Planning a beach day? Watch out for beach traffic!
One of the many lures to the San Jose area and Santa Clara County (SCC) generally is the fairly close proximity of the beach at Santa Cruz, Capitola, Rio del Mar, and other scenic places that line the Monterey Bay. From most of SCC, it’s under a one hour drive. If you live in Los Gatos, it could be just half of that. That said, not all trips over the hill are created equal when it comes to beach traffic. Go on a regular weekday in summer and it’s pretty much a piece of cake. Go on a summer weekend or holiday and it’s a whole other matter!
Capitola Beach as seen from the Pier – photo by Mary Pope-Handy
If you live in Silicon Valley, a trip to the beach usually means a drive “over the hill” via highway 17’s pass through the Santa Cruz Mountains to the sandy beaches of the Monterey Bay. It’s a beautiful drive through lush redwood forests with occasional views of Monterey Bay and wild mountain valleys. Since this is the main route between Santa Cruz and the Santa Clara Valley, and a winding mountain pass, it doesn’t take much to create a traffic jam that can stretch for miles.
Weekdays, rush hour, and traffic jams
Commuter traffic mostly flows north into the San Francisco Bay Area in the morning, returning south into Santa Cruz County at the end of the work day. Rush hour can double or triple the time it takes to get where you’re headed. Stalled cars or collisions can take longer to clear and cause even longer jams since much of the pass has no emergency shoulders and some stretches can be quite remote.
But you aren’t a commuter – you want to visit the beach and enjoy your day off! Most of the locals know this about holidays or weekends and the shore: go early or don’t go. Especially when the weather is hot!
How early is early enough?
If you want to get over the hill before it’s stop and go traffic, I suggest 9:30am or earlier; 9am would be better. It can be backed up as early as 9:30 or 10. The hotter the weather the worse the traffic as locals flock to the coast, and certain holidays, like the 4th of July, can also be notoriously bad. But don’t just plan for morning traffic – coming home from the beach, the line of cars may move sluggishly as early as 3 or 4pm if the fog rolls in early (or the dehydration and sunburn begins to set in).
If you go early enough, you can enjoy breakfast with a bay view in Capitola on the esplanade. Or hit wonderful Gayle’s Bakery in that same town with a piping hot coffee, sweets, and a picnic lunch before taking in a walk along the coast. Sometimes there may be a marine layer (cold fog), but it usually burns off by late morning – just bring a sweatshirt. The beach will be fairly quiet if you arrive before the crowds.
Or go a little later and have an early lunch at the Crow’s Nest at the harbor. Play in the surf and sand and return around 3:30 or so, and it will be a lot easier than a 5pm trek across the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Alternatively, take your trip later in the day – wait until traffic has eased up and drive to the beach in the afternoon, then stick around for dinner before heading home.
If you do get caught in beach traffic
Big backups on the pass can spill over into Santa Cruz and into SCC – driving into Santa Cruz, traffic could be stop and go beginning north of the 85 intersection, and areas around Downtown Los Gatos can be clogged with cars trying to enter 17 at the last possible onramp to get over the hill, or try another way over the longer highway 9 route.
If you do get caught in traffic, there are some nice spots to stop along the pass. Lexington Reservoir County Park is a great place to stretch your legs with picnic benches and bathrooms. There are a couple of restaurants at the summit and a country store. And Scotts Valley is a wonderful community with plenty to offer visitors, including a chance to refill your tank. If you go a little farther from 17, the Mystery Spot is a fun tourist-y attraction, and the mountains are home beautiful state parks and hiking trails.
Related reading on MPH’s other sites:
Spending Summer Days In Santa Cruz? Some Tips & Favorite Places to Share (Valley of Heart’s Delight blog)
Beach towns in Santa Cruz County (from popehandy.com)
