In CA, 101 to 5 via 156/152

[Janss]

Going northbound in the summer...Is 156 to 152 to 5 an easy drive, or should I go up 101 to 152 in Gilroy?

[msmith1199]

They count the axles of the vehicle combination. So if you have a pickup and two axle trailer it's still going to cost you $20. The toll is $5 for two axles, $15 for three, $20 for four, $25 for five. They intended to increase the toll on trucks, but nobody thought to make an exception for privately owned RV's.

[Janss]

I've been over that Martinez-Benicia bridge. Ticks me off too. I see no good reason to penalize us for having our car connected to the motorhome.

Well, if we get stuck in traffic, at least we have our house with us 🙂

[msmith1199]

Generally speaking Sacramento traffic is way easier to deal with than the east bay. Even commute hour traffic in Sacramento is not all that bad. However, one accident can mess up everything whether it's Sacramento or the East bay. For example a truck overturned on I-5 near Lathrop a couple of weeks ago that shut down I-5 for a while. That caused a 20 plus mile traffic backup. You may think no problem, just jump over to 99. But remember everybody on 5 is trying to jump over to 99. But the same thing can happen in the East bay too and it's usually worse there.

If you take the East bay route you have to go over a toll Bridge in Martinez. It's a $20 toll for a two axle motorhome with a toad. It really ticks me off too because if you disconnect the toad and drive both over then it's only $5 per vehicle. If you have a tag axle I think it will cost you $25 or $30 to cross the bridge.

[Janss]

You all have continued to give me very useful information. Thanks so much.

If I do end up on 5, is driving through Sacramento really so bad if I do it mid-day? Any worse than the east bay?

[msmith1199]

Janss wrote:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I actually have driven that 680 route and up through Fairfield/Vacaville to 505, part on one trip and another part on another trip. My mind was just wanting to get off 101, don't know why I was only thinking about 5. The 680 route probably makes the best sense. Thank you!

It depends on the time of day. Per Google maps, going from the Intersection of 101 and 156 to the intersection of 5 and 505, it is 163 miles going 101 to 680 to 80 to 505. If you cut over to 5 from 156/152 it is a 201 mile drive. So although it's further to cut over to 5 you may find the traffic a lot easier on 5 versus the other route. 101/680/80 can have a lot of traffic, even on weekends. Also there is lots of construction going on everyplace right now, especially in the east bay.

[msmith1199]

Janss wrote:
Ok, final destination is central Oregon coast. But before that, we'll be somewhere around Santa Barbara to visit a relative. Just don't want to drive 101 all the way up CA (done it in the past), so want to go over to 5. Was going to cut over at Paso Robles. But now we decided we want to visit a friend in Gilroy. Might stay at Salinas Elks and just drive the car up to Gilroy. Therefore 156 would be closer to cut over to 5. I am a Costco member, so that would be a draw for gas though. The day we make this drive, I just want to get past Sacramento...maybe to Corning, Red Bluff, or Redding.

There isn't really much difference. I always take 156 to 152, but going up to Gilroy and getting on 152 would be almost the same. It's probably a little further mileage wise, but you stay on 101 longer which is usually faster. 156 has some traffic signals. The big thing to keep in mind is both those routes are major traffic routes for people coming from the Central Valley and going to the coast. So in the summer on Friday evening and Sunday evening traffic can be real bad.

[aerbus32]

Great RV parks abound in that general area. Once on 5, I can highly recommend Flag City (Passport America midweek for a day or two) near Lodi. The casino in Corning is good for a short stop. Durango in Red Bluff is one of the very best in California. (Excellent pizza nearby that the park often gives coupons for). Redding has a number of great parks. We stay at the new pull thru's at Premier largely because it is close to in-laws. Slightly to the north, Mountain Gate is very nice. We have yet to stay at JGW, but have driven thru & will at some point. Also . . . Costco gas . . . Virtually always a crowded mess anywhere near warehouse open hours. A blessed exception to that is the Costco in Woodland. We generally gas up around 1pm. Can usually pull straight in to the outer right pump I always use. Redding's gas is expensive. There is a Tower gas station about 2 miles west from Premier RV that has the best prices in town. Gas & diesel.

[Janss]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I actually have driven that 680 route and up through Fairfield/Vacaville to 505, part on one trip and another part on another trip. My mind was just wanting to get off 101, don't know why I was only thinking about 5. The 680 route probably makes the best sense. Thank you!

[JohnG3]

That info helps. If you're spending the night at Betabel the trip to Corning is not bad. When we leave Morro Bay we stop for fuel and a stretch at the Shell station south of Gilroy at Monterey Rd. Then north on 101 to the 580/680 through the east bay to 80 in Fairfield. Just east of Vacaville we take the 505 north to Corning or Redding. Rest stop just a few miles north of the 5/505 merge point. Completely bypasses Sacramento.

There is a casino in Corning with a nice campground, easy off and on and a truck stop fuel at the casino.

JGW in Redding is a favorite couple day stop also.

Safe travels.

[RicJones]

I have done that run a number of times and found going the 5 to 580 to the 680 to the 101 works well for me, eliminates a lot of the SF traffic.

[Janss]

Ok, final destination is central Oregon coast. But before that, we'll be somewhere around Santa Barbara to visit a relative. Just don't want to drive 101 all the way up CA (done it in the past), so want to go over to 5. Was going to cut over at Paso Robles. But now we decided we want to visit a friend in Gilroy. Might stay at Salinas Elks and just drive the car up to Gilroy. Therefore 156 would be closer to cut over to 5. I am a Costco member, so that would be a draw for gas though. The day we make this drive, I just want to get past Sacramento...maybe to Corning, Red Bluff, or Redding.

[JohnG3]

A couple questions: 1) on the day you plan to go from 101 to 5 where are you starting your drive? 2) where do you plan to end your drive that day or your destination?

We've gone over to 5 from from 101 several ways. Found the roads over to 5 from the Gilroy area were good roads just not our favorite.

[aerbus32]

Have done 152. Sections of it are a little slow & twisty but certainly manageable. Looking at the map, 156 looks to be better. I don't remember ever driving it. We've spent quite a bit of time at nearby Betabel RV park. Driven our dinghy all over the area. Always in the back of my mind is, "Would I take our RV on this road?" I don't remember any issues in that general area. When leaving Betabel we are usually heading towards Redding via 5. Only reason we go up to 152 is because Gilroy has a Costco with gas. Do be aware that San Luis Reservoir & the surrounding area can get really windy.

[Murphsmom]

Way more traffic on 101.