Driving from LAX after 9:00 am - crazy or calm?

[disney-super-mom]

Although I found a great airfare to fly into LAX, I'm not convinced it's the best thing to do.

Part of me says to spend the extra $20 per person and fly into John Wayne instead.

Regardless of where we fly into, we will be renting a car (which we always seem to do every trip to DL).

So, how horrible is it to drive from LAX to the DLR? Is traffic pretty thick, even after 9:00am? (Don't get me wrong. We're no wimps when it comes to driving in S. California. We've done it many times before. Just NOT from LAX.)

 

[Albort]

Well, put it this way... there are two paths to go to disneyland from LAX... you can go 105 --> 605 --> 91 --> 5 OR 105 --> 110 --> 91 --> 5.

All freeways have Carpool lane which means you should be able to skip most of the traffic EVEN IF there is traffic... So you should get there faster than the traffic time...

though i would suggest taking 105 --> 605... There is some construction on the 91 between 110 and 605....

from the 91 --> 5 there is a Carpool freeway change option you can take which saves you from exiting out of the carpool lane...

 

[disney-super-mom]

Thanks Albort. Great info and directions!

Now, we might fly in a couple of days early, to go to the beach at Crystal Cove state park, and a few other things.

Anyway, if we do, we'd be arriving on a Sunday morning. Traffic should be lighter on a Sunday morning (compared to a Mon-Fri morning), right?

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Albort... how long do you think it would be on a normal day for that drive? I assume that taxis can take the carpool lane (we are planning on a taxi.) We figure we'll be in a cab by 9:45 am at LAX headed to DLH, and by my calculations it is only ~35 miles... In Portland, 35 miles can take an hour in rush hour, and 35 minutes under optimum travel conditions... which at 9:45 am it would be much closer to 35 minutes then later...

Thanks for the local insight!

--Lisa

 

[Albort]

Sat/Sun tends to be less traffic but slow moving however... :\

Anytime after 10AM, the traffic is somewhat light... probably go between 65-70mph... after 3:30PM, the traffic gets really heavy going around 40-50 mph or less.

Id say, depending on how fast the driver is going, 40-50min...

35mile in 35 min??? thats like uhhh, really really really really really fast

my house is like 40 mins away... and it usually takes me 50 min to get home... and that is if i travel 85+ mph Yes, i am a speed demon

 

[lisah0711]

I've taken a nonstop flight from Spokane to LAX that arrives about 9:30 a.m. Even with going offsite to pick up the rental car I have alway been walking in the gates of the park well before noon (which is pretty nice!) and had no traffic problems. I have arrived on a Wednesday and a Sunday and same thing.

I don't know about the directions as I usually use Mapquest. I know I end up coming in on 5 to get to the park.

But it is LA and you never know what traffic will do.

 

[disney-super-mom]

But it is LA and you never know what traffic will do.

That's for sure!

Thanks for telling me your personal experience with the LAX to DLR drive. I figure if it's not too bad for other vacationers, than it shouldn't be too bad for us.

By the way, have a wonderful time going "home" in 5 months. DH and I toured the WL and the WLV, and we LOVED IT!

(We're patiently holding out for a DVC resort at DL.)

 

[lisah0711]

(We're patiently holding out for a DVC resort at DL.)

Us too!

Have a great trip in October!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Well up here you can go 60-65 mph and it equals about a mile a minute... so yeah 35 miles = 35 minutes... I mapquested it, and it said 38 minutes I think from LAX-DLH...

Thanks all!

--Lisa

 

[LittleWoodenHead]

Well, put it this way... there are two paths to go to disneyland from LAX... you can go 105 --> 605 --> 91 --> 5 OR 105 --> 110 --> 91 --> 5.

You can also go 405 South --> 110 North --> 91 East --> 5 South. I've taken that route a couple times without much trouble. Other times, I've used the first route Albort posted. It really just depends on the current traffic reports.

Well up here you can go 60-65 mph and it equals about a mile a minute... so yeah 35 miles = 35 minutes... I mapquested it, and it said 38 minutes I think from LAX-DLH...

MapQuest is nuts! They presume you will be able to maintain a speed of 60MPH over the entire distance, which is highly unlikely.

I almost always pass by LAX on my way to DL and I have clocked it from there on numerous occasions. Even at 6:00AM and going 65MPH whenever I am able, it generally takes me about an hour to cover the distance (give or take 10 minutes).

Other than the interchanges, the worst stretch is always the last couple of miles on the 5 after the transition from the 91. Traffic can really crawl there, even early in the morning.

 

[Albort]

might want to try sigalert.com

it list the speed from one street to the next... also with the carpool lane speeds...

i forgot about the 405... 405 to me always means traffic in my opinion... :\

 

[My3SonsandMaya]

We were just there last week. We flew into LAX rented a car at Enterprise and stayed at BWPPI, we had no problems took us about an hour to get to the motel. We used the directions listed in the links above, they were great directions.

 

[Bsbllmom]

I agree with Albort. My DH works in Santa Monica and we live at the east end of the 105. He will not take the 405 at any cost. I think the best way is the 105, 605, 91, 5. Like Albort said you can stay in the carpool lane from the 91 to the 5 and exit onto Disneyland Drive from the carpool lane.

 

[LittleWoodenHead]

I agree with Albort. My DH works in Santa Monica and we live at the east end of the 105. He will not take the 405 at any cost.

That's because your husband is travelling in the opposite direction. The 405 NORTH in the morning between the 105 and the 10 is really bad. But heading SOUTH from LAX is a different matter. At least it has been the 3 times I've done it in the last year.

You know, I am not making this up. I am just trying to be helpful and give people some alternate directions -- directions that have worked very well for me in the past. YMMV.

 

[Bsbllmom]

No you are totally right he is going in the opposite direction in the morning. It is also around 5:00 A.M. I think that it is great that we are able to give different options. My DH does towing out in that area and is always on the roads. I don't have any experience in driving out that way so maybe I shouldn't have said anything. It was just my opinion from what I have heard the freeways are like out there.

I'm sorry if I made you feel like you were making something up. That wasn't my intention at all and I was just agreeing with Albort about the 405 parking lot.