San Diego Zoo to Disneyland Hotel

[Beckybalz]

Mapquest says that the best route from the San Diego Zoo to the Disneyland Hotel is I-5. Is that correct? Also, are there any Fat Burgers along that route? I know that route is along the coast...are there any easy off/easy on beaches along the way where we can just dip our feet in the Pacific Ocean? Thank you!!!

[MNNHFLTX]

I-5 is the route we took from San Diego to Anaheim. It was a fairly quick route until we got closer to the outlying metro area (near Anaheim) then traffic slowed down to a crawl.

Oceanside is an easy on/off from the freeway. We liked Capistrano Beach too. I think some of the prettiest beaches are north of there though and you would have to deviate off of I-5 onto the Coastal Highway to see those.

[tinkwest]

I-5 is quick and easy from San Diego to Anaheim. About 90 minutes depending on your speed preference. There is a commuter lane for about the last 30 miles going north, starting around Mission Viejo, which will help you bypass traffic - if you are qualified to use it / minimum 2 persons per vehicle.

There appears to be a Fatburger in San Clemente, about 40 miles north of San Diego and less than a mile off the freeway.

You could make a beach stop in San Clemente too if you don't want to get off of the freeway twice. But you will already be headed inland at this point, so would need to do a little street surface driving to reach the Pacific Ocean. As Beth said, if you want to go for the easiest on/off access to beaches try Oceanside. You also might want to consider Carlsbad.

[BrerGnat]

I-5 is really the only option. The PCH cuts off for awhile and becomes the 5 anyway.

There is a Fatburger here in Irvine, directly off the 5 at the Jeffrey Road Exit. Exit, turn right, then it's inside the huge shopping center between Kohl's department store and Albertsons supermarket. The shopping center is about 1/3 mile off the freeway, but it's easy in/out.

If you want to dip your feet in the ocean, the best place to do that would be Oceanside.

Take the Pacific Coast Hwy/76 East esit. Turn LEFT, stay on there until MIssion Road. Turn RIght on MIssion road. You will head into a parking lot that has meters. The beach is right there.

[Beckybalz]

Awesome! Thank you all so much! This is our first trip to California so we are completely unfamiliar with the whole area. The route, beach, and Fat Burger info that you all gave me is a huge help!

[Aisling]

Carlsbad is a prettier beach than Oceanside (okay, so I'm a little biased, they are both pretty). It's about a 35 minute trip up the coast from the Zoo and while there isn't a Fat Burger, there is an In-N-Out. If you've never tried them, you should. Yum. Once you get past San Clemente, you head inland and it won't be so easy to hop off the free way to dip your toes in the water.
You know, I really do think Carlsbad would be the easiest - get off at Tamarack and turn left off the exit. Keep going straight and you'll head right into a parking lot at Tamarack Beach. This is a surfer beach, but you can wade around in the surf. Then to get back on the freeway, just head out the parking lot, keep going straight and you'll get back on I-5 on your left over the bridge. It's less than a mile from the freeway to the beach here. You can also take the Carlsbad Village Drive exit - it's pretty much a straight shot to the beach as well, except for the end where you turn left at the stop sign. Super easy beach access. Getting to and from the beach to Oceanside involves a little more driving and wrangling the parking lots.
Have fun!

[BrerGnat]

Carlsbad is a prettier beach than Oceanside

Carlsbad in GENERAL is a lot prettier than Oceanside. I used to live in Oceanside, but worked at GIA in Carlsbad. Talk about a beautiful view from the office!

The beaches in Carlsbad, though, are VERY rocky and somewhat rough...just to see/dip your feet in, though, I agree MUCH prettier.

As an aside, I think the BEST NY style pizza outside of NY can be found on Carlsbad Village Drive...it's a little place called Knockout Pizza. If you happen to see it, go in for a slice. It's good stuff. I miss it so.

[Aisling]

The beaches at Tamarack on Coast Highway no longer have the rocks (thank you El Nino!!!). They had to pump sand back onto the beaches after the huge storms. Thank goodness. Those rocks really hurt!

And right next to Knockout Pizza is Coldstone ice cream!

[BrerGnat]

The beaches at Tamarack on Coast Highway no longer have the rocks (thank you El Nino!!!). They had to pump sand back onto the beaches after the huge storms. Thank goodness. Those rocks really hurt!

And right next to Knockout Pizza is Coldstone ice cream!

Really? How interesting. Last time I was there was in 2004, so I wasn't aware of that. Good to know!

And yeah, pizza and ice cream...what could be better? Mmmmmm......