scared to drive/ best route?

I am driving to South Lake Tahoe next week for Xmas. I am coming from Santa Barbara, CA. I am thinking I may leave Monday %26amp; drive to Sacramento, spend the night...then leave in the morning for my drive to Tahoe.

So, map quest says I take the 5 up to Sacramento for 200 miles, then 50E towards south lake tahoe for 100 miles, then my vacation house is about a mile off 50 (it%26#39;s on MIchael Drive).

Is this the best way to go? I am pretty scared about driving in the snow, on a curvy mountain 2 lane road. Is this how I50 is? I drive a Jetta, so I%26#39;m off to buy some tire chains this week. Hopefully someone will help me if I pull over to put them on.

I just don%26#39;t want to die. That is my goal:) Should I forget 50 %26amp; take 80 to Reno even though it seems that would be out of my way.

I keep imagining I am on the top of a mountain in a blizzard, can%26#39;t see anything, I%26#39;m on a tiny 2 lane road with tire chains, swerving everywhere and I drop off the cliff and die. Any help would be great!

scared to drive/ best route?

You%26#39;re not alone, I have the same fears and I%26#39;ve lived here for 18 years. I live on a narrow, steep street. I%26#39;m scared every time I drive down it when snowy or icy.

You should be just fine. The freeways are well maintained, plowed often and sanded. Neither 80 nor 50 scare me. It%26#39;s the residential streets.

If the roads are that bad, they%26#39;ll be closed. Jettas are good cars and chains are pretty stable. The people who drop off the cliffs and die tend to be those driving SUVs who aren%26#39;t familiar with mountain driving. They feel like road warriors and drive too fast. That bit of mountain trivia came from the local CHP office.

Mapquest gave you good advice. The main roads, 50 and 80, are both well maintained. Don%26#39;t take 80, it is out of your way and not any better than 50.

Spending the night in Sacramento is a good idea. Drive slowly, keep plenty of distance between cars, and allow lots of space when braking. Have a wonderful trip. PM me if you%26#39;re freaking out about the drive. I feel your pain!

scared to drive/ best route?

Yes, great advices. Always drive slowly in snow, and wintertyres are a plus. Can%26#39;t do without. Just in case, bring water and food, a flashlight and blankets in the car. You%26#39;ll never know. Just a precaution. If you%26#39;ll have the time and if weatherconditions are good, try 2 days on your way back from South Lake Tahoe and drive 395 along the eastern sierras and spend the night in Lone Pine at the foot of Mount Whitney. Great little place but check roadconditions before you go.

Have a great time.

Tet

Spotcat gave good advise. Use 50 vs. 80. Hwy 50 summit is lower than 80, and far less trucks on this route.

I would recommend that you not leave too early in the morning from Sacramento. I like to drive in the winter between 10 and 3 on hwy 50 due to less ice on the road issues.

If you do run into chain controls, you will find CalTrans approved chain installers at the chain install area. Last year the cost was $30. You can easily spot these people as they wear bright orange/yellow vests with their permit number.

Concentrate on the beauty rather than the fear....it really is a pretty drive through the snow.

Still not clear on the whole chain control deal.

We%26#39;ve rented a 4WD SUV from Sacramento and will be driving to Heavenly (hope to make it before dark).

We are very familiar with SUVs and their limitations on icy roads, as we drive the wintry New England roads on a regular basis in our trusty Toyota 4-runner. (And it is so true that the many of the vehicles we pass that have run off the road in bad weather are SUVs!!!)

Our understanding is that the rental companies forbid renters from putting chains on their vehicles. So where does that leave us?

Chain controls are currently in effect due to the snow. The controls are really low but the deal is if you have a 4WD with snow tires you do not need chains. It would be utterly stupid of the car rental company to have a 4WD without snow tires. By snow tires we are not talking about studded tires. You look on the tire itself for the M+S which means mud and snow.

Just a comment about rental cars and snow chains: the SF forum had a thread regarding this not long ago and OP indicated that he had inquired and found many of the big rental companies did allow chains and in fact even rented them.

Thanks, that%26#39;s great info.

I%26#39;ll try to talk again to the rental company, but last time I inquired about 4WD, the representative (from a land far far away) told me all of ther cars have 4 wheels!!!!! LOL

What companies were that RamblinSal? (already snow in BS? Las Vegas has!). I seriously doubt rentalcarcies allow you to put on chains because they can cause damage to the car if they are put on wrongly. The only one I%26#39;ve read about was Dollar.

Suzie is right, with snowtyres (we call them wintertyres), M%26amp;S, you seldomly need chains. We have traveled 100s of miles through the Alps in the snow and only once needed chains and that even wasn%26#39;t on a highway but at the last steep part in a little village. Rules say, you must have chains in the car though.

I%26#39;m not aware that the LAW is that you have to carry chains on roads maintained by caltrans. I%26#39;ve never had chains for my 4 WD vehicles.

Another vote for 50. It is just as scenic as 80 (maybe more), and the pace is slower so you will robably be more at ease. Yes, it has curves--it parallels the American River for much of the way. That%26#39;s one of the things that makes it so pretty. The shoulders and center line are well marked, so you won%26#39;t run off the road unless you really try to.

My previous car was a 1993 4-Runner, which I just replaced. I always had ';all-weather'; tires, not any specialty type. Who can afford to own several sets of tires, and who has space to store them? I got a set of chains when the car was new, and I never had them out of the package except to practice installing them. The ';Little White Burro'; and I went all over CA in various seasons, to Utah, Nevada, and Arizona in winter, twice over the Rockies to the Mississippi River and back in winter, and I never had to use the chains. I sold the car to my neighbors in the spring, and they got a brand-new set of chains in the deal. :)

Now I have an FJ Cruiser, and I have not yet bought chains for it. I%26#39;ve always felt that if conditions were bad enough where 4WD with all-weather or snow tires AND chains were required, they were bad enough to simply stop and wait out Mother Nature.

P.S. Everyone PLEASE stay safe. Three young ladies died at Squaw Valley because they had their engine running and snow apparently blocked off the tailpipe, causing carbon monoxide vapors to fill the car. Don%26#39;t run the engine when the car is parked, and always provide enough ventilation even if it is cold enough to freeze a witch%26#39;s you-know-what.