LA to Sacramento Route ?

[Ken Neely]

I'm up to Sacramento next month. I'm driving so I can take cameras. The route is the question. LF & MF are going along.

Options :

1. The long way, up 395 to Carson City and across. Obvious opportunities, and the way I may go.

2. Up the 5. Most direct, but not much photogenic material.

3. Up the 99. I love the San Joaquin valley. This is a maybe, but uncharted territory
for LF (for me).

4. Hwy 101. This is also fairly "target rich" I may come back this waty.


Who has suggestions for option 2 & 3. ?

Ken

Pomona, CA

[LF4Fun]

Ken,

#4 or #1
the valley maybe too hot in July.

:)

[J Ney]

If you end up going with #2, I'd suggest taking the 101 to the 33 in Ojai, 33-N (through Los Padres NF) to Carrizo Plains, go through Carrizo Plains and jump on the 58-E to the 5 and proceed up to Sacramento.

If it were me and I had the time, I'd go with #1.

[BradS]

Coming from Pomona, I assume you already are completely familiar with hot and smoggy (I lived near the intersection of the 10 and 57 freeways for a few years).

I personally love 101 and never bother with 5 any more....but, for a Pomona to Sacramento trip....101 is way the heck out of the way. Same with 395. I think 99 is the only reasonable choice - unless you're looking for a very leisurely drive. If I had to choose between the two...I'd go for the 99....but, only because the food is better and the people friendlier along the 99. There is interesting stuff to photograph on all of these routes...just different.

If you have lots of time and don't mind going way, way out of the way...go up the 395 and come back on the 99 or 101.

[Drew Wiley]

You must love heat and smog. Why not take Hwy 1 up the coast instead, then cut
inland over Pacheco Pass?

[EdWorkman]

From Pasadena, or backwards on the way home:
210-5-163 thru the soth edge of Maricopa, north to Soda lake and the Carrisa, west on 58 thru Simmler, cut north to Cholame, 41 to 33. Choices, stay on 33 to Coalinga then north west on 198 to Pacheco Pass. Other choice turn off 33 at Avenal and go north across the SJV to Madera via Kerman [145 and 45 I think] then wiggle your way east to follow the BNSF railroad NW again to Merced via Planada, do it again thru Merced to get the back road to Modesto, Riverbank, Escalon, then choose 99 or 5 from Stockton to Sacto. Rivers, hills, orchards, cows, small towns with grain elevators/feedmills, airplane museum, cool old buildings, cows, golden grass.

[dsphotog]

Or, 395 to Mono Lake & Bodie then Tioga Pass thru Yosemite! 140 to Merced then North through the San Joaquin valley.

[Matt Sienko]

An other option is to go along the western foothills of the Sierras.

Take 99 up to Fresno, then take 41 to Oakhurst. Then take 49 up to Placerville and get on US-50 to get where you are going.

I haven't taken that exact route, so I can't comment on time. Google maps claims 8.5 hours.

The western foothills are nice and you will go through several gold rush towns.

-Matt

[Jim Graves]

For I-5 route - Locke, CA - 5 miles West of I-5 and about 30 miles South of Sacramento - old Chinese town on the Sacramento River ... can then follow the river road into Sac. Here's a link to some photos of Locke [ Link to Locke photos (http://www.google.com/images?q=Locke,+ca&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=Oy4YTJ3eKZXYM-2WiLEL&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDQQsAQwBA)]. Can also visit if you go back via 101 ... just head South to Locke and then across through the Sacramento Delta country which is also scenic ... you'll go through Walnut Grove, Isleton, and Rio Vista ... all Sacramento River and Delta towns ... and come out in the East Bay.

Another potential route is Hwy 49 ... the Gold Country Hwy ... if you leave 99 at Merced you catch 49 at Mariposa ... a series of nice gold rush era towns in the Sierra foothills all the way up to just East of Sacramento including Mariposa [Link to virtual tour] (http://www.visitmariposa.net/tour.html), Sonora [Link (http://www.sonoraca.com/visitsonora/cityshistory.htm)](with a side trip to Columbia ... a restored town with blacksmith shop, operating stage coach, gold panning, etc. [Link] (http://www.columbiacalifornia.com/)), Angel's Camp (Twain's jumping frogs), San Andreas, Jackson, Sutter Creek (all quaint with period architecture), and a jog up to Plymouth (wine country and the current home of Packard Shutter manufacturing.)

[BradS]

Another potential route is Hwy 49 ... the Gold Country Hwy ... if you leave 99 at Merced you catch 49 at Mariposa ... a series of nice gold rush era towns in the Sierra foothills all the way up to just East of Sacramento including Mariposa [Link to virtual tour] (http://www.visitmariposa.net/tour.html), Sonora [Link (http://www.sonoraca.com/visitsonora/cityshistory.htm)](with a side trip to Columbia ... a restored town with blacksmith shop, operating stage coach, gold panning, etc. [Link] (http://www.columbiacalifornia.com/)), Angel's Camp (Twain's jumping frogs), San Andreas, Jackson, Sutter Creek (all quaint with period architecture), and a jog up to Plymouth (wine country and the current home of Packard Shutter manufacturing.)


This is an excellent suggestion!

[tgtaylor]

Instead of advising a particular route, I recommend that you get a good California Atlas and take the back roads down and back. That's what I do instead of traveling the boring I5 or Hwy 99 although the latter is better than the former and offers more opportunities for night photography.

[Vaughn]

I would never turn down the opportunity to travel on Hwy 395. I have been known to take that route from Eureka to San Clemente...several times. I usually have my 3 boys with me and camp in Tioga Canyon and at Alabama Hills. If I don't go that way, I'll make a little side trip to Yosemite Valley. What surprised me was that compared to going down 101 all the way, the side trip to Yosemite only was an extra 75 miles.

Have a safe trip!

[Drew Wiley]

Routes that were a dream just a month or two ago, like Hwy 49 or up through Carrizo,
are likely a dusty oven by now. If you're looking for golden morning and evening light across the fields and so forth, June can be beautiful in the less-traveled margins of the Central Valley, especially morning and evening. But it's soooo hard to get the motivation to get out under a darkcloth when it's 105 or above. But all the high road passes are now open if you're thinking of crossing the Sierra... at least, that's the
direction I'm headed in a couple of days!

[Bill Burk]

Now if you like forests and redwoods, you might make a couple loops up towards Tehachapi and Lake Isabella out of Bakersfield go up the inlet and follow the Kern... Drop down to California Hot Springs for a dip then (drop down to 99 or...) head back up and follow through Johnsondale, Quaking Aspen (hike to The Needles), Camp Nelson and down. Skirt the foothills or drop down to Porterville then head up 99 to Visalia and up for another loop through Three Rivers and the Sequoia National Park.

This could all be done in one day stopping for pictures as often as you like. I personally would rent a cabin in Camp Nelson or Quaking Aspen. (I did that once and stayed for three years)...

Bill

[Ken Neely]

Thanks to all for a ton of great recommendations. I'm going to print them out and add to my locations book. <I used to do commercial work..>

The 395 gets the nod...

I think Carriso Plain may get a visit next spring though..

Cheers,

Ken

[pocketfulladoubles]

You must love heat and smog. Why not take Hwy 1 up the coast instead, then cut
inland over Pacheco Pass?

Took the words from my mouth. Hwy 1 is, yes, the longest way, but it's also the best. Just cruise over to Santa Monica and then Hwy 1 and up the coast. 395 is no slouch though.