# Hitchhiking info for southern california



## NickCofphee

Southern California isn't the greatest place in the world to hitch, but definitely not the worst. I've hitched all around here. For fun, and for neccesity. Every last weekend for over a month I've visited friends all over LA and Orange County.

If you are out there and want advice on the best routes, what highways and cities you can and can't hitch, bus info, metro rail info, etc. I'm your guy.

Did you know you can bus from San Diego to Santa Barbara for about 10 bucks?

I'll do my best to answer questions and give tips, esp around Palm Springs-Coachella Valley area, LA, Orange County...fastest ways to get North and East.


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## icenine1144

I could definitely use some. I'm gonna be around there in a few months.


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## NickCofphee

A little tired tonight, but I'll give some general info:

In Los Angeles, and the greater area which would be Long Beach, Pasadena, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, the subway system is great! It's called the "metro rail". Unlike San Francisco, you pay the same price for all distances on the same line. All lines are interconnected and there's only about 5, so its simple. It's $1.25. Or free... do so at your own risk, my brother got a ticket once, though I've ridden dozens of times for free. (there's no bars, they just sometimes ask for your ticket stub randomly. But it seems only when it's very slow. When busy, this is quite rare) So...

To get out of the LA area and head north by thumb, there's three ways. Don't bother hitching out of the city limits, you'll fail miserably:

101 freeway- get on the orange line, take to the end of the line at "Warner Center", then take the #161 metro bus to Thousand oaks transit center. Drops you off at a very decent onramp. 

Highway 1- Oh such a pretty ride! Especially north of San Luis Obispo. Get to the #534 bus and head towards Malibu. Pretty soon you'll see where you can start hitching. Take it to the end of the line if you'd like and start walking right on the one, its pedestrian friendly. Good to fly a sign for Oxnard. You can switch to the 101 from there if you so please.

If you hitch I-5 from LA, take a local bus to Valencia and go from there.

Santa Clarita Transit Line 794
-Leaves Union Station, Downtown LA Mon-Fri (only)
-Morning only: 6:50am--7:15am--8:00am--9:00am
-$4.00
-Take it to the end of the line, 1-5's right there

Make a sign for Bakersfield, take 99 if they're going that way, just as good for hitching.

That's north, I'll write more tomorrow!


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## NickCofphee

HEADING EAST FROM LA:

Like mentioned above, take a bus to riverside. I don't think there is one anymore from LA. You have to go to Orange County. To the city of Orange specifically. OC is just south of LA county. Take the blue line to Long Beach, then the OCTA bus #50 to "The Village at Orange", then transfer again to RTA bus #149. Take it to "The galleria at Tyler", which is in Riverside. You can hitch the 91 east onramp, usually getting a ride through Riverside, and to 1-10. By now, you've spent a few hours on buses and about $4. Sucks, but its really the only way out of LA east.

If you have a lot of time on your hands, and $5, you can keep taking buses. Transfer at the Galleria to RTA line #27. Take this all the way to the end of the line, in Hemet at "Florida/Lincoln". Hitch highway 74. You can just start walking, maybe a half mile or so you can begin hitching. One of my favorite hikes, goes through the mountains and into Idywild, then Palm Desert. I figured this way out by accident once, trying to hitch to San Francisco from where I live (near Palm Desert)....if you're still heading east, take the 111 sunline bus east to indio, last stop about 45 minutes. There's a few decent onramps in Indio, maybe 20 minute walks. And a train yard, which doesn't get much traffic stopping there unfortunatly.

If you're in Palm Springs, Indio, Coachella Valley area and want to get to LA, Orange County, or west Colton  , take the 111 bus WEST to palm Springs, last stop. Start walking with a sign to LA. After a mile or so it gets pretty good for hitching. I always take this way to head ANYWHERE. If you're lucky, you'll get a ride through LA if thats your direction. Umm, it gets really really windy sometimes just to warn you. And hot as all shit in the summer. Like 115-120 on a bad day in July. I love it though.

