Fastest and safest drive from Eureka to Reno? (Sacramento, Redding: construction, maintenance)

[909er]

Hi all, I'm mapping this route and see a few different options. I am not familiar with the area.

What would be the fastest route? I prefer the open freeway and 80 mph, so the fewer 2 lane twists and turns the better. I know I can't avoid them, but again I don't know the area. Maybe a local will know the best 2 lane to take, one that has occasional passing lanes and perhaps stretches of 4 lane?

[Bulldogdad]

I'm sure Dragonslayer will be along to give you some feedback as that's his area.

In the interim, The good lord is pretty sure your ****** no matter what route you take.

[eureka1]

This guy is a troll. Check his other posts.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by 909er

Hi all, I'm mapping this route and see a few different options. I am not familiar with the area.

What would be the fastest route? I prefer the open freeway and 80 mph, so the fewer 2 lane twists and turns the better. I know I can't avoid them, but again I don't know the area. Maybe a local will know the best 2 lane to take, one that has occasional passing lanes and perhaps stretches of 4 lane?

try google maps

[Hawk J]

I don't know which is the best. I have taken,

101 to 20

20 to I-5

I-5 to 80, by Sacramento

80 to Reno.

[Carlyee3]

Hi, used to live in Eureka Area. My preferred route to Reno was:

Arcata>US 299E> Redding>US 44E (via either 299 or 44 both out of Redding) ay Old Station/Hat Creek Valley>US 395S> Reno. I think I made it in about 7 hours during summer conditions. Winter could be different if snow and ice exists.No way to do it by freeway all the way.

I have done the other routes discussed above, but found this the fastest and easiest. No way to avoid curvy 2 lane roads, especially the 299 to Redding section and the 299 section from Redding to Burney Mountain.

Watch for CHP, thick as fleas some days.

[909er]

Arcata>US 299E> Redding>US 44E (via either 299 or 44 both out of Redding) ay Old Station/Hat Creek Valley>US 395S> Reno. I think I made it in about 7 hours during summer conditions. Winter could be different if snow and ice exists.No way to do it by freeway all the way.

Thank you so much So the 36 from Eureka all the way to 395 is a poor choice?

[OwlKaMyst]

Don't take 36....it is the worst of twisted roads and quite dangerous.
101 south to 20, 20 to 5 and 5 to 80 gets my vote.
But cutting across on 299 is a pretty drive.

[505HPC6Z06]

Originally Posted by eureka1

This guy is a troll. Check his other posts.

Nah. I-5 South passing the border is the best route

[Jaybee]

The route crosses two mountain chains; the Coast Range and either the Southern Cascades or the Northern Sierra. For that reason, expect to have to navigate via narrow two-lane roads. But, also due to the mountainous terrain, there are few cities and sparse traffic.

I live near Redding and have made the trips to/from the coast or to and from Reno many times. Best, and fastest route is Hwy. 101 to Arcata, then Hwy. 299 to Redding. At Redding change to Hwy. 44 east to Susanville and at Susanville transition to Hwy. 395 south to Reno. It mostly two lane, but there are occasional passing lanes and turnouts. I think seven hours is about right for this trip. It would be longer if done in the winter when the passes may be impacted by snow.

Also, there are construction delays that will no doubt slow the trip. The summer is when much of the maintenance work is done in the mountains in Northern CA. There is considerable work occurring at Buckhorn Summit-between Weaverville and Redding that is causing 30 minute delays.

There are several alternatives. One would be to take Hwy. 101 south down to Fortuna, then use Highway 36 east to Red Bluff. It's a much slower road than Hwy. 299, but you won't get caught in the Buckhorn Summit delay. Continue east on Hwy. 36 thru Red Bluff and on to Susanville where you'll connect with Hwy. 395 south to Reno. I'd allot an additional 30-45 minutes for this route. Like 299 this route can be affected by snowstorms, so if you're travelling in the winter-keep abreast of the weather.

These are the two most direct routes. There are some others that will require some "tacking" that'll only add considerable length/time to the trip.

Good luck.