From Palm Springs to Pismo Beach
Aug 16th, 2006, 06:36 PM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
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We usually take 101 South, then Route 154/San Marcos Pass north of Santa Barbara, back to 101 in Santa Barbara into L.A. We then cut over on the 405 North to SR 118/Ronald Reagan Freeway East to the 210 East to I-15 South in Ontario, then I-10E into the desert.
The San Marcos Pass shaves about 1/2 hour off the trip and it is pretty through the Santa Ynez Valley. If you stay on 101 you will go take a route back to the coast into Santa Barbara.
Once you are south of Ventura I would not exactly call it scenic again until around Calimesa, 45 minutes west of the PS area on I-10.
There is another alternative that bypasses L.A. completely by going east from Santa Maria via Route 166 to the I-5 near Bakersfield. From there you can take I-5 South to Route 138/Pearblossom Highway, past Wrightwood back down into San Bernardino on the I-15S to the I-10E, or go on through Apple Valley onto Highway 18 and come the 'back way' through Yucca Valley via Old Woman Springs Road, to Highway 62 into the Palm Springs area. This route is a lot more desolate, although one could argue that there is a stark beauty to some parts. If you do this, doublecheck status of Pearblossom, because there might be a lot of construction. Also a lot of 2-laners this way.
Count on about 5 hours, 15 minutes in reasonable traffic conditions.
Phew.
The San Marcos Pass shaves about 1/2 hour off the trip and it is pretty through the Santa Ynez Valley. If you stay on 101 you will go take a route back to the coast into Santa Barbara.
Once you are south of Ventura I would not exactly call it scenic again until around Calimesa, 45 minutes west of the PS area on I-10.
There is another alternative that bypasses L.A. completely by going east from Santa Maria via Route 166 to the I-5 near Bakersfield. From there you can take I-5 South to Route 138/Pearblossom Highway, past Wrightwood back down into San Bernardino on the I-15S to the I-10E, or go on through Apple Valley onto Highway 18 and come the 'back way' through Yucca Valley via Old Woman Springs Road, to Highway 62 into the Palm Springs area. This route is a lot more desolate, although one could argue that there is a stark beauty to some parts. If you do this, doublecheck status of Pearblossom, because there might be a lot of construction. Also a lot of 2-laners this way.
Count on about 5 hours, 15 minutes in reasonable traffic conditions.
Phew.
Aug 16th, 2006, 07:30 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
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I'd agree with the same directions, except I stay on the 101 which turns into the 134 and connects to the 210. The 405 often is backed up. I drive this route quite often to visit my brother in Morro Bay. I can warn you that the 154 cutoff can get backed up with traffic if you head through on a summer holiday weekend when a bunch of boats are being hauled out to the lake.
