Avoiding LA traffic on vacation

[azjake]

I need help from the BITOGers you live in the LA area. Wife and I want to take a summer vacation that includes driving the Pacific Coast Highway (California 1). We live in the Phoenix metro area and I-10 takes you straight to LA. We want to make Santa Barbara the first night, and then on day 2 take the 101 to 1. Our goal on the first day is to avoid as much as possible of LA traffic (and of course the bad areas).

I've done some mapquest routes that have us heading north of the LA metro area on 210, 215, 138, etc eventually ending up on 126 which takes us to the 101 into Santa Barbara. Mapquest shows this as 509 miles (approx 8 hours) which is doable. Any suggestions/tips that may improve upon this and cut off time and/or miles while avoiding the worst of LA traffic would be appreciated. Thanks Guys...

 

[spackard]

Get from the 10 to the 210 early. The 210 hugs the mountains and has a carpool lane, while the 10's carpool lane has been turned into a toll lane for part of the ride, and forces you to navigate east-LA freeway congestion.

If you have Google navigation on your cellphone it'll be of more use to traffic than Mapquest.

If by some chance of fate some nasty accident shuts down the 210, you might consider detouring up to the high desert and using the 138 to the 14 to get around LA altogether. It looks bad on a map but you'll be able to drive 70-75 most of the way up there.

 

[surfstar]

http://goo.gl/maps/lpHzW

If you drive the 210 in the afternoon, you'll be going against most traffic. Traffic generally flows towards central LA in the mornings and opposite in the afternoons.

^that route above shouldn't be killer on a weekday.
Weekends are more manageable also if you're not near the 405/LAX or 5/downtown.

 

[azjake]

OK, I went to Google maps and they show picking up 210 way west of LA and pretty much taking it to the 101 then down into Santa Barbara. Much better route and 24 miles less (485 miles).
Thanks guys.

 

[tenderloin]

10W-330W-210W-5N-126W-101N

10W-330W-215N-15N-138W-Pearblossom HWYW-14S-5N-126W-101N

 

[surfstar]

Originally Posted By: azjake
OK, I went to Google maps and they show picking up 210 way west of LA and pretty much taking it to the 101 then down into Santa Barbara. Much better route and 24 miles less (485 miles).
Thanks guys.


Check your route: you don't want to do the 210 -> 134 -> 101 during regular hours. There's quite a bad stretch through there on weekdays, most hours of the day.
Click on my route above and check 'traffic' currently - that will give you an idea of the central LA area you want to avoid.

Weekend or weekday?

 

[cat843]

Vacation in Maine and avoild LA all together.

 

[zloveraz]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
http://goo.gl/maps/lpHzW

If you drive the 210 in the afternoon, you'll be going against most traffic. Traffic generally flows towards central LA in the mornings and opposite in the afternoons.

^that route above shouldn't be killer on a weekday.
Weekends are more manageable also if you're not near the 405/LAX or 5/downtown.


That's the route I took last Easter... I lived in LA for 15 years, I avoid the 101 at all costs if possible...

 

[bdcardinal]

Avoid the 134 at all costs. The 126 is a nice drive. You pick it up off the 5 just before the Grapevine right next to Magic Mountain and it takes you through Fillmore and Santa Paula and dumps you out in the middle of Ventura at the 101. Traffic is almost always easy going 101N in-between Ventura and SB unless it is the morning rush hour.