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Playinthru · 06-02-2018, 07:38 PM

26 ft.Sprinter C. Heading over to 395 north from 190 in Death Valley. Plan to take Tioga pass through Yosemite and then over to Sonoma. Researched as much as I could and looks like I should be fine. Any comments on my route ? Thanks

KCFDCapt · 06-02-2018, 07:43 PM

Be sure to stop at the Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining to eat. It is on the left as you turn off 395.

twogypsies · 06-02-2018, 10:34 PM

395 and Tioga Pass is a great RV route. I don't know about Death Valley right now with the heat - 117 degrees on Monday - and you're going to have steep climbs on 190 which your RV may not like. You definitely need to turn off your air conditioner to help to avoid overheating. You'll have almost a change of 5,000' elevation in a relatively short distance - 13 miles up from the valley floor then more ups and down with a steep downhill to Owens Lake. It's a difficult drive in cold weather but in the heat...... you may want to rethink this. See if there's a YouTube on it.

drdarrin · 06-03-2018, 12:02 AM

I second twogypsies comment on that route. You have 8-9% grade climbing out of Furnace Creek followed by a 8 mile 9% downgrade then you climb thru Panamint Springs up to 395. If you’re cooling systems are not up to snuff, you’ll find out it weaknesses.

If you like old westerns, stop in Lone Pine and visit the movie museum.

Playinthru · 06-03-2018, 09:30 PM

Thanks I will rethink that segment. I would really like to cross DV .I have confidence in my equipment but have not been through that type of terrain. Do many rv’s attempt that trip.

curmudgeon59 · 06-03-2018, 10:27 PM

We did that route in a ~30' rental C one time. The rig handled it OK, but it was April, much cooler weather. If I were going to try it this time of year, I'd probably try to leave early in the morning, just to avoid some of the heat stress. When we went through, Tioga was still closed, so we crossed on Hwy 88.

Death Valley is on my November-April calendar; I'm just not into the potential 120+ weather in summer.

twogypsies · 06-03-2018, 10:35 PM

Death Valley is a wonderful place to visit.... been there 3x - in the correct seasons, not in summer. It's a winter park to visit and the first week of Nov. is Death Valley Days - hundreds and hundreds of RVers there for the festivities.

drdarrin · 06-03-2018, 11:51 PM

Forget to mention, April 10-11 this year when we went thru, it was 111 degrees in the valley. Summer ought to be very toasty!

Dennis_K · 06-04-2018, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Playinthru

26 ft.Sprinter C. Heading over to 395 north from 190 in Death Valley. Plan to take Tioga pass through Yosemite and then over to Sonoma. Researched as much as I could and looks like I should be fine. Any comments on my route ? Thanks

As someone who has been through Death Valley in all seasons and lives in that level of heat I want to warn you about traveling in the summer heat. If you are not used to 110 plus it can be a killer, not just to your RV but to the passengers too. If you have to turn off your AC that will subject the passengers to the heat and that can be a real problem for some people and pets. If you end up in that situation drink lots of water, more than you think is enough. Traveling in the early morning will help but it could be 90+ and heats up fast.
CA190 west of Stovepipe Wells has very little traffic in the summer and is the most severe section.

Playinthru · 06-13-2018, 07:51 PM

Thanks to all who replied. We opted to take Daylight Pass to Beatty out of Furnace Creek to Rv 95 to 266 to 6 to 120 to Lee Vining. Wonderful ride at 5:30 am. Spent the night and headed over Tioga Pass this morning. Wow!! Even got a breakfast at “Whoa Nelly Deli “. Just a little different kind of ride for us east coast folks.

twogypsies · 06-16-2018, 12:00 AM

Thanks for coming back with a report of the route you took.... wish more folks would do that! Glad you enjoyed it.

How was Death Valley? How hot?

Playinthru · 06-17-2018, 04:18 PM

Played golf in the morning. No worse than Florida in the summer. Afternoons were brutal around 105. Day we left (tues 6/12) was a heat advisory for 115 to 120 but I never checked what it got to.