Anyone ever "camped" at the Mt Shasta Supercharger parking lot?

[DevinSerpa]

My girlfriend and I will be road-tripping from Portland to LAX in a few weeks and we are considering sleeping in the back of our Model 3 at the Mt. Shasta Supercharger parking lot for a quick 4-5 hr sleep.

There are many businesses and a large parking lot nearby, and we have both slept in the back of the car before. Just wondering if anyone has done this before and if there are any safety concerns related to this plan. Thanks!

Just stay at the Best Western 20 feet from the charger.

 

[ecarfan]

Just stay at the Best Western 20 feet from the charger.

Here are the OP’s posts from upthread as to why he does not want to stay in that motel:

...in my situation, getting a hotel for a 4 hr nap doesn’t make financial sense especially when the trip itself is going to be pretty expensive. It’s all subjective.

15 hrs of roadtripping isn’t bad, I’ve done it plenty of times. But this time I am leaving directly from working 6am - 3pm, so working 9 hrs then driving 15 hrs back to back isn’t my cup of tea. That’s 24 hrs of working and driving back to back. Again, subjective.

We're leaving at 3pm (working that day) so I dont want to drive all the way through the night. Plus my girlfriend self-admittedly gets sleepy behind the wheel so I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her driving long stretches.

 

[ecarfan]

Moderator note: numerous posts were moved to this topic Personal security while sleeping at a charging stop

 

[NineDollars]

I took a road trip from socal to Syracuse, ny in my model x. I took power naps at superchargers and did not stop at any hotels. When I was really tired, I took a longer 3-4 hour nap. Imo, the superchargers we charged at looked safe. If the charger is empty to less than 50% full you should be fine and won't be charged idle fees. But honestly the saftey factor is the same with any other car charging or filling up gas. Use your judgement to see if it looks safe to sleep or not. If you are worried bring protection.

 

[opticbit]

Drove from Vegas to Huntington Beach to SF and back a few months ago.

I stopped at almost every super charger on the way.

Some favorites Yermo, Kettleman, Harris Ranch. Also Westminster has urban chargers.

More to see the travel stops, not range anxiety I could have skipped many of them.

Took a nap at a few of them. Set an alarm to wake me up when charging would be done.

Slept through the alarm in Fountain Valley. Thought I'd get some idle fees, but didn't.

Seems like most spots wouldn't mind if you take a nap, or sleep for the night. Just don't idle while sleeping.

I ended up charging in Gilroy (I think), too tired to continue driving, or even look for a hotel, can't remember the time, but it was very dark out, all other chargers empty. Pulled off the charger when it was full, and parked in a spot near the chargers. Put my seat down, barely got to sleep, and security came up in a Security pickup truck told me no sleeping. I said ok, and put my foot on the break to wake the car up. Then he got pissed and told me I had to leave. I said I was about to, as the car is booting up. He got really impatient with me said something about the parking lot owner doesn't allow sleeping and he's going to trespass me or something. He never got out of his truck. I'm sitting there thinking quit talking to me and I'll put it in reverse so I can go. I'm guessing that area might have a homeless problem and parking long term, and the policy doesn't allow for being nice about it. I didn't see any signs about overnight parking or anything. Or the guy was having a bad day, or has Security Power Trip. I forget, I think I drove off completly. But thought about going back to the super charger plugging in for a few min, just to see what the guy does.

Theres a Chevron station on Blue Diamond rd, with a chargepoint (DC Solar, free with chargepoint app). I bought some snacks, asked the guy about the trailer, he said he didn't know much. And told me to feel free to stay as long as I want. He also said he didn't know anything about billing on it. I just hooked up to it to see what the power output was, and report on plugshare.

Tldr: Most places were very welcoming. But check.

 

[ucmndd]

Shasta City is perfectly safe and friendly. I wouldn’t worry about dozing in the car for a few hours one bit. There’s definitely a transient element due to the proximity to I-5, but I’ve been going there for decades and have never felt unsafe.

 

[Blu Zap]

That is a great SuperCharger. I feel safe there and have charged many times. I have not slept in my car. I have alway chosen to stay at the Best Western across the street. BTW, that is a great place for dinner. The Ribeye steaks are great!

That area seems to have quality traffic and would be safe. Been there many times.

 

[pradhanr]

We're leaving at 3pm (working that day) so I dont want to drive all the way through the night. Plus my girlfriend self-admittedly gets sleepy behind the wheel so I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her driving long stretches.

There are 2 supercharger in Mt Shasta. One is next to Best Western. You should probably camp there for safety!

 

[ohmman]

There is a USFS campground not far from the charger as well, to follow up on @outdoors recommendation. We plan to stay there in June. Here is the link.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stnf/recarea/?recid=6574