San Francisco to Anaheim Drive Time

[skbaker]

We're trying to do some planning for a trip to DL this summer. Can someone give me an idea about how long it takes to drive from San Francisco to Anaheim? Is it a scenic drive, or mostly desert?

 

[skiingfast]

It depends which was you go, when you go, and where in SF Over to the 5 and down is about 6 hours with no traffic no stopping so really about 7 hours. 8-10 if you leave SF on a weekday during rushour and arrive in LA during rush hour.

It's mostly farming areas outside the cities.

If you want it to be scenic and have time. Take Highway 1 down the coast. It's very nice. However because you will want to stop and see some sites this easily turns into a 10 hour drive without major stops and good to split up.

Monterrey, Big Sur and more is along the 1.

 

[DharmaLou]

it took us about 6 hours from Concord to Anaheim, which is basically the same distance when we would drive down.

 

[dlinne]

We do that exact drive every time we go to Disneyland. If we leave at 830am on a weekend day we usually arrive around 330. That includes stopping for lunch and bathroom breaks. If I was going to leave on a weekday I'd get up early and leave by about 630am to avoid getting stuck in the SF and surrounding area traffic.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

It usually takes us around 6 hours (we lived in S.F. for 15 years, but now live in the East Bay)--but we know how to beat the traffic. We always leave very early in the morning (usually around 5:30-6:ish) in order to beat the traffic on both ends. If you leave later or take your time, the drive down highway 5 can easily morph into a 8+ hour torture test.

The drive down Interstate 5 is not known for it's scenic beaty! It is dry, dull lanscapes dotted with stockyards (you can smell the cows for miles) and fast food places with dirty bathrooms. Enjoy!

Some people do take the 101, and it is indeed much more scenic (some parts are gorgeous--it is coast line driving along some of it)--but that is a very slow, round about way to get from S.F. to Anaheim. I would only do it if I was planning to stop along the way and incorporate it into the trip.

The way to get thru a trip down I-5 is to have some great songs loaded on to your ipod, or my personal favorite--audiobooks. Get everything set up the night before (we even load our car the night before), and set your alarm for early in the A.M. is my best advice for getting through it. Watch out for the disgusting Foster's Freeze that is infested with flies and a fear factor style bathroom.

 

[gatorfreud]

We just went and it took us just under 7 hours both ways - didn't hit much traffic either way though. Stopped twice each time - once to grab food to eat in the car and once for gas.

On the way down we left around 3pm Thursday - went down 280 and crossed over to I5 through Gilroy. 580 scares me....

On the way home left DLR around 3:45pm Monday. Went home through 580.

We live on the south side of the city.

Kim

 

[Babybears]

On our drive down, we always stop over in the Pleasant Hill/Concord area to stay with family. The day we leave for Disneyland, we get up early and are on the road by 6:00 am. It's great because the kids go back to sleep for a few hours and then when the wake up, we look for a place to stop for breakfast. We take I-5 all the way down and I will say, there are not many places to stop. Often you go 20+ miles between exits or services. We have stopped at a place called The Apricot Tree and the food was pretty good. We usually only stop again for gas and bathroom breaks or if we see a drive-thru Starbucks

We end up usually going thru LA around 12:00 - 12:30 and end up at the hotel by 1:30. Traffic gets a little sticky once you get past Magic Mountain, but has always been managable.

It's nice because the early start helps us avoid traffic, both in the bay area and in the LA area, and also gets us to Disneyland with plenty of time to get to the parks and enjoy a good part of the day!

 

[disneychrista]

The day we leave for Disneyland, we get up early and are on the road by 6:00 am...
It's nice because the early start helps us avoid traffic, both in the bay area and in the LA area, and also gets us to Disneyland with plenty of time to get to the parks and enjoy a good part of the day!

I can't agree with this more. It is nice to arrive in anaheim with plenty of day still available. For me if we leave later is just makes it seem like we drove all day but if we arrive in anahiem in the early afternoon, it is like we still have a half the day.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I HATE I5 fwy js....

 

[disneychrista]

I HATE I5 fwy js....

I hate the drive in general. We took 101 one time and didn't find it any better. So I would rather go the 5 and get there 2 hours earlier.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I hate the drive in general. We took 101 one time and didn't find it any better. So I would rather go the 5 and get there 2 hours earlier.

ya...im fortunate I guess because I live along the 99 fwy and when I get to the 210 cutoff I take that over to the 57 and then into anaheim...only shaves off about 10 or so min. but I completely avoid traffic jams which would end up causing me a longer drive if I stuck to the 5 and I usually get into LA area during morning commute so thats a tremendous help

 

[danceanddisney2010]

we are about an hour south of san fran and it usually takes us about 6 hours. we take 5 most of the way down and as previously mentioned.. not too much excitement ... rathing boring drive. however, the end result is defintely worth it!

 

[disneychrista]

when I get to the 210 cutoff I take that over to the 57

We did this once too. The traffic was worse on the 57 then it would have been on the 5. Maybe we just had bad luck & there had been an accident or something.

 

[Malcon10t]

We did this once too. The traffic was worse on the 57 then it would have been on the 5. Maybe we just had bad luck & there had been an accident or something.

We take the 210e-605s-91e-5 south. Unless we hit LA after 830p, then we just take the 5.

 

[halfmonkey]

As someone already mentioned, it mainly farmlands in central ca. There are some exits where food and gas are grouped together and there are also some mom and pop diners spread out along the freeway.

If you take the scenic route, it will add a few hours because the speed limit is slower and if you take it from SF, you'll be going through some pretty slower traffic areas because the roads hug the coastline so it'll be pretty curvy. If you're going to take the scenic route, it might be better to take it on the way home because going to DL, I'm sure everybody will be anxious to get to DL and not too concerned with sight seeing.

If you go on the 5, it's pretty flat and mainly 2 lanes so there really isn't much going on. You'll pass a stinky cow zone or two but that's about it. It will get hot in the summer so make sure you a/c is working and when you drive through the grapevine, keep in mind that it's a pretty intense climb, especially during the summer with the heat. Just be aware and turn off your a/c as you do the climb because you don't want your car to over heat.

I'd say take the 5 down to DL and use cruise control and if you want to be adventurous, take the scneic route back. I've done the scenic route once on the way to SF and it was nice but def with all of the stops to sight see, it add a few hours to the trip. GL.

 

[DisneylandForever]

Everyone here has already summed it up! I agree with pretty much all of it, lol.

I also leave around 5 or 6am.

Even though I5 is boring, smelly (in one part) and freakin' hot (depending on the time of year), it gets you there a good 2 hours faster than 101, and with gas prices these days, cheaper. It takes roughly 6 hours.

But if you have the time and a desire to see scenery along the way, take 101.

 

[helenb]

Don't forget to make saure you're at or below the speed limit in King County. I think it's a major source of income for them to set up speed traps.