Optimum Driving Route - Vegas to Long Beach

We'll be spending a few days in Vegas before our cruise out of San Pedro in early May. Driving down on a Tuesday and getting into the LA area just after lunch. What would be the suggested route to get to the Long Beach area coming from the northeast? Looking at Google maps, I'm thinking I15 to the I10 to the 605 and straight down to the LB area . We're actually dropping the rental car at LGB and taking a cab to the hotel in downtown Long Beach. I've seen it said that the 605 is possibly the best option for the north-south transit? And yes, I'm aware of just how bad LA traffic can be. ;o)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

Have done that drive, and it was fine. Google Maps is pretty solid info, in my experience.

Definitely check with google map. Don’t set on certain route because one accident on the road will change everything. Keep your phone charged since it’s a long drive!

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As pointed out use a GPS with real time traffic as one person changing a flat tire on the shoulder can add 2-3 hours to your trip. Mostly 90% of the way there is only one way and that's I-15. However, once you get closer to LA there can be several alternate routes. Good call to try to bed down in LB by early afternoon to avoid the commute traffic.

I'm not sure where you are staying in Las Vegas, but if you are staying downtown or off the strip (Red Rock Resort, Suncoast, JW Marriott) leaving early (before 730) will eliminate any risk of traffic in Vegas. If you are staying on the Strip, your risk of traffic heading south is low even if you leave later. Early morning on I-15 is usually clear through the Cajon Pass once you get south of St Rose Parkway in Las Vegas. As the others have mentioned, have a passenger keep an eye on traffic reports once you get through the pass. A route that looks longer on paper may end up saving you a lot of time if there is an accident or something similar.

The California Highway Patrol has a great app you can download that will help you identify problems and maybe plan an alternate route if needed. I use it all the time along with my NAV.

Thanks all. Yes, we are staying on The Strip in Vegas, so I was just figuring on a quick trip down Harmon or Flamingo to the I15 and head south. We'd be doing it around 8AM.

As to LA and its wonderful traffic, I'll be activating my roaming plan (we're from Canada) and keeping Google Maps , Waze or Inrix open during the trip to keep an active eye on traffic problems. Looks like I'll start by trying my planned I15 to I10 to the 605 and adjust as traffic conditions change.

There is no entrance on Harmon to I15, so you would end up crossing 15, make a right on Jerry Lewis and then make another right to take Dean Martin down to Tropicana. This works if you are staying at City Center (Aria, Vdara). Otherwise, I would say use Flamingo. Most of the traffic that time of day on Flamingo is going east, so hopefully you will be all right.

Thanks all. Yes, we are staying on The Strip in Vegas, so I was just figuring on a quick trip down Harmon or Flamingo to the I15 and head south. We'd be doing it around 8AM.

 

As to LA and its wonderful traffic, I'll be activating my roaming plan (we're from Canada) and keeping Google Maps , Waze or Inrix open during the trip to keep an active eye on traffic problems. Looks like I'll start by trying my planned I15 to I10 to the 605 and adjust as traffic conditions change.

Good plan, I am a big fan of Waze it seems to work pretty well. Personally, I am fan of the 210 or 60 over to 605. But unless something major happens all those routes over to the 605 will work. Even the 91 is a good route.

There is no entrance on Harmon to I15, so you would end up crossing 15, make a right on Jerry Lewis and then make another right to take Dean Martin down to Tropicana. This works if you are staying at City Center (Aria, Vdara). Otherwise, I would say use Flamingo. Most of the traffic that time of day on Flamingo is going east, so hopefully you will be all right.

Thanks for the heads up about Harmon (I hadn't yet looked in detail at the maps). We'll probably just head down the strip a little while then cut across to the 15 south of town. We're in no rush to leave Vegas ;o(

Good plan, I am a big fan of Waze it seems to work pretty well. Personally, I am fan of the 210 or 60 over to 605. But unless something major happens all those routes over to the 605 will work. Even the 91 is a good route.

Great intel, thanks. I have no particular affinity for the I10, so the 210 would work just as well for us. I checked with my cell provider/ISP and it won't cost much to have my entire cell and data plan active while roaming in the US, so I will have constant up to date traffic as we work our way down to Long Beach/LGB to drop off our car. Fortunately, as you say, there are plenty of alternative routes for us to choose from.

