Avoiding Rush Hour

[LCoulter]

We will be staying at Disneyland resort for a few nights and then heading North to San Francisco/Sacramento area on I-5. We want to avoid the rush hour traffic of LA on a Wednesday morning. How early do you suggest we head out Wednesday morning to avoid rush hour?

 

[midnight star]

4 am, 5am at the latest. I’ve seen traffic on the 5 at 6 am so that might be too late.

*Check Waze before leaving as well. When the freeways are empty people can drive crazy and wreck and cause traffic when there shouldn’t be traffic.

 

[ashley0139]

5am would for sure be too late heading from OC to LA. If you leave at 4 you should miss the traffic.

 

[cmpeter]

Personally, I'd sleep in, eat a nice breakfast and head out around 10:00 am. 4:00 am would kill me! I do agree with the Waze suggestion. I've used it in rush hour to go from LAX to Valencia...folks were warning me it could take 2-3 hours and trying to convince me to get a hotel near LAX instead. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes because Waze put us on the roads with a carpool option and less congestion.

 

[dina444444]

We will be staying at Disneyland resort for a few nights and then heading North to San Francisco/Sacramento area on I-5. We want to avoid the rush hour traffic of LA on a Wednesday morning. How early do you suggest we head out Wednesday morning to avoid rush hour?

Where exactly are you heading up north? I’ve had it take 3 hours to get over the bay bridge and into SF when I’ve left LA at 10am.

 

[LCoulter]

Personally, I'd sleep in, eat a nice breakfast and head out around 10:00 am. 4:00 am would kill me! I do agree with the Waze suggestion. I've used it in rush hour to go from LAX to Valencia...folks were warning me it could take 2-3 hours and trying to convince me to get a hotel near LAX instead. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes because Waze put us on the roads with a carpool option and less congestion.

Where exactly are you heading up north? I’ve had it take 3 hours to get over the bay bridge and into SF when I’ve left LA at 10am.

We are heading to Roseland CA so we won’t be heading into San Francisco. I like the idea of leaving at 10am instead....would that work though? LA traffic scares us from our experience with it 20 years ago when traffic was bumper to bumper going over 80 miles an hour.....first time ever that DH was scared driving.

 

[dina444444]

We are heading to Roseland CA so we won’t be heading into San Francisco. I like the idea of leaving at 10am instead....would that work though? LA traffic scares us from our experience with it 20 years ago when traffic was bumper to bumper going over 80 miles an hour.....first time ever that DH was scared driving.

You’ll have pockets of traffic but shouldn’t be bumper to bumper.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Yup...from a NorCal resident that has made that drive a ton...10a-10:30a am departure is you best window and least painful from Anaheim if you are not in a rush to get back. Other than that, 5am or after 8pm. Welcome to LA!

 

[Kender]

With current traffic leaving now (10:11am), it says it will take just over 8 hours according to Google Maps. You will have to cross a toll bridge (have cash if you don't have a Fastrak) and you will be hitting Bay Area commute traffic by the time you roll through. 580/80 that it shows to get on gets horribly backed up in the afternoons (bumper to bumper, but going slow as molasses especially through Oakland and Berkeley). I work in that area and deal with that traffic daily.

But agreed 10am is probably the least painful. There's really no great time to leave, though, that would allow you to avoid both commutes going all the way to Roseland. If your goal is to just avoid LA traffic, that's your best bet.

 

[wowsmom]

We are heading to Roseland CA so we won’t be heading into San Francisco. I like the idea of leaving at 10am instead....would that work though? LA traffic scares us from our experience with it 20 years ago when traffic was bumper to bumper going over 80 miles an hour.....first time ever that DH was scared driving.

Roseland, a neighborhood near Santa Rosa? Or Roseville, east of Sacramento?

If it's Roseville, I recommend taking the 99 once you're over the Grapevine (where 99 and 5 split). It does add a tiny bit, mile wise, but many parts of it are 3 lanes (as opposed to the 5, which is 2 lanes). People still drive fast, but it doesn't feel like your choice is 50 mph behind the trucks or 90 mph in the left lane.

 

[njchris]

I did this trip last Thursday from Huntington Beach to Sacramento. I left at 1pm and didn't hit any major traffic the whole way. Maybe I was lucky.