Drive Time Home to Bay Area?

[mrsw94]

We are heading down in late September, and need to be home by 4pm on Wednesday in San Mateo. Suggestions on how early to leave? I'm thinking 8am, but am worried we should leave earlier.
Suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[StageTek]

I suggest leaving earlier. But then I'm one of those who would rather get there way too early than sit in a car feeling uncomfortable that I'm gonna be late. In the best of times it's a solid 7 hours.

 

[Becca1007]

The upside to traveling on a Wednesday is that you will avoid the Hwy 5 Sunday traffic jam. The downside is that you will have to navigate the LA area at rush hour. You'd be better to leave by 6:30 or 7am I think to give yourself cushion and the ability to stop for rest stops.

 

[laugard]

A lot depends on which route you're taking and what stops you plan to make. But if I absolutely had to be home by 4, I'd leave around 6. That gives a little leeway for food, gas, and rest stops, as well as (most) traffic hiccups.

 

[pharmama]

Hello Neighbor (I live in SM)!

I agree with the others. If you leave at 8am you're going to be heading out in the thick of traffic. I would leave 6-6:30am to avoid some of the traffic. You'll probably get home much earlier than 4 but that leaves you room for stops etc.

 

[tink89]

If you leave by 6 am you will be home by 1 pm. We usually always leave early to avoid traffic especially if leaving during weekday morning rush hour. We also make at least 2 stops along the way.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I too would leave around 6 am, just to be safe. The drive always seems to take me longer than Google Maps says it will, even with minimal stops. The goal is to get out of the LA area before heavy commute traffic hits. Once out, you can take it slower if you find you have extra time.

 

[crystal1313]

We always leave at 6am or earlier because we don't want to deal with the SoCal traffic. Leaving that early also gets us back to the bay area before traffic gets too crazy for the afternoon commute time. We usually only make one stop. Getting up that early kinda stinks, but it is nice to get home at a reasonable time.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Trafic estimator:

Go to Google Maps website. Enter home address then click on "Directions" and enter starting point. There is then a drop down menu that says "leave now" that you can change to "arrive by" and play with dates and times to see typical travel times based on what time of day.

 

[Twinkletoesjohnson]

Hi neighbor! Waving at you from the other side of the hill (Half Moon Bay)!

 

[tsumgirl]

I agree that it's best to leave around 6am - a bit earlier if you can. That way, you avoid LA and Bay Area traffic. The stress of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic watching the clock ticking later and later is not worth it to me. I've arrived two hours later than Google predicted due to accidents.

 

[Sunclytie]

Hi neighbor! I live right around the corner from you in Belmont. We’re planning to drive down for our next trip - it’s good to remember that it might take longer than Google predicts.

 

[mrsw94]

Thanks all! As much as I don't want to (and I know we'll be up late Tuesday night since DL doesn't close until 11), I think we'll suck it up and leave at 6-6:30, just to be safe. Thanks!!

 

[mrsw94]

Hello Neighbor (I live in SM)!

I agree with the others. If you leave at 8am you're going to be heading out in the thick of traffic. I would leave 6-6:30am to avoid some of the traffic. You'll probably get home much earlier than 4 but that leaves you room for stops etc.

Hi neighbor! Waving at you from the other side of the hill (Half Moon Bay)!

Hi neighbor! I live right around the corner from you in Belmont. We’re planning to drive down for our next trip - it’s good to remember that it might take longer than Google predicts.

And a big "HI!!" to all my fellow Peninsula DISers!!

 

[Twinkletoesjohnson]

Hi neighbor! I live right around the corner from you in Belmont. We’re planning to drive down for our next trip - it’s good to remember that it might take longer than Google predicts.

Hi! My kids went to Notre Dame, so I used to spend a lot of time in your town