As an extra precaution you could go old school and buy a paper map that shows surface streets. Several times when I have gone to LA/San Diego area if the freeway is a parking lot I get off and take a major street. I have driven the 210 several times in both directions during rush hour and still done 55 - 65 mph. So I am a fan of the 210.

The 210 is a much easier and a bit more scenic drive than the 10. Live between the two freeways and will always choose the 210 whenever possible.

FWIW the 605 always bottlenecks at the 5 and 105 interchanges.

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The 210 is a much easier and a bit more scenic drive than the 10. Live between the two freeways and will always choose the 210 whenever possible.

FWIW the 605 always bottlenecks at the 5 and 105 interchanges.

 

 

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Thanks again for these tips. Yes, I can see from Google Street View that the 210 has a nicer drive, with the mountains immediately to the north. And I have noticed, as you say, that the 605 does seem to bog down a bit quite regularly where it hits the 5 and 105, through Downey and Norwalk, but it seems the worst of the problems only seem to happen over a distance of a few miles. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on it for sure.

Hi...we live near San Pedro & travel often on your route. To avoid most traffic, we take I-15 south to Freeway 91, then I-710 (Long Beach Freeway). At your arrival in LA area 1-2pm, all freeways will have traffic some more than others.

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all freeways will have traffic some more than others.

Plus, if somebody decides to jump off the freeway overpass any route will become a parking lot. Trust me I was there when somebody wanted to do that on the 101. Luckily I was tracking with CHP and GPS so was able to jump off the freeway and get around it on some surface streets. Some were stuck for hours.

Hi...we live near San Pedro & travel often on your route. To avoid most traffic, we take I-15 south to Freeway 91, then I-710 (Long Beach Freeway). At your arrival in LA area 1-2pm, all freeways will have traffic some more than others.

 

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Is the 91 construction finished? Some freeways seem to always have some work being done.

Before leaving Vegas then again at the top of the Cajon Pass, Check the traffic report. The Desert radio Stations (99.9 FM and those around there) usually do not have the Greater LA traffic info.

we'll be spending a few days in vegas before our cruise out of san pedro in early may. Driving down on a tuesday and getting into the la area just after lunch. What would be the suggested route to get to the long beach area coming from the northeast? Looking at google maps, i'm thinking i15 to the i10 to the 605 and straight down to the lb area . We're actually dropping the rental car at lgb and taking a cab to the hotel in downtown long beach. I've seen it said that the 605 is possibly the best option for the north-south transit? And yes, i'm aware of just how bad la traffic can be. ;o)

 

thanks in advance for your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

15, 215, 91, 605, 22, 1

15, 215, 91, 605, 22, 1

I don't think so!! Takes you way out of the way.

I don't think so!! Takes you way out of the way.

I don't have much knowledge of LA traffic (which is why I started this thread in the first place), but I could understand this route if it meant avoiding traffic congestion. I would have no problem staying a bit further east through San Bernardino and Riverside if the highways were generally less congested. I personally would prefer to drive a greater distance in smoothly flowing traffic than take the most direct route which has a greater likelihood of traffic jams, and per Google Maps this route farther east only seems to add about 12 miles to the trip.

The morning of the drive we'll be closely watching the traffic reports and that will tell us the best route. Thanks to all the great advice here, we have a pretty good idea of the routes to watch for.

I don't have much knowledge of LA traffic (which is why I started this thread in the first place), but I could understand this route if it meant avoiding traffic congestion. I would have no problem staying a bit further east through San Bernardino and Riverside if the highways were generally less congested. I personally would prefer to drive a greater distance in smoothly flowing traffic than take the most direct route which has a greater likelihood of traffic jams, and per Google Maps this route farther east only seems to add about 12 miles to the trip.

 

 

The morning of the drive we'll be closely watching the traffic reports and that will tell us the best route. Thanks to all the great advice here, we have a pretty good idea of the routes to watch for.

Avoid the 91 if possible.

That's always a good plan, except in LA it's always best to be flexible. Also your rental car might have a FastTrak pass linked to the license plate. This will allow you to use the express or toll lanes, but you will pay a price later for it. There are a couple of toll roads in Orange County, but I don't use them enough to comment in detail. The few times I have used them between Irvine and down to San Diego there was no traffic even during peak hours.