San Diego to Santa Barbara - Best way thru/around LA

Well, made the trip this morning (Saturday). Went 5 to 405 to the 101. left early and breeze right through. Thanks for the input everyone.

PRodacy wrote:
After reading all of these relies, all I can say is "thank goodness I'm not in the LA area!"

Well, sometimes there's just a *bit* of exaggeration on here.

If you watch the flow maps, and don't be doing this on any workday afternoon, you will likely be just fine.

PRodacy wrote:
After reading all of these relies, all I can say is "thank goodness I'm not in the LA area!"

Many years ago I dated a young lady who lived in Newport Beach. When I got off the 405 at McArthur I could see the ocean and the housing tract where she lived. The Ford/Philco building was the only structure in the immediate area. Sure miss those days. No traffic from the San Fernando Valley to Newport.

Thats why I suggested the 405, its in way better shape than the 5 once in town. I dont even take my car on it if I can a avoid it. If you have a Smartphone look at WAZE. Its way better than Sigalert since its realtime by drivers in front. Not so great out of the city, but in tech savvy Calif., its great

I just did this yesterday, Friday, 10am to noon. Doheny State Beach to Santa Clarita.

Before departure I watched traffic using sigalert.com, then I left when things calmed down. Took the I-5 to the 605, then 605 to the 215. Next time I'll get off 5 earlier. It's narrow and rough in the Commerce area. It turned out to be a pretty easy drive, with mild slowdowns in just a few areas. And most drivers are paying attention to my lane changes. It's the damn truckers who will tailgate you unmercifully should you be in front of them doing 55 - the legal limit for towing.

Next time I will also use the toll roads. That should be better, but this time I was unclear on just going in sans pass. Evidently you can single-use pay online.

Phil said: "After reading all of these replies, all I can say is "thank goodness I'm not in the LA area!""

Phil, you just can't imagine what traffic is like here. Chokingly dense most of the time. Angry incompetent drivers cutting each other off, zipping in and out of lanes to gain a few seconds. Put your signal on to move over, and folks speed up to prevent you from doing so. Drunks. Criminals. Uninsured folks. Texters. Drunk criminal uninsured texters. Post-apocalyptic crumbling ancient freeways, with chunks of concrete randomly gouged out of the pavement by monster trucks, all tailgating one another at top speed, channeled between cinder block walls smeared with gang graffiti. LIsten carefully to the traffic reports, so that you don't get in the way of a car chase. Not one word of this is an exaggeration.

But the weather is beautiful, almost all the time!

Many years ago, when my sons were pre-teens, we drove from pleasant suburban Orange County into really gritty urban LA, something my kids almost never got to see, We exited the freeway, down onto the "surface streets" to run an errand. My boys looked out the window at the homeless folks pushing shopping carts, the rundown strip malls, the groups of young unemployed men in the liquor store parking lots, and they were thrilled: "It looks just like a movie!! When will we get to see a bank robbery or a car chase?"

So, to bring us back to the thread, this is why we try to leave in the predawn when towing a trailer across the LA basin.

Thanks for all the replies. We don't actually have to make the drive for a week yet. I think we will do it on a Saturday morning. Still not sure which route, was hoping for more of a consensus.

After reading all of these relies, all I can say is "thank goodness I'm not in the LA area!"

Maybe there were closures yesterday and maybe there will be some tomorrow.
Isn't that the point? Why direct someone up a road that has been closed on and off for weeks and weeks without notice; it's got a lousy track record lately. While its nice to look at the CalTrans site, the reality is that this road has been a big problem lately, and you should know that having lived here.

lanerd wrote:
I donno no. I think I would come up the 15 to the 215 to the 210 to the 5 to the 126 to the 101.

This is the way go to and come from north of Santa Barbara to San Diego or places in that general area.

Also agree that avoiding the 405/101 interchage will do wonders for NOT upping a person's blood pressure. Going to the 126 on 5 is much less stressful as from the south you still have to pass the 101 interchange.