Nevada to Reno. Mini road trip.
Discussion
I'VE JUST LOOKED AT A MAP & TO MY SURPRISE I DISCOVERED THAT SAN FRANCISCO IS FAR CLOSER TO RENO THAN VEGAS. SO, NOTHING TO SEE HERE AS I'LL BE FLYING INTO THERE INSEAD
dear friend of mine is getting married in Reno in a mid November. I plan to attend the wedding. I would assume that the nearest major airport is Vegas? I've travelled to Vegas several times. But, I've never driven up towards Reno.
My plan is to fly into Vegas on a Wednesday and strike out towards Reno the next day. Arriving on Friday, in time for the Saturday wedding.
Where should I go & what should I see on my two day journey? Do you know of any good hotels to stop over on the Thursday night?
How about accommodation in Reno? I'll need a hotel for three nights.
How about the weather in mid November? Would snow be an issue on my journey?
Or, is the journey so very boring that I should fly LV - Reno instead?
Thanks.
dear friend of mine is getting married in Reno in a mid November. I plan to attend the wedding. I would assume that the nearest major airport is Vegas? I've travelled to Vegas several times. But, I've never driven up towards Reno.
My plan is to fly into Vegas on a Wednesday and strike out towards Reno the next day. Arriving on Friday, in time for the Saturday wedding.
Where should I go & what should I see on my two day journey? Do you know of any good hotels to stop over on the Thursday night?
How about accommodation in Reno? I'll need a hotel for three nights.
How about the weather in mid November? Would snow be an issue on my journey?
Or, is the journey so very boring that I should fly LV - Reno instead?
Thanks.
Edited by Blib on Wednesday 1st October 08:48
Edited by Blib on Wednesday 1st October 08:57
Yup, Reno is indeed a pretty awful place. We go to Lake Tahoe every year (and drive from SF) and since Reno is less than an hour away we had to visit. Once. That was enough. I really love Vegas and was looking forward to a mini-version, but it's more akin to Blackpool...without the pleasure beach, without the sea, without the piers and without the trams. There's a nice driving road between Reno and Virginia City though.
Edit/PS if you're flying there most flights from the UK have a connection in SF and every year we look (it would be much more convenient to fly to Reno for Tahoe) it's quicker and cheaper to just fly to SF and then drive rather than get a flight to Reno. The drive on the 80 from SF to Sacramento is pretty boring, but Old Town Sacramento is neat (and just off the freeway) and there's a good train museum. If you then take the 50 up through the mountains via Lake Tahoe rather than the all-weather 80 then that really is a nice drive with some stunning views in places. So you can still do a mini-road trip...only do it in a day from SF. You can also route to/from Sacramento from SF through Napa Valley...which is nice.
Edit/PS if you're flying there most flights from the UK have a connection in SF and every year we look (it would be much more convenient to fly to Reno for Tahoe) it's quicker and cheaper to just fly to SF and then drive rather than get a flight to Reno. The drive on the 80 from SF to Sacramento is pretty boring, but Old Town Sacramento is neat (and just off the freeway) and there's a good train museum. If you then take the 50 up through the mountains via Lake Tahoe rather than the all-weather 80 then that really is a nice drive with some stunning views in places. So you can still do a mini-road trip...only do it in a day from SF. You can also route to/from Sacramento from SF through Napa Valley...which is nice.
Edited by tvrolet on Wednesday 1st October 13:13
The opening day for skiing at Heavenly (South Lake Tahoe) is November 21 
You may get snow through the mountains (but it looks so much nicer) but they do an astonishing job of keeping the road open, although in severe weather the cops will be checking 4WD and winter tyres or chains (with chain-up points and folks to help). We always rent a 4x4 (usually a Chevy Tahoe 
)...and they don't actually check the tyres. Usually it's enough just to slow down by the cop beside the 'chain-up now' sign and hold up 4 fingers and he'll nod and let you through.
