101 south over to I-5 around San Francisco

[RVLimey]

Hi we heading down to southern California next weekend. Driving down 101 from Oregon into California. Now my problem is I-5 thru Stockton. I despise this part of the trip, so we are thinking of staying on 101 to San Francisco then making our way up to Tracy to I-5, then I-5 to Los Banos then east to 99 to Bakersfield. Have never driven close to San Francisco before, looks like a bigger city than I would like but anything is better than Stockton. Any ideas would be great.
we drive a 36Ft Gas Motor Home towing a Jeep, if that helps any.
Cheers.

[CA_Traveler]

isa wrote:
On hwy.101 at Petaluma take Rte 116 to the Lakeville Hwy. to 37 to Wilson Ave. exit, then Mares Island Way to Curtola Pkwy to I-780 to the I-680 to Hwy.4. Follow Hwy.4 to the Byron Hwy. where you take the Mountain House Pkwy. to I-580 that leads into I-5 some 20 miles south of Tracy.

Interesting - I haven't been on 4 for a few years so may give it a try.

When I lived in the bay area 4 was to often on the news and it was never good...

[isa]

On hwy.101 at Petaluma take Rte 116 to the Lakeville Hwy. to 37 to Wilson Ave. exit, then Mares Island Way to Curtola Pkwy to I-780 to the I-680 to Hwy.4. Follow Hwy.4 to the Byron Hwy. where you take the Mountain House Pkwy. to I-580 that leads into I-5 some 20 miles south of Tracy.

Anytime I take 101 south because of Weather conditions on I-5 (Siskiyou's), this is the route I take to get from 101 to the 5 and avoid both San Francisco and the Sacramento / Stockton area which has been a mess for at least the last 10yrs.

[MarkTwain]

dons2346 wrote:
What is the matter with 101 to the 37 to the 80 to the 680 back to the 101?

I have that route marked on my map so I have done it before. No big "red X" on it so it must not be to bad.

Hwy. 37 drops you in at Vallejo on Hwy. 80 which can be a cluster of traffic congestion depending on the time of day and road conditions i.e. accidents. Can it be done? yes? Have I done it" yes but in a van not towing an RV. Would not be my choice!

[dave54]

CA Traveler wrote:
You never know. My daughter lives in Carnation, WA and all of the bridges are closed. I said take water and a sleeping bag to work or stay home!....

Both our cars have a gym bag with a change of clothes and a spare set of toiletries. Stays there all winter. You never know when you are going to be stuck somewhere.

[CA_Traveler]

You never know. My daughter lives in Carnation, WA and all of the bridges are closed. I said take water and a sleeping bag to work or stay home!

But next week could be a new and great weather experience.

[RVLimey]

Thanks for the replies. However my original question might be a moot point now. With all the storms we are having right now and especially in Washington, rivers are overflowing, mud slides reported. It looks like we might do better staying on I-5.
I know we should have left mid November. Live and learn.
Again thanks for the replies. We'll look at doing the coast home bound in March.
Cheers

[MarkTwain]

korbe wrote:
I would take mid-day Stockton I-5 traffic over the Bay Area.

Giving the choice of driving 101 through the bay area vs driving through a short section of Stockton I-5, I'll take I-5 . When I drive through Stockton I do two things: 1. get in the middle lane and stay there all the way through Stockton.
2. I run 62-63 MPH and watch my Valentine Radar Detector. I have never got a ticket yet. In the last 15 years I drive at least once a year through Stockton. Yes, the road conditions have be terrible until about 2 yrs. and they have done a lot of total repairs.

[JohnG3]

Raften wrote:
I5 thru Stockton is much improved. I go thru twice a week.

Went through Stockton on I5 in late October. Looked and felt like the road had been used for demolition practice.

[Raften]

I5 thru Stockton is much improved. I go thru twice a week.

[CA_Traveler]

OP,

BTW The Wool Growers restaurant in Los Banos is a great family style setting. We really enjoy it. You can stay at the Fairgrounds.

[the_bear_II]

I was through the Stockton area last year. It looked like CalTrans was just completing a construction project. I-5 wasn't bad on the trip up and the trip down. It really depends on the day and time of day.

Actually that's the same for 101, I-5 and 99 through some of the larger cities like San Francisco, San Jose, Stockton, Bakersfield, Fresno and all of Los Angeles county... Tues thru Thursday after 9AM before 11:30AM and after 1PM before 3PM are the times I try to travel through larger cities.

[korbe]

I would take mid-day Stockton I-5 traffic over the Bay Area.

[MitchF150]

Just don't stop in Stockton? It'll take you a lot longer to take 101. But, if you have the time, and like to see the coast, do it.. 🙂

But, if you are on a time crunch, i5 all the way down to LA is the way to go, time wise... Not so much scenic... Just hammer down and don't look back.

Mitch

[Janss]

Is Stockton worse than southern CA? Just curious, what's so bad about driving through Stockton?

I have taken 101/37/80/780/680/580 route with no problem. Of course, plenty of vehicles on the road!