Favorite Freeway stretch in Northern California

[KEK Inc.]

Someone had to start it.   

Junipero Sierra (I-280) takes the cake for me between CA-85 and Daly City.  Nice wide back-freeway to the Bay Area with nice valleys and occasional views of the bay. 

I've lived in San Jose for a while, but I love CA-87 (especially after they finally "widened" it).  It's a nice approach from suburban San Jose to suburban Downtown San Jose.

CA-1 between Castroville and Carmel-by-the-Sea is pretty nice.  Watch out for cops in Marina City, though.

I-5 between Redding and Weed.  Stunning vistas!

[bulkyorled]

I like how the least favorite one was made before the favorite one. haha

CA 20 is a nice scenic route in my opinion. Drove through it in winter once and the snow was pretty. CA 1 as a whole or 1/101 over the Golden Gate Bridge, can't go wrong with that!

[myosh_tino]

Agree with KEK 100% on I-280 between CA-85 and San Bruno.  This is one of my most favorite stretches of freeway ever.  Here are my other northern California favorites...

* I-80 from Auburn to Nevada state line - Natural scenery of the Sierra Nevada mountains

* I-5 from Redding to Oregon state line - more scenery (Lake Shasta, Mt Shasta, upper Sacramento River, the Siskyous)

* CA-1 from Capitola to Watsonville (north of Capitola to CA-17 would be one of my least favorites)

* I-680 northbound at the Benicia Bridge - love the Fastrak Express lanes (can blast through the toll plaza at 65 MPH)

Note: @bulkyorled... CA-20 may be a scenic route but only the segment in and around Nevada City is freeway.

[flowmotion]

US101 Presidio Parkway temporary bypass. (Because I drove it for the first time yesterday )

It has some excellent sight-lines of the Golden Gate Bridge & attractive looking cut-n-cover tunnel for public access to the shoreline. The temporary road also features a movable concrete barrier.

[OCGuy81]

I-5 between Redding and Weed.  Stunning vistas!

I second that.  Beautiful stretch of freeway.

[nexus73]

I'm looking forward to the Doyle Drive 101 rebuild being my favorite section of NorCal freeway.  The video of what the new section will look like just blew me away.  Very 21st century and attractive!

Rick

[myosh_tino]

I'm looking forward to the Doyle Drive 101 rebuild being my favorite section of NorCal freeway.  The video of what the new section will look like just blew me away.  Very 21st century and attractive!

Rick

Agree 100%.  The old Doyle Drive should have been replaced years ago... earthquake hazard, narrow lanes, no center divider and "suicide" lanes... good riddance!

[CentralCAroadgeek]

I really enjoy 101 between Salinas and Gilroy. Great scenery that would be more noticed than the safety concerns once Prunedale is upgraded. Lots of nice vistas and hills. I especially like the part between Crazy Horse Canyon Rd and Highway 129. Just because of the fact that it mainly goes downhill in this section.

The Highway 1 freeway between Castroville and Carmel is another nice one. Outside Marina, I really can't believe how they built this freeway through the sand dunes. I also like that cypress trees are frequently seen in the median, along with views of the Monterey Bay to the west. In Monterey, I like how the freeway goes into the Del Monte Forest. Lots of nice trees. And, the view southbound going down from Munras is amazing and see the Monterey area before your eyes.

In Sacramento, I like 80 and 50 going westbound in the Sierra foothills. The views of the Central Valley and the Sacramento area are just amazing.

[rschen7754]

Agree with I-5 from Siskiyou to Oregon.

[kkt]

Seconding I-280 from Daly City to Mountain View, and I-5 from Redding to the Oregon border.  CA-24 from the tunnel to Walnut Creek is nice.  I remember liking I-80 over Donner Pass, but that's been 25 years so I guess I should drive it again before commenting.

[JustDrive]

580 over Altamont when there's no rush hour.  It means that after driving almost 300 on the barren wasteland known as the 5, I'm finally in civilization.