Chances are it will be totally clear as in maybe a dozen trips over the route we've only ever seen it in heavy snow a coupe of times, and always open to 4x4s/chains. But probably worthwhile renting a 4x4 just in case. And note that a lot of the SUVs on rental sites aren't actually 4x4. We've been caught a coupe of times with 2WD SUVs...but had clear roads.
You'll always get to Reno from SF by road though as the 80 is an all-weather highway and always open...but not a patch on the 50, but you don't have to make that call until Sacramento. With the highest mountain in the UK being 4000 feet it's quite neat passing the roadside height markers 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 feet. And on a nice day the view dropping into the Tahoe basis is spectacular.
Dunno what the sat nav planning software says, but SF to Tahoe is an easy drive in under 4 hours even taking a detour over Golden Gate, and Reno's only an hour further on. There really is nothing of note to see between SF and Sacramento (unless you take a big detour) and there are plenty cops on the route and we've seen loads of folks pulled by both cars and bikes (cops on BMWs, not Harleys!). Train museum in Old Town Sacramento is certainly worth a visit if you're in to that sort of thing.
If it were me I'd do SF to South Lake Tahoe in a single day (with a stop at Sacramento) and spend the night on Harrahs as the casinos often have better rates than the regular hotels. South lake tahoe is pretty spread out and in truth not much to see unless you're there so ski in winter or hike/watersports in summer, but the casinos are central. But even if it's pre the ski season the gondola should be open and if its a clear day take it up to the observation deck (about 9000 feet; the lake's about 6000 feet elevation) and the lake is truly stunning on a blue-ski day. The gondola is next to Marriott Timber Lodge (my timeshare).
Then take the 'long way' round the lake by going clockwise (so back-tracking a few miles to the 'Y') and back round to the 50 - so if the lake was a clock-face going clockwise from a 6:00 position to 3:00 and then across the pass to Reno. And if it was me, snow permitting I'd also want to put a few runs in at Squaw Valley...
You could do worse than going back via Napa Valley from Sacramento and a few of the wineries...I presume they're open at that time of year?
You may get snow through the mountains (but it looks so much nicer) but they do an astonishing job of keeping the road open, although in severe weather the cops will be checking 4WD and winter tyres or chains (with chain-up points and folks to help). We always rent a 4x4 (usually a Chevy Tahoe )...and they don't actually check the tyres. Usually it's enough just to slow down by the cop beside the 'chain-up now' sign and hold up 4 fingers and he'll nod and let you through.Chances are it will be totally clear as in maybe a dozen trips over the route we've only ever seen it in heavy snow a coupe of times, and always open to 4x4s/chains. But probably worthwhile renting a 4x4 just in case. And note that a lot of the SUVs on rental sites aren't actually 4x4. We've been caught a coupe of times with 2WD SUVs...but had clear roads.
You'll always get to Reno from SF by road though as the 80 is an all-weather highway and always open...but not a patch on the 50, but you don't have to make that call until Sacramento. With the highest mountain in the UK being 4000 feet it's quite neat passing the roadside height markers 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 feet. And on a nice day the view dropping into the Tahoe basis is spectacular.
Dunno what the sat nav planning software says, but SF to Tahoe is an easy drive in under 4 hours even taking a detour over Golden Gate, and Reno's only an hour further on. There really is nothing of note to see between SF and Sacramento (unless you take a big detour) and there are plenty cops on the route and we've seen loads of folks pulled by both cars and bikes (cops on BMWs, not Harleys!). Train museum in Old Town Sacramento is certainly worth a visit if you're in to that sort of thing.
If it were me I'd do SF to South Lake Tahoe in a single day (with a stop at Sacramento) and spend the night on Harrahs as the casinos often have better rates than the regular hotels. South lake tahoe is pretty spread out and in truth not much to see unless you're there so ski in winter or hike/watersports in summer, but the casinos are central. But even if it's pre the ski season the gondola should be open and if its a clear day take it up to the observation deck (about 9000 feet; the lake's about 6000 feet elevation) and the lake is truly stunning on a blue-ski day. The gondola is next to Marriott Timber Lodge (my timeshare
).Then take the 'long way' round the lake by going clockwise (so back-tracking a few miles to the 'Y') and back round to the 50 - so if the lake was a clock-face going clockwise from a 6:00 position to 3:00 and then across the pass to Reno. And if it was me, snow permitting I'd also want to put a few runs in at Squaw Valley...