There's a lot of other things I could say about SoCal. Buses connect from San Digeo, to NCTA (north san diego county bus), to OCTA (orange County bus) to metro (LA), then there's transfers to oxnard, ventura, santa barbara. But you might as well hitch, it gets easy at this point once north of there. Still kinda cool that buses run so damn far, like 250 miles just on locals. 

TRAINS: As in freight. I've only hopped once (Fresno to W Colton) I do know that west colton is a major yard to very far north (Portland) and very far east (Florida). LA has some yards too, ask around.


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## maus

wow. my partner and i could really have used this info. a couple times, in fact. altho things mostly went better when i was by myself.


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## CdCase123

anything about thumbing south from LA to san diego? thanks


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## NickCofphee

Never done it before. But I'd suggest getting to Long Beach, probably by taking the metro-rail "Blue Line" and getting off at 5th st. station (I think). Walk to 7th st. and take a long beach bus (only 90 cents) to the VA hospital. Transfer to OCTA Line 1 towards San Clemente. Take it all the way. Its 2 hours but a pretty ride through Orange County right on the Pacific Ocean. It drops you off in San Diego county right at I-5. Good onramp here. Make a sign for san Diego.

This will take a few hours to get there, about 3 but only cost $3.40 or $2.15 if you skip the metro rail fee and just ride it, shouldnt have a problem, I never have.

Bring a good book!


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## CdCase123

thanks so much


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## mylon

hey, assuming that your san diego-santa barbara route works vice versa, could you tell me how to get from santa barbara to san diego? thanks!!


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## CdCase123

NickCofphee said:


> Never done it before. But I'd suggest getting to Long Beach, probably by taking the metro-rail "Blue Line" and getting off at 5th st. station (I think). Walk to 7th st. and take a long beach bus (only 90 cents) to the VA hospital. Transfer to OCTA Line 1 towards San Clemente. Take it all the way. Its 2 hours but a pretty ride through Orange County right on the Pacific Ocean. It drops you off in San Diego county right at I-5. Good onramp here. Make a sign for san Diego.
> 
> This will take a few hours to get there, about 3 but only cost $3.40 or $2.15 if you skip the metro rail fee and just ride it, shouldnt have a problem, I never have.
> 
> Bring a good book!



from the end of the line, you walk back a couple hundred feet and catch the bus there (i forgot the name) only costs a couple bucks, but sometimes the bus drivers from both companies have an agreement and let people slide without paying? happened to me. take that to oceanside, from there take 101 bus to la jolla for another dollar something. from san clemente to oceanside, the bus goes through an army base. that "requires" ID, but i didnt have any, they still waved us through.


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## CdCase123

Hitching east from San Diego: From La Jolla, mentioned above, take the number 30 something bus from UCSD campus for 2 something dollars to old town san diego. from there take the green line (dont bother paying) to el cajon transit center. from there take the 864 Alpine/Viejas Reservation bus for another 2 something dahrra. get off at tavern road. good on ramp there.


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## NickCofphee

norplain said:


> Hitching east from San Diego: From La Jolla, mentioned above, take the number 30 something bus from UCSD campus for 2 something dollars to old town san diego. from there take the green line (dont bother paying) to el cajon transit center. from there take the 864 Alpine/Viejas Reservation bus for another 2 something dahrra. get off at tavern road. good on ramp there.



Nice! Thanks for the additional info man. That's I-8 you're talking about?


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## CdCase123

NickCofphee said:


> Nice! Thanks for the additional info man. That's I-8 you're talking about?



./yea./,


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## Dameon

I took the I-8 route from San Diego to get to Phoenix. For the hell of it, I decided to walk the 15 miles from the Viejas reservation on-ramp to the next city down the interstate, Pine Valley. Because there weren't really any non-freeway roads going there, I decided to be extra crazy and walk along the interstate. I even got away with it; a highway patrolman stopped about half-way and told me I couldn't walk along the interstate. I told him I understood, and would get off at the next off-ramp, and he went his way. I kept going 'till Pine Valley anyway, and slept there, then caught a ride from a guy in a VW van the next day.

