RV travel in California
California is the biggest, busiest, and most varied RV state in the country. The Sierra Nevada, the Pacific coast, the Mojave, the redwoods, and nine national parks are all reachable from the same loop. The trade-offs are price, traffic, and rules. Fuel is the most expensive in the lower 48, urban traffic is brutal, and the state imposes a strict 55 mph limit on anyone towing a trailer regardless of posted limits. Wildfire season (Jul-Oct) routinely closes Forest Service roads and entire national parks at short notice. Outside those constraints, the variety is unmatched: you can be in Death Valley one morning and sea-level redwoods the next.
Last verified: 14 May 2026
Free RV PDF guide to California
Driving rules, RV-friendly and RV-restricted highways, NPS reservation rules, BLM and NF boondocking, propane, dump stations, weather, and emergency contacts. Save it to your phone for offline use on the road.
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Driving rules
Interstate (cars + RVs, no trailer)65-70 mph (posted)
Interstate (any vehicle towing a trailer)55 mph (statewide, regardless of posted limit)
Two-lane highway (cars)55-65 mph (posted)
Two-lane highway (towing)55 mph
Built-up areas25-35 mph (posted)
RV length limit (RV alone)45 ft
Combined length (RV + tow)65 ft
Drive onRight
Cell phone use while drivingHands-free only (banned hand-held; texting prohibited)
SeatbeltsRequired for all occupants
RV-friendly and RV-restricted highways
RV-friendly
I-5Spine of the Central Valley from the Oregon line to Mexico. Boring but easy; long stretches with full services. Grapevine (Tejon Pass, 4144 ft) is the only significant grade.
I-10Los Angeles to the Arizona line via Palm Springs. Hot in summer, easy grades, dense fuel.
I-15San Diego to Las Vegas via Cajon Pass (4190 ft, 6% grade). Heavy weekend traffic LA-Vegas.
I-80Bay Area to Nevada via Donner Pass (7239 ft). Chains required Nov-Apr in storm conditions; grade is steady but long.
US-101Coast route, San Francisco to Oregon. Easier than CA-1; full hookups dense; redwoods accessible.
US-395Eastern Sierra spine. Bishop, Mammoth, Lone Pine. Scenic, big rigs fine, fuel gaps possible.
RV-restricted
CA-1 (Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur)Length and weight restrictions in places; tight cliff-edge curves between Carmel and San Simeon. Not recommended for rigs over 30 ft. Section closures from landslides are common in winter.
CA-120 (Tioga Road, Yosemite)Closed Nov-late May/Jun. Open season has 25-foot length advisory on the eastern descent.
CA-108 (Sonora Pass)9624 ft. Closed Nov-May. Tight switchbacks; trailers strongly discouraged.
CA-36, CA-299 (Trinity Alps)Logging-truck country. Tight, slow, and remote. RVs over 32 ft will struggle.
Mt Tamalpais area roads (north of Golden Gate)Steep, narrow, no turn-arounds. Avoid in any RV.
National parks and monuments
Yosemite NP$35/vehicle (7 days), $80 America the Beautiful annual. Day-use reservation often required Apr-Oct (check current rules at recreation.gov). Five campgrounds reservable up to 5 months ahead -- book the morning slots open. Upper/Lower/North Pines: rigs to 35-40 ft. Hodgdon Meadow + Crane Flat outside the valley.
Sequoia + Kings Canyon NP$35/vehicle (7 days). Generals Highway has a 22 ft total-length advisory between Hospital Rock and Giant Forest. Lodgepole + Dorst Creek campgrounds reservable. Big rigs should enter via the King's Canyon side (CA-180).
Death Valley NP$30/vehicle (7 days). Furnace Creek Campground reservable Oct-Apr; Texas Spring + Stovepipe Wells first-come. Avoid May-Sep entirely (130+ F days; tyre blowouts on hot pavement common).
