Road Conditions Rt 299 Redding CA to Coast?

[Jim Gell]

Cathy and I are leaving Reno NV today for Redding CA.  From there we want to take 299 west to the coast.  Our Garmin 770 Truck GPS, set with a 80,000 lb tractor trailer as the vehicle, directs us that route. However, our paper truck route atlas (2015 version) does not show it as a truck route.  Cal Trans' website indicates 30-60 minute delays in a section with landslide repairs.  Alternate routes would take us hundreds of miles out of our way. 

Does anyone have any advice as to the suitability of that road to our HDT and 40 foot trailer? 

 

 

  

[Chad Heiser]

Where are you trying to get to on the coast?  I know there are some landslides in the northern CA area due to all the recent rains, but I'm not sure what this has done to 299.  My wife has family in Redding so we spend a fair amount of time in the area.  Also, CrazyCooter from the forum lives there, so he should be able to give good advice on the roads in the area.  If 299 is going to pose any problems, you could come south a little bit from Redding on I5 and then cross over on Highway 20.  Highway 20 is a truck route and is regularly traveled by semis.  I live near Highway 20 and have double towed my 5er and Jeep behind my HDT on Highway 20 with no issues.  It will drop you onto Highway 101 in Mendocino county, just south of the Redwoods (south of Wilits).  Highway 101 through this area is also easily traveled by large trucks.  You can also continue out Highway 20 to Highway 1 into the Fort Bragg area.  I wouldn't go too far up or down Highway 1 from Fort Bragg with your rig, but there are some nice campgrounds around Fort Bragg you could easily get to and use as a base to explore the area.

[ChuckD]

Like Chad said It doesn't have to be 299.  There are other roads going west from I-5.  Further north, quite a bit north, we, in Oregon,  have several roads going west.  Most of the highways going west are also traveled by Log trucks and they may be a little longer than your rig  LOL.  That is both California and Oregon.  Just take your time and ignore that long line of impatient drivers behind you. 

This may be of interest to you 

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi?roadnumber=299&submit=Search.

 

[CrazyCooter]

Last week the road was open to through traffic on the hour so you wouldn't want to get there 1 min. after they let the west bound traffic go or you would be waiting another hour. The highway is totally passable for rigs of our size, so no worries there.

[Jim Gell]

Thanks for the help!  Nice to hear we can do 299 west from Redding.

We went to Zion NP on our our way out of Tucson.  Our intention from there was to travel up the west coast on our way to Alaska.   We have never been to Northern CA, and wanted to visit Redwood National Park on our way.  We may have been better off heading a different way, such as 20, but we are following the GPS and are where we are.  Not sure it makes sense to change routes now.

We are nearing Susanville, CA on 395 and the GPS is sending us northwest on 44 from there, then 89, to Mt. Shasta, then south on I 5 to Redding.   On the paper atlas it looks like 299  hits that route part way  up to Mt. Shasta  and heads SW to Redding. It would be a much shorter route and is shown as a truck route.  How HDT friendly is that portion of 299, north east of Redding?   Should we take 299 or follow the GPS to Mt. Shasta? 

From Redding our GPS has us going over 299 west to Arcata on the coast.  We have reservations at an RV Park in Redding tonight and Crescent City tomorrow night.  We will stick to that plan and try to time our departure from Redding to arrive a little before the top of the hour.  Any idea how long that drive will take? 

Jim

[CrazyCooter]

Yes, 395 out of Reno, right on 44 just up the hill from Susanville, right on to 89 at Old Station at the stop sign, then left on 299 at the 4 way stop just east of Burney......These are all truck routes where the 53'ers haul to Reno. You could also make a left and stay on 44 at Old Station for about a 20 mile savings, however it does have a 65' truck limit.......Technically like the rest of CA for RV's. I travel both ways without any issue. A lot less truck traffic on 44.

 

I'll PM you my phone # if you would like to meet up for dinner or just a quick visit.