[kkt]

580 over Altamont when there's no rush hour.  It means that after driving almost 300 on the barren wasteland known as the 5, I'm finally in civilization.

That would be, what, between 3 and 5 AM?

[flowmotion]

The Highway 1 freeway between Castroville and Carmel is another nice one. Outside Marina, I really can't believe how they built this freeway through the sand dunes. I also like that cypress trees are frequently seen in the median, along with views of the Monterey Bay to the west. In Monterey, I like how the freeway goes into the Del Monte Forest. Lots of nice trees. And, the view southbound going down from Munras is amazing and see the Monterey area before your eyes.

That is a great drive. The freeway section south of Santa Cruz is also pretty neat, as is the freeway over the hill from Daly City into Pacifica. You really can't go wrong with Hwy 1.

Also, 101 in Marin County has a lot of interesting terrain, and the portion between Mill Valley and the Golden Gate is simply beautiful.

[mp_quadrillion]

US-101 from Arcata to Trinidad. You get so many environments in the space of a few miles. Beach, marsh, farmland, redwoods..

I-80 between Truckee and the NV state line. No services, no billboards, no nothing. Dark at night because it's mostly in a canyon. Sometimes you even get to see the California Zephyr go by. Different every day in the winter, too.

CA-160's northern end, the North Sacramento Freeway. It's a period piece.

CA-198 in Visalia is somewhat similar. Oleander in the median and unlikely to change in my lifetime. "Control cities" of Lemon Cove (pop. 300) and Sequioa NP.

CA-13 in the Oakland Hills.

The mixing bowl interchanges on both ends of the W/X in Sacramento. They're tiny and outdated, but get a load of how many ramps they pack into each!

[Interstatefan78]

My favorite strech on the NorCAL freeway was CA-1 (Pacific Coast Highway) from the CA-156 interchange down to Pebble beach since you can see the Pacific Ocean on both Northbound Direction. Another favorite was US-101 (El Camino Real) from Paso Robles up to San Jose since this section has the Coast Ranges and the Salinas River Valley as opposed to the farmland scenery on I-5 (West Side freeway).

[OCGuy81]

My favorite strech on the NorCAL freeway was CA-1 (Pacific Coast Highway) from the CA-156 interchange down to Pebble beach since you can see the Pacific Ocean on both Northbound Direction.

I'd forgotten about that one.  Nice call!

I'd also mention CA-1 at Big Sur, but perhaps that's too far south for consideration in a Northern California discussion, depending on where you draw the line between northern and southern CA (My imaginary "border" is right around this area)

[TheStranger]

I'd also mention CA-1 at Big Sur, but perhaps that's too far south for consideration in a Northern California discussion, depending on where you draw the line between northern and southern CA (My imaginary "border" is right around this area)

Hmm.  I've always considered the most definitive NorCal/SoCal border to be the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County boundary (which cuts straight across the state) - IIRC, this was where the state would've split in two in the 1850s had that been approved.

Certainly Bakersfield is "southern California" and Fresno "northern California", based off that.

[agentsteel53]

yep, that line drawn straight across almost exactly matches the ACSC/CSAA signage boundary.  except somehow ACSC got Tulare, Inyo, and Mono as well.  probably because it was easier to run the sign truck up the eastern Sierra ridge from San Bernardino County than trying to cross the mountains.

[TheStranger]

yep, that line drawn straight across almost exactly matches the ACSC/CSAA signage boundary.  except somehow ACSC got Tulare, Inyo, and Mono as well.  probably because it was easier to run the sign truck up the eastern Sierra ridge from San Bernardino County than trying to cross the mountains.

I think that's exactly it (also why Vons has a presence in those parts of the state).  Owens Valley easier to reach LA than places nearer to it like Fresno, with the roads that would've connected to such closer regions (i.e. Route 168) in a permanently incomplete state.

