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U.S. Route 101 (US 101) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Los Angeles, California to Tumwater, Washington. The California portion of US 101 is one of the last remaining and longest U.S. Routes still active in the state, and the longest highway of any kind in California. US 101 was also one of the original national routes established in 1926. Significant portions of US 101 between the Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area follow El Camino Real, the commemorative route connecting the former
Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
's 21
missions Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion * Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
. Although the highway has been superseded in overall importance for transportation through the state by Interstate 5 (I-5), US 101 continues to be the major coastal north–south route that links the Greater Los Angeles Area, the Central Coast, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the North Coast (Redwood Empire). Generally referred to as "101" by residents of
Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
, in Southern California it is often called "The 101" (pronounced "the one oh one"). The highway has portions designated as the Santa Ana Freeway, the Hollywood Freeway, the Ventura Freeway, South Valley Freeway, and
Bayshore Freeway The Bayshore Freeway is a part of U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It runs along the west shore of the San Francisco Bay, connecting San Jose with San Francisco. Within the city of San Fran ...
, as well as El Camino Real in many non-freeway segments. The Redwood Highway, the northernmost segment of the highway, begins at the Golden Gate and passes through the world's tallest and only extensive preserves of virgin, old-growth coast redwood trees.


Route description

US 101 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses both State highways and federal highways in California. It is defined by Article 2 (commenci ...
, and is part of the National Highway System,
a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. Portions of US 101 are eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System. It is officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation from
Goleta Goleta or La Goleta may refer to: * ''Goleta'' (spider), a spider genus * Goleta, California, United States, a suburban city in Santa Barbara County * La Goleta, the Spanish and Portuguese name for La Goulette La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), i ...
to Las Cruces in Santa Barbara County, and through
Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, and a component of the Redwood National and State Parks. The property is about half old-growth forest of coast redwoods and includes of wild Pacific coastline. Th ...
in
Del Norte County ), in California , seat_type = County seat , seat = Crescent City , parts_type = Largest city , parts = Crescent City , unit_pref = US , area_total_sq_mi = 1230 , area_land_sq_mi = 1006 , area_water_sq_mi = 223 , elevation_max_footnote ...
. This designation means that there are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.


Los Angeles to Ventura

The south terminus of US 101 is in Los Angeles, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the East Los Angeles Interchange, also known as the "Commuters' Complex". This southernmost portion is named the Santa Ana Freeway, inheriting that title as the northerly extension of the roadway now known as
I-5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...
. US 101 heads north for before merging with the western end of the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10). After merging with westbound traffic from the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10), US 101 then proceeds northwest via the Downtown Slot under the northern edge of Los Angeles' Civic Center to State Route 110 (SR 110) at the Four Level Interchange. From here, US 101 becomes the Hollywood Freeway. It then passes through the L.A. neighborhoods of Echo Park,
Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
, and Los Feliz and heads to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
and up through the Cahuenga Pass before reaching the
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
. US 101 passes right next to the Universal Studios Hollywood and then intersects with SR 134 and SR 170 at the interchange known as the Hollywood Split. Here, the alignment of US 101 shifts to the alignment of SR 134 (i.e. heading northbound, the road's alignment turns left, or westbound) and thereafter is referred to as the Ventura Freeway until it reaches Ventura. Though confusing, the "Hollywood Freeway" name continues northward from this interchange on SR 170, and the "Ventura Freeway" name continues eastward to SR 134. From the Hollywood Split, US 101 is an east–west highway (until it reaches Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County where it shifts back to a north–south alignment). It meets with
I-405 Interstate 405 may refer to: * Interstate 405 (California), a bypass of Los Angeles, California * Interstate 405 (Oregon) Interstate 405 (I-405), also known as the Stadium Freeway No. 61, is a short north–south Interstate Highway in Portl ...
in Sherman Oaks, an interchange which holds claim to the most traveled intersection in the nation. The east–west geographical alignment of the Ventura Freeway and the north–south designation which appears on the freeway signs can be confusing to visitors; the same freeway entrance can often be signed as "101 North" and "101 West"; this is most common in the
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
where the local E/W signing does not match the Caltrans' proper statewide N/S designation. After the Conejo Grade, which is a 7% grade incline, the freeway enters the Oxnard Plain and runs concurrent with SR 1 for the first time. Upon reaching Ventura, there is an interchange with SR 126, which runs east to Santa Clarita.


