Stop Before You Hit Town If you are driving south through LA to Orange County or San Diego, try to make your bathroom breaks at the top of the Grapevine or at one of the first exits in Santa Clarita after coming down the mountain. The pass’ alternate routes are quite lengthy and impossibly crowded when the pass is blocked – and that translates to a 12+ hour trip.

If there’s a major problem on “The Grapevine” – the nickname for the Tejon Pass mountain area between LA and the Central Valley – your best bet is to postpone your trip for a whole day if your schedule allows it.

Driving rainstorms and blistering heat are also part of the Interstate 5 equation – oh, and “cone zone” construction areas occur all year. Winter’s blindingly thick tule fog can cover the valley and it might very well be the scariest condition you’ve ever encountered when driving. There can be everything from snowstorms to brush fires on this route. Mind the Weather Check current conditions before you leave. Falling asleep is a real possibility – for the drivers, unfortunately, not the kids – and the traffic is not that much lighter because of the many trucks that frequent 5. You will get there faster by leaving at 5am or 6am the next morning. “Don’t Drive” Times Don’t start your drive on Friday or Sunday evenings. We use the restroom, fill the gas tank, let the kids pick out another snack, get back on the road, and use all our powers to resist the urge to stop again.įollow the rules and you’ll be eating a late lunch at Disneyland or Fisherman’s Wharf – depending on which direction you’re heading! Read on for a bit more advice to make the journey easier. (Remember: Your children will not die of thirst on the way, but if you let them drink an unlimited amount of beverages in the car, they will tell you they need to stop at every exit.) We aim for a stop 2+ hours out – typically a gas station in Firebaugh, Kettleman City or Buttonwillow – so that we can make the rest of the trip without having to stop again for gas. We pack each kid a Ziploc of dry cereal and a small cup of water to start the drive. Every gas/bathroom break eats up 30 minutes. Don is ruthless about not stopping but there is wisdom in his ways. Okay, it might not be for losers but it is most certainly for people who want to spend an entire day of their family vacation driving across the state. Stopping is for losers – or so says my husband Don.

Plus, by moving kids directly from bed to the car when they’re half asleep, they are fuzzyheaded for a good hour or two before they realize they should be complaining.Ģ. We pack the car the night before, prep coffee and snacks, and get on the road as early as we can. The early departure gives you a head start on other travelers, helps you avoid rush hour traffic, and lets you see sunrise in the San Joaquin Valley – the prettiest time of day apart from sunset. We have pulled onto Interstate 5 from 580 at 7am and hit stopped traffic on the Saturday before Christmas. On prime holiday weekends, go an hour earlier. We leave at 6am for SF to LA trips and 5am for LA to SF trips. You must follow two simple rules to avoid an 8-10 hour trip. If you have more than two people traveling, driving will always be hundreds of dollars less expensive than flying – especially with today’s low gasoline prices.īut don’t think you can just waltz out to your car with your kids and your bags and get up or down the state in 6-7 hours. We drive SF-LA door-to-door in 6 to 7 hours, depending on where we start and end in each metro area, which makes the few hours saved by flying amazingly costly. When you factor in the time it takes to get to the airport, clear security, check-in, fly, and take ground transportation to your destination – which typically necessitates renting a car – you’re talking, best case, a 4-5 hour “flight time.” But the 400ish-mile-distance between the two cities means it takes almost as much time to fly as it does to drive. If you’re dreading a road trip down (or up) the state, don’t worry: There are several things you can do to make the trip fast and easy.įirst, you have to accept the fact that the fastest way to get between SF and LA is to drive “The 5.” Complainers say the famous Central Valley artery is unattractive and takes forever. Having lived the first half of my life in Los Angeles and the second half in San Francisco, I have driven back and forth between the two cities about a thousand times – often on my own and often with kids in the back seat.

Hwy 5 traffic los angeles