Cadillac

Hey gang,

This isn't exactly Third Gen related and I can't claim I am driving my car from NorCal to SoCal, but I need your advice:

I am driving to Oceanside with my family for a week of vacation on Saturday, June 16th. Should I go with my original plan to go straight through LA on I-5 or should I consider an alternate route using I-15? I'll be hitting your area around 2-3 PM depending on potty breaks and such.



I've heard that going through LA county at any time adds multiple hours. Is that worth considering on a Saturday afternoon?

Gr89RS

iTrader: (5)

On a normal day it only takes about 30 mins to get through LA county give or take..

Zipdrive

2 or 3 pm on Sat may be tough. I go from Long beach to my brothers in Canyon Country (70 miles) in 1.25 to 1.5 hours if the conveyor belt keeps going. You can check a web site http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Regi...er+Los+Angeles

It goes over the whole LA/Orange and then some counties. Take your lap top and a wireless card, park in a starbucks parking lot and ckeck the traffic before heading too far down.

From the 10 and the 60, the 5 will slow down quite a bit. But from there, you should be able to move at a decent clip. Enjoy Oceanside.

injdinjn

The 5 is the shortest route by over 15 miles. It is slow from griffith park thru downtown. Then again from the 605 to the 91 after that its 65+.
The 405 has carpool from the 101 to where it joins the 5 in mission viejo exc thru west LA. ends near Wilshire bl and starts near LAX.

I usually skirt the jam on the 5 after Griffith park by taking the 110 south getting into the left lane immediately and exiting at Broadway take that to Ord st turn left and park at Phillipes (Ord and Alameda) Best dip sandwiches in the world.
Then take Alameda south turn left as you go over the 101 and take the 101 right lanes to the 5. Phillipes is 2 blocks north of Union Station and Olvaria St.

Dont even consider the 15, it is too far east and the only xings south of corona are 2lane mountain rds.

Cadillac

Thanks gang. I'll follow the crow.

Russ-So Cal

Tune your radio to KFWB 980 am or KNX 1070 am as you come over the summit on the 5 at Gorman. Those are the 2 news stations with traffic reports every few minutes 24/7 unless they are broadcasting a sports game. Your 2 best choices through LA are the 5 or the 405. The 405 comes off the 5 just south of the ridge route and rejoins the 5 in El Toro/Lake Forrest area just a few miles north of Oceanside. Traffic reports won't give you much info about minor slowing, it is similar to following stock market reports on radio or television news, but if anything major happens on either freeway, they will let you know so you can choose the alternate route.

injdinjn

To fine tune Russ' post
taking the 405 vs the 5 is over 15 miles longer in distance, its a crap shoot time wise. I usually take the 5.
The 405 ends at the 5 in El Toro, about 30 miles north of Oceanside.

400Z28Racer

iTrader: (4)

If I were you, I will definitely take 15 over 5 at any day. take 15 South then take 78W.

injdinjn

Ok, my last statement here.
Get a map of CA and view the routes.
the 15 on Sat is as bad as the rest of the fwys. Norco, Corona, temecula and everything in between is now houses.
Good luck

Kevin91Z

iTrader: (1)

The 15 is too far east. You wont save any time by going that way. Its basically a roll of the dice whether the 5 or the 405 south is better. The 5 is a more direct route but the 405 is a bigger, newer freeway.

sicc87

yeah, just dont think about taking the 405 southbound anytime after like4 or 5 pm cause its really really really really bad. i take it in the morning to go to school.. i exit bellflower in long beach and its a breeze.. its great till like 12pm or so then it gradually gets worse and worse.

Cadillac

Newer freeway that ends 30 north of Oceanside sounds like a plan (405).

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

Well, I guess I'll throw in my But it's tough to give directions to someone unfamiliar with an area. All you can tell them are the main routes to follow and hope they don't run into any major problems. And well, between 2 and 3pm on saturday, you're liable to hit traffic that's just as bad as monday thru friday on any freeway you travel. It's definitely a 'roll of the dice' and 'hit-and-miss,' as others have already said.

You'll just have to look at maps so you can plan a couple of routes. Then listen to traffic reports as you approach LA... say from around the grapevine(where the 5 goes over the mountains as you leave CA's central valley). As Russ said, KNX-1070AM is excellent. KYI-640AM is also good.

Is there any chance you can leave about 2 hours earlier? You might not think that little bit of time will help much, but you'd be amazed. If you can, then you'll have a much better ride getting through.

But your best routes will be either the 5 straight thru or the 405 around(merges back into the 5 south of LA). Don't take the 15, simply because by the time you got over to it, you'd have already been most of the way through LA going one of the other routes.

Once you pass Castiac Lake, Magic Mountain and Santa Clarita, you'll almost be to the top of the San Fernando Valley and the 405. That'll be your first option. But the 405 is an all-or-nothing decision 'right-off-the-bat,' meaning you'll have committed yourself to not being able to get to alternate routes easily. So you'll have to listen to traffic reports. But if it's moving, I'd say it'll be the best way to go--and the earlier the better. And as already mentioned, the 405 does have intermittent stretches of car pool lanes, which will help a lot.

Memorial Day weekend, I went from the shop in the valley to Dana Point(Laguna) on the 405 in exactly one hour leaving at about 10:30am. So it can be done.

But if you stay on the 5, you'll have several options if things get ugly, and each will get you down to the 405. And your first option will be the 110 at downtown LA. It might be a little heavy until you pass downtown, but on a saturday, it could be a fast run down to the 405. I have no doubt the dip sandwiches are excellent, but if traffic is moving well, don't exit! Stay with the flow, because you'd be surprised how traffic is likely to have changed(for the worse) by the time you get back on the freeway thirty minutes later.

If you've gone beyond the 110 before traffic gets messy, your next alternate off the 5 will be the 710(which can also be pretty bad sometimes).

But if you're STILL surviving on the 5, then your next option, if necessary, would be the 605.

But personally, if traffic reports for the 405 are ok, then I'd just take it all the way down. You'll hit pockets of slowing near LAX and at all junctions with the other freeways mentioned, but as long as there are no reports of accidents, it's likely to pick right up again and keep moving.

But that's as far as I can help. Once you're below LA and the 405(back on the 5 again), you'll have left 'Munchkinland,' and all the other 'creatures' from 'OzC' will have to help you find your way from there.

Cadillac

I'll be listening to the radio stations at Grapevine for sure now. Leaving early, although something I'd love to do, may not be possible. I get back from Virginia later Friday night and I am traveling with 3 women. Anything could happen.

injdinjn

sorry about that.

Russ-So Cal

When you come down off the hill, just before you get to Magic Mountain, you will come to the 126 going to Ventura. It will be off to the right, make sure you don't get caught in the right lane there. Then coming down into the North end of the San Fernando Valley, the freeways will junction with the 5 in the following order: first wil be the 210, it goes to the right and then over the freeway to head East to the 15, stay left. A couple of miles further on the 405 and 118 come off the 5 to the right. If you decide on using the 405, make sure you are not going on the 118 that goes West into the San Fernando Valley. If I remember correctly the 118 comes off the the right, the 405 is kind of in the middle, and the 5 stays to the left. A couple of miles further on, you will come to the 170 Hollywood Freeway. It goes off to the right and then eventually joins the 101 over a pass into Los Angeles. It might be a good way around an accident, if needed. The next 2 freeways are the 134 and the 2 both come off the right, and both go back to the Northeast to the 210, you don't want either one. The next freeway you will come to is the 110. It will be off to the right and goes South to the 405. That is the harbor freeway, and is a possible way to avoid traffic. The next freeway is the 10 East to San Bernardino. It will also be on your right, and after the 10 junctions with the 5 the two run together for about 4 miles to the 4 level. When you get to the 4 level you need to be careful which lane you are in. The extreme left lane goes to the 60 freeway East, the next 2 left lanes stay with the 5, and the 2 right lanes go to the 10 West to Santa Monica. The next the rest of the freeways are all to the right of the 5, so the 4 level is really the only place where you have to watch out for the lanes.