Whenever I plan a California road trip that includes both the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, I weigh the pros and cons of the three major highways that connect California’s two largest metropolitan areas.Â
Though there are nearly limitless variations on the route you can take, I-5, U.S. 101, and State Route 1—more casually known as the 5, 101, and Highway 1—are the best known and most direct. As someone who has been road tripping around California for decades, I have a lot of affection for each, and here I’m sharing with you the scoop on each.
I-5
Interstate 5 is the fastest way to drive north-south in California, and while some people consider it the least exciting route, there’s still a lot to recommend it. I love that this route takes you through California’s agricultural heartland, the San Joaquin Valley, home to the majority of produce production in the whole country.
To the west, you can often spot the Coast Ranges, the mountains that separate the valley from the coast from far northern California to near Santa Barbara. In the winter, the whole valley is green; in the spring, it’s blanketed in flowers; in the summer, it’s golden and growing; and in the autumn harvest time, it’s bustling with farm workers picking at peak season.
It also gives you a bit of the same feeling that a cross-country drive on Highway 80 does, which if you’ve never done it, can be an experience all its own. Rest stops, giant gas stations, and roadside attractions break up the monotony.
There are a lot of cars and semi trucks on Highway 5, and traffic moves fast—well above the posted speed limit. The drive takes about six hours from San Francisco to Santa Monica.
U.S. 101
In my opinion, 101 splits the difference between the speed and efficiency of 5 and the beauty of Highway 1. It’s an actual multi-lane highway with highway speed limits. Without traffic, it takes about seven and a half hours from San Francisco to Santa Monica.
Its route takes you though beautiful scenery, past a lot of actual towns and small cities (perfect for a lunch break), and as you get farther south, along the coast for stretches near Pismo Beach and again from Gaviota near Santa Barbara to Ventura.
101 also intersects with Highway 1 a bunch of times, so it’s easy to hop from one to the other, making a route that’s both scenic and pretty efficient.
State Route 1 (Highway 1)
State Route 1, aka Highway 1, is the reason people from around the world dream of California road trips. This mostly-two–lane coastal highway has some incredible views, but because it follows the nooks and crannies of the coastline, it’s also winding and slow. Parts of it can be scary if you are heights averse, and a large part of the highway’s Central Coast length (essentially from Carmel to Cambria) isn’t open to through-traffic since a part of the highway washed out and construction is ongoing. To drive from San Francisco to LA on Highway 1 (and using the detour around the closed portions of the highway) takes about nine hours.Â
OK, so that’s the reality check of Highway 1. But honestly, it’s gorgeous and a really special drive as long as you’re not in a hurry and don’t mind the detour (which takes you inland a bit, which in my opinion is a gorgeous part of the state as well).
More options
Want to add some national parks like Yosemite or Sequoia and Kings Canyon to your route? By detouring east on your way north-south, you can weave in some spectacular Sierra scenery that’s worth the extra drive time. Farther south, the eastern part of the state holds its deserts, including the Mojave and Colorado deserts.
