Southern California San Diego to Anaheim: when to battle I-5

[danacath]

Sorry-- I know that variations on this question get asked a lot, but please bear with me, since I could sure use the advice! On Thursday morning, July 18 I'll be leaving Gaslamp Quarter (roughly 5th and Broadway) to drive I-5 up to Disneyland. (We're staying at a hotel across the street, near Harbor and Manchester.) What would be the best time of morning to avoid the worst of the inevitable traffic jams on I-5?

Also, we'll be heading back to SD on Sunday morning. If we leave by 8:30 or 9, will we be okay on I-5 or should we make an effort to leave Anaheim earlier than that?

 

[Epek]

Thurs- before 7am (leaving closer to 6 would be fastest) or after 10am. Sun- traffic is generally light, but weekends can be wildcards. You never really can be sure what will happen!

 

[danacath]

Thanks for the advice, Epek. Hmmm... tough decision. I see two trains of thought here. On Wednesday we'll be up at 4 AM to catch our plane, so repeating an early morning on Thursday with DD (14) might be a recipe for this and/or this . We're doing parks on Thursday too, but we could take a nap/swim break in the afternoon.

On the flip side, if we wait until 10 AM to depart San Diego, we'd end up park hopping at the busiest (and hottest) time of day. Plus, a swim/nap break would be harder to fit in so we'd probably skip it. Thus, more sleep, but no break. Guess I'll have to give it some more thought.

Barring any unforeseen accidents on I-5, etc., if we'd leave SD at 6 AM, would we get to Anaheim around 8 or so? Is the traffic flow at that time of morning fairly steady, or is it stop and go? If we arrive in Anaheim around park opening, I'm also wondering if we'd run into Disney traffic back-ups when we exit near Ball Rd. I'd appreciate thoughts on any of this!

 

[Epek]

If you left at 6, I'd imagine you'd get there more like 7-7:30. The traffic would be flowing smoothly at about 70mph. That's why I suggested closer to 6. Once it gets after 7:30, more people get on the roads and it gets slower and slower. You may find pockets of heavier traffic, but overall, it'll be nice. As far as around the park, I'm unsure how busy it gets. I'm not usually driving in before opening. We either arrive a little after or drive up the night before (Can't get up early!). Pretty typical for locals.

 

[danacath]

I talked to DD (14) last night and she actually wants to go early, so we're gonna go for it! I'm hoping that our body clocks will still be on Nebraska time, so 5 AM will actually feel like 7 AM. Haha...right... Well, we'll just keep telling ourselves that anyway!

Having time for an afternoon nap/swim break appeals to both of us and should really help re-charge us for the evening shows, etc.

Thanks again, Epek. Helpful to hear from a local!

 

[Epek]

Happy to help! Have a great trip!

 

[danacath]

OP here-- Just thought I'd report on how the I-5 drive went for me... By the time we left SD on Thursday morning it was 6:25, a bit later than I had planned. Nevertheless, traffic flowed just fine and we didn't encounter any back-ups. The car pool lane rocked!! We got to the Ball Rd. exit at 7:40 and the ramp wasn't congested at all. Got to our hotel at 7:45. 80 minutes for the drive-- awesome!

Had a great time at DLR. Then on Sunday, we slept in and left for San Diego at 10:45. A similar amount of cars were on I-5, but we did have a few minor slow-downs until we hopped over into the car pool lane. Over all, the return trip wasn't bad either, considering we got such a late start.

Anyway, hope this helps someone else making the San Diego/Anaheim drive for the first time. (Yes, you too, can survive the I-5. )

 

[sbsmommy]

Thanks for your report! I was just going to ask for advice on the same thing.
Only on the way to SD we were thinking of going on the PCH and stopping at a beach. I have to research the route still though. Between what times on a Saturday morning should we avoid travelling?
We are returning on Monday - probably later in the day. Again, what times should we avoid? Probably will just come back on the I-5.

Would the advice be different or the same for I-5 vs PCH for either of these trips?

 

[danacath]

sbsmommy-- In June we left Bakersfield in a charter bus at 9 AM on a Saturday and headed toward San Diego. Traffic moved along fine until the afternoon hours and then we crawled along toward Oceanside. It took forever. Okay, not forever, but it sure felt like it! If you can stick to morning hours for Saturday travel, you'll probably be fine, IMHO. Having said that, it can be hit or miss, depending on the conditions.

Whenever we've gone to a beach, especially on the weekend, we usually plan on arriving early in the day-- definitely before 11. Afternoon traffic always seems to be brutal, plus it's harder to find good parking spots. Do you have your beach picked out yet?

As far as your return on Monday, I was advised by the locals to avoid the hours between 3 and 7 on I-5. We did drive I-5 between 3 and 4 on a couple of days and traffic was heavy with some stop and go areas.

Hopefully a local will chime in with more specifics for you than what I could offer. Happy planning and have a great trip!

 

[sbsmommy]

Thanks. We don't have a beach picked out- maybe Newport. It will be a very quick stop. Just long enough to say we've put our feet in the Pacific.

 

[Itinkso]

Thanks for your report! I was just going to ask for advice on the same thing.
Only on the way to SD we were thinking of going on the PCH and stopping at a beach. I have to research the route still though. Between what times on a Saturday morning should we avoid travelling?
We are returning on Monday - probably later in the day. Again, what times should we avoid? Probably will just come back on the I-5.

Would the advice be different or the same for I-5 vs PCH for either of these trips?

I regularly drive I-5 to Del Mar to visit my daughter. It's best to get an early start on Saturday. This past Saturday I stopped in DTD for lunch on my way to Del Mar (northern San Diego - right off of the I-5), and it took over two hours from Anaheim to Del Mar because it was like driving in a traffic jam the complete way. If you plan on leaving by 8:00 or 9:00, you should be okay.

Returning on a Monday, either plan to leave between 9:30 and 1:00 or 2:00, or after 7:00pm.

PCH-wise, stopping at the beach at Carlsbad, Solana, Del Mar or La Jolla would be good choices.