How's the drive on route 95

[Christner]

Wondering what to expect driving route 95 between Blythe and Last Vegas. Have a 30' class A, V-10 gas and a 4 down Wrangler tow. Thanks, Larry

[Lou Schneider]

No problem.  The road is a popular truck route to bypass Los Angeles by going from I-10 to I-40.

Two lanes with narrow shoulders from Blythe to Needles, then continuing as two lanes from I-40 west of Needles to the Nevada state line.  Then it is freeway all the way to Las Vegas.

Just take it slow over the railroad crossing at Goffs Rd. about 6 miles north of I-40 and be SURE to observe the 25 mph limit through the speedtrap town of Searchlight, NV.

Edited May 6, 2019 by Lou Schneider

[bobsallyh]

As Lou said, do watch the railroad tracks, they have "improved" the xing but still leaves a lot to be desired. And by all means Do Not Buy fuel or gas in Needles! We should be thru tht way in the next couple of days ourselves. Have safe travels. 

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, bobsallyh said:

DO NOT Buy fuel or gas in Needles!

You have that right. In Needles diesel fuel is $4.99 and regular $4.69. In Kingman, AZ it is $3.69 & $3.59.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Kirk W

[Christner]

Yikes, and I thought the $3.15 I'm paying in Casa Grande was steep!  Thanks for sharing your experiences on this forum, always appreciated. 

[Twotoes]

If your heading to Las Vegas from Casa Grande you can also take Hwy 93 out of Phoenix all the way to Vegas and avoid CA all together. 

[Christner]

I thought I might want to avoid Phoenix altogether.  Don't much care for big cities and interstates. Don't say it, I know, what am I doing rving then?  Thinking about buzzing through Phoenix about 2:30 in the morning. Oh well, we shall see. Thanks All.

[2gypsies]

From Casa Grande take I-8 west to Hwy 85 at Gila Bend then north to I-10 at Buckeye. Go west on I-10 to exit 45 taking your to 72 to AZ 95 at Parker, AZ.  Then north on 95 to Lake Havasu to  I-40 then either west to 95 or east to 93 into Las Vegas.

This completely avoids Phoenix and CA95.

[Lou Schneider]

7 hours ago, Kirk W said:

You have that right. In Needles diesel fuel is $4.99 and regular $4.69. In Kingman, AZ it is $3.69 & $3.59.

But if you follow AZ 95 across the river from downtown Needles you'll come to a large Arco station about a mile north of the bridge where prices are significantly less.  GasBuddy currently shows diesel at $3.29 and regular at $3.02 a gallon.

That's $1.70 / $1.67 less than Needles prices and lower than just about anywhere else within a 100 mile radius except for a couple of stations in Bullhead City.  For me, it's well worth a 10 minute detour from I-40 to fill up.  When I went through there a month ago the Arco prices were about $1 a gallon less than in Needles.

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Lou Schneider

[LindaH]

9 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

From Casa Grande take I-8 west to Hwy 85 at Gila Bend then north to I-10 at Buckeye. Go west on I-10 to exit 45 taking your to 72 to AZ 95 at Parker, AZ.  Then north on 95 to Lake Havasu to  I-40 then either west to 95 or east to 93 into Las Vegas.

This completely avoids Phoenix and CA95.

X2 on I-8/AZ-85/I-10.  We travel US-95 usually at least twice a year.  We normally travel west on I-10 to Blythe and take US-95 all the way to Las Vegas (actually, we get off at Henderson since we boondock at Lake Mead NRA).  Other than having to go through a portion of Needles and through Searchlight, there's nothing to slow you down between Blythe and Las Vegas.

If you travel north on AZ-95 from Quartzsite, I'd suggest going west on SR-62 at Parker to Vidal Junction in California and then taking US-95 north from there.  If you continue north on AZ-95, you have to go through Lake Havasu City which is a very long town north/south with lots of stop lights.  Depending on the traffic and how you hit the lights, it can take at least half an hour to traverse through town.

Edited May 7, 2019 by LindaH

[bobsallyh]

Went thru Vidal Junction yesterday. The usual two questions, any fruits on board, then any plants on board? After answering the friendly checker, I saw a 12" Crescent Wrench laying beside him.  I jokingly said, "fairly good sized wrench there beside you".  He answered, "that is for the boaters that roll up here with their boat drain plug still in. We give them the chance to remove it thus avoiding a $175.00 fine for transporting the boat in CA. with the plug in". Friendly guy.

[scouserl41]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 9:21 PM, 2gypsies said:

From Casa Grande take I-8 west to Hwy 85 at Gila Bend then north to I-10 at Buckeye. Go west on I-10 to exit 45 taking your to 72 to AZ 95 at Parker, AZ.  Then north on 95 to Lake Havasu to  I-40 then either west to 95 or east to 93 into Las Vegas.

This completely avoids Phoenix and CA95.

X2 by far the best way. We avoid Interstates wherever possible. America isn't visible from the Interstate.

BnB

[Barbaraok]

In a lot of states the US Highways are better, but not all of them.   US 190 in Louisiana (western part) is a MESS.   Plus the US Highways always go THROUGH the tiny towns.  You know, population 10, speed limit 15 mph!    

As to going north on AZ 95, just cross the river and go north on US 95 all the way.  Lake Havasu is getting to be a pain to get through.

[bekent5090]

On 5/11/2019 at 7:27 AM, Barbaraok said:

In a lot of states the US Highways  Lake Havasu is getting to be a pain to get through.

Actually, local residents know there is a way to avoid the traffic lights and congestion on Highway 95 in much of Lake Havasu City.

The trick is to leave 95  and take nearby London Bridge Road, which parallels 95 along the lake from just north of London Bridge until it connects with 95 again north of Walmart. IIRC, London Bridge Road has few or no traffic lights, light traffic, and just a few stop signs. It saves a lot of time taking this route through LH City.