Central Coast

North of Santa Barbara, US 101 switches intermittently between freeway and expressway status (i.e. there is occasional cross-traffic), but there are no traffic signals until San Francisco. The last traffic signals along this stretch of the route were removed in 1991 when the section through downtown Santa Barbara was constructed to freeway standards after years of disagreement over the impact that the original elevated design would have on the community. From Ventura and through Santa Barbara, US 101 closely follows the Gaviota Coast (generally no more than from the shore) until Gaviota State Park, about west of
Goleta Goleta or La Goleta may refer to: * ''Goleta'' (spider), a spider genus * Goleta, California, United States, a suburban city in Santa Barbara County * La Goleta, the Spanish and Portuguese name for La Goulette La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), i ...
. At Gaviota State Park, the highway shifts back from an east–west highway to a north–south alignment. About north of this point, the northbound lanes pass through the Gaviota Tunnel. A few miles north of the Gaviota Tunnel, SR 1 splits from US 101 and heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline parallel and to the west of US 101. US 101 passes through
Buellton Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, west of Solvang. The population was 5,161 at the 2020 census, up from 4,828 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U. ...
, Los Alamos,
Orcutt Orcutt is an unincorporated town and census-designated place located in the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William Warren Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Dep ...
, Santa Maria, and Nipomo. South of Santa Maria, US 101 widens from a four-lane highway to a six-lane freeway. SR 166 joins US 101 for about before splitting just north of the city limits, while US 101 continues as a four-lane freeway before reverting to expressway status north of Nipomo. Farther north, SR 1 rejoins US 101 between Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. Then US 101 takes an inland route through the Salinas Valley, while Highway 1 heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline in California, parallel and to the west of US 101. A steep segment (7% grade) between San Luis Obispo and Atascadero is known as the
Cuesta Grade Cuesta Pass or La Cuesta Pass (Spanish for "the slope") is a low mountain pass in San Luis Obispo County on California's Central Coast. It crosses the southern Santa Lucia Range at an altitude of , and connects San Luis Obispo, roughly to the sou ...
. North of Atascadero, the highway joins SR 46 for about through
Paso Robles Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for "The Pass of Oaks"), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River approximately north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot ...
. From Paso Robles to Salinas, US 101 is an expressway known as the Salinas River Valley Highway, since the Salinas River Valley extends from Santa Margarita to the SR 156 junction in Prunedale. US 101 resumes freeway status between San Miguel and King City, bypassing the smaller towns of Camp Roberts, Bradley, and
San Ardo San Ardo, formerly known as San Bernardo ( Spanish for "St. Bernard"), is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Monterey County, California, United States. San Ardo is located southeast of King City at an elevation of ...
, as well as the
San Ardo Oil Field The San Ardo Oil Field is a large oil field in Monterey County, California, in the United States. It is in the Salinas Valley, about five miles (8 km) south of the small town of San Ardo, and about 20 miles (32 km) north of Paso Robles. ...
about south of San Ardo. Near this point, the wide agricultural bottomlands of the Salinas Valley begins. North of King City, US 101 once again switches intermittently between freeway and expressway status, passing through
Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...
, Soledad,
Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...
, and Chualar before reaching Salinas. Shortly after leaving Salinas, US 101 joins SR 156 in Prunedale for about . After crossing the San Benito County line, SR 156 splits from US 101 near
San Juan Bautista San Juan Bautista is the Spanish-language name of Saint John the Baptist. It may refer to: Places Bolivia *San Juan Bautista, Bolivia, Jesuit mission ruins near the village of San Juan de Taperas Chile *San Juan Bautista, Chile, Juan Fernández ...
while US 101 continues northward mostly as a four-lane highway until it reaches Gilroy.