Joshua Tree NP$30/vehicle (7 days). Most campgrounds reservable; Black Rock + Indian Cove take rigs to 35 ft. Jumbo Rocks + Hidden Valley are smaller-rig-only.
Lassen Volcanic NP$30/vehicle (7 days). Manzanita Lake + Summit Lake reservable Jun-Sep. Most campgrounds closed Oct-May.
Redwood NP + State ParksFree entry to NP; state parks $8 day-use. Jedediah Smith, Mill Creek, Elk Prairie state-park campgrounds reservable via reservecalifornia.com. Most rigs OK to 35 ft.
Pinnacles NP$30/vehicle (7 days). Pinnacles Campground reservable; rigs to 35 ft. Only the east entrance is RV-accessible.
Channel Islands NPFree entry. No vehicle access -- island camping only via park concessionaire boat. Mainland visitor centre at Ventura.
Lava Beds NM$25/vehicle (7 days). Indian Well Campground first-come, rigs to 30 ft. Remote NE corner of the state.
Boondocking and dispersed camping
BLM: California has extensive BLM dispersed camping in the Mojave (Trona Pinnacles, Afton Canyon), Owens Valley (Alabama Hills near Lone Pine -- iconic), Imperial Valley (the Slabs near Niland), and the Eastern Sierra. Standard 14-day stay limit. The southern California desert fills up with snowbirds Nov-Mar; arrive early in the week if you want a spot near Quartzsite-spillover areas like Pegleg Smith (Borrego Springs).
National Forests: Inyo, Sequoia, Sierra, Stanislaus, Eldorado, Tahoe, Plumas, Lassen, Six Rivers, Klamath, and Mendocino National Forests all permit dispersed camping along forest roads. Fire restrictions are aggressive and frequent Jun-Nov -- many forests ban all open flames including stoves with no shutoff. Check the specific forest's current order before lighting anything. A California Campfire Permit (free, online) is required for any fire including portable stoves outside developed campgrounds.
Stay limit: typically 14 days per location.
Service stops
Propane: Widely available throughout populated California. U-Haul, Tractor Supply, and most RV parks fill on-site. Sparse in the northeast corner (Modoc) and the eastern Sierra north of Bridgeport. CARB regulations require a $5 cylinder inspection on first refill at some commercial fillers -- not a big deal but it surprises out-of-state RVers.
Dump stations: Dense along the I-5 / US-101 corridors and around metro LA, the Bay Area, and Sacramento. State parks generally have free dump stations for registered guests. Flying J / Pilot stations along I-5 and I-40 charge $10-15. Sparse in the eastern Sierra and the Lost Coast.
Fuel: California has the highest fuel prices in the lower 48, often $1.00-1.50/gal more than Arizona or Nevada at the state line. Fill the tank before crossing in if you can. Diesel is widely available along all interstates and US highways; uncommon on smaller state routes. Notable fuel gaps: US-395 between Lone Pine and Bishop has limited late-night options, and CA-190 through Death Valley has only Furnace Creek + Stovepipe Wells with limited hours.
Weather windows
Best monthsMarch-May (deserts + central valley + Sierra foothills) and September-November (everywhere except the north coast). Coastal fog ("June Gloom") suppresses summer temps along the coast.
Avoid monthsJuly-September in the deserts (Death Valley + Joshua Tree + Mojave: highs 105-130 F). November-April for Sierra passes above 7000 ft -- chain controls and closures common. Wildfire season Jul-Oct can shut national forests, parks, and entire counties at short notice with little warning; air quality can drop to hazardous (300+ AQI) for days.
Watch CalFire (fire.ca.gov/incidents) and AirNow.gov daily during fire season. A 200-mile relocation upwind of an active fire is sometimes the only safe option; do not park downwind of an active incident regardless of how scenic the spot is.
Emergency and road conditions
State patrolDial 9-1-1 for emergencies; (800) 835-5247 for CHP non-emergency