The funny thing about walking was that, at many points, I got away from the interstate and out into the wilderness, where I began seeing empty water bottles, wool blankets, and empty school backpacks abandoned EVERYWHERE. After about 30 minutes of encountering piles of these and wondering what the hell was up, I realized "Oh! It's the Mexicans coming across and leaving all this!"

I-8 doesn't have much traffic that I saw, and the on-ramp at Viejas was pretty bleak when I was there. Those trying to get east might have better luck going up to LA and taking I-10 east instead. If you want to do the Viejas thing, get off the bus at Alpine, and just walk along the road a bit, and you'll come to the on-ramp. If you get off at the end of the line, you'll just have to backtrack.


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## stove

I'm heading down from SLC to Campo, CA to start the PCT later this spring...It looks relatively straightforward to get down to Riverside, and from the sounds of it, the bus is a viable option (I've got some cash available). Just wondering, how's the hitching AWAY from LA? I'm thinking of taking a few detours, but how's the population down there? Is it total desert, or should I be fine with normal waits?

Thanks...


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## CdCase123

Dameon said:


> I took the I-8 route from San Diego to get to Phoenix. For the hell of it, I decided to walk the 15 miles from the Viejas reservation on-ramp to the next city down the interstate, Pine Valley. Because there weren't really any non-freeway roads going there, I decided to be extra crazy and walk along the interstate. I even got away with it; a highway patrolman stopped about half-way and told me I couldn't walk along the interstate. I told him I understood, and would get off at the next off-ramp, and he went his way. I kept going 'till Pine Valley anyway, and slept there, then caught a ride from a guy in a VW van the next day.
> 
> The funny thing about walking was that, at many points, I got away from the interstate and out into the wilderness, where I began seeing empty water bottles, wool blankets, and empty school backpacks abandoned EVERYWHERE. After about 30 minutes of encountering piles of these and wondering what the hell was up, I realized "Oh! It's the Mexicans coming across and leaving all this!"
> 
> I-8 doesn't have much traffic that I saw, and the on-ramp at Viejas was pretty bleak when I was there. Those trying to get east might have better luck going up to LA and taking I-10 east instead. If you want to do the Viejas thing, get off the bus at Alpine, and just walk along the road a bit, and you'll come to the on-ramp. If you get off at the end of the line, you'll just have to backtrack.




i wasnt reffering to viejas, i was referring to an on ramp in alpine.


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## NickCofphee

stove said:


> I'm heading down from SLC to Campo, CA to start the PCT later this spring...It looks relatively straightforward to get down to Riverside, and from the sounds of it, the bus is a viable option (I've got some cash available). Just wondering, how's the hitching AWAY from LA? I'm thinking of taking a few detours, but how's the population down there? Is it total desert, or should I be fine with normal waits?
> 
> Thanks...



Towards where? I wouldn't bother hitching anywhere in LA city limits. If you're headed any direction really, I'd reccomend taking a bus or two to get out of the densly populated areas and shitty hitching onramps. 

If you're headed east out of DT LA, head towards the pomona or montclair transit center, then east on the omnitrans bus system..and east to yucaipa. Get off on Yucaipa Blvd and theres a great onramp there with a good tree in case you don't get a ride, and store nearby. Make a sign for Palm Springs, then Phoenix.


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## Dmac

hey nick, thought you were headed to new zeland? or was i just stoned?


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## Cardboard

NickCofphee said:


> Towards where? I wouldn't bother hitching anywhere in LA city limits. If you're headed any direction really, I'd reccomend taking a bus or two to get out of the densly populated areas and shitty hitching onramps.
> 
> If you're headed east out of DT LA, head towards the pomona or montclair transit center, then east on the omnitrans bus system..and east to yucaipa. Get off on Yucaipa Blvd and theres a great onramp there with a good tree in case you don't get a ride, and store nearby. Make a sign for Palm Springs, then Phoenix.



