prefrences on driving routes from the northwest

lee91103 · Post by **lee91103** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:57 am

I have read several links on the drive from Seattle to brc, and they don't seem to cover the finer points, and having never driven to Nevada myself i was just looking to get some views from the eplaya awesomeness on peoples preferred routes , rest stops , and if they drive straight thru or not . we will have 3 people driving together, and in our preburn planning we are all gung ho to drive straight thru. just wanted some veterans opinions on this ... thank you all

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:09 am

I-5 to hwy44 to susanville. from Susanville take 395 to Reno. then 80 to 447 in fernley. Seems like a hassle, but you dont have to climb the sierras..as much. May be easier to take the 80 route from Sacramento...just tossing this out.

knowmad · Post by **knowmad** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:34 am

What are you driving and how loaded with gear are you bringing? I've made this trip a few times, In a skoolie.

Post by **mdmf007** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:09 pm

TomServo wrote:I-5 to hwy44 to Susanville. from Susanville take 395 to Reno. then 80 to 447 in fernley. Seems like a hassle, but you don't have to climb the sierras..as much. May be easier to take the 80 route from Sacramento...just tossing this out.

Thats the long route, If your in Susanville take Smoke Creek road to Gerlach. Going through Reno from Seattle adds 108 miles to your route and 2 hours.

Coming from Seattle. Mapquest has the quickest route. Through Klamath Falls.

Klamath Falls is also the last chance for bog box stores etc. Everyone is an expert, but after at least a hundred trips in trucks from Seattle to Gerlach, Winnemuccathis is the quickest route.
http://mapq.st/fG1KGE

Post by **Savannah** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:23 pm

mdmf007 is right. No need to go through Reno or even through Gerlach, NV (you can see Gerlach off to the right, and detour through it if you want, but technically you wont drive through town). Directions from the PNW to BRC are in the 2010 Survival Guide, which is a must read:

http://www.burningman.com/preparation/t ... o_brc.html

Basically, you drive south until you hit Eugene, OR, then start heading diagonally East across the state towards Klamath Falls, which is a fine town for last minute shopping; they have a very good full service Fred Meyer store there on Washburn Way right off the interstate, where I like to pick up any forgotten items + bread & water; purchases I like to delay 'til the last second. (If you're relying on this store for anything, call ahead & check their hours.)

Then South to Alturas, CA (a good place to load up heavily on gas at the ever-popular Chevron station) and the little towns after that . . . Cedarville, etc. I would advise a road atlas featuring OR, CA and NV.

It is definitely possible to drive straight through from Seattle--I know at least one person who's done it--but not advisable for most. It is a long trip even when you divide it in two. Reserve drivers may find it impossible to nap while other people are driving. Also, the trip is at least 15 hours (not including breaks or shopping). Do not listen to Google Maps when it tells you that it's about 13 hours, because the last 90-120 minutes you will want to go slow due to cows on Rt 447.

Camping or getting a motel halfway (mid Oregon, in one of the small towns) is a really nice way to go, because when you arrive, you will still have to:

1) wait in line 2-3 hours to get in, if you're lucky, and if your ticket is at Will Call, add more time.

and

2) set up your sleeping arrangements (another hour?) Sleeping in the vehicle, when there are several people, is miserable unless you have an RV.

Full 2010 Survival Guide is here:
http://www.burningman.com/preparation/e ... index.html

Leo · Post by **Leo** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 2:20 pm

I have traveled multiple routes from Seattle to Burning Man. My favorite route is to travel on I-5 south to Eugene, taking state highway 58 east (over Willamette Pass) to highway 97. Head south on US highway 97 to Klamath Falls.

Klamath Falls is a great place for an overnight stop with affordable motels and big box stores for last minute shopping. Klamath Falls also has a cool "Art Deco" downtown with some interesting shops and restaurants, but the town closes down by 10:00pm.

The grocery store on the west outskirts of Alturas, Ca is a good place for stocking up on ice, fresh produce, and booze (booze is cheaper in grocery stores in California than in the stare liquor stores of Oregon and Washington). Cedarville CA, is a great place to top off the gas tank and grab that last espresso before reaching Black Rock City.

Last year, a friend and I drove from Black Rock City to Seattle in one day. We left BRC just before 8:00am on Sunday to avoid the "Exodus rush hour" traffic. We arrived in Seattle around 10:30 pm. This was accomplished with 5 brief "pit stops" for gas, restroom, and road food to go. YMMV

Post by **Savannah** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:46 pm

I will agree that it's a little easier to haul ass on the way back.

1) Much less likely to stop & shop. 2) Departure times tend to vary more than entrance times, meaning there may be no line on the way out (last year, Exodus took us 2.5 hours on Labor Day--not bad.) 3) One is unlikely to encounter a miserable dust-storm in OR or WA that prevents you from moving forward. 4) No search at the Gate, or Will Call. 5) No need to drive slowly for 20 minutes scouting camp sites before you unload . . . or possibly longer if you're trying to find friends. 6) You know the way back better than the way down, having driven it once, and know what you're in for. 7) Much less care in tearing down camp than erecting it, & you can tear a lot down the night before.

