vegaslocal

I will be driving from Los Angeles to Reno. Mapquest suggests taking I-5 to I-80. I would like to stop for one night to break the drive up. I'm not in a hurry. Is there anything to see/do on the way? Where would a good place to stop be?

J_Correa

Sacramento would be a good choice since it is right on your route and a fairly large city so there is plenty to do there. You could wander around Old Town, see the railroad museum, Sutter's Fort, the Capitol Building.

There are some interesting towns in the Gold Country. Auburn is a nice town, and is right on Hwy 80, about 45 minutes or so past Sacramento. If you have a little extra time and don't mind a bit of a detour, you could go up to Nevada City. It's about a 30 minute drive up Hwy 49 from the 49/80 junction - maybe a bit longer.

If you go up Hwy 50 instead, you will pass through Placerville and Coloma. Coloma is where gold was discovered. Another plus for travelling up Hwy 50 is that this route will take you along the south side of Lake Tahoe on your way to Reno.

Grasshopper

The only catch with chosing Sacramento is it's only another 2 hours to Reno. For interesting and scenic, I'd take 101 rather than 5. While it might take a little longer (an hour?) there's so much more to see. If you do that, dare I say San Jose would be the place to stop? Or you could go a little out of the way and see Monterey, or even San Francisco. SF to Reno is about 3.5 hours. I think I'd stop in Monterey.

vegaslocal

Grasshopper, I was actually thinking about the 101. I've spent some time in both Monterrey and San Fran before, so been there done that.

Even though I lived in L.A. for many years, I have never seen the coastal area north of Santa Barbara or south of Monterrey. But, I thought that this route would be too far out of the way.

I don't mind adding an hour or two to the total drive.

Could you suggest a coastal route with a stop somewhere?

Grasshopper

Well you do get to see some coastline from LA to Santa Barbara before you turn inland. Maybe visit San Luis Obispo? The coast from there to Monterey is long and curvy and will add a lot of time. But I would want to make this an interesting road trip so if the weather is decent, part of highway 1 wouldn't be bad. Or maybe go toward the coast to Monterey and take Highway 1 to Santa Cruz, then take 17 to SJ and on to Reno, staying in Santa Cruz (or Capitola).

clarkgriswold

What day of the week, and what time of day will you leave L.A.?

vegaslocal

Will be leaving L.A. on Monday, December 27 or Tuesday December 28. Will be allowing either one or two nights to stop along the way depending upon what suggestions folks can come up with.

I'm somewhat interested in checking out the coast between Santa Barbara and Monterrey as I've seen the rest of the coast. I was also curious about the inland areas and what might be fun.

gigib

Do you like desert? You could head up 395 and detour over to Death Valley. It will be COLD, but it should be dry. I'm a fan of Lone Pine, but there's not a lot to do there in the winter except wander about the Alabama Hills.

Patrick

I've driven the route from Truckee (almost to Reno) to Los Angeles a number of times, usually on I-5 and also on 101, but I can't imagine that it is only an hour's difference! A lot more than that, I'd think.

Usually we leave Truckee about 8 or 9 and arrive in LA about 4 in the afternoon. So although it is a long drive, you really don't need to make an overnight. I'd follow J. Correa's suggestions and stop in Sacramento, if you really want to break it up.
Going the other way, I'd stop at Harris Ranch for an "almost to LA stop" and a great steak.

vegaslocal

Thanks for the reply gigib, but as you can tell from my screen name, I live in Las Vegas. I'm not really interested in touring the desert.

Patrick, I know that I don't need to stop, but I thought it would be nice to spend a little time seeing an area I haven't seen before. It sounds like you are saying that there really isn't anything worth stopping to see, which may be the case. Maybe we'll just spend another day in L.A. and drive straight through.

As far as Sacramento, that really doesn't sound terribly interesting. I really don't enjoy wandering around looking at stuff. I was kind of hoping that someone could recommend a "must see" between L.A. and Reno.

I tried pulling out the road atlas and looking on the web at some of the towns on the way, but can't find too much.

I really appreciate everyone's replies.

J_Correa

What kinds of things do you like to do and see? There are quite a number of things between LA and Reno, but whether or not they are "must sees" really depends on what you are interested in.

janis

If you take I-5/I-80 there is absolutely NOTHING to see or stop for (other than possibly Sacramento) between LA and Reno, except for a rest break or two. If that is the route you choose, just drive it in one day. it is a very doable drive.

If on the other hand, you want to do 101/hwy 1 along the coast - just choose anywhere but allow 2 full days for the drive.

LOYL

Do you ski? You could drive up 5 to 14 to 395 and stop in Mammoth. Pretty scenery through Red Rock Canyon; also stop at Manzanar, good view of Mt. Whitney. Great skiing in Mammoth, and a cute little town- check the website www.mammoth-mtn.com. Mono Lake is really pretty interesting, too. YOu could also stay in June Lake at the Double Eagle- nice little resort and spa.

LOYL

PS. Sorry, hit send too early. Mammoth is about 90 miles south of Reno on 395. It's mainly two lane, but the scenery is awesome. Just did it last week as a matter of fact.

Patrick

These are the closest things I can think of to "must sees" between LA and Reno:

1) There is a gas station at an exit just north of the Bakersfield turnoff, where there is a sign where they spelled "no credit cards" as "no cretid cards".

2) Near the Harris Ranch I mentioned, there are a lot of cows to look at.

3) Sometimes you can spot cars along the highway that have broken down or see people changing tires -- sweating like crazy. That's always good for a laugh.

4) You can see lots of windmills off in the distance to the west near Stockton.

5) There is a very popular In-and-out Burger near Stockton. Sometimes there are lots of french fries in the parking lot and you can watch the birds eating them.

6) The scenery gets quite beautiful as you head up into the mountains past Auburn.

Other than that, I can't think of a lot of "must sees".

vegaslocal

Thanks for the laugh Patrick! I needed that!

We will either drive straight through on the 28th or leave on the 27th and spend two days driving up the coast.

Thanks for all the suggestions Fodorites. I really appreciate it!

Gpaul

I asked the same question 3 days ago on another thread, and still no answers. Or, is that in itself the answer....

Patrick, you really got me laughing, gracias!

mpf

I would plan to be a little flexible with routes and number of days - you may not be able to see Patrick's suggestions! The I-5 can have dense fog, I-80 can be closed because of snow, as well as Hwy 395. Of course, they do try to keep 395 open for those holiday skiers, but we've been delayed a day several times getting to Carson City during the winter.

John_R

If you are on a dark desert highway with the cool wind in your hair and the warm smell of cloetus rising up through the air, and you see up ahead in the distance, a shimmering light, if your head has grown heavy and your sight has grown dim, you should probably stop for the night.
You might see the hostess in the doorway and hear the mission bell, and regardless of what AAA says, it could be heaven or it could be hell. Hopefully she'll have a candle and she'll show you the way. If you hear voices in the corridor, you'll probably hear them say...