Route Planning Help

[101stpathfinder]

I am planning my 48plus route and have used Interstates over 80% of the route.

I am looking for alternative "Short Cuts" in case I get behind schedule. I am taking

I- 40W into Needles,CA and am planning on going west until I-15 to Vegas. I see a

time saver (If I need it) by taking Highway #95N out of Needles. Anyone have some

insight on this highway? The trip will be in May. Thanks, Tony

 

[rickcorwn]

Hwy 95 is the way to go. It's a good two lane road with a pretty large amount of truck traffic. The trucks will slow you some but not near enough to take I-40 all the way to I-15. That's what we did

 

[101stpathfinder]

Hwy 95 is the way to go. It's a good two lane road with a pretty large amount of truck traffic. The trucks will slow you some but not near enough to take I-40 all the way to I-15. That's what we did

Elevation ? Is it doable at night? Tired? :lol:

 

[Indian Scout]

Hwy 95 is the way to go. It's a good two lane road with a pretty large amount of truck traffic. The trucks will slow you some but not near enough to take I-40 all the way to I-15. That's what we did

Elevation ? Is it doable at night? Tired? :lol:

Very doable. Live stock should not be a problem. Be sure to take the 95 thats west of Needles and not the Arizona 95 directly north out of needles. Also be sure to gas up in Needles although there is gas in Searchlight but I am not sure they are open at night.

You will only have a couple of stop lights the whole way and no cities or towns of any size. From Henderson to Vegas you will be on a freeway.

 

[AVGeek]

They recently finished the upgrades from the Nevada state line all the way through Searchlight, so it is 2 lanes in each direction all the way into Boulder City (where 95 joins 93). Gas is most expensive at the gas station at the Laughlin cutoff, followed by Searchlight (two stations there, both open 24 hours IIRC), if you can wait until Henderson or Las Vegas, you'll pay less there. Better to get gas in AZ, its the cheapest state of the three in that area.

The 95 stretch in Cali is a bit rough, and there is a railroad crossing that REQUIRES you to slow down to 20mph or so (no joke!); it's rough enough to launch anything going across it faster. Once you cross into Nevada, it's all new pavement.

You can also take 93 out of Kingman, though it will not take you into Cali at all. It's a bit more interesting, especially crossing the Hoover dam (be sure to check out the new bypass bridge that's under construction, its as much an engineering feat as the dam itself was). 93 will take you through Boulder City, then on into Vegas. From there, you can pick up 15 south to Blue Diamond Road (NV-160), which runs up to Pahrump; from there, you can turn west and head into Death Valley to pick up Cali (it's very remote, and there is no cell service along most of the route within the park!).

 

[marcusorelius]

I-40 and off at kingman hwy93 n to vegas is yer shortest route to vegas

 

[101stpathfinder]

Thanks for the great advice! On the flip-side (If I am running ahead of schedule) I would

Like to make a border crossing and add Mexico (3 Countries) to my trip. Where is the best

crossing, dropping down from I-40, from Texas to California?

I am looking for speed and safety. Has anyone done this requirement on a IBA/IBR ride?

Do you still need a reciept of fuel, or can you do a turn-around with a stamp? What are the

needed documents?... Passport only?

Yuma? Along I-5, looks good on the map... How's the crossing wait there? What's the best

times to cross/ times to avoid.

Thanks, Tony

 

[tcfjr]

Tony:

turbodave, kaitsdad and others did a B2Bi a couple of years ago, and crossed at Algodones/Andrade just west of Yuma. Here's their forum post about the adventure. They can fill you in with the details, but from what I heard it is much less busy than San Ysidro, Mexicali and the other major crossings in California.

 

[rickcorwn]

Here's basically what I had planned if we had gone to Mexico Google Map

I can't speak for the ease of crossing at Douglas but it added about 300 miles to our route IIRC.

At the time the heat was kicking our asses, record high temp for May and us Lilly white Minnesnowtans just out of winter hibernation couldn't handle the 105˚ temps. So instead we went Here. A cool 32 miles out of our way B)