The SIlverstreak leaves from union station to Montclair, from there you can go to Yucaipa, or there is a bus out to San Bernadino/Colton. I was really happy to find this after following the CCG and taking the Amtrak Metro link, to get to Colton, which is 10$ and they DO check fares. I made it without paying, another group of kids right behind us weren't so lucky.
Oh, and heads up, if you end up in Banning (on i-10E) for any reason, get the hell out ASAP. I got cited for hitching there, and the police told me that there protocol was basically anyone with a sign or their thumb out, find a reason to arrest them. Luckily I wasn't carrying anything, and knew my rights, so I got off with a ticket.


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## moonbeam

traveling from the SFV/LA area to slab city. any suggestions?
fastest way there? border patrol checkpoints?
no id's, were hitchhiking/bus.


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## NickCofphee

moonbeam said:


> traveling from the SFV/LA area to slab city. any suggestions?
> fastest way there? border patrol checkpoints?
> no id's, were hitchhiking/bus.



You don't need to worry about border patrol checkpoints. There is a INS inspection 10 miles west of Slab City, but they don't usually inspect and if they do, you don't need ato show an ID. They'll just look at you and ask you were you were born. (are you an immigrant?)

It's been awhile since I made this thread. Definitely the fastest way to bus/hitch to Slab City from where you are is this:

1.) Take the Metro Orange Line to Hollywood. (last stop) $1.25 
2.) Take the Red Line to Union Station. (last stop) $1.25

A note on these is that you don't really need to pay. The red line sometimes checks tickets, but you can often find them on the ground or in trash cans that aren't expired. Or ask people coming out of the subway.

3.) Take the metrolink from Union Station to San Bernardino. $8 on weekends. I would just get a ticket for 3 or 4 stops up. They don' usually check past this.

4.) Take the Omnitrans line 1 towards "Del Rosa" get off about 2 miles from here at the San Bernardino transit center. This bus is free with your metrolink ticket.

5.) From the transit center, take either the omnitrans line 8 or 9. Get off on Yucaipa Blvd. in Yucaipa. 

6.) Walk to I-10. It's about a half mile or so. 

7.) Start hitching! A sign for Indio is best. It's about 60 miles from here. This is a good onramp. The advice i gave in my tutorial about hitching to Hemet and up hwy 74 is crap. That takes sooo much longer than this.

8.) get off in Indio at "Golf Center Parkway" Make a right. See if your ride can give you a lift to the bus stop on hwy 111/flower. It's about a mile from I-10. (turn right on 111 and it's right there. "Sun Bus" building.)

9.) Take the line 91 bus to 4th St in Mecca. Ask the bus driver. The bus is $1.

10.) there's a gas station here, accepts food stamps has groceries. Fill up on water, make a sign for Niland and start hitching down 111. It's roughly 40 miles to Slab City from here.

If you start early in the morning, with luck you'll be in Slab City about late afternoon. Trip will be about $10 for buses. Maybe a little less, maybe a little more.

Good Luck!


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## NBDDreamer

How about Los Angeles to Santa Barbara without popping for a Surfliner ticket? I've been able to get to the Highways 33/101 junction in North Ventura, but no farther. That gap between Ventura and Santa Barbara is killing me.


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## jr386006

Hey,
I'm trying to get up to SLC from Huntington Beach. I can probably get a friend to drive me up to I-15 at some point but is there anything I should know or look out for? Any help is appreciated


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## Rez E Wrecked

I'm in the SF area now looking to go to LA to hitch to vegas as this seems to be a straight forward shot any tips would be greatly appreciated


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## MrD

billradley said:


> How about Los Angeles to Santa Barbara without popping for a Surfliner ticket? I've been able to get to the Highways 33/101 junction in North Ventura, but no farther. That gap between Ventura and Santa Barbara is killing me.


