From Chilliwack to Southern California

[Scuba55]

Thanks to everyone for the information. This should help a lot!

[currinh]

Might I suggest another route?

If I were travelling from Chilliwack to Southern California I'd be tempted to use Hwy 97. Over to Osoyoos and then south. This avoids the mess in Seattle and Portland. If one stays on Hwy 97 it meets I5 at Weed CA. This may not be best in winter, 97 can be deadly if there's a storm.

From 97 at Klamath Falls you can cut east to Hwy 395 at Alturas. Then follow 395 all the way south. This trades Sacramento traffic for Reno/Carson. But 395 between Minden and Bishop can be worse than 97 with bad weather.

Or, from Reno you could go east again to Hwy 95. Straighter roads than 395 but likely puts you through Las Vegas. So a trade off between Reno/Carson and Vegas for Sacramento. Hwy 95 can also be difficult in bad weather, snow and/or wind, but likely better than 395.

Or really take a scenic route. From Chilliwack get over to Hwy 101. This will likely take a few ferries to avoid Seattle though. Then there are no major cities or traffic till you hit San Francisco. Not much chance of snow on this route but it would be very slow. I don't know what the traffic is like south of San Francisco as we try to avoid Southern California. (Southern California here defined as the portion south of Redding).

All that said, I'd probably just take I5 in the winter and one of the first three choices the other three seasons.

Hope this is of use to someone. Thanks.

[Oregonian]

What Hugh said. The 97 is a great drive in decent weather, but not so much in a storm. The 97 comes right through Bend, where we live and then South to Hugh's neck of the woods.

[Scuba55]

I wish it were summer, but since its not, I will stay on I5 unless a snow storm hits. If that happens, I will try and work my way over to 101 down to the SF Bay Area, then cross over to 99 south. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.

[Bruce Wray]

I think I5 is your best bet. I'd recommend using 405 to get around Seattle, and 205 to bypass downtown Portland.

You're better off on I5 south from the Bay Area. 99 has LOTS of construction going, generally more fog, and long stretches of crappy pavement. Just avoid holiday periods and keep a weather eye on the Grapevine as you get near. If it snows the CHP will close it in a heartbeat. If you have to wait out some weather, there's a crazy posh RV park in Bakersfield: Bakersfield RV Resort - Bakersfield, CA - RV Park Reviews

Bruce

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Scuba55

I wish it were summer, but since its not, I will stay on I5 unless a snow storm hits. If that happens, I will try and work my way over to 101 down to the SF Bay Area, then cross over to 99 south. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.

Just be aware that the East/West crossing to Oregon coast south of Portland can be hairy in winter. Still remember James Kim's tragic end out there in Dec. '07.

Agree should avoid 99, then take 58 across Tehachipi- no need to go to LA to catch I-15.

[Donna D.]

James Kim died because the family relied on GPS instead of common sense. And it was a tragedy!

[Sandra L]

Originally Posted by Bruce Wray

I think I5 is your best bet. I'd recommend using 405 to get around Seattle, and 205 to bypass downtown Portland.

You're better off on I5 south from the Bay Area. 99 has LOTS of construction going, generally more fog, and long stretches of crappy pavement. Just avoid holiday periods and keep a weather eye on the Grapevine as you get near. If it snows the CHP will close it in a heartbeat. If you have to wait out some weather, there's a crazy posh RV park in Bakersfield: Bakersfield RV Resort - Bakersfield, CA - RV Park Reviews

Bruce

Good advice. Another alternative is to go from I-5 down and over to 99 south of Sacramento as there are many amenities and the stop lights have been eliminated, and then take 58 over to I-15 as Rossue suggested.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

James Kim died because the family relied on GPS instead of common sense.

James Kim died because he made an incredible string of very bad decisions... and there was no GPS involved at all.

I agree that common sense is required in any decision, regardless of the tools or technology used. At the very least, anyone driving in unfamiliar areas should take away the lesson that road signs exist to be read.

[Scuba55]

I wasn't aware of the James Kim incident. Was he returning from Chilliwack with a new Escape? I am starting to second guess my decision to pick up my Escape at this time of year??

[Sandra L]

Originally Posted by Scuba55

I wasn't aware of the James Kim incident. Was he returning from Chilliwack with a new Escape? I am starting to second guess my decision to pick up my Escape at this time of year??