You could do worse than going back via Napa Valley from Sacramento and a few of the wineries...I presume they're open at that time of year?
Thank you so much for taking the time to post that information, tvrolet. Posts like yours are what makes PH. I really appreciate it.
One more thing. Even though I'm a goatee wearing, company director, I had a scary moment driving in Death Valley last year which has made me wary of driving up roads with steep, un-railed drops. Does the 50 have any of those as it may cause me an issue?
One more thing. Even though I'm a goatee wearing, company director, I had a scary moment driving in Death Valley last year which has made me wary of driving up roads with steep, un-railed drops. Does the 50 have any of those as it may cause me an issue?
Blib said:
Thank you so much for taking the time to post that information, tvrolet. Posts like yours are what makes PH. I really appreciate it.
One more thing. Even though I'm a goatee wearing, company director, I had a scary moment driving in Death Valley last year which has made me wary of driving up roads with steep, un-railed drops. Does the 50 have any of those as it may cause me an issue?
The 50 is quite a major route and used by trucks and the like. It's not like an alpine pass and I don't recall anything particularly steep and it all has barriers or rails (although I can't recall anything steep at Death Valley either but that's another matter...). For a large part it's through forests and it's a 2-lane each way divided highway for quite a few miles after Sacramento and even the later 1-lane each way sections are wide with [fairly] regular passing lanes. I'm maybe bigging this up too much as although it's a nice drive it ain't the Stelvio Pass! I don't tend to take too many photos of the drive up/down but I dug out a few from previous years. So here's a few thumbnails...One more thing. Even though I'm a goatee wearing, company director, I had a scary moment driving in Death Valley last year which has made me wary of driving up roads with steep, un-railed drops. Does the 50 have any of those as it may cause me an issue?
This is 'as bad as it gets'. I only took it as it's the first glance of the lake in the distance after the summit, but I think that's about the only bit with any sort of drop-off. But you've got a barrier AND a wall there - what more do you need
Another trip and one of the few snowy journeys. They really do keep the roads amazingly clear with ploughs running up and down continually so the only real build-up is since the last plough passed. And they set you off in little convoys so there's always other traffic about.
But more often when we travel it's like this - with roads cleared 'to black'. And the air is so dry the roads dry off real quick. I recall this was a trip home and we got up in the morning and it was a snow-chain advisory, and when we left 2 hours later the snow was all gone, and not long after the roads dried out totally.
If you're in Reno it's probably worth a trip to Virginia City. One of the few places with proper historic American buildings instead of pastiches.
And this is the road from Virginia City to Reno (the one in the middle-right going round the hill). Nice driving road, and Reno is on the plain in the distance,
I'm maybe bigging this up too much as in reality South Lake Tahoe doesn't have much except a few casinos, skiing, a lake and scenery...but I like it. On the day we left this year there was a dump of snow overnight and the bluebirds were out the next morning. So snow, a beach, a lake (in the distance), mountains and bluebirds
And as the owner of an esteemed 'awesome' picture thread, here's an awesome steam loco (that's the front) from the rail museum in Sacramento. That's a BIG engine.
Wow, above and beyond. Thank you once more.
As for Death Valley. There's an abandoned movie set far into the hinterland. It was built for a movie, whose name I've forgotten, in the 1910s-20s.
The road was pretty straightforward to start with. But, as it climbed it became narrower and narrower and the paving stopped. Eventually, it became a single, unguarded track, just wide enough for our Jeep, with a drop of several hundred feet down to the valley floor.
After a mile or so, I decided that I wasn't interested in visiting the set any longer. I handed the driving over to Mrs Blib. She found a place to turn around and we returned from whence we came.
It really got to me. I've never felt like that before. I'll be alone in November. So, I'd prefer not to get into a similar position on the road to Reno, if at all possible.