 
Damn!! I am way late on this one, wish I could have seen this before to help.
So just FYI, you can take a bus from downtown ventura(33/101 JCT.) right to Santa Barbra for only $2.50.
Hope this totally late info can help in some way or another


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## nickstoddard

thanks for LA - slab city info. will be of use.


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## r3353

This all sounds like great info!! Has anyone entered it on Hitchwiki.org?


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## katie

riverside downtown area to slab city?


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## crustythadd23

totally easy down in so-cal


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## katie

never had good luck around here ha


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## DixieCrystal

how do you get from union station to venice?


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## NickCofphee

katie said:


> riverside downtown area to slab city?



Take the omnitrans 215 bus to DT San Bernardino, take the 8 or 9 bus to Yucaipa, at Yucaipa Blvd I-10 exit. (get off when the bus turns on Yucaipa Blvd, its a mile walk to I-10) Hitch there, good ramp. Get off in Indio at Golf Center Pkway exit. Take a sunbus, #91, to Mecca @111. Hitch from there, it's about 40 miles to Slab City I think. You can do this in a day if you start early. Total bus cost: $4.


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## JayJayOnTheFly

what about getting to bako?


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## nuggz

Can You help me with any info on getting from L.A. to New Orleans?


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## catingeorgia

yo nick...im hitchiking from cincinnati to la and im trying to figure the best route. route number one goes I-70 W to 15 SW in utah all of the way to so cal. route number two goes west on I-40 to 15 in cali. im looking for information on the main interstates of the routes. i heard interstate 40 sucks when hitchiking but ive heard nothing about I-70. i google mapped it and it showed the shorter route being I-40 but only by an hour so id rather travel the safer way. got any tips? i couldnt find anything on stp's search engine.
-thanks


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## Linda/Ziggy

I would REALLY love to hear how you went from San Diego to Santa Barbara for $10 bucks ???!!


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## voidrock

any one know best way to hitch from ventura to mendocino?


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## Linda/Ziggy

Hey folks !
Great info & advice but.............
It would be REALLLLLLY helpful if people could give
better details about what #bus/bus companies - how regular ? All day, once a day etc.

Example my last hitch to LA going in from Santa Lois Obispo, I got stuck
outside Pismo beach, got stuck so got last street bus to next town,
got stuck there so had to give in and get Greyhound at 3:30am...........
If I had KNOWN there were any other street bus options I woulda taken them.
Just a thought.


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## Winston Smith

Any advice for LA to SF?


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## MrD

Winston Smith said:


> Any advice for LA to SF?


Take a bus or metro out of LA, then the 101 all the way.


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## Amelia Hatharty

Heading to SoCal for warmth in the winter. Where should I go that it's warm outside at night? Also, any suggestions for getting there from Wisconsin?


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## Cardboard

Amelia Hatharty said:


> Heading to SoCal for warmth in the winter. Where should I go that it's warm outside at night? Also, any suggestions for getting there from Wisconsin?


Slab City, or somewhere not right on the coast. Joshua tree maybe. It will be cold at night, but bearable, and the day will rarely rain.
For hitching, if you are new to it... Take highways of course, get off at service stations on the highway. Use signs (I think people tend to feel more comfortable if they see you have a destination). If you want to make it comfortable, spend an hour looking at Google maps, and get a couch surfing account. This is such a luxury for hitching in my opinion, but in the winter, what a great option (and fuck yeah luxury, I dont care if I dont get any punk points for it....)
Make a planned route, with cities that you think you can make it to in one day of hitching. Then get on Couchsurfing, and find a place to crash in that city. So nice to get showers, food, and warm beds when you are on the road, and not being a tired, sick, stinky punk makes a good image for hitch hiking, and makes it better for all of us.
Your route, think DesMoines-Omaha-North Platte-Denver-Grand Junction-St George- Vegas (maybe try to skip this, big cities tend to drag you in and are hard to get out of...)-[San Bernadino-Indio-Niland (Slab City)]or[riverside-SanDiego]


