There is a moment, somewhere past the last Los Angeles exit, when the city finally lets go and I-5 opens up ahead of you. That is the start of one of the most driven routes in America: roughly 1,135 miles and 18 hours of wheel time to Seattle. Done right, it is not a slog. It is a string of good towns, better food stops and a couple of sights worth the detour.
Open this route in XCRSNLeaving Los Angeles
Aim to clear Los Angeles before the morning rush, or after it, never in it. Fill the tank on the edge of town where prices usually drop, set the playlist, and settle in for the first 576 miles to Redding.
The headline stop on this route is Mount Shasta from the highway. Leave real time for it; it sets the tone for the whole trip.
Redding
Redding sits about 576 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Nearby, Sundial Bridge in Redding is worth the short detour if the day is going well.
Eugene, the last stretch
Eugene sits about 852 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Rolling into Seattle
The final 283 miles always go faster than you expect. Save a little energy for Detour to Crater Lake from Medford; it is a fitting finish.
By the end you will have seen Mount Shasta from the highway, Sundial Bridge in Redding and Detour to Crater Lake from Medford, and you will understand why this corridor is a classic.
When to go and how to pace it
Split the drive near the halfway mark. Most travelers sleep in Redding, CA and Eugene, OR, which keeps each day under eight hours and leaves time for the stops that make the trip.
Check live gas prices along I-5 before you go; they can swing a lot from one state or county to the next. XCRSN prices every leg for your exact car.