You can Google his name and learn about the tragedy. He was not on a major highway. Personally, I don't like driving in snow or ice, so I arranged to pick my Escape later in the year. However, as I-5 is a major thoroughfare, efforts are made to keep traffic moving. If you check the websites prior to travel, and if you are not in a time crunch and can wait out bad weather, you should be OK.
These sites may be of help as well as ODOT.

Washington State Traveler Information

Caltrans :: Road, Traffic and Travel

[jamman]

We picked up ours January 8, 2014. Just watch the weather and dash over the high bits when it is nicer (aka less nasty.) We camped right at the coast to avoid freezing temperatures and camped inland along the way when the forecasts were better.

We used I5 and moved over to CA1 at San Francisco. But you could also spend time along the Washington and Oregon coasts. Avoid rush hour for the major cities. (Duh) I would go down California (I5, CA1 or CA99) to Bakersfield and cut over on CA58 to Barstow.

[Scuba55]

I just read the link to the James Kim story. I agree, many poor decisions were made.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Scuba55

I wasn't aware of the James Kim incident. Was he returning from Chilliwack with a new Escape? I am starting to second guess my decision to pick up my Escape at this time of year??

Just another sad story of how people who make bad decisions get in trouble - in this case, on winter roads (no where near Chillwack, and without a trailer). There are variations of this story with other people in deserts, in mountains, in summer, on roads, off-road...

Winter roads do offer an increased risk of collision due to slippery surfaces and poor visibility. Neither of these were a factor in the James Kim saga, but they are worth considering for Escape owners. On the other hand, I've driven through the Alberta Rockies and across B.C. a number of times in the winter, and I have seen only one non-commercial trailer (a small U-Haul cargo trailer) fallen off the road.

[dfandrews]

Mike,
Just a recap of some of the info sources available.
Donna mentioned tripcheck.com (Oregon's road and weather conditions site, (and the webcams, also)
Sandra (post #71) mentioned WA and CA similar sites. Also, there are links from each site to the adjacent states.

Most of the weather info sites get their information from NOAA, so why not go to the source. Here it is: (I picked Ashland, but you can type in different towns in the upper left, or window out and around on their map, then click on a location)
National Weather Service

I just noticed that CalTrans has a high wind warning on I5 south of Siskiyou summit: (Dec. 9 - 0930 hrs) A HIGH WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM WEED TO YREKA (SISKIYOU CO)
- TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CAMPERS, TRAILERS OR PERMIT LOADS.

So, watch (and dodge) the weather and road conditions, and have a great adventure.

[Brian B-P]

In Canada, the current standard is to use 5-1-1: dial 511 on a phone and get information, or search the name of the province or territory and "511" to find the road information website (e.g. Alberta road conditions, road reports and traffic cams | 511 Alberta) Unfortunately, British Columbia is one of only two provinces that haven't adopted this standard yet - their site is DriveBC. They all have toll-free numbers to call for information when outside of the province.

This started in the U.S. and is currently used in some states, too.

[currinh]

Don't be too worried about repeating the Kim tragedy. The road they were on, Bear Camp, goes from Galice to Gold Beach. It is unusual in being single to 1 1/2 lane "paved" road, very curvy. There are warning signs at both ends. I would not take a trailer over it even in summer (but fun in a sports car). I think winter warnings have been added to all the maps after this disaster.

At the first news of the Kim's being missing on the way to Gold Beach my wife figured they were on Bear Camp. It just fit, and she was right.

For winter travel be sure to take warm cloths, a sleeping bag, fire starter material, some food & water, and a cell phone (some times useful).

I5 is likely fine in winter. Just allow 3-5 days extra in case you hit a storm. I'd suggest, if you hit snow, to sit it out rather than going over to the coast. The roads to the coast will likely be worse than any part of I5. Also, it is unlikely to have freezing temperatures along I5 (except top of passes). Camping should be good.

Exciting times, what three weeks out? Have a great trip.

[Scuba55]

Hugh, I would tend to agree with your suggestion about staying on I5, and waiting out the weather as needed. And, thanks to all that have contributed to this and provided websites, I've booked marked them all. Although I have some hesitation, I'm likely to proceed with our Dec. 30th pick up, in large part due to all the encouragement and help from you all!