Driving from LAX to Anaheim

[NJHalo]

I am looking for opinions on the best route to take this Friday night, 3/7/14. My flight lands at 8:20pm, and I am renting from National at LAX. I know that the navigation will take me the shortest route, but I was hoping for some advice as to what would be the quickest way in regards to traffic at 9pm on a Friday night.

Also, I have a return flight from John Wayne at 7am on Tuesday 3/11. Do I need to be concerned about traffic for that one?

TIA

[nate]

Traffic should be ok that late on Friday night.  Especially if the flight lands at 8:20, figure it is 9 by the time you are on the road.  I would still avoid the 405.  Probably 105 east to the 5 south.

 

For the return flight, traffic doesn't really pick up til about 6:30 so you should be ok.

[xboom28x]

Does the 105 go all the way to the 5 now? I thought it stopped at the 605

[nate]

I think you have to take imperial for like two blocks to get to the 5.

[Blarg]

It still does but it is a short hop from the 605 back to the 5 or south the the 91. NJ, just follow your GPS unless you clearly see a problem on a traffic map like SigAlert.com, then reroute.

[gotbeer]

Yup, what everyone said.  105, to either the 5.  Check to see if either the 5 or the 91 is backed up.  At that time of night, shouldn't be that bad.  If you see too many cig alerts.  Make a detour to Commerce or Hawaiian Gardens and take a few flops.

[pattimelt]

My usual route from LAX-home goes 105 EAST, 605 SOUTH, 91 EAST..  and depending on where you're going in Anaheim, maybe the 5 SOUTH..   You won't have any problems on Friday night, but with dropping a car off, and a 7am flight on a weekday?? That's gonna be ONE CRAZY MORNING!!  You're looking at a 4am trip from Anaheim to drop off the car and make the airport..  but the good thing is you won't have any traffic at that hour of the morning..

[Splint7438]

I would offer to pick you up but I will be in Tempe with way too many witnesses. If you can avoid the 91, you will be ahead of the game.

[NJHalo]

My usual route from LAX-home goes 105 EAST, 605 SOUTH, 91 EAST..  and depending on where you're going in Anaheim, maybe the 5 SOUTH..   You won't have any problems on Friday night, but with dropping a car off, and a 7am flight on a weekday?? That's gonna be ONE CRAZY MORNING!!  You're looking at a 4am trip from Anaheim to drop off the car and make the airport..  but the good thing is you won't have any traffic at that hour of the morning..

4am for John Wayne? I am staying at Disneyland Hotel BTW

[Tank]

You're best bet after picking up your car is to find a restaurant by LAX and wait about an hour before heading to Anaheim. Traffic there is heavy even at 9:00 ( having grown up there I can tell you I've been in traffic in that area as late as 11:30).

Stay off the 5 as much as possible. It sucks until you hit the expanded area around Beach Blvd.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Tank

[mancini79]

4am for John Wayne? I am staying at Disneyland Hotel BTW

 

John Wayne will be no problem. I'm 99% sure National is in the terminal there. Return the car in the garage then walk across the street to the terminal. It will take you all but 5 minutes to get through TSA. As for traffic, you won't have any at 6AM. It will be a 20 min drive.

[Splint7438]

4am for John Wayne? I am staying at Disneyland Hotel BTW

I can see the DL hotel from my shop.

[Blarg]

So that was you with the binoculars.

[pattimelt]

4am for John Wayne? I am staying at Disneyland Hotel BTW

I misread it.. I thought you were also leaving from LAX.. duh me.

[DowningRules]

Avoid 405 into Orange County later at night at all costs.  The 'construction' where the 605 and 405 meet is a ball breaker.  it will take some time to get your rental car off site at LAX, so you should be good with heading out to Anaheim.

 

I would def take the 105 to the 605 to the 91 to the 5.  It is less complicated than it sounds and will save you some time.  Added bonus if you have someone with you as you will have access to the car pool lane on all freeways this way (though you won't be on the 605 long enough to use it).

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Traffic should be ok that late on Friday night.  Especially if the flight lands at 8:20, figure it is 9 by the time you are on the road.  I would still avoid the 405.  Probably 105 east to the 5 south.

 

I don't care if I never see the 405 again. My wife had a late afternoon appointment at UCLA Medical Center, and we had tickets for the Angels-Twins game that night. Something possessed me to take the 405 to Katella and go east, catching something to eat along the way. We left UCLA at around 4:00 PM. We were late for the game.

[mp170.6]

I don't think traffic will be that bad landing at 8:20pm.  By the time you get your luggage (which takes forever), and rent your car, it will be 9:30pm at the earliest.  Even the 5 or 91 might be OK at that hour.  But you really have to load Google or Sigalert.com to check live traffic conditions. 

 

Ask the rental car agency how to access the freeway you want to drive.  The trickiest part is the first mile leaving LAX and a lot of GPS devices even get confused.

[Splint7438]

Binoculars and a digital camera. Infrared scope. You know, typical carpenter tools

[Adam]

405 to 22 to 57

[yk9001]

If you want the 105, take Sepulveda south out of LAX.  You'll hit the 105 in a mile.

 

If you want the 405, take Century Blvd out of LAX.  Go 1/2 mile, the signs will tell you to take a right on La Cienega, then you pick up the 405 S in an 1/8 of a mile.

[CaliAngel]

LAX arrival terminal has a pretty much direct ramp to the 105 E upon exit, so you should have no trouble finding the freeway.

 

Best route no doubt is 105 E, 710 S, 91 E, 5 S to wherever you need to get in Orange County, and traffic will be light after 8pm.

 

For the most part wherever you're at, traffic in Orange County during the work week doesn't pick up till about 6:30am, so for a 7am flight on Tuesday you should be able to get around anywhere in the city (including to John Wayne Airport) without a hassle. Worst times to be on pretty much all the freeways in LA/OC are 7am-9am, and 3pm-6pm. I commute and travel around various parts of Southern California daily so for the most part I stay off the road during these times. In most cases you're better off waiting an hour to get in the car, and you'll arrive at your destination around the same time you would if you left earlier and were sitting in meaningless traffic.