[Interstatefan78]

I'd also mention CA-1 at Big Sur, but perhaps that's too far south for consideration in a Northern California discussion, depending on where you draw the line between northern and southern CA (My imaginary "border" is right around this area)

Hmm.  I've always considered the most definitive NorCal/SoCal border to be the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County boundary (which cuts straight across the state) - IIRC, this was where the state would've split in two in the 1850s had that been approved.

Certainly Bakersfield is "southern California" and Fresno "northern California", based off that.

I would also consider the Santa Barbara/ San Luis Obispo County line has the Dividing soCAl from Norcal. Consider that Santa Barbara is 2 hours away from LA area the heart of Southern California via El Camino Real or the Ventura Freeway (US-101), but San Luis Obispo is 2/1/2 hours from the SF Bay area the main urban area of Northern California

[DTComposer]

Hmm.  I've always considered the most definitive NorCal/SoCal border to be the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County boundary (which cuts straight across the state) - IIRC, this was where the state would've split in two in the 1850s had that been approved.

Certainly Bakersfield is "southern California" and Fresno "northern California", based off that.

I would also consider the Santa Barbara/ San Luis Obispo County line has the Dividing soCAl from Norcal. Consider that Santa Barbara is 2 hours away from LA area the heart of Southern California via El Camino Real or the Ventura Freeway (US-101), but San Luis Obispo is 2/1/2 hours from the SF Bay area the main urban area of Northern California

Having driven from Los Gatos (southern end of the Bay Area) through SLO dozens of times, I can tell you it's very difficult to make that drive in under 2:45. SLO to SF is easily a 4:00 average.

The straight-line border makes the most sense to the eye, but I've always felt I've entered or left Southern California when I either go through the Gaviota Pass on US-101 or the Grapevine (the actual grade between Lebec and Gorman) on I-5. Both have definite geographic changes that the driver can feel as a transition.

[OCGuy81]

Guess it depends on the route.  If I take the 5, even after going through the Grapevine I don't feel like I'm in northern California.  I usually don't consider myself there until just south of Tracy when 580 splits off. 

Yet taking the 101 north, I feel I've left southern and entered northern after Big Sur.  Guess it's all a matter of prespective.

[agentsteel53]

I think that's exactly it (also why Vons has a presence in those parts of the state).  Owens Valley easier to reach LA than places nearer to it like Fresno, with the roads that would've connected to such closer regions (i.e. Route 168) in a permanently incomplete state.

I do wonder how Tulare ended up south, though.  it is easier to reach from CSAA territory than from ACSC. 

maybe it was just to give SoCal a bit more area in some kind of political compromise?

[TheStranger]

I think that's exactly it (also why Vons has a presence in those parts of the state).  Owens Valley easier to reach LA than places nearer to it like Fresno, with the roads that would've connected to such closer regions (i.e. Route 168) in a permanently incomplete state.

I do wonder how Tulare ended up south, though.  it is easier to reach from CSAA territory than from ACSC. 

maybe it was just to give SoCal a bit more area in some kind of political compromise?

That's interesting to me - because Tulare has always come across as a "NorCal" area.  I'm thinking it might also have to do with proximity (even considering the old US 99 route there) and not much more.

[JustDrive]

I've always considered Santa Maria to be the dividing line between SoCal and the rest of the state.  Because even after you go through the Gaviota Tunnel, you're still only about 10 miles from the Santa Ynez Valley, and they're pretty close to Santa Barbara.  Along the 5, anything between Wheeler Ridge and the 580 split is "Central California," though I did remember seeing the REALLY old BP gas stations once you got to Merced County.  I guess Tulare/Visalia is the dividing line along the 99.

As for the SLO to the Bay Area in 2:45?  Maybe if it's 3:00 AM.  There is a 70 MPH stretch between San Miguel and King City, but once you hit Salinas and go through Prunedale, traffic picks up significantly.  Unless you consider Gilroy (about 150 miles north) to be your final destination.