How long to drive from Salem, OR on I-5?

[Crazy4Disney06]

The last time we drove to DLR in 2004 it took us extra time due to stopping off in Sacramento for about 5 hours to have dinner with family. We are planning on driving straight through with very minimal stops (gas, restroom, etc). MapQuest says just under 15 hours......what is the best time anyone has made from the Salem, OR area? We have scheduled extra time to stop over night because my mother was going with us, however she has decided to opt out this trip so the three of us would like to get to DLR ASAP, with no over night stop and spend that extra time at the parks!

 

[JustAKid]

Do I know you? We're driving from Salem and stopping in Sacramento to pick up family!!! Hehe.

It takes us 10 hours to get to Sacto from here due to our frequent stops (a 2 year old who is potty training ) and my "granny" driving through the pass after Ashland. I can imagine that you could do the whole thing in 15 hours, and that's if you go the posted speed limit. Let me know how the drive past Sacto is and good luck!

 

[Surroundedbyboys]

We're from South Salem; drove to DL with 3 adults and 4 kids. We drove two 9 hour days. So, with stops for food, gas and bathroom breaks it took us about 18 hours in total. (Have to add though, that I go the speed limit- maybe 5 miles over at most. My husband & brother could make it there-with stops-in 16 hours!)

 

[JustAKid]

We're from South Salem; drove to DL with 3 adults and 4 kids. We drove two 9 hour days. So, with stops for food, gas and bathroom breaks it took us about 18 hours in total. (Have to add though, that I go the speed limit- maybe 5 miles over at most. My husband & brother could make it there-with stops-in 16 hours!)

Where did you stop for the day?

 

[victorandbellasmom]

We just got back yesterday from DL and drove home via Sacramento, Portland, and then finally home to Kirkland. We left Anaheim at noon, stopped for a quick dinner and gas and arrived in Sacramento at 7:00pm. We left Sacramento at 7:15am, gas up twice and had lunch and arrived in Portland at 4:45. Left Portland at 5:30 and got home at 8:45pm. There was minimal traffic and we only drove 4-5mph over the speed limits. Overall the total drive time from Anaheim to Portland was 16 1/2 hours

 

[JustAKid]

We just got back yesterday from DL and drove home via Sacramento, Portland, and then finally home to Kirkland. We left Anaheim at noon, stopped for a quick dinner and gas and arrived in Sacramento at 7:00pm. We left Sacramento at 7:15am, gas up twice and had lunch and arrived in Portland at 4:45. Left Portland at 5:30 and got home at 8:45pm. There was minimal traffic and we only drove 4-5mph over the speed limits. Overall the total drive time from Anaheim to Portland was 16 1/2 hours

AWESOME info, thank you!! You even drove through 5 o'clock bay area traffic and made good time. That's awesome, and good to know.

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Thanks everyone,
We are still debating on making the drive in two days via stopping over night or just hitting the rode hard and heavy and making the drive in one day. I think we can do the drive in 15 to 16 hours..... or at least hope. I would so rather fly but dh is wanting to drive this time. Either way we will be at Disney in 35 days!!!

 

[BurnsideMommy]

We *just* made the drive from Corvallis - got here last night. We've driven down about 7 or 8 times in the last 3 years.

We usually drive 9 hours down to Stockton, CA. Sometimes Santa Nella (10 hours). Gas is cheap at Robbie's in Santa Nella (cheapest in about a 2 hour stretch around by 20-30 cents a gallon!). It's 8 hours from Corvallis to Sacramento though if you don't want to drive as far as Stockton (you do have an extra 30 minutes on top of our trip since you're further north).

Day 2 of driving: from Santa Nella it's about 4 hours, from Stockton, about 5, and from Sacramento - about 6. The entire trip is about 14 hours - but we make quick pee stops, and eat drive thru or in car snacks most of the time. We have 3 kiddos (3, 5 and 7) so we still have to make stops, but try to keep them short - but run them ragged around at the hotel/park before bed LOL.

Have fun!!

 

[karylrocks]

I made that drive once and spent the night here http://www.rrpark.com. Just happened to pull off the freeway and find it. It was fun! Haven't had a chance to stay there with the family since we always fly now, but I would like to stay there again.

With no stops, I agree that 15 hours would be about right.

