Driving San Francisco to San Pedro

[TruckerDave]

Some of you are talking to the OP as if he or she was not an adult, but a child. The op asked for advice, not lectures about how tired she may be, or to get a motel, etc.:)

 

And then the OP came back with an attitude after been given advice THEY ASKED FOR. :rolleyes:

[TruckerDave]

Thanks TruckerD. I wasn't trying to make it complicated. I simply just wanted to know if I left the Bay area before midnight, would I be ok. From all the helpful input I've been able to gather here(thanks to all the wonderful posters) I will take the I-5, keep tabs on the weather report, and have a backup route just in case. If I get tired which I highly doubt with all the anticipation and excitement about to occur, I still have 2 backup drivers in my party. Not to mention that I LOVE road trips!;) It means that I'm going somewhere:)

 

 

As someone who drives for a living......working all day then driving all night is not the smartest thing in the world. It only takes a second to nod off and be upside down in a ditch. But, I don't drive in CA much anymore so you wont hit me so I guess I shouldn't really care.

Edited March 19, 2015 by TruckerDave

[swedish weave]

As someone who drives for a living......working all day then driving all night is not the smartest thing in the world. It only takes a second to nod off and be upside down in a ditch. But, I don't drive in CA much anymore so you wont hit me so I guess I shouldn't really care.

 

I think two back-up drivers should provide a very good safety cushion. I don't know of any who drive for a living with that much back-up !

[Bruin Steve]

I think two back-up drivers should provide a very good safety cushion. I don't know of any who drive for a living with that much back-up !

 

Problem is that, at three in the morning, everybody in the car is likely too tired to drive...either that back-up driver has been awake the whole time with you...or ele you are waking them up from a dead sleep at three am and expecting them to be coherent enough to capably drive a car...

 

Bartender, another beer for my designated driver, please...

[Husky61]

And then the OP came back with an attitude after been given advice THEY ASKED FOR. :rolleyes:

 

You mean after getting a lecture like a child.;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Problem is that, at three in the morning, everybody in the car is likely too tired to drive...either that back-up driver has been awake the whole time with you...or ele you are waking them up from a dead sleep at three am and expecting them to be coherent enough to capably drive a car...

 

Bartender, another beer for my designated driver, please...

 

Not to mention that unless someone is used to sleeping in a car to the point that they get a proper sleep...

 

I just wouldn't want to spend my first day on a cruise drowsy. That's why we look at whether we can take the extra day before a cruise to get to the embarkation city. If not, we don't book. For cruises out of LA, which is an hour's drive, my hubby usually takes off the day before and the day after returning so he can take care of last minute details. Yes, he's lucky to have that flexibility (and I've worked at places where it took forever to get two weeks vacation....so back then I rarely went out of town. Then I lucked out to a small company that allowed me to carry over days from one year to another to save up).

 

But because it's rare that we go on vacation, we're going to make sure they work out. On our two-week cruises, we're going to all ready to start the cruise when we get on board, and not pooped out because of tight travel plans. Just not worth it to us.

[H20mac3]

I live in the SF Bay Area and will be working the day before departure from San Pedro. If I leave before midnight(driving) the nite before, will I make embarkation or am I pushing it? Thanks in Advance:)

 

Rider9946,

 

As a fellow Bay Area Resident who drives the I-5 at least 10 times a year (or more) may I offer a little advice

 

First if you have a smart phone download WAZE. We use it all the time to track traffic wherever we drive.

 

Second - I-5 is boring to drive in the dark. Music, podcasts or books on tape are wonderful for the drive. Make sure you have lots of water. There are drive-thru Starbucks along the way if you need caffeine. Check the weather for the Grapevine even during summer - you always want to watch the weather over the pass. At the base before the Grapevine is a very nice Chevron station with clean bathrooms it's a nice place to stop and stretch before the pass. Gas on the I-5 will be more expensive than anywhere else.

 

Depending on where you leave from in the bay area, traffic and your speed you can make this drive in about 6 - 7 hours (maybe a little less). However if you hit LA traffic it can get ugly. :eek:

 

Carpool lanes in SoCal are 24/7 and since you have two or more in your car the carpool lane will be your best friend, because in SoCal there is always traffic no matter what time of day or night.

