What time to leave Magic Mountain for DL?

[mousemom11]

We'll be at Magic Mountain next weekend and then driving to DL on Monday the 13th. We plan to spend some or all of Monday at Magic Mountain. I've been following traffic patterns on I5 on google maps, and it appears that we either need to leave around mid-day or wait until 7 to avoid the really bad traffic. Do you locals agree with that?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

That sounds about right.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Whoops, double-posted, sorry.

 

[msteddom]

I think your best bet is to leave after 7. Mid-day can still be a bit dicey.

 

[Epek]

Yes!

 

[Nonsuch]

...I've been following traffic patterns on I5 on google maps...

I5 is often not the best route. Waze (or other real-time-traffic navigation app) can be very helpful, but these apps do not monitor HOV (carpool) lanes.

An alternate route that has HOV lanes most of way: 5-south, 210-east, 210-east (Pasadena), 605-south, 91-east, 5-south (HOV ramp)

 

[GatorChris]

I5 usually becomes manageable to drive around 10pm. Well, at least for those of us used to Valley driving. But heading there after 7 should get you into the basin after most of the bad traffic has passed.

 

[mousemom11]

I5 is often not the best route. Waze (or other real-time-traffic navigation app) can be very helpful, but these apps do not monitor HOV (carpool) lanes.

An alternate route that has HOV lanes most of way: 5-south, 210-east, 210-east (Pasadena), 605-south, 91-east, 5-south (HOV ramp)

Thank you! That's very helpful.

 

[OneThree]

+1 for the 210 route. Leaving after 7:00 PM should help a great deal particularly avoiding the PM traffic than can get bad where the 5 and the 14 meet.

 

[tlovesdis]

+1 for the 210 route. Leaving after 7:00 PM should help a great deal particularly avoiding the PM traffic than can get bad where the 5 and the 14 meet.

Sorry to hijack, but do you recommend the 210 to 57 route in the early am? We will be staying overnight at the base of the grapevine (lebec) and heading to Anaheim next week. I was planning on leaving the hotel at 6am to arrive at our Anaheim hotel by about 8am, this would be I-5 all the way, but would it be better at that time to take the 210-57 route I've read about? Thanks!

 

[OneThree]

Personally I'd try and get through the 5/14 split no later than 6:30 AM and then hit the 210. Others may disagree but I'd say either the 210 to the 57 or 210 to 605 will be about the same travel wise in terms of traffic