Driving from Milpitas to Medford, Oregon (live in, required, winter)

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I wonder why ODOT say they're frequent in the Siskiyou Pass. They must be lying for some reason. They didn't seem to be rare when I lived near the Willamette Pass, but it depends on the year.

Maybe because whoever wrote that is talking about something they know nothing about? The Siskiyou Pass is in California. Why would you take the word of ODOT over Caltrans about what happens in California? That entire page is poorly written and doesn't even make sense. Nothing on it is clear.

The Caltrans explanation is much simpler and clearer.

Chain Requirement Levels

During the winter months, motorists may encounter traction chain controls in the mountain areas within California. When chain controls are established, signs will be posted along the road indicating the type of requirement. There are Three Levels of Chain Requirements in California:

Requirement 1 (R-1): Chains are required on all vehicles except passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks under 6,000 pounds gross weight and equipped with snow tires on at least two drive wheels. Chains must be carried by vehicles using snow tires. All vehicles towing trailers must have chains on one drive axle. Trailers with brakes must have chains on at least one axle.

Requirement 2 (R2): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels. NOTE: (Four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas.)

Requirement 3 (R3): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.

R-1 and R-2 are the most common conditions. A highway will often be closed before an R-3 condition is imposed.

Chain Controls _ Chain Installation _ Caltrans

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Maybe because whoever wrote that is talking about something they know nothing about? The Siskiyou Pass is in California.

The Siskiyou Pass is in Oregon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siskiyou_Pass

Siskiyou Pass (sometimes called Siskiyou Summit) is a historic mountain pass in the Siskiyou Mountains of Jackson County. It is the most used pass in the U.S. state of Oregon.

https://www.dangerousroads.org/north...ou-summit.html

Siskiyou Summit is a mountain pass at an elevation of 1.314m (4,310ft) above the sea level, located in Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Those conditional closures are very rare I think.

They're actually not-so-rare in the Siskiyou Pass. Saw them more than a few times when I lived near Willamette Pass as well. I've never seen the cops going around checking for them, but that's not a good reason for those who've never driven in ice/snow before not to have them.

A conditional road closure may occur on any of Oregon's highways and are frequent in the winter on Interstate 5 through the Siskiyou Pass south of Ashland.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

The Siskiyou Pass is in Oregon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siskiyou_Pass.

Thanks, you got me there.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Maybe because whoever wrote that is talking about something they know nothing about?

You should probably not say stuff like this.

[pnwguy2]

Most drivers today don’t know how to install chains. But the bigger problem is most vehicles don’t every carry them. I suppose there are some random folks on major highways that are willing to help out, for a price. My best advice is to become skilled at putting on chains. My guess this about 3 percent of the population. Llisten to snow reports. Delaying your trip is perhaps better than dealing with chain requirements, unless you are a skilled tire person.

Washington State says they are cracking down on this. But perhaps are just giving false warnings.

[prosin]

(This post is likely too late for OP, but if someone else later would like advice):

As a WA resident who spent their first 40 years in CA, I get this. When it snows where I live, I am housebound until it clears, as I didn't grow up where it snowed and I'm not about to travel/drive in it as I'd likely screw it up and be in an accident.

We moved to WA 15+ years ago, and we head to Nor CA for the holidays and Spring Break every year, so winter travel conditions are something I'm pretty familiar with.

Stick to the I-5 route. Seriously. Check the Caltrans site (https://dot.ca.gov/) and TripCheck.com for Oregon frequently for updated information. Travel during daytime hours if possible, for the obvious reason that sun and warmer temps mean less ice or snow buildup. Snow tires? Likely that's overkill, as most locations on I-5 are *not* in Snow Zones. But snow socks may be all that is needed for your vehicle if it is 2WD.

I-5 will be the priority for the state highway system to be treated and cleared, as it is the main thoroughfare for not only north/south travel but commerce. Lesser highways and coastal highways are less important; even worse, coastal highways have washouts during big storms that close highways for days. My adult child who goes to college on OR coast drove home for Thanksgiving and they went the coastal route. Kiddo was nervous the whole way. Not for fear of snow, but due to rain and wind for trees falling or washouts.

Trust me, no one at ODOT or Caltrans is going to want to listen to hundreds of complaint calls because they can't get their stuff delivered on time. I-5 is the priority and it will be the way to travel.

[ejisme]

Well, it's the 5th today. How did your drive go?

[craigthuan]

Hi all,
Sorry to taking so long to reply all. Before we left, we decided to change all season tires and bought snow chain. We arrived home on Dec 6th, got sick then we both tested positive with Covid. Today we are back to normal and we would like to thank you all for your inputs.
We left Milpitas, CA on December 5th. We stayed overnight at Redding due to all roads closured on I-5. We left Redding on Dec 6th around 9:30AM. All roads were clear. We were very impress with DOT. Although all roads are cleaned but we drove between 50-55 MPH to make sure we were safe.

Once again, thank you very much all for your inputs. Your inputs are very helpful to us. It lead us to decide to change all season tires and bought snow chain. God bless you all! Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by craigthuan

Hi all,
Sorry to taking so long to reply all. Before we left, we decided to change all season tires and bought snow chain. We arrived home on Dec 6th, got sick then we both tested positive with Covid. Today we are back to normal and we would like to thank you all for your inputs.
We left Milpitas, CA on December 5th. We stayed overnight at Redding due to all roads closured on I-5. We left Redding on Dec 6th around 9:30AM. All roads were clear. We were very impress with DOT. Although all roads are cleaned but we drove between 50-55 MPH to make sure we were safe.

Once again, thank you very much all for your inputs. Your inputs are very helpful to us. It lead us to decide to change all season tires and bought snow chain. God bless you all! Have a wonderful and safe holiday.

Sorry you wasted the money on the snow chains, which I doubt you will ever use. But the all season tires were a good investment. I'm happy it worked out well for you other then the COVID.

[CaliforniaPlaya]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Sorry you wasted the money on the snow chains, which I doubt you will ever use. But the all season tires were a good investment. I'm happy it worked out well for you other then the COVID.

Probably not a waste, they have them for next time IF there is a next time. I drive this route a few times a year from just north of OP in Fremont to the Oregon coast, but before any snowfall. If I was doing it in the winter, I would definitely carry chains, although I have no clue how to put them on, I'd figure it out long beforehand, if needed. Glad OP had a safe trip.