Chiloquin is a nice state park with a logging museum--Colliers SP. On Father's Day Weekend, I think they have a steam up and run the old equipment so that campground might be filled. I accidently hit it on that weekend and only a couple of spaces were available to camp in. In case of emergency, there is a casino up the highway that you can pull into and casino camp.

South of Bend is LaPine State Park and it is a woodsy campground, and would probably have spots to camp in. It is near the Deschutes River and has the largest diameter Ponderosa Pine in Oregon. I was disappointed in that tree, being a forestry nerd, I determined that it was the largest pine because it was a cull and not worth cutting down for lumber when its cohorts were cut.

Oh, I do agree that I-5 is easy to drive on through that stretch. Willows used to have the cheapest gas in that area. I'm not sure about now.

Driving US97 is a nice break but a bit out of your way.

[EllPea in CA]

They also have RV parking, great food, a sports bar, a buffet, a deli, gifts... a great stop.

We travel frequently between Redding and the Bay Area, since we have grandkids down there. I have to say, I've been sick of the I-5 trip for years. But you can very easily segue over to the old highway and frontage roads. These take you through the little country towns, but the drive is so much more pleasant and less stressful.

On I-5 we often get stuck behind what DH calls a "left-lane bandit." We all know who this is. If you find yourself caught in a long line of traffic and can't pass in either lane, one of these guys is up front holding everyone back. No such frustration on the frontage road. Less traffic, and sometimes you're actually moving faster, depending on the time of day.

It's perfect for towing. Safer and way less stressful. You other I-5 aficionados consider it next time you're coming through!

[Elizabeth EWA]

Originally Posted by Krista

Thanks everyone....lots of great suggestions and feeling a little better about navigating out of SF. On the way down we will definitly hit the Redwoods and do the coastal highway the whole way (kids = beach). In San Fran we are staying in a concrete jungle, but conveniently located, RV park North of the city as per one suggestion and will commute via ferry into the city. But this trip won't be complete without a drive across the bridge and some b-day cake on the other side for one of our kids.....also finding our way to a few hidden city gems while leaving the trailer parked. I wish we had more time in N.Cali, but will have to save something for the next trip. We are staying in Crater lake for a few nights before heading onto Bend and the Columbia River Gorge. Fingers crossed there won't be any forest fires this year.

There is a nice scenic loop in the area southwest of Bend. I think it's called cascade lakes loop or something like that. Lots of small / medium lakes with campgrounds. The only thing is that depending on what time of year, you might get inundated with mosquitos.

[Gilda]

I live in Marin County, where you will park your RV. Do check the tide tables as the RV parks near HW 101 do flood when there is a super high tide. Best to know before you come. Yes, the RV parks are "concrete jungles" but Marin County is among the most beautiful in the Bay Area. We are blessed with terrific natural beauty. If you PM (private message) me I'll be glad to give you travel tips for SF (I am an SF native and volunteer tour guide with San Francisco Walking Tours | City Guides) including how to avoid Muir Woods madness altogether and see other magnificent redwoods.

[Byron Kinnaman]

US 101 is a good bet. It can be slow in places but it's very pretty and in Oregon all the beaches are public. There's some real gems of campgrounds just a few miles inland from 101 that are a whole lot cheaper than the RV Resorts on the beach. In the summer the coast gets pretty crowded.
On into CA there's the Red Woods worth a visit.
Highway 1 in CA is twisty but pretty. Can be pretty slow in places, bring your patience. If you're really up to some adventure you stay on CA 1 and cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco