Advice for Canadians driving down in July?

[peridot62]

Looking for some advice/help in a few areas - I am driving down in July with my 2 kids, ages 18 and 13. We are coming from the Maple Ridge, BC area and will driving thru Bellingham. . We're staying for 8-10 days, then taking the coast back home and stopping along the way to see Carmel, San Francisco, etc.

We visited Disneyland 2 yrs ago, but flew in. I am a bit nervous about all the driving and also wondering what should we see in Anaheim, and what should we pass on? Been to Universal, Disneyland but nothing else last trip.

I would like to do some shopping and seeing a bit more of LA, but other than that we have nothing set in stone.

If there is anyone who has driven this trip, and can suggest what cities to stop overnight in on the way down, how many hours a day I should expect to drive, etc..I think I'd like to take 3 days to get there as I'm the only licensed driver.

Also, is it insanity to think of leaving here on July 2 or 3 and being on the road over the July 4th holiday there?

Thank you!!

 

[ado121]

i don't have anything to add to your post...just wanted to say hey fellow maple ridger! we are in east mr. near bruces market.

i met another dis'er on here. shes also in maple ridge.

small town but lots of disney lovers!

 

[HydroGuy]

July 4 is not an especially bad time to drive in the USA. So no issue there.

Other things to do? Duh! Go to the beach! It's California for goodness sake. Also check out the final section of this thread: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Be aware of the baseball All-Star game as some people are concerned about extra crowds as a result in the July 9-15 time frame.

 

[PrincessIM]

Hi fellow BC'er!

We are planning the same trip in July. Right now the plan is to leave late afternoon and travel Richmond to Portland, then Portland to Sacramento, and finally Sacramento to Anaheim.

I've included a link on where to stay.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2425203

I also found this thread useful even though they are coming from Victoria. Gave me a few ideas.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2410249

 

[peridot62]

Thank you so much for the advice and tips, I haven't checked back in a while so it's a nice surprise to see this.

I am still trying to figure out what cities to stop in on the way down, as I want to get on the road to beat the Seattle morning rush hour and on the 3rd day, miss the LA rush in the morning too. Would like to arrive in Anaheim early afternoon-ish, after not driving too long that day.

We are going to definitely take a bus tour to the beaches, see Disney 3-4 days, Knotts Berry Farm and the rest undecided at this point. Any other ideas/advice would be wonderful!

 

[elliefusmom]

We too are driving from Northeastern WA at the end of July. We are going to go down the coast and then come back up through Yosemite and Reno. On our way down we are going to stop at Newport, OR... we are staying in a Yurt at Beverly Beach...then to Eureka CA (Redwoods) and San Francisco (Alcatraz). Lots to see on the Oregon Coast, however hwy 101 will really slow you down with driving.

 

[PrincessIM]

We too are driving from Northeastern WA at the end of July. We are going to go down the coast and then come back up through Yosemite and Reno. On our way down we are going to stop at Newport, OR... we are staying in a Yurt at Beverly Beach...then to Eureka CA (Redwoods) and San Francisco (Alcatraz). Lots to see on the Oregon Coast, however hwy 101 will really slow you down with driving.

We did that exact trip last year. We really enjoyed going through the Redwood Forest. The coast was really foggy but what you could see was beautiful.

 

[specialks]

If you do the 101 in Oregon you might stop by Tillamook, OR. We went there for a fun stop last year. It has a cute short tour of the cheese packing facility (walk above - so fine for kids) and they have fresh ice cream for sale. The 101 is also a beautiful drive but slow.

ADDED : This is where Tillamook cheese & dairy products are made which is a favorite in the PNW -- not sure if they supply to BC.

 

[peridot62]

Thanks for all the responses - trying to make an informed decision ahead of time, since I am driving on my own with 2 teens. My brother had mentioned he thought the freeway through Washington State would be slowed down by roadwork; does anyone know if this will be the case in July? He said to take the coastal route, but I really just want to get there as fast as possible (within the speed limits, of course lol)

How long is a realistic amount of driving per day? I don't mind driving, but wouldn't want to be on the road in the dark.

Thanks to all who have so kindly helped with this!

 

[PrincessIM]

If you are a BCAA member, two weeks prior to leaving print out a TripTik. We used that last year and it was really helpful. It tells you all about construction that may be going on as well as approx. how many km's you've travelled and how many more to go including directions. We did the coast down and I5 back from San Fran last year and the coast is really slow and winding. I hate roads like that but it really was nice to see. I can't see the coast being faster than the I5 but someone may know better than I do.

We usually like to set out really early and we try not to travel more than 8 hours. Our kids are little so with eating breaks and rest breaks it probably takes us a little bit longer.

Keep in mind that the border waits get really long in the summer so the earlier you can leave, the better.

 

[specialks]

I am from the Seattle area and you can look up road projects at this website:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/

I-5 in WaSt is always busy and during the summer has lots of construction going on. However, they manage this really well and I would choose it over the coast just because you make up for the time with the fast sections. Which day and the time of day you travel will make all the difference in WaSt. Getting through Seatac & Tacoma is always a bit dicey with traffic. You will get to use carpool lanes which will help a bunch.

I would say that around the Seattle area in July you could drive until 9 or 930 pm when it would get dark.

 

[nana50]

Heck, if you're driving that far, keep going and spend a couple of days in my town......San Diego. Lots to see and do there. Oceanside is only an hour from Aneheim.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

We did this route last Feb/09. My advice for you is to hook up with the PCH at Santa Monica. You should make Monterey Ca that night. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is there on the water, and is an excellent Aquarium to visit. Lots things for the kids to see and do there. From there it's an 1 1/2 hr drive from Monterey to Sanfrancisco. If you are determined to go over the Golden Gate Bridge, be warned that you are stuck on the PCH until Crescent City where you can take HWY 199 that spits you out between Medford and Roseburg Oregon. We found out this the hard way, and made Eureka that night, but not before a long winding driving (hunderd yards hairpin turn, 100 yards hairpin turn for miles on end). The views are worth it though, and is something that you have to do once to experience it.

 

[tanyaewa]

I bought our Disney ParkHoppers from BCAA and got great rates - and they included parking at Mickey & Friends daily (a $12 a day value) It was awesome and I highly recommend it!

 

[skiingfast]

For the total drive, It won't be a problem to do Maple Ridge to LA in two days on I-5. When you factor in the stops. Plan to spend a full day in San Francisco. Having been there as a local and then a tourist I would say two days is about perfect but a lot of what makes it great you would liken to Vancouver.


I would try to avoid LA, Seatle and the greater Bay Area during rush hour. You may as well stop the car and see somthing than crawl through these places.


If you go to Carmel it would be unexcusable to not go to the Monterrey Bay aquarium. I would also suggest while in that area you see the redwoods just to the north around Santa Cruz.

If you take Hwy 1 the PCH north from Malibu it will be a long, long drive to Carmel, most of the day not including any site seeing. A fantastic drive though but for time you should take the 101 inland to bypass the big sur area.

Same deal if you take HWY 1 north from SF really slow, not as nice as the big sur.

Just north of Morro Bay is Hearst Castle. it's off HWY 1 but not far from 101 if you decide to double back to 101.

In LA I would say first see Hollywood Blvd. Then Venice Beach and the Santa Monica pier. 3rd somthing quicker is the La Brea Tar Pits.

 

[reynmagsmom]

Thanks for all the responses - trying to make an informed decision ahead of time, since I am driving on my own with 2 teens. My brother had mentioned he thought the freeway through Washington State would be slowed down by roadwork; does anyone know if this will be the case in July? He said to take the coastal route, but I really just want to get there as fast as possible (within the speed limits, of course lol)

How long is a realistic amount of driving per day? I don't mind driving, but wouldn't want to be on the road in the dark.

Thanks to all who have so kindly helped with this!

Even with construction the drive down I5 will take considerably less time than the 101.... the coastal route is a 2 lane highway whereas I5 is mostly 2 to 3 lane each way..... we drive I5 every year for our trips to DL and we may switch it up this year and hit 101 somewhere in southern oregon cutting across or on the way home as my hubby has never seen the Redwoods!!!

 

[azdisneylover]

I would try to go to the Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Factory and take their tour in Fairfield, California, located about an hour's drive north of San Francisco, and 45 minutes west of Sacramento.
These are my favorite candy right after chocolate! LOL These are the only Jelly Beans I will eat!

I would try and not drive on the 4th of July during the late afternoon and evening only because of the partying that will be happening resulting in drunk drivers.

 

[jtown]

Just remember, our posted speeds are in miles per hour, eh.

July 4th weekend? Don't try to drive anywhere late Sunday night. That's when the drunks will remember they have to work the next day and try to drive home. Other than that, don't try to drive on the SoCal Freeways during rush hour (roughly 7am-10am, 4pm-7pm Monday-Friday). Same goes for most urban areas.

How long it will take depends on how many hours you can safely drive in a day. I once did a road trip where we went non-stop (except for gas) from SoCal into BC in about 24 hours. Took turns sleeping and driving, had a cooler full of sandwiches and soda. If you're not that crazy, maybe Mt. Shasta on day 1, Anaheim on day 2. That's about 12 hours a day of driving. Figure a 4-5 days going back if you're really going up the coast (Hwy 1 and 101) on the way back and stop to smell the roses. And make sure to see Hearst Castle if you go that way.

From Anaheim to San Simeon will take you 5-7 hours if you take Hwy 101 to San Luis Obispo depending on traffic. I recommend a stop in San Luis Obispo for dinner, then stay there or San Simeon and take a couple of Hearst Castle tours early in the day, then head up the coast to Carmel/Monterey. Spend the next morning exploring San Francisco, then up to Mendodino/Eureka/somewhere in that area (I really have no idea which of thise towns is nice, just going by time and miles). Then to Portland via the redwoods. Next day, home. That really shortchanges San Francisco in my opinion but that's already 2 days down and 5 days back. 4 days back if you don't stop in Portland but make a 13 hour push for the finish.

The drive north on Hwy 1 from San Simeon will be slow. And that's assuming the road is open all the way through. Sometimes it will be washed out or locals-only for months at a time. Right now it's open to all traffic with a 1-lane section expected to be back to 2 lanes by 7/2/10. It's a beautiful drive if you've got the time.

With 3-4 days at Disney, that pretty much uses up all of your time but I'll throw out a few SoCal suggestions.

There's Six Flags about 1.5 hours north. Good if you like rides, rides, and more rides. Not so much for ambiance, tho they'd made a lot of effort to improve the cleanliness of the park the last time I was there. It was a noticeable improvement over 5 years ago. Admission is relatively cheap (Under $30 with a coupon and steep discounts on next-day returns).

About 1.5 hours to the south are the San Diego Wild Animal Park and San Diego Zoo. They're both good for a full day each. Check their website (I don't have enough posts to include a link) to see if they have any special events or tours going on. Sometimes they'll have interesting behind-the-scenes tours available for an extra fee. Their admission prices are kinda steep at $37 per person per park but you can get an annual membership to both parks. It's $99 for two adults in the same household (parent and 18 year old) and gets you two additional free guest passes (for the 13 year old). Even if you only go to one location one time, you'll still come out ahead.

Of course, there's Sea World to the south and Universal Studios to the north. And I think there's a LegoLand down here somewhere. There's the Discovery Center in Santa Ana. If you want water parks (it'll be hot in July!), there's Raging Waters in San Dimas and Wild Rivers in Irvine. In addition to Sea World, there's Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. There's the La Brea Tar Pits. Nixon Library in Yorba Linda and Regan Library in Simi Valley. The Queen Mary in Long Beach (but no longer the Spruce Goose).

Lots of stuff to do.

 

[peridot62]

Wow, a big THANK YOU to everyone who replied to me! I really appreciate all the advice/sightseeing/driving tips - I'm a bit apprehensive to drive on my own, but keep telling myself this might be the last trip with both my kids and it's a graduation trip for us all - one is leaving elementary school, one is leaving high school and I have not lost my sanity through it all, lol!

We intend to drive straight through on the way down, and drive the coast on the way back home. A cousin & her daughter are joining our caravan, for the drive back up this way...she and I have done part of this trip, from Anaheim to San Francisco but someone else did the driving then, and that was 20 yrs ago, well before we had kids to entertain along the way.

Knowing better the times of day to avoid being in certain areas is a great help, and I have joined BCAA as well to get the travel advice and discounts too on hotels, etc.

There is so much to see - we'll have to do some more research on what to do this time and what to leave out. Getting excited now, it's not that far off!