As for Death Valley. There's an abandoned movie set far into the hinterland. It was built for a movie, whose name I've forgotten, in the 1910s-20s.
The road was pretty straightforward to start with. But, as it climbed it became narrower and narrower and the paving stopped. Eventually, it became a single, unguarded track, just wide enough for our Jeep, with a drop of several hundred feet down to the valley floor.
After a mile or so, I decided that I wasn't interested in visiting the set any longer. I handed the driving over to Mrs Blib. She found a place to turn around and we returned from whence we came.
It really got to me. I've never felt like that before. I'll be alone in November. So, I'd prefer not to get into a similar position on the road to Reno, if at all possible.
Flight in SF booked. Chevy Camaro SS booked. I now need a hotel in Lake Tahoe to stay in overnight.(unless you know a better town to stay in near to Reno?) before I head over to Reno on the Saturday for my friend's wedding.
I will leave Reno on the Sunday and head back to SF arriving on Tuesday afternoon. So, two days wandering back. I've been to SF several times over the years. But, I've never visited Yosemite. I hear it's absolutely spectacular. Are there any other places that I should consider? I'm not interested in visiting vineyards as I don't drink.
I will leave Reno on the Sunday and head back to SF arriving on Tuesday afternoon. So, two days wandering back. I've been to SF several times over the years. But, I've never visited Yosemite. I hear it's absolutely spectacular. Are there any other places that I should consider? I'm not interested in visiting vineyards as I don't drink.
Reno's not so bad if you stay away from downtown (pop in for a look though), outside of downtown its just like any other American city(town) with the usual hotels and restaurants. Claim jumpers is probably one of the better chain restaurants in town, or the Texas roadhouse which is a bit cheaper.
That's probably the exact point where one snowy day we came around the corner and were greeted by a sedan sliding backwards down the road, as they turned sideways they started to head towards the snow bank and large drop, I see now from your pic why the snow bank held up to the shunt but it made the heart skip a beat not knowing if there was a solid barrier underneath the snow, dread to think what was going through the mind of the driver, but she was quickly distracted as when she came to a stop and got out she promptly slipped on the ice and fell on her ass, guess it hadn't occurred to her it may be slippery when she got out! The following week saw 8 foot of snowfall and the whole of Tahoe was under chain controls all week, thank god we spent an hour in SF to search out the only 4x4 suv with M+S tires! Shame we haven't really been back to ski Tahoe the last couple of years as that event seems to have been their last snow!
I would disagree with the I80 always being open, it does shut at Truckee and over Donner pass in a bad storm, but its pretty high priority to open up again so usually open during the following morning.
If you go up via Tahoe and US50 come back via I80 as there are some pretty good views along there too, and probably east to west are the better ones with turn out view points etc
That's probably the exact point where one snowy day we came around the corner and were greeted by a sedan sliding backwards down the road, as they turned sideways they started to head towards the snow bank and large drop, I see now from your pic why the snow bank held up to the shunt but it made the heart skip a beat not knowing if there was a solid barrier underneath the snow, dread to think what was going through the mind of the driver, but she was quickly distracted as when she came to a stop and got out she promptly slipped on the ice and fell on her ass, guess it hadn't occurred to her it may be slippery when she got out! The following week saw 8 foot of snowfall and the whole of Tahoe was under chain controls all week, thank god we spent an hour in SF to search out the only 4x4 suv with M+S tires! Shame we haven't really been back to ski Tahoe the last couple of years as that event seems to have been their last snow!
I would disagree with the I80 always being open, it does shut at Truckee and over Donner pass in a bad storm, but its pretty high priority to open up again so usually open during the following morning.
If you go up via Tahoe and US50 come back via I80 as there are some pretty good views along there too, and probably east to west are the better ones with turn out view points etc
Moving on to the next stage.
I've booked the Peppermill Resort in Reno for the night after the wedding. I'm thinking of driving from SF to Lake Tahoe on the Friday and staying there overnight before spending a few hours mooching around on Saturday morning, then heading over to Rono.
