I5 in southern Oregon

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drm
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I5 in southern Oregon

Post by drm » December 19th, 2016, 10:40 am

Hi all,

Living in the Gorge, I normally drive south to California on US97 east of the mountains, so I've driven I5 in southern Oregon very rarely. I'm going to Calif over the Christmas/NY holidays but for a variety of reasons, need to take I5. I'm posting this to ask about Siskiyou Summit and around in southern Oregon, where conditions on my drive may be on the edge between rain and snow and ice (Thud/Fri).

Now maybe it will be best to tackle the passes down there late in the afternoon when the day is warm. But if I don't get down there till late in the day and conditions are already turning bad and want to save the bad stuff for the morning, where is the most southern town that I can get to before I5 starts getting more mountainous? Can I get as far south as Medford, or should I start looking for a place to stay in Roseburg or Grants Pass? Mostly concerned about passes and altitude. I've got an AWD and plenty of experience driving in bad conditions, but it isn't just me, it's everybody I'm sharing the road with too (plus the lack of focus that comes with hours on the road).

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retired jerry
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by retired jerry » December 19th, 2016, 12:51 pm

There are several 2000 foot passes between Roseburg and Grant's Pass

Then you're okay until Ashland

Yeah, afternoon best. Maybe 3 PM starts getting cold again.

tripcheck.com has pictures, conditions,...

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5th
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by 5th » December 19th, 2016, 1:22 pm

Take your chains.

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VanMarmot
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by VanMarmot » December 19th, 2016, 3:59 pm

Yes, carry chains.

As retired jerry points out, there are several up and down grades over smaller passes between Eugene and Ashland but the only time we've had a problem with those was when we had to drive during or right after a big snow storm. The Siskiyou Summit is the highpoint on I-5 but, then again, we've never had an issue with it except during or right after a big storm. Otherwise, with careful daylight (afternoon is good) driving you should be OK. ODOT tends to throw it's resources at I-5 first so unless a storm is unexpectedly huge, they get right on clearing the road. If you want to take a break, there are hotels at the southernmost Ashland exit (last town before Siskiyou Summit) or in Medford 15 miles further north. As for the other drivers bent on zooming through a blizzard at 80+ mph, try to stay away from them... :roll:

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drm
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by drm » December 19th, 2016, 4:52 pm

AFAIK chains are not used on Subarus. I think there are some alternative things that can fit but I've never used or needed them. Forecast for Siskiyou Summit on Friday is rain mixed with snow.

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retired jerry
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by retired jerry » December 19th, 2016, 8:08 pm

in the winter they always require chains

(don't tell anyone, I've gone through there when the weather was supposed to be good without chains. In my RV. I think they only care if you get into trouble. Or, in severe conditions they'll inspect and turn you around if you don't have them)

If the temperature is near or below freezing you might want to avoid it.

Chazz
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by Chazz » December 20th, 2016, 8:14 am

It's probably far too late for this but I've found these cable chains to work well on Subaru's:

https://www.amazon.com/Security-Chain-S ... B000BRA6OW

The newer Subarus have a wheel well that is pretty close tolerances so as long as you are not trying to make a really tight corner with the cable chains installed, you should be fine.

Tom of the Woods
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by Tom of the Woods » December 21st, 2016, 6:40 am

You've gotten relatively good advice.

In addition to the 4 passes between Roseburg and Grants Pass, there are 4 other potential trouble spots: the head of the canyon at the south end of Cottage Grove can ice up, plus Metz Hill, Rice Hill, and the hard left corner at the bottom of Roberts Mountain just south of Roseburg.

The regulations for Siskiyou Pass are unique within Oregon. You should go to tripcheck.com and read up. You are required to have chains in your vehicle whether you're required to use them or not. If they stop you for some reason, they'll check and they'll ticket. It's a good web site for road cameras and conditions. Going south, getting up to the pass can be a problem because of slid-out trucks. The spooky part is going downhill south of the pass. It's long, straight, and steep. Watch your stopping distance. While you're checking, check CalTrans site. Just south of the OR/CA state line is one more bad hill that causes likely as many problems. I think they call it Anderson Grade. Lot of times we don't have major issues on Siskiyou Pass because CalTrans has shut down Anderson Grade so they don't get here to have trouble.

If Siskiyou Pass is closed, Ashland is the closest place to stop. Motels can fill up in a hurry so you might be better off to hit Grants Pass or Medford. Roseburg is an option but it's probably overkill.

Truth of the matter is I'd rather run Siskiyou Pass in the middle of the night with minimal traffic than during the day with many other people who don't know what they're doing messing things up.

If things are really bad on Siskiyou, you might be ahead to drive down 97. More miles of kind of bad but no miles of really bad ... it might balance out better on the east side.

Final caution ... don't over-trust your Subaru. While people talk about 4WD trucks and SUVs getting into trouble because they can go but not stop, I've pulled as many Subarus out of the ditch as I have full sized 4WDs.
- Tom

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retired jerry
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by retired jerry » December 21st, 2016, 7:00 am

"If they stop you for some reason, they'll check and they'll ticket."

Has anyone ever been ticketed when the road surface was good?

I don't want to buy chains for my RV and if I needed them, I wouldn't want to go there anyway, just wait until the weather gets better

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: I5 in southern Oregon

Post by Waffle Stomper » December 21st, 2016, 8:59 am

Chazz wrote:
The newer Subarus have a wheel well that is pretty close tolerances so as long as you are not trying to make a really tight corner with the cable chains installed, you should be fine.
I have used LesScwhab Cable Chains on my 2005 Outback without problems, although usually have snow tires on. I'm now exploring the possibility of purchasing another car. When I talked to my mechanic about the newer cars and cable chains, he said it is because they pose a risk to the brake lines. I don't know if he meant because they are very close to the brake lines or if they should break they could tear the lines. I would be careful about considering using cables on cars that specifically advise against their use.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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