San Francisco Bay Area

US 101 crosses the Pajaro River into Santa Clara County as a four-lane highway, with an interchange at SR 25 a few miles later. Upon reaching Gilroy, it becomes the South Valley Freeway (as in South Santa Clara Valley), and at the same time, it expands to three lanes in each direction. It then enters Silicon Valley when reaching
Morgan Hill Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech companies, and a dining, entertainmen ...
, and shortly afterwards expands to four lanes in each direction, with an
HOV A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...
lane in the middle, before reaching San Jose. From San Jose to San Francisco, US 101 is known as the
Bayshore Freeway The Bayshore Freeway is a part of U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It runs along the west shore of the San Francisco Bay, connecting San Jose with San Francisco. Within the city of San Fran ...
as it passes through Palo Alto and the other major communities along the San Francisco Peninsula. US 101 is called the James Lick Freeway, named for James Lick, a
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, from the San Francisco county/city line, through the interchange with I-280 at the
Alemany Maze Alemany Maze is the name given to the interchange between the James Lick Freeway (U.S. Route 101, US 101) and the John F. Foran Freeway ( Interstate 280, I-280) in the city of San Francisco. An alternative name for this highway feature is ...
, until the junction with the
San Francisco Skyway The Bayshore Freeway is a part of U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It runs along the west shore of the San Francisco Bay, connecting San Jose with San Francisco. Within the city of San Fran ...
( I-80) and the
Central Freeway The Central Freeway is a roughly one-mile (1.5 km) elevated freeway in San Francisco, California, United States, connecting the Bayshore/James Lick Freeway (US 101 and I-80) with the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Most of the freeway is part ...
near the city's Civic Center. US 101 continues in a northwestern direction on the Central Freeway, and then leaves the freeway, on Mission Street (northbound) and South Van Ness Avenue (southbound), to run north on Van Ness Avenue. At the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Lombard Street, US 101 heads west on Lombard Street, and then on Richardson Avenue, entering The Presidio, where it becomes a divided highway again (the Presidio Parkway). It is then joined by Route 1 before approaching and crossing the
Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
. From San Francisco north the highway is heavily traveled by commuters through to Windsor, just north of
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...
. North of the Golden Gate Bridge, US 101 enters
Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...
and is known as the Redwood Highway. After crossing the bridge, US 101 climbs the Waldo Grade and passes through the
Robin Williams Tunnel The Waldo Grade is a highway grade between the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin City along U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1. It is defined as the stretch of roadway between the Spencer Offramp and Marin City, within the city of Sausalito. This grad ...
, the only one of its kind in (the other being the Gaviota Tunnel in Santa Barbara County). Upon exiting the tunnel, it passes above the hillside town of Sausalito and descends to Richardson Bay, where SR 1 splits from the freeway and heads to the coast. US 101 then passes through Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Larkspur, San Rafael and Novato, before entering Sonoma County. The section between Novato in Marin County and Petaluma in Sonoma County changes from its original six or eight lanes through Marin to four lanes, creating a bottleneck, and is thus called the "Novato Narrows" by locals. The Narrows continue up to the county line between Marin and Sonoma Counties. The entire area between Novato and Petaluma is also the voter approved Novato–Petaluma Community Separator, which forbids most development. Upon entering Sonoma County, the freeway widens again to six lanes from the county line to Windsor, passing through Petaluma, Cotati,
Rohnert Park Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2020 United States Census was 44,390. It is an early planned city and is the sister city of Hashimoto in ...
, and
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...
. Upon reaching Windsor, the freeway returns to two lanes in each direction, crossing the Russian River in Healdsburg and then following the river up the
Alexander Valley The Alexander Valley (Wappo: Unutsawaholmanoma, "Toyon Bush Berry Place") is a Californian American Viticultural Area (AVA) just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries and vineyards, as well as the city of Cloverdale. ...
. SR 128 joins US 101 in the town of
Geyserville Geyserville (formerly Clairville) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, USA. Located in the Wine Country, Geyserville has a small selection of restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and wineries ...
before splitting just north of
Cloverdale Cloverdale may refer to: Place names ;Australia *Cloverdale, Western Australia ;Canada *Cloverdale, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood *Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia * Cloverdale, New Brunswick * Cloverdale, Nova Scotia *Cloverdale Mall in T ...
. US 101 then heads up a steep hill just before leaving Sonoma County and entering Mendocino County.


North Coast

US 101 crosses into Mendocino County as a freeway for one mile (1.6 km), but then narrows to an expressway through the Russian River canyon and eventually a two-lane road south of Hopland, the first time since leaving San Francisco. Just before reaching Ukiah, US 101 becomes a four-lane freeway. In the community of Calpella