Need to get to Reno from Las Vegas but because of Covid do not want to fly. Need to drive in late January or early February. I know the drive is through mostly desert and some mountains, if the weather is clear would I have to drive through any areas that have snow? Trying to figure out if I need to purchase chains for the car. TIA
You may buy your cable chains and probably be allowed to return them if unused.
If you drive at night, go during a full moon. Much better. The 28th in January is a full moon.The next full moon is Feb 27. There are lots or critters in the desert at night.
I definitely plan on driving during the day..heard about all those pesky rabbits that like to stick to car grills🤪. I really just want to avoid chains, if the weather has been good is it drivable without hitting areas of snow..or are all the mountains up that way, at the altitude of a higher elevation that I would still need chains.
Ever since I hit black ice and slide across the highway..almost landing into Lake Tahoe, I try to avoid those situations...
The only time when you have to deal with high elevations is when you go through Tonopah, which lies at the top of a pass that's over 6,000 feet. That's the only place I've ever encountered any significant snow. That said, if a storm comes through while you're there, the stretch from Goldfield to Hawthorne can be pretty brutal.
The worst aspects of the trip are 1) God help you if you break down, it may take all day to get a tow truck to you and you'll be taken to the cleaners when you finally get repairs done. Just imagine spending three nights at the Clown Motel in Tonopah waiting for your car parts to arrive from Reno, and then getting hit with a $1500 bill to replace your water pump or alternator. Because really, where else are ya gonna go? 2) Pretty much the entire length of the Whorehouse Highway is one huge speed trap. County Mounties lurk just outside the city limits--which are often WAAAAAY out in the desert, miles from the town itself--and pounce when you happen on that sudden SPEED LIMIT 35 sign and before you can even react, the red lights come on behind you. Most of the shit little towns on 95 rely on waylaying passersby for a significant portion of their income.
For the above reasons, I'd rather be stripped naked, smeared with honey, and buried neck-deep in an anthill than ever, ever, ever drive the Whorehouse Highway again.
