Posted on 10/15/2015 8:56:12 AM PDT by SavannahWonderer
I've been a big fan but nothing more than a lurker here for many years... Work is relocating the wife, 3 pups, and I from Jackson, MS to the Reno/Sparks area of Nevada. We will be there from 2 months to 2 years. We are towing a RV and plan on going Dallas, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, and Vegas to Reno.
Advice on travel and living if ya'll will... Thank you and God Bless!!!
Whatever time, especially with a RV, you have spend it in the Four Corners/Colorado Plateau region.
My advice is don’t go. It’s sh!t hole.
If you’ve not been to the Grand Canyon, add it to your route.
As for living, I prefer sparks or Carson city to Reno proper.
Also ... NV recognizes Mississippi enhanced permit if you don’t plan to establish residency.
From the Albuquerque area west, I know there are some decent RV parks. There are also decent parks on the west end of ABQ on I-40. Flagstaff gets cold this time of year, they’re high up in the mountains. You could run into snow from now until May. Las Vegas has a bunch of RV parks, we stayed at the Oasis, which was reasonably priced and a nice park. We also stayed in Fallon, NV at the RV park there. Also a decent place with some full time residents. Depending on your job, Fallon is a little under an hour away from Sparks/Reno, and is quieter than the both of them.
Do not miss Moab, Utah. The Arches and the Canyonlands National Parks are the best. The Antelope Slot Canyon, near Page AZ, needs a reservation to see and then go across Arizona to the north edge of the Grand Canyon (but not in the winter, the road to the lodge and viewpoints is closed after the snows start). Then wind your way through Zion and down to Las Vegas. Then on to Reno. You will enjoy some of the most beautiful areas of the country in the Southwest!
In Amarillo, do a family lunch at the Big Texan (very touristy but fun)... Order the 72 oz challenge as a family (it will feed the whole family —assuming your pups are actual kids, but the doggie bag will work either way). You will have to pay for the meal, since it is only free if one individual eats it with all the trimmings in an hour. It will still be cheaper than feeding the whole family individual steak dinners.
Hit the road (I-40) about two hours before sunset so you hit the plateau drop-off near the NM boarder as the sun sets. The drive will be one of the prettiest you will ever experience. You can hit one of the old Route 66 RV parks anywhere vic Santa Rosa to Clines Corner.
The Las Vegas to Reno leg of your trip will probably be the toughest. It’s nearly 500 miles, mostly over two-lane roads, although the basin-and-range country of the Great Basin can be quite scenic.
If you go through Death Valley, you can pick up Rte. 395 at Olancha, Calif. and head north to Reno through the Eastern Sierra Nevada. This is very beautiful country at this time of the year.
So you will be getting climate and culture shock. :-)
Live closer to Carson City rather than Reno. It’s much better.
As for the trip, definitely do the Grand Canyon and drive through Death Valley and run up the Eastern Sierra Nevadas.
Stop around Mono Lake for a look and even run up into Yosemite if you have the time.
It’s a wonderful trip. Nice roads and open country, very interesting. I love it out there.
For what it’s worth, If anyone wants to see the Panoramas I made during my last trip out west, you can see them here:
http://thewellrats.com/malbor2/west/Pans/
+1
Rooms are older, tired and a bit small, food is mediocre and the drinks are strong. The lobby is decorated with hundreds of pictures and memorabilia of the old movie days. This was THE HOTEL for anyone and everyone involved in those old John Ford/John Wayne Westerns.
And if going soon take the June Lake Loop (HWY 395 about 15 miles south of Mono Lake). Beautiful ride, fall colors, five lakes. Road closes in Winter though.
Restaurants in June: Tiger Café, Carson Peak.
Further up the road on the turn off to go to Yosemite, stop at the Mobil station for lunch/dinner. NOt 100% certain it is still operating the restaurant there as it has been a couple of years for me since I was through the area.
Are you planning to live in your RV during the two months to two years you’ll be there? If so, then you’ll set it up as a dwelling and won’t do run outs with it.
If you are free to travel in the RV, there are great places to see and things to do within several hours of Reno in NV, AZ, NM, UT, CO.
If your RV will stay put, you could just take weekend car trips out or tent camp. It doesn’t rain much in those states, so tent camping is a great option.
You’ll run out of time well before you see and do everything there is to do in those states.
Check out rv. net (Campgrounds and Destinations forums) for lots of ideas.
bttt
Been living outside of Reno for the last three months and we love it. We got a 4-wheel-drive truck and go offroading most weekends. If you’re flexible about the commute, Fernley, Fallon, Carson City, Dayton are possibilities for living out of town. Sparks is much nicer than Reno. There’s definitely some adjustments to make. Need any other questions answered?
Oh yes, Mono Lake is amazing. The Tufa towers make the lake look like a moonscape. Be forewarned that the back way into Yosemite is closed after the snows hit there. And the road up the back of the Sierras to Reno can be closed off and on due to the snows, too. Gorgeous, gorgeous drive.....enjoy!
1) Avoid the Dallas area at rush hour.
2) Unless you have someone to see in Dallas, Stay on I-20 and miss Dallas to the south. They are re-doing the I-35/I-30 interchange, and it’s a disaster whichever way you go through it.
Google routes you I-20/US-80/I-635. While that’s the way I’d go, be aware that 635 is a mess from US-80 to US-75. (West of US 75 it has been completely rebuilt, but watch out for some very expensive Texpress pay lanes on 635 west of US-75). It’s been a while, but 35W north of Fort Worth and I-820 were both pretty rough last time I tried them.
You might try 20-35W-287 or 20-US180 to Weatherford and Mineral Wells, and then up on US 281.
Whichever route you take, you’ll probably be convinced that you took the wrong one.
Don’t exit the expressway in Dallas between I-20 and I-30 on any route you take. There are some areas that aren’t bad, but your odds of finding them are slim.
If it was me, and I had the time, I’d take the longer route I-20 to Midland, cross country to Carlsbad Caverns, then El Paso and up, cutting out Amarillo.
Check tire chain requirements.
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