But even if you avoid 100deg temperatures on I80, wouldn't you still get those as you head south in California - on either side of the Sierras? You'll be in the Central Valley or high desert until you cross the mountains around LA.
paulj wrote: But even if you avoid 100deg temperatures on I80, wouldn't you still get those as you head south in California - on either side of the Sierras? You'll be in the Central Valley or high desert until you cross the mountains around LA.
Yes and no... Yes, it will warm up as we head sound on 395 through the Sierra Nevadas, but not to the temps we'd see on either side of Las Vegas. And the difference is that we'll have very little climbing to do headed south from Mammoth toward Los Angeles. Headed south from Las Vegas we'd have to climb the Baker grade in the 100-degree heat.
On I-15 headed south, the average August temps for Mesquite, Las Vegas, and Baker are 103, 102, and 108-degrees respectively. For comparison, heading south on 395 from Mammoth, the average August temps for Bishop, Lone Pine, and California City are 96, 98, and 96-degrees.
Also, from Mammoth to Los Angeles, it's mostly flat or downhill. I can't recall climbing any serious grades on that route headed south.
So if I'm doing this right, I'm thinking that 395 will have lower temps and fewer climbs. But please correct me if I'm wrong, or if I've overlooked something.
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I would think that if you are headed to the west LA basin (Thousand Oaks), you enter via Palmdale and CA14, regardless of whether you came south on US395, or SE on I15.
Decades ago, before AC in cars, I remember my parents choosing to leave Las Vegas first thing in the morning, so they could cross the desert in the coolest part of the day.
My most recent Nevada crossing was in a September, and was from UT 12 to Cedar City, Caliente (which means hot) to Tonopah to Big Pine.
* This post was
edited 02/21/12 10:00am by paulj *
I have always thought that Nevada has well maintained secondary roads. I agree that taking US50 through Great Basin is a decent alternative. Unless you particularly want to go to Lake Tahoe, I would use NV 361 to Hawthorne to connect to US 395. The mountain passes on 395 should be no trouble for you heading southbound and it is downhill most of the way to get to T.O.
Yet another vote for US 50. When we head west from our home base here in Glenwood, we most often take US 50. US 6 is hotter and less scenic IMHO, although we went that way last spring because of the heavy residual snows to the north that closed some areas we wanted to visit. I-80 still has hills, but not so scenic. I-15 is just plain hot in the summer.
Great Basin NP is a great little oasis in the desert, but somewhat limited on campsites for your length rig, so plan to arrive earlier in the day on a weekday. No hookups, but a dump station is nearby. We also stay at Cave Lake SP, but again your length does limit somewhat. Not busy on weekdays. Both of these CG's are higher up in elevation so a little cooler, esp in the evening. Ely does have an RV park or two. Eureka is an interesting old mining town to poke around in. Watch the grade down into Austin.
Try to check out the Tour de Colorado, starting August 20th in Durango. We did last year and will do it again this year. More info at USAProcyclingchallenge.com
Also, as you are heading west into Glenwood, stop at the Hanging Lakes exit, about 5 miles east of Glenwood, for a great hike, and then soak in the Glenwood pools after.
Rocky2 wrote: I have always thought that Nevada has well maintained secondary roads. I agree that taking US50 through Great Basin is a decent alternative. Unless you particularly want to go to Lake Tahoe, I would use NV 361 to Hawthorne to connect to US 395. The mountain passes on 395 should be no trouble for you heading southbound and it is downhill most of the way to get to T.O.
Interesting route. Have you done this before?
If we're going to skip Lake Tahoe then I'll definitely consider it. I still have to work out where we want to go, and that'll have some influence on our route.
paulj wrote: I would think that if you are headed to the west LA basin (Thousand Oaks), you enter via Palmdale and CA14, regardless of whether you came south on US395, or SE on I15...
Yep - that's exactly right. At this point I'm leaning toward either I-80 or Hwy-50 across Nevada (rather than I-15 through Las Vegas), and coming down 395 through Mammoth, California City, then CA14 through Palmdale.
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