 

[50sjayne]

My record I guess is about 14 1/2 hours from Eugene to Anaheim. That was through noon LA traffic too. That was just my daughter and I though. This last trip none of us really know what time we left (lol) but I'd say my closest guess was 16 hours. That was with ALOT of rest stops though. I didn't want to mess up my back and I also wanted to make sure husband didn't go too long without a dang cigarette. I figured this out on our road trip a few years back to San Fran, Hearst Castle, Santa Cruz/redwoods. He gets awful if he doesn't stop. this last trip was harder on us driving all night- we're just getting older lol. But I think we'll do it again this coming trip. I even thought that stopping in Sacramento on the way back up seemed like cheating-- it was like nothing that last leg. But-- I really like avoiding the Siskious and all the fog at night so-- I guess we'll stop in Sacramento again. Husband's Uncle is there and the Squeeze Inn (famous hamburger joint mmm)

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

Altho I'm not from Salem I wanted to hop on bc we made that drive last summer...minus Anaheim.
We started in AZ & our 1st destination was Salem (MIL resides there). It took us 12 hrs the 1st day to get to Modesto, CA - we were in Salem the following day around 8 hrs later I THINK. It's been a yr, what can I say? We have 2 kids & we made bathroom & meal stops so that did slow us down some, we also took time to drive to Crater Lake. We all felt ill after THAT drive, wind-y as heck!

All I know is the I-5 is the boringest (it's a word!) drive ever. I'd be looking on the map & see Santa Barbara was directly west of us...if ONLY we had the time to drive the PCH instead! I think I owuld've enjoyed that more.

 

[grumpyskirtgirl]

Squeeze Inn (famous hamburger joint mmm)

yummmm, I love the Squeeze Inn! It is moving though, so you had better make you you know where the new location is if you plan on stopping by.

 

[50sjayne]

What? thanks-I'll check it out. It was a tiny little place...

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Thank you all for your replies. Dh is determined to make the trip in one shot, however I would rather stop overnight. He plans to leave on Sunday October 4th and arrive at our hotel between 14 to 16 hours later. I am still trying to convince him that we will all be too worn out to enjoy our first day, but so far no luck.

 

[50sjayne]

But...you won't be. Worn out I mean. We do this every time -then walk right into the parks.
Last time it was great because it had been so long and it was a magic morning- and shoot--we were UP. Lol I don't think we would have made a magic morning otherwise. Going back though is the thing-- the fog...the Siskious, the bummer of going home. No way. We will definitely stop halfway going back.
I will never forget however rolling in to Anaheim at 6 am everything dark but all the trees lit with the little white lights down Harbor finding a spot in dt Disney to park and being followed by the little grey kitty through downtown Disney, everything quiet, just a few wonderfully friendly employees about.
Just don't get wet before you can check into your room lol.

 

[sasywtch]

I post very rarely as everyone seems to know a lot more than I but I read here alot!
I'm in Sacramento. Years ago we use to leave at 1am to get to LA around 7:30am. It was great the kids slept on the drive however, by 4pm, the adults were pooped out and we were dragging! A few years later, we pulled into a reststop to sleep a few hours and now it's "give me my sleep in a bed!". I found that trying to save a day and doing DL the first day makes for grumpy adults. We didn't really enjoy our first day as we were tired.

What we ended up doing now is driving 3 hours after work and finding a motel/hotel around 8pm along I-5. We relax by the pool with a glass of wine to help us sleep. Get up at 4am (after 6 hours sleep) and drive the 3-1/2 hours to Disneyland. Hitting the LA traffic at 7am wasn't too bad for us vs the 9am.

A possible compromise for you all, drive 12 hours and stop about 3 hours past Sacramento. Spend the night and get at least 5 hours sleep. Get up early and drive 3-1/2 hours and be in DL by 10am.

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

A possible compromise for you all, drive 12 hours and stop about 3 hours past Sacramento. Spend the night and get at least 5 hours sleep. Get up early and drive 3-1/2 hours and be in DL by 10am.

This is exactly what I want to do. Hopefully when we get about Sacramento and my dh realizes how tired he is of being in the car he will agree to a stop about 3 hours later! At least I'm hoping.

In 2007 we flew red eye into Orlando. We were way to excited to sleep since it was our first family WDW vacation. By the time we hit the parks later the next day we were exhausted. We hate in Epcot and went back to our room for much needed sleep. None of us woke up until all most 10am the next morning. LOL

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

But...you won't be. Worn out I mean. We do this every time -then walk right into the parks.
Last time it was great because it had been so long and it was a magic morning- and shoot--we were UP. Lol I don't think we would have made a magic morning otherwise. Going back though is the thing-- the fog...the Siskious, the bummer of going home. No way. We will definitely stop halfway going back.
I will never forget however rolling in to Anaheim at 6 am everything dark but all the trees lit with the little white lights down Harbor finding a spot in dt Disney to park and being followed by the little grey kitty through downtown Disney, everything quiet, just a few wonderfully friendly employees about.
Just don't get wet before you can check into your room lol.

We are for sure stopping on the way home. I'm thinking somewhere about Redding then making the 8 or so hours home the next day.
Our first day is a non park planned day, so honestly I don't see why he want to drive all night. We won't even be able to check in to PPH that early. He idea is that it saves us more money we can spend in Disney.....I suppose he is right