[Chad Heiser]

That route is not bad, but if seeing the Redwoods is a big reason for it, you will miss a huge chunk of them by cutting over that far north.  The redwoods really start around Willits, CA where highway 20 and Highway 101 split off.  You will miss the Avenue of the Giants and several other spectacular sites if you cut over that far north.  Just information for you to ponder.  Highway 20 is about an hour and a half south of Redding if you want to come down and cut over and then start up 101 at the beginning of the redwoods.  The cut over is about the same distance, so you are really just adding the extra 90 minutes to get to it.  Of course you will have to add some more time for the trip north on 101, but there are campgrounds along the way to stay in before you get to Crescent City.  Again, just food for thought.

[Ray,IN]

Deleted, never mind you're already experiencing what I intended to say about 299.

[Jim Gell]

We are in Redcrest, CA, camped at Ancient Redwoods RV Park on a 70 foot site, right on the Avenue of the Giants, and I wanted to follow up with everyone who helped us:

We had a major delay leaving Redding yesterday.  When we connected and did our tug test, I realized we had no trailer brakes. I had just had the wheel bearings serviced in Tucson a week or two ago.  I checked the brake fluid reservoir and it was down and sucked air into the system when I cracked the cap.  I added fluid, but to no avail. I hoped all it needed was a proper bleeding.  As it turned out, a retainer pin/bolt that holds the brake pads in was missing, along with one disk brake pad. The inside of tire and wheel well were covered in brake fluid.  I was not able to get replacement pads, but separated the brake line and capped both sides until I can.   I thought coming over the mountains on 299 east of Redding the brakes were a bit weak, but I was doing almost all of the braking with the engine. If I had known I didn't have trailer brakes, I might have freaked a bit.

For peace of mind, I was glad I had 5 of my 6 disc brakes on trailer working coming over 299 from Redding to the coast.  We got real lucky and did not have to wait more than 15 minutes in total for 3-4 one way traffic sections.  We left Redding after 3 pm and set up on site before dark.  We are off to see the Redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants in Smart car now. 

Thank you everyone! 

Jim

[CrazyCooter]

Glad that was a relatively simple bypass and back on the road.......

You have the Dexter brakes? One down side I have found to this more "Exotic" running gear is the lack of parts in stock!  I used to have to red label pads from Dexter, but at least the wholesaler in Sacramento stocks at least one Neverlube bearing and a set of pads now.

[Jim Gell]

Yes, CrazyCooter, we have dexter brakes.  I think I should be thankful though that we do not have Neverlube bearings.   Thank you for your help. 

Thank you, Chad for suggesting we visit the Avenue of the Giants (Humboldt Redwoods State Park). We had a memorable day walking and driving among the giant Redwoods.  I saw Redwood National Park on the map north of here and thought that would be the place to visit. We will still go there, but glad we did not miss this.    

Thank you ChuckD for the link to Caltrans' road condition report.  

Jim

[CrazyCooter]

Avenue of the Giants is pretty cool and thinking we should add that on the list of places to revisit. We too often forget and take for granted all the cool stuff that is local to us.....

 

Our trailer has Neverlube and I'm on the fence as to whether I like it or not. Being in the business, I really hate packing my own bearings, but I also hate catastrophic failures with no warning too!

[4Girls&aMan]

Jim, we took our truck down Howland Hill Rd in Crescent City.  It is a beautiful drive - don't do it in your truck.  Stout Grove Trail is  one you will not regret though.

[Jim Gell]

Thanks, Robert.  I put Stout Grove Trail on our list. 

[Chad Heiser]

Glad your having a good time.  It's been a while since we have been up that way.  We need to go back.

[rdickinson]

I did 101 South from Port Angeles Washington  to where 20 intersects out to Chads Estate in early January.  WX and roads were pretty poor, borderline freezing and days were short.  It was tiring, up down around corners.  Really had to stay focused.  Other than that it will be no problem for a rig like mine or yours.

There are a number of pullouts or places to stop for a break.

Roger

[TreyandSusan]

8 hours ago, jim gell said:

Thanks, Robert.  I put Stout Grove Trail on our list. 

We really liked Stout Grove. If you are in the area for a few days, there are other groves nearby that make a great visit. We stayed in Hiouchi and hiked a different groove each day. LOVED IT! Enjoy your time there. ~S