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## Amelia Hatharty

Cardboard said:


> Slab City, or somewhere not right on the coast. Joshua tree maybe. It will be cold at night, but bearable, and the day will rarely rain.
> For hitching, if you are new to it... Take highways of course, get off at service stations on the highway. Use signs (I think people tend to feel more comfortable if they see you have a destination). If you want to make it comfortable, spend an hour looking at Google maps, and get a couch surfing account. This is such a luxury for hitching in my opinion, but in the winter, what a great option (and fuck yeah luxury, I dont care if I dont get any punk points for it....)
> Make a planned route, with cities that you think you can make it to in one day of hitching. Then get on Couchsurfing, and find a place to crash in that city. So nice to get showers, food, and warm beds when you are on the road, and not being a tired, sick, stinky punk makes a good image for hitch hiking, and makes it better for all of us.
> Your route, think DesMoines-Omaha-North Platte-Denver-Grand Junction-St George- Vegas (maybe try to skip this, big cities tend to drag you in and are hard to get out of...)-[San Bernadino-Indio-Niland (Slab City)]or[riverside-SanDiego]


 
Thank you! That's really helpful. Couchsurfers is a great suggestions and I forward that to everyone. It's generally really trustworthy and there are a lot of friendly hippies on it. Do you think it's better to go it alone or with someone else?


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## GnarGarr

Okay, so I live in Santa Clarita. I could easily get to the I-5 or Santa Barbara, and I want to thumb it up to Oregon so I can visit my friend in Eugene and then my family in Seattle, Wa. 

ANY advice you could give me on a routes to get up there would be awesome. I would like to take the highway up the coast if it's do-able.


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## Pheonix

GnarGarr said:


> Okay, so I live in Santa Clarita. I could easily get to the I-5 or Santa Barbara, and I want to thumb it up to Oregon so I can visit my friend in Eugene and then my family in Seattle, Wa.
> 
> ANY advice you could give me on a routes to get up there would be awesome. I would like to take the highway up the coast if it's do-able.


 
You can take the 101 up the coast or if you want the scenic route take the pacific coast highway, from Crescent City,CA to Grant's Pass,OR you can take the 199 to get on I-5 for the last leg of your journey.


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## XMNnmx

Is it possible to hitchhike on the Angeles Crest Highway, or on the part of the 210 in Northern Glendale/La Crescenta? I'd like to be able to get to SF, if I have to hitchhike to get there anyways.


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## skipthistown6661

Im stuck here in fresno any advice on hitching or hopping freight out of here?


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## Jersey cat

I'm in L.A thinking about going to Denver but I can't go through Utah any advice?


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## XlilyX

To go North on i5 from LA, id recommend taking the metrolink antellope valley line, departing from union station. Get off at the Newhal stop in San clemente, it costs seven dollars. Then take the local bus (can't remember the number) to the mcbean transit center (your train ticket is recognized as fare, and they do check tickets on the antellope valley line). From there take the number one bus to Castaic.Way better than San clemente for hitching, lots of truckers and 24 businesses.


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## notacarniegirl

lily the kid said:


> To go North on i5 from LA, id recommend taking the metrolink antellope valley line, departing from union station. Get off at the Newhal stop in San clemente, it costs seven dollars. Then take the local bus (can't remember the number) to the mcbean transit center (your train ticket is recognized as fare, and they do check tickets on the antellope valley line). From there take the number one bus to Castaic.Way better than San clemente for hitching, lots of truckers and 24 businesses.


It's not San Clemente, it's Santa Clarita. Just dont want to see anyone get confused or end up in S. Orange County, (where San Clemente is.) As far as the bus routes & best spots to hitch, I know nothing. But I grew up the SFV, so I couldnt help correcting that part.


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