Late Winter Trip to Death Valley

[dmichael]

My wife and I are planning a trip from February 28 to March 10, 2015 from our home in Camp Sherman (near Bend, Oregon) to Death Valley National Park. We have a 2010 Pleasure Way Ascent (Class B Short Sprinter motorhome). I ask for suggestions on routes given we will be traveling during the late Winter on some higher elevations. Although I intend to get new tires before this trip, they will not be traction tires so we need to avoid major snow and freezing conditions. One direct route is to go Oregon 97 South to 395 to Susanville, California and then through Nevada (Hawthorne). Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

[Davydd]

I'm not familiar with winter in California and would assume the higher elevations would be the Sierra Nevadas and lots of snow passes. Maybe it would be a good time to take strictly a coastal trip to LA and then cut over to Death Valley. Is early March when the the desert blooms?

[wabbit]

395 is on the eastern side of the Sierra, so you'd be avoiding most of the danger of snowy roads. There is a bit of elevation, but nothing like the mountains you'd have to cross going down I-5 or the coast roads. As a rule of thumb, check the weather in Reno and you'd have a good idea of road conditions.

[dmichael]

Thanks.

[stanw909]

All the roads you will be taking will be well taken care of but supposedly there is going to be an El Nino this winter leading to more precipitation. Check weather often. Have a great trip.

[mikes47]

By the way, once you get to Death Valley, leave your cell phone in the RV. There is no reception except at one of the hotel complexes. Nevertheless, out of habit, I guess, I carried my cell phone on my belt. With all the jumping in and out of the car to check out this view or that (since every turn in the road presents another breath-taker), I managed to leave my cell phone somewhere in Death Valley. No fun re-building all those contacts. And I had my pass word vault on the phone as well. What a pain!

[JohnnyFry]

We spent a few days at Tecopa Hot Springs CH in Death Valley. Loved it, funky (but clean) mineral springs and a good location for day trips. It is a county park and the rates are reasonable. A fun place to visit is the Date farm (yes, there really is a date farm in Death Valley).