However on the way down from Seattle, the first time, it's good to have allowed for the possibility of wanting to stop--either the money to stop at a motel, or the awareness of a few campgrounds in Oregon.

Leo · Post by **Leo** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 7:10 pm

Driving from Seattle to Black Rock City, I would agree with Savannah and plan on an overnight stop on the way down. Eugene, Bend, or Klamath falls are all great stopping points. From Klamath Falls it is about a four hour drive to Gerlach. As Savannah mentioned, you should allow time for the "crawl" from the Gerlach to the front gate of Burning Man, plus additional time to search for your camping spot.

Disregard the estimated travel time from Mapquest. Once you are on the two-lane highways, you will be traveling as fast as the burner's 1974 Winnebago Chieftain that is in front of you.

some seeing eye · Post by **some seeing eye** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:12 pm

I have done every route from Portland: SF/Sacramento, Susanville-Reno, Eugene - KFalls and Bend-Lakeview to Alturas- Cedarview. The Gwally pages Savannah lists are excellent.

I would strongly suggest breaking a Bellingham or Seattle trip with an overnight stop, inbound and outbound.

There are camping spots and inexpensive hotels. With a stop you can time your entrance to set up camp outside peak sun and darkness. If you leave K Falls about noon or 1 you can be on playa 3 or 4.

Outbound Summer Lake Hot Springs is a continuing burner party you can tent or just throw a sleeping bag in the ground. Nice to clean the dust off for the trip back.

The 447 route to and from Cedarville has little traffic compared to the road to Reno, but enough that someone will stop if you need help. Take the steep and curved sections of 447 and the cows seriously. Most serious disasters are driver fatigue.

lee91103 · Post by **lee91103** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:46 pm

you guys rock so much , my trip planning just became so much easier, i believe we have read all the routes from here to there and really were looking for the tips that we got here from all of your personal experiences. thank you all so much

some seeing eye · Post by **some seeing eye** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:09 pm

If you plan to have as full a tank of fuel as possible, you can skip going in to Gerlach completely. It's always a big traffic jam.

Stickygreen · Post by **Stickygreen** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:55 pm

http://gwally.com/directions/cat_routes.php

I've driven all four of these route's, and #1 is my preferred, just read Leo's comments up above, he said just what I was thinking.....

great minds think alike.

Post by **Savannah** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:13 pm

If you plan to have as full a tank of fuel as possible, you can skip going in to Gerlach completely. It's always a big traffic jam.

Seriously. Top up on gas in Alturas, CA. Every vehicle I've ever been in has done so; it seems to work out well. (Of course, we weren't using gasoline for anything else once we were there). Cedarville, CA is further south of Alturas and has a gas station, but I'm not sure of the hours. (Cedarville does have a BBQ place open late, and they seem friendly). People in Cedarville, more often than not, wave. One year I saw a man on the porch of his beautiful, very old two-story home, backlit & silhouetted standing in the doorway, smoking a cigarette and watching caravan after caravan go by. I don't know why that image stays with me.

I haven't actually set foot in Gerlach in a number of years; I just glimpse it on the way. Unless you have early entry to the event, you could easily lose 2 hours going into Gerlach. 20 minutes on the way in, tops, but a million years on the way out.

That said, if you enter/leave the event at a non-traditional time during a reasonable hour, and have little traffic, the locals have car washes and other fundraisers, and it's excellent to support them.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:36 am

IMHO, Route 3 is the best with an overnight stay at Summer Lake Hot Springs going and returning. There are few other better pre-funk options than Summer Lake enroute.

Route 3: the low pass, Summer Lake Hot Spring Route Seattle, Vancouver, Bend, La Pine, Lakeview, Alturas, Cedarville, Gerlach via: I-5, I-205, US-26, US-97, OR-31, US-395, CA-299, CA/NV-447

lee91103 · Post by **lee91103** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:02 pm

the gwally page is primarily what we were reading and using for our trip planning , thanks so much for the info on gas station timing and what conveniences are available , we are planning on topping off the tank before we arrive and also filling up a five gallon gas can for that just in case factor which if not needed we are going to gift it to an art car, or cleanup crew . Plus we are loving the idea of a summer lake stop or klamath falls for cleanup and re energizing before making a long trip back.

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 5:31 pm

Chemult,OR was always our destination for staying overnight when heading to BRC from Seattle(9 years we took that Williamette route.).
The Featherbed Inn is the last business on the left heading south, and has the BEST beds on earth(1 foot thick goosedown pillowtops on them), and the proprieter is a LOONY lady!
The restuarant right next to it is pretty frekking good too, can't remember the name of it right now, but I can taste thier hashbrowns as I am typing this.

Post by **Savannah** » Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:42 pm

We stayed in Chemult once--on the way back! It was the nearest thing to halfway we could estimate by just eyeballing it.

The little motel (not the Featherbed Inn, alas) was the cheapest I've ever stayed in. I did not trust the locks, but exhaustion made us sleep like dusty babies.

attilio · Post by **attilio** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:51 am

A nice little drive: from Salem, OR, take hwy 22 east to hwy 97, then southeast on 31 (this is like a secret shortcut highway) to Lakeview. The rest is easy.

prefrences on driving routes from the northwest

prefrences on driving routes from the northwest

this was exactly what i was looking for