katherinebw

The first half of our vacation this September will be GC North Rim, Zion and Bryce. We'll spend the second half in Napa visiting family, so we need to drive from Bryce to Napa. I've read that it can take anywhere from 8 hours to 12. We'd like to take Route 50. Can someone give us a realistic idea? We need to know whether to plan an overnight on that stretch. What is the speed limit on 50? Once we get close to Carson City and Reno, would it save time to get on 80W?? Or stay on 50 to Placerville and take 80 from there?

janisj

You have been misinformed -- Bryce Canyon to Napa via Hwy 50 would take nearly 14 hours straight driving. Any other route would take about the same . . .

80 or 50 makes very little difference since they join up at Sacramento.

abrechwald

I have been over the Hwy 50 route every few years. It is one of my favorite ways of crossing Nevada. The road is 2 lane, but moves at hwy speeds. Traffic is nothing, and is referred to as the "Loneliest Road in America" - a few trucks and mostly vacation tourists. Services are every 50 to 80 miles until you get to the Reno Carson City area, where they change to everything that you might want. This route illustrates the best of the far west, with range and basin geography, and will give you a real sense of what it was like to cross the country to California. This route will not be any longer in time or distance, and will avoid the Interstate. About 8 easy hours to Carson City, and another 3 or so to Napa.
I would recommend staying in the Tahoe or Carson City area, simply to break up the trip. Hwy 50 through Placerville is quick and scenic, and joins 80 in Sacramento.

janisj

Didn't notice the last bit >>Or stay on 50 to Placerville and take 80 from there?

janisj

we were posting at the same time. . .

katherinebw

Thank you so much. I just watched a couple of YouTube videos on the road, and it looks like it's well maintained. Sounds like there are a number of elevation changes but I didn't see any piece of road that looked like a switchback. Am I correct abrechwald? How about Conner's Pass? There was a YouTube video about that but it wasn't very clear. I think we'll be okay with the elevations but I'm not looking to drive any switchbacks. Also, what is 50 like right next to Lake Tahoe? Looks like about 7700 feet. Are there hotels along that stretch?

rjasnumberonefan

While I have driven Hwy 50, I have not taken it from that angle. I travel quite often on roads I am not familiar with and I use google maps and google street views in my planning phase. Google gets you pretty close to approximate driving times. It is hours off from what abrechwald advises. He mentions an easy 8 then 3 more hours. Google looks more like 10 plus 3 1/2 more. That is also just pure drive time. If you eat lunch or dinner, stop for bathroom breaks or gas you can add a couple hours. I used google street view to see what the roads are like. It looks like the majority of the trip is 2 lanes, as in, one each way with a divided yellow between them. Truckers and tourists on a road like that could cause issues. If you get behind an RV going up and down mountain elevations you should be prepared to add more time. South Lake Tahoe has plenty hotels and is only a few minutes past Carson City, but that would make for a LONG day of driving and not being able to see the beauty of Lake Tahoe in the dark.

janisj

Katherine: hwy 50 at Lake Tahoe goes through a full blown city. There are hotels (several), motels (MANY MANY), restaurants/cafes, (MANY), plus resorts, shops, supermarkets, and huge casinos . . .

My guess is you've never visited your family in CA before?

katherinebw

JanisJ, not from this direction. Only driving the coast from San Diego up to Monterey. We will definitely stop somewhere on 50 before dark and spend the night. Google is where I got my original estimate. Never thought of street view--thanks for that. We, too, have been on many roads we weren't familiar with all over Europe and somehow made it . Just looking for a little experienced advice. Thanks for the help. It is truly appreciated.