 

The infamous 405 - one of the busiest freeways in SoCal. We drove down two weeks ago and at 11:30pm 3 lanes were closed for construction - this is where WAZE will come in handy. You will be arriving into Southern California at the beginning of their morning commute.

 

Depending on you embarkation time - If I may suggest that you book a hotel room even for those few hours before you embark so you can rest, shower and refresh yourselves before you start your fabulous cruise.

 

If you decide not to drive check out JetBlue out of Oakland Airport to the Long Beach Airport.

 

I hope this helps :D

[Desert Cruizers]

When my husband drives North & back he prefers to avoid the areas around Pasadena or Santa Clarita and heads thru San Bernadino to avoid that congestion, although coming into San Bernadino from the North the traffic can get heavy too. We usually take the 99. I admit I haven't driven toward SF or back in awhile but DH has for meetings. Bruin Steve is knowledgeable of driving around Southern Ca and even though we live here I will come to him for advice.:) We cruised once out of San Diego and are 2 1/2 hrs away from Palm Springs and still drive in a day early, but understand not everyone has that flexibility.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[wineforhealth]

Just did what your planning to do drive in the early morning day of the cruise only I did it from North of SF

 

It was a Saturday I left at 3 am split driving duties with my wife , stop at LAX to pick up my daughter at 11:50 am made it to the port just as they stated boarding .

 

I - 5 to the 405 to LAX then straight to San Pedro

 

Plenty of open parking spaces

 

You should have no problems enjoy your cruise

[notentirelynormal]

OP - Bruin Steve had some good advice. It comes down to what you can tolerate, what you are comfortable with, etc.

 

I have to laugh at some of the people that say "six hours drive!". I have friends that think the 3 hour drive to San Diego is a mind blower. My 85 YO mother has no problem doing the drive from LA to Vancouver in a drive through. We have been doing it since I was 18 and I'm now 60. It is just another road trip. I find that 8 to 14 hours on the road is nothing while others think that it is unrealistic. I can easily drive from LA to Seattle in one stop. Our familiy is a driving family. My brother jokes if he's not on the road for at least 8 hours a day then he's doing something wrong.

 

No one knows if you are a night person or anything else about you. If you think you can do it, then do it. For me, I don't think it is that big of a deal. However, I once drove from Portland Oregon to LA on a long weekend to take the kids to Disneyland for a day so what do I know! The key factor here is the Grapevine in January and whether or not there is snow. That is the unknown factor.

 

Your age also dictates the answer as well. At 18 I would drive from LA to Vancouver for a long weekend. Now, not so much. Slept in the car, now, not so much :D.

Edited April 3, 2015 by notentirelynormal

[Cruisin' Chick]

The other day I was looking at Google maps using the "earth" function to see how the route between the Santa Clarita Valley and Eureka is via the I-5 and it looks like a lot of mountains and open spaces (we may do this trip in the summer). Is it a lot of mountainous roads (like with going to Big Bear)?

[kenish]

When my husband drives North & back he prefers to avoid the areas around Pasadena or Santa Clarita and heads thru San Bernadino to avoid that congestion, although coming into San Bernadino from the North the traffic can get heavy too.

 

Makes sense if you're headed home to Palm Springs....but OP is going to San Pedro. Your route would be a huge detour (both distance and time), and adds quite a few potential traffic problems. The usual routes between the Bay Area and San Pedro don't involve Santa Clarita or Pasadena.

[Husky61]

Makes sense if you're headed home to Palm Springs....but OP is going to San Pedro. Your route would be a huge detour (both distance and time), and adds quite a few potential traffic problems. The usual routes between the Bay Area and San Pedro don't involve Santa Clarita or Pasadena.

 

The OP said they were driving the I=5, so Santa Clarita would be on their route.:)

[Casagordita]

The other day I was looking at Google maps using the "earth" function to see how the route between the Santa Clarita Valley and Eureka is via the I-5 and it looks like a lot of mountains and open spaces (we may do this trip in the summer). Is it a lot of mountainous roads (like with going to Big Bear)?

 

Eureka isn't on I-5' date=' so you will need to get over to US 101 somewhere. It really depends on how much time you have, and whether you're driving just to get there, or if the drive is part of the fun. If I had a little extra time I would cut over to US 101 at Hwy 126 and pick up US 101 in Ventura. But that's just me--I grew up in Redding, went to college in southern California, and saw WAAAY too much of I-5!! If you're in more of a hurry you can take I-5 up to I-580 and cut over there--probably shaves off a little time.