Any suggestions for a good place to stay, location wise, so that I can make the most of about 18 hours there? I'd prefer up to a mid range price hotel.
I've booked the Peppermill Resort in Reno for the night after the wedding. I'm thinking of driving from SF to Lake Tahoe on the Friday and staying there overnight before spending a few hours mooching around on Saturday morning, then heading over to Rono.
Any suggestions for a good place to stay, location wise, so that I can make the most of about 18 hours there? I'd prefer up to a mid range price hotel.
we have stayed in the palace SF a few times, its an SPG luxury collection hotel, so pricy but not excessively, especially as its in SF, Short walk to Union sq and therefore the cable cars and shops and the F-Train runs down market and stops right out front, so easy to the Embarcadero and piers.
We have also stayed in the mandarin Oriental SF, Closer to the financial district but still on the (less useful) cable car line, Its one of the few hotels on the top of a sky scraper, bit more pricy than the palace but with fantastic views.
We have also stayed in the mandarin Oriental SF, Closer to the financial district but still on the (less useful) cable car line, Its one of the few hotels on the top of a sky scraper, bit more pricy than the palace but with fantastic views.
Sorry should learn to read, i see your after recommendations for Tahoe.
We have stayed in the Marriott and Embassy at state line, both in the "nice" bit around the heavenly gondola and the CA side, so no casinos, but the casinos are 100yds away.
Both are big hotels, the Marriott slightly better than the Embassy, but both true to their brands.
They are both in the thick of it in terms of shops, restaurants casinos etc, but south Tahoe is quite spread out so some things may be a bit of a drive away wherever you stay.
ETA you should really ignore me, its been a while since we stayed in Tahoe due to lack of snow and staying in Reno, but it seems the embassy is no more, its now the Lake Tahoe Resort. Its in a good location but who knows what the service is like now. The Marriot still seems to be there though and its next door, closer to heavenly but further from the casinos.
We have stayed in the Marriott and Embassy at state line, both in the "nice" bit around the heavenly gondola and the CA side, so no casinos, but the casinos are 100yds away.
Both are big hotels, the Marriott slightly better than the Embassy, but both true to their brands.
They are both in the thick of it in terms of shops, restaurants casinos etc, but south Tahoe is quite spread out so some things may be a bit of a drive away wherever you stay.
ETA you should really ignore me, its been a while since we stayed in Tahoe due to lack of snow and staying in Reno, but it seems the embassy is no more, its now the Lake Tahoe Resort. Its in a good location but who knows what the service is like now. The Marriot still seems to be there though and its next door, closer to heavenly but further from the casinos.
Edited by ViperDave on Tuesday 7th October 13:18
My trip is slowly taking shape. But, I've a couple of questions.
I will have from Sunday morning until Tuesday evening to get back from the wedding in Reno to SF, where I'll drop off the car. Looking at the map, I think that I could spend Sunday night in or around Yosemite (I know, it's huge) then drive to Monterey with a Monday night stay over, before heading up the PCH to SF on Tuesday.
Is that too much? Will it be all driving and not enough 'touristing'?
Also, I'm picking up my car on Friday morning and so, I've got a Friday night stop over before I head into Reno on Saturday morning. Should I head to Lake Tahoe as it's so close to Reno? Or, is there another place to head for on Friday? Virginia City, perhaps?
Any hotel suggestions would help too.
Thanks.
I will have from Sunday morning until Tuesday evening to get back from the wedding in Reno to SF, where I'll drop off the car. Looking at the map, I think that I could spend Sunday night in or around Yosemite (I know, it's huge) then drive to Monterey with a Monday night stay over, before heading up the PCH to SF on Tuesday.
Is that too much? Will it be all driving and not enough 'touristing'?
Also, I'm picking up my car on Friday morning and so, I've got a Friday night stop over before I head into Reno on Saturday morning. Should I head to Lake Tahoe as it's so close to Reno? Or, is there another place to head for on Friday? Virginia City, perhaps?
Any hotel suggestions would help too.
Thanks.
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