Driving from Monterey to DLR

[amjt660]

Hello all
I need some info/advice on the drive from Monterey to DLR
We went in March 07 and did the same drive but did not enjoy the route that we took.

First off please understand that at this point of our vacation the important part is the destination - not the journey. We have only 1 day and want to get to DLR as quickly and safely as possible.

In 07 we went into Salinas then took the 101 to King City. After King City went travelled on the 198 across to the I5 then straight through to Anaheim.

Now the 198 was not our cup of tea (I admit it - we are wimps - I thought my wife was going have an attack as we drove so close to the edge.)

So this time we are going to go on 156 to the 152 to the I5.

I know this is the boring route but we want to make it in one day.

Has anyone on the boards been on the roads/highways mentioned above?
Is the 156/152 a "safer - less adventurous" route to take.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Max

 

[MamaDrama]

You can continue on the 101 all the way down through LA to the 5.

 

[GrandBob]

Ouch! You somehow found the absolute worst route from here to DLR! As you found out, 198 from King City to Coalinga is a slow, twisty, mountainous road.

The preferred route from Monterey to Anaheim is 68 to Salinas (actually, take a shortcut through Spreckles if you can find the way), then 101 south to Paso Robles, then 46 across to Lost Hills, where you pick up I-5 South.

However, the route you picked is very close in time and distance to the preferred route. Probably 5-10 minutes longer.

I live in north Monterey county, near the Santa Cruz county line, so I always take 156/152 past Hollister, over the Pacheco pass, to I-5 south (the route you're proposing). It's perfectly safe. 152 over Pacheco pass is a little mountainous, but 4 lanes and fast. It's much, much, much better than the section of 198 that you took. The (slightly) twisty portion of 152 that you'll be on lasts for about 15 minutes. To give you an idea of how much straighter it is, I manage to go 65-70 over this portion. But I'm a speed demon - stick to the speed limit (60 I think) and you'll be fine.

-Bob

 

[Somegirl]

We always take 101 the whole way to LA and then go through Burbank on 134 to 5. I took 46 to 5 once and couldn't stand it. It felt like a very dangerous stretch of road. People pass the big semi trucks and it's nerve wracking. There are a lot of big trucks on that road.
Pacheco Pass is fine. We go that way to get to Yosemite. I just find 5 to be so boring that it makes the drive seem so much longer. The 101 route only adds about 20 minutes or so to the drive.
101 is so nice and scenic. I love going through the Gaviota pass and coming out at the ocean. We always see a pod of dolphins at Rincon too. You can take 101 all the way to 5, but we found that 132 helps to avoid downtown LA. I also think 68 would be the way I would go to get 101.

 

[amjt660]

Thanks for all the help so far.

To summarize

Route 1 = 152/56 to 5
Route 2 = 68 to 101 to 46 to 5
Route 3 = 68 to 101 to 134(?) to 5

I will give it some thought.

One more thing. If I was going to leave Monterey around 8-9am on a Thursday morning in August would any of the routes have more / less traffic


Note: I am travelling with DW and 2 teenage DD so I cannot predict a departure time anymore accurate than that!!

Thanks
Max

 

[GrandBob]

Monterey gets a little bit of morning rush-hour traffic, mostly on Highway 1 coming in from Marina. But so little that you can ignore it -- 5 minute delays, that sort of thing.

The main reason to plan your departure time is to figure out when you'll be arriving in the LA Basin. If you leave Monterey at 9AM, you'll be in LA around 3. Not peak rush hour, but not good either. I'd try to leave Monterey around 8 AM. That will get you into LA around 2 PM, which should be much better traffic-wise.

-Bob
P.S. Yes, I also think Somegirl meant 134, not 132.

 

[TSRE]

You can continue on the 101 all the way down through LA to the 5.

Just FYI, NOT a good route if anyone in your party gets carsick. Pretty, but very curvy.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Just FYI, NOT a good route if anyone in your party gets carsick. Pretty, but very curvy.