 

If you actually [i']want[/i] serious mountains and spectacular mountain scenery (and a very curvy, hilly road), take I-5 all the way up to Redding and cut over to the coast on Hwy 299, through the Trinity Alps.

 

Or, if you have a ton of time, skip all that and take California Hwy 1--either the segment from San Luis Obispo, through Big Sur, to just north of Salinas; or the one from just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, up the Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino coast, to where it rejoins US 101 at Leggett--or better yet, do both.

 

Past the Grapevine (which is mostly brown, bare mountains), I-5 is mostly flat and boring, mainly agricultural land, all the way up to Redding. It bypasses most of the towns, so traffic is unlikely.

 

The southern part of US 101 goes through the coastal mountains and valleys--prettier and greener, with some moderate hills here and there, and more towns along the road. You'll have to drive through Silicon Valley and San Francisco, which will probably mean traffic. North of the Golden Gate it goes through the Napa and Sonoma wine country, rolling hills, very bucolic; then farther north it goes through some pretty, hilly countryside and forests. Whatever you do, be sure to take the exits for the Avenue of the Giants--it's the old two-lane highway that goes through some incredible, ginormous old-growth redwoods, just unearthly beautiful.

 

Hwy 1 is curvy and narrow and hugs the coastline for most of the way. There is often fog in the summer. If you don't like heights, this probably isn't the road for you! :eek: Likewise, if you're towing anything, don't take this route. It's some of the most gorgeous scenery on the planet, but it's a much slower drive--especially in the summer. I choose it over any other route, whenever I can possibly make the time.

[notentirelynormal]

The other day I was looking at Google maps using the "earth" function to see how the route between the Santa Clarita Valley and Eureka is via the I-5 and it looks like a lot of mountains and open spaces (we may do this trip in the summer). Is it a lot of mountainous roads (like with going to Big Bear)?

 

Casagordita did a great job with information. I just want to add/ask.... did you really mean Eureka or did you mean Yreka? Yreka IS on I-5. The two are easily confused because of the similarity of the names. If so, all of the information would be correct except instead of turning off at Redding you would continue on for another 100 miles through very windy mountain roads. When I was young I could do them in my sleep. Now I prefer to do them during the daylight. That way I can see the curves in the road and make the turns easier. Plus there is often construction going on.

[Cruisin' Chick]

No, Eureka. Personally if I'm going to do part of the driving (rather than have hubby do the whole thing), I don't want to deal with curvy mountainous roads (when we went to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear a couple of summers ago, he did all the driving). I did notice that at some point we would get to the 101, but maybe we'll just skip the I-5 and go with the 101 the whole way even though that's a couple of hours more. When my mother and I went up to Monterey (with a stop at Hearst Castle), I drove the way between Cambria and Carmel, but then I'm a better driver than my mother. From the map on Google and the Auto Club sites, it doesn't look like there's any really good place to stop for the night between Santa Clarita and to where you get to the 101.

[SadieN]

No' date=' Eureka. Personally if I'm going to do part of the driving (rather than have hubby do the whole thing), I don't want to deal with curvy mountainous roads (when we went to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear a couple of summers ago, he did all the driving). I did notice that at some point we would get to the 101, but maybe we'll just skip the I-5 and go with the 101 the whole way even though that's a couple of hours more. When my mother and I went up to Monterey (with a stop at Hearst Castle), I drove the way between Cambria and Carmel, but then I'm a better driver than my mother. From the map on Google and the Auto Club sites, it doesn't look like there's any really good place to stop for the night between Santa Clarita and to where you get to the 101.[/quote']

 

 

To get to the 5 from Eureka either go they the mountains to Redding or go south on the 101 thru the Bay Area. Using the 580/80 around Tracy to the 5.

 

Most of the 101 north of Santa Rosa is two lane roads (four! in Willits, cheapest gas in the area) and extremely spotty cell phone coverage. Used to be horrible with the logging trucks thru the area. Little safer now.

 

Done this too many times taking DD to school.

Edited April 6, 2015 by SadieN

[jnwinos]

We sometimes leave Sacramento at 4:00 am and seem to get to the port right about 10:30! Perfect timing. You will not have any issues. Just check the weather, you can go 101 and will not have any issues. Might not get there until 9 but who cares. You are on vacation.