Driving conditions - Salem --> L.A. --> Phoenix (Gilbert: price, dangerous) - City-Data Forum

Stefanie99 · 08-10-2012, 03:55 PM

We will be moving from Oregon to Gilbert, Arizona after the new year. We will be driving and according to Google maps, will take I-5 S to L.A., then I-210 E, then I-10 E to the Phoenix area. Oh, and this will be in February or March.

I am pretty sure I will not have any issues between here and L.A., weather-wise. And as far as I know, there's no passes or any type of unusual driving conditions I would need to worry about....right? But what about from L.A. to Phoenix (Gilbert)? Are there any ultra snowy passes that I will be going over? Or any particularly dangerous roads to worry about? Since it looks like I'll be on interstates most of the way, I was hoping that would mean a really easy drive.

Thanks for the help.

pbenjamin · 08-10-2012, 04:57 PM

Actually the place most likely to give you trouble is Tejon Pass on I-5 north of LA. It is occasionally closed due to weather that time of the year. Call CalTrans in advance and see if it is OK. You can take US-101 as an alternative if you know in advance. I-10 will be uneventful in any case.

Stefanie99 · 08-10-2012, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

Actually the place most likely to give you trouble is Tejon Pass on I-5 north of LA. It is occasionally closed due to weather that time of the year. Call CalTrans in advance and see if it is OK. You can take US-101 as an alternative if you know in advance. I-10 will be uneventful in any case.

Hmmm. I looked that up and it looks like it most definitely might cause problems at that time of year. I also looked up 101, which runs through Oregon as well (as the Oregon Coast Highway and I'm very familiar with it here) and that could be an option but I wonder how the condition of it is down through California? Here in Oregon, it's okay, but there are some pretty steep cliffs that it runs alongside, and several areas without guardrails...my mom will be in the passenger seat and I'm afraid she might have a heart attack if it's anything like it is along the Oregon coast, which I don't even think is bad, but my mom hates, lol.

Google maps offers another route, 'Veteran's Memorial Highway' route, that skips most of California and takes you through Nevada - do you know anything about that?

maverick974 · 08-10-2012, 08:12 PM

Hi Stephanie99,
I moved from Oregon 14 months ago and so far, I love every minute of it.
I have made that drive from Eugene to Phoenix many times during the winter. The biggest problems for me were going through the Siskiyou Mountains at the California/Oregon border. Those grades were always snowy out of Ashland and dangerous if you ask me so if there is snow on those passes, go slow or take the coast route through the Redwoods.
I rarely had a problem at the Tejon Pass known as "The Grapevine". Sometimes dense fog is a problem going through California's central valley but normally, it's not a problem.
One other area of concern is going through L.A. Every time I went through there the traffic was horrific regardless of time of day. The freeways in L.A. were in bad shape and add in the traffic and it made for an eye opening experience but once through L.A. the drive to Phoenix is a breeze. Just make sure your car is in decent shape and you shouldn't have a problem.
If you don't want to fight the traffic of L.A., you could bypass that by going through Tehachapi if the weather permits and then up to Lancaster and over to Palm Springs from there. Beautiful drive but it does take longer.
I always just took I-5 all the way down to Riverside/San Bernadino, catch the 60 which connects to I-10 direct to Phoenix.
Plan on at least 3 full days of driving.

goolsbyjazz · 08-12-2012, 01:12 AM

The drive from LA to Phoenix will not pose any problems as long as your car is in good running condition. Not the prettiest drive, though.

Marv101 · 08-14-2012, 09:20 PM

Once you make the transition from the 210 to I-10 in San bernardino, prepare for a very dull drive scenery-wise from San Bernardino to Phoenix, since it's essentially nothing but desert.

You'll alos notice that once you cross over into Arizona, the price of gasoline will be at least $.70/gallon cheaper, and it can frequently be $.85-$1.00/gallon less.

GSXRScott · 08-15-2012, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefanie99

But what about from L.A. to Phoenix (Gilbert)? Are there any ultra snowy passes that I will be going over?

Nope. Just brown desert with long straight roads.

Be careful passing Mt.Shasta. If memory serves, that section of I-5 can get a lot of snow. Ditto for that section of I-5 between Lebec, CA and Los Angeles.