I think you are referring to Highway 1. US 101 is a major highway and curves are not an issue. We live in San Luis Obispo and travel 101 all the time to Salinas. -- Suzanne

 

[GrandBob]

Route 1 = 152/56 to 5
One of the two fastest routes. A little curvy over Pacheco pass, but not bad. Somegirl is right, it's boring. I-5 is only 4 lane (two in each direction), and full of trucks. When they try to pass each other, car traffic will back up behind them. When the maneuver is finally done, the cars will zoom past and resume going 80+. A little curvy again over the Grapevine.

Route 2 = 68 to 101 to 46 to 5
One of the two fastest routes. Speed trap near King City - slow down for 5 miles each side of town. Route 46 is an hour of two-lane traffic. Yes, there are trucks, but it's a fairly flat road with wide shoulders, and I never had a problem with it at all, other than it's boring. As a plus, you can stop at the James Dean memorial (where he crashed his car). Boring route.

Route 3 = 68 to 101 to 134 to 5
Speed trap near King City. Somegirl is right - this is the prettiest route, once you get past Santa Ynez. But I stopped taking it 20 years ago because of traffic through Santa Barbara. I can't believe that's gotten better. When I used to do it, I would take a shortcut on 154 through the Santa Ynez valley. Somewhere back there is Neverland Ranch, but I'm sure you won't be able to find it. If you go this route and want a break, the little Danish town of Solvang is a very cute tourist trap. I'm sure your ladies would love it. But it's 5-10 miles off the main route, and plan on spending a couple of hours there. So if you do that, just stay long enough to miss the evening LA rush hour, and get into LA late. I'd take this route only if you want a leisurely, scenic route.

Also, I'm no expert in LA traffic. But if I were taking 101 all the way down, I'd do it as 101S - 405S - 110N - 91E - 5S. Not quite as direct, but it has carpool lanes nearly the whole way. I-5 doesn't.

Actually, the real scenic route is to take Highway 1 down the Big Sur coast, until it meets up with 101 in Santa Barbara. There you'll get breathtaking views. But plan on it taking all day - I can't imagine taking this route without stopping often to ooh and ahh over the views. Also, it's twisty and slow. But truly world class in its views.

HTH,
Bob

 

[Somegirl]

Yes Highway 1 is long and curvy, but 101 is fine.
Personally I think from Monterey going up to Pacheco Pass is a bit of back tracking. I'm up in Santa Cruz County and I don't like taking the time to cut over to 5. Plus you're going in August which means the Central Valley is going to be HOT! The 101 route isn't exactly cool, but it won't be as hot as 5.

As far as leaving 8ish or so, I'd suggest checking the schedules of the Dodgers and the Angels. One year we got stuck in an epic traffic jam from LA to Anaheim because both teams were having home games. What should of took no more them 40 minutes took 2 hours! Luckily there aren't home games when we drive down on June 21st...yeah.

These are all just my suggestions. I've learned that everyone has there own opinion on what route to take to Southern California, but after 25 odd years of driving down there on my own, plus all the years of driving with my parents as a kid, I've found that 101 is the most pleasant and really doesn't take much longer.

 

[TSRE]

I think you are referring to Highway 1. US 101 is a major highway and curves are not an issue. We live in San Luis Obispo and travel 101 all the time to Salinas. -- Suzanne

You are right - teach me to post that early in the morning!!

 

[amjt660]

Excellent advice from all
Thanks for the help

Max

 

[Leofoenget]

Could you backtrack a little and hit the 5 from Gilroy? It would only be about 45 mins out of way. That's what I would do personally

 

[GrandBob]

Could you backtrack a little and hit the 5 from Gilroy? It would only be about 45 mins out of way. That's what I would do personally

That's route #1, 156/152 to 5. From Gilroy, you just take 152 over Pacheco Pass to I-5. From farther south (Monterey), it's quicker to take 156 past San Juan Bautista and Hollister to 152 to I-5. But it's mostly the same route.

-Bob