Drive to and from DLR and Bay Area

[Lyn-CA]

Calling all experts: what can we expect traffic-wise if we left the Bay Area around 5 or 6 am? Would you recommend that time or to leave later? This will be on the Monday of Thanksgiving week.

On the return trip to Bay Area, what time in the afternoon is ideal time frame to leave DL to avoid the worst traffic? This will be on a Tuesday.

Thanks in advance. It'll be our first time driving to and from DLR as we've run out of SW points.

 

[Pucka1378]

We drive from Gilroy which is south of the bay area... I am usually on the road coming from work in San Jose around 6:30am on weekends and weekdays and the traffic is good coming south on 101. From that area I say you should be fine.

Our last drive from Gilroy was smooth sailing until we hit L.A. but that is to be expected. When we come back we usually leave early afternoon and have minimal traffic.

Everything might be thrown off being that it is a holiday week. I know my kids have the whole week of Thanksgiving off.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

On the trip down, that should be fine. On your way home I would leave early afternoon, or late at night.

 

[bcla]

Could you narrow it down to an approximate starting point? Advice might be different if it's Marin vs Silicon Valley.

 

[Lyn-CA]

Could you narrow it down to an approximate starting point? Advice might be different if it's Marin vs Silicon Valley.

Sure, we are near Oakland airport so we'll be taking 880S to 238 to 580 to I5.

 

[bcla]

Sure, we are near Oakland airport so we'll be taking 880S to 238 to 580 to I5.

Won't be bad at all. 880 south can include commute traffic, but it's only a few miles and nowhere near as bad as going through Fremont. 580 south varies. It's typically not crowded, but trucks can be difficult to deal with since everyone is weaving around them. Then you need to deal with drivers who aren't going the speed limit. Once you're past the 580-680 interchange it's smooth all the way until maybe Santa Clarita. Once you get there anything is possible.

 

[Jaylens Papa]

Getting out of the Bay Area will be nothing compared to the mess on the 5 just north of Disneyland. The road construction is crazy. It took us over an hour from just south of L.A.
Some will say take 210 thru Pasadena to the 57?. It's a few miles longer but goes around all the construction.
Someone please chime in with the exact route.

 

[pharmama]

Getting out of the Bay Area will be nothing compared to the mess on the 5 just north of Disneyland. The road construction is crazy. It took us over an hour from just south of L.A.
Some will say take 210 thru Pasadena to the 57?. It's a few miles longer but goes around all the construction.
Someone please chime in with the exact route.

You have it correct- you take the 210 East when it splits off the 5 to the 57 South, then exit Ball or Katella from the 57. Agree that its a bit longer but often faster (and less frustrating).

 

[GatorChris]

Hey, that 210 to 57 tip is a good one! I always hate driving down the 5 into Anaheim. And if there's construction, it'll be even worse. I hope this shaves a few minutes off the trip.

BTW, how is traffic in LA about 6-8pm on a Sunday night? I hear Sunday mornings are easy, but not sure about how it will be when we arrive Sunday evening.

 

[Belle Ella]

I was east bay and started off on 680 but never had too much of a problem when I left at 6am, and I was driving solo. But maybe I'm blocking something out so I don't remember. Most of the time I left at 2am so I hit very little to no traffic (mostly just a little congestion through LA) and was always down here in under 6 hours (again, driving solo so I just drove straight through).

I would think you would be fine.

 

[PinkAndNerdy]

Our last drive down we left the Silicon Valley at 1:30pm and made it to Anaheim at 7:30pm, that was on a Friday and involved nearly no bathroom breaks and low flying on I-5. Trip back we left at 3pm from Anaheim and were home by 9pm, that was a Tuesday. I had super motivated kids that trip though, we were heading for Disneyland AND the One Direction concert at the Rose Bowl

As always, LA traffic is the killer. I'm going to have to try the 210 to 57 thing next time!!

 

[Nicolette11785]

When I drove from the East Bay (Castro Valley) I left at 4am on a Saturday morning and had no traffic at all. It was actually a very pleasant drive.

I think driving home will be much harder. I left on a Saturday morning to come back to the Bay Area and left mid afternoon but there was no Holiday so there was no traffic.

 

[cherice95403]

It really depends on how early you want to get there. I live in Santa Rosa and have done this drive many times. If you can get through Livermore by 6am you are smooth sailing until SoCal. It really depends on how much you stop....we stop one time for gas and leg stretch and that's it. If you can get to DL by 1pm you shouldn't hit too much traffic. After that, it starts to get ugly.

On the return trip you would need to leave by 11am to avoid SoCal traffic, but that will put you right into bay area traffic. We always leave early and find it worth it, but that's us.

 

[3monkeys4me]

We usually leave in the early afternoon, around 2pm for the trip back up to Northern CA (east bay). We stop for an early dinner around Bakersfield.

In general, we fly into So. CA, visit DL and then drive to the bay area to visit family and fly home from there so not as much experience on the trip down. The few times we have done it we have left early in the morning, around 6am and haven't had much traffic at all.