Revised question about our trip to Oregon

[Rick Flores]

We didn't get any response to our previous question & hubby says I need to be more specific. So...we are going in our 31 ft. motorhome w/toad, our first long trip. Taking the 40 west (AZ) to Kingman then we have to head north, which brings up the first question; after Kingman what should we take to get through Las Vegas? We have to connect to the 95 after Vegas then head to Oregon via Klamath Falls (the 395).
Once we get to Klamath Falls it appears that we should take the 58 over to the 5 (Eugene), however one member said there is major road work on the 58, so should we take the 140 to the 5 (Medford) or the 66 to the 5 (Ashland). Or deal with the road work -the map shows a lot of curves on the 140 & 66. What do you suggest of these routes? We are going to McMinnville (north west of Salem) - our final destination. Thank you for any & all suggestions - if you have any other ideas please fire them at us!

[Francesca]

Per getting to McMinnville from Klamath Falls:

I'm a former Oregonian and here's how I'd go:

Highway 97 north to Bend, then West on 20/ 22 to Salem. At Salem, head west 'til you hit hwy 99, which goes (north) right down McMinnville's main street.

All roads are good.

[skigramp]

I-15 in Las Vegas has an express lane all the way through town (EXPRESS in Las Vegas means that you are not exiting at any point in the city). All the through traffic: 18 wheelers, busses, cars, motorhomes use the express lane ... it is on the left ... just get in the lane and move with the flow of the traffic ...

If you can time your arrival in Las Vegas at a non-rush hour time you will more or less go through the city with ease (about 30 minutes). If it is rush hour then it will probably take you 40 to 50 minutes to get through .... but it in not like driving in Chicago or Los Angeles.

[Dennis_K]

From Kingman I recommend US93 to Vegas. Once in Vegas you will be on I-515, just don't turn off and it will turn into US95 after crossing I-15. Note that the Express lane is only on I-15 and you shouldn't be on it at all. As skigramp said, plan on non-rush hour travel...

You didn't say when you were doing this trip but just an FYI from CALTRANS "May 14th through May 17th, US95 will be closed in both directions at Goff's Rd in Needles, CA"..In case you thought about going that route.

[lenp]

Do you have to go through Kingman and Las Vegas?

We live in Central Oregon (near Madras) and our most used route is (in reverse) I-40 west to Albuquerque, north on I-25 to US-550, US-550 to Bloomfield, US-64 to Shiprock, US-491 to Cortez, CO, US-491 to Monticello, UT, US-191 to I-70 (north of Moab), I-70 west to Green River area, US-6 to I-15 (Spanish Fork), I-15 to I-84, I-84 to Ontario, OR. From Ontario you can continue on I-84 to Portland or take a scenic route US-20 to Salem or US-26 to Central Oregon and then over Mount Hood to Portland area.

Lenp

[RetiredFPD]

I drive Yuma to LV all the time. From I40 at Kingman go 93 to Henderson (suburb of LV) then catch 515 to wherever in Vegas you want to go. If you want to go to the area around the strip (West LV) turn off on 215 to 15. The strip is just north of 215/15. If you want to just pass thru LV headed north, then stay on 515 all the way thru the east side of LV until it hits 15 in the north end. That avoids the mess on 15 near the strip.

One addl notet: If you are staying in LV in your RV and havn't found a place yet, look at LV RV Resort. It's right off 515, Boulder Hwy & Flamingo. Nice place, big, secure and again, not in the mess near the strip like Oasis is. We stay there every time we go to LV.

[Rick Flores]

Thank you for the info, that route is what we figured also. We are leaving about 6/1 so won't have to worry about the road construction you mentioned.. thanks again. Any other info you want to provide (rv parks, towns/gas, etc)..

[RetiredFPD]

We boondock if we're just going to sleep. Most larger casinos along the way are a good place to overnight it. Walmart pkng lots are ok but not always the safest places to be depending on what parts of town you're in. Try to stay away from Rest Stops for overnight unless there are full of trucks also...not always safe. Travel centers like Love's or Pilot/Flying J are usually good. Noisy but that doesn't bother us. They are REAL handy for food and morning coffee. Need to hit those by 2 or 3 pm as they fill up with trucks overnighting it the later in the day it gets. We're actually going to be taking our summer spin this year up thru OR and WA, but we're detouring thru Monument Valley and Moab, UT before we cut over to 15. Gonna bypass LV this year since we've gone that route many times. Want to see something different. Don't know if you'll get this far north in OR, but there's a very nice RV park owned by the Wild Horse Casino in Pendleton. Stayed there several times. Also, when your're headed north on 15 thru Cedar City UT (two hours+ north of Vegas) and if you want to hang and see Zion or Bryce NPs (both are close to CC - Bryce 90 min away and Zion 60 min away), the Best Western Towne & Country right in the middle of CC has a small but nice RV park next to the Motel. It's the best kept secret in town. We're staying there for several weeks in June as we do every year. CC is a great little town and it's elevation keeps it cool when St. George and Vegas are boiling.

[Ronnie Bledsoe 2006 Dutchstar 43']

I would and have taken the route you outlined. I did 58 in Oregonlast year and dealt with the road work (I don't know the current status. Caseys Riverside resort is on the 58 and a nice place to stay. I did the 20/22 two years ago and with my rig NEVER again.

[avid_dk]

I don't recommend HWY 66 in So Oregon. 140 is a much better road for a motor home.

[Rick Flores]

If we take the 93 from Kingman, we thought we'd stay our first night (starting out from our home in Prescott) in Boulder City, after that it appears that on RV Park Reviews.com there is a couple camp spots in Beatty (which is fine for a one day drive to). Then we looked at Fallon for the next stop. We can't drive real long distances each day as we have dogs and don't want to drive far. Does anyone know of camp spots after Beatty on the way that doesn't require 4+ hours of driving? We have been relying on RV Park Reviews and there isn't a whole lot to choose from. Also, how sparse is the 95....meaning should we worry about not having service if we have a break down/just concerned about the heat....this is the fastest way for us to get to Oregon. Thank you!

[docj]

We just drove that route last month and you could probably stop in Tonopah or Hawthorne if you don't think you can make it all the way to Fallon. US95 is excellent and there is plenty of traffic so you aren't out in the wilderness with no one around.

[rgvtexan]

4 Corners Area. Be aware that US64 from Shiprock to US191 is one rough road! Especially the NM part, it gets a little better in AZ.

[Dennis_K]

In Beatty The Death Valley Inn RV park is nice.
In Hawthorne we stay at Whiskey Flats.
There are not many towns along the way so don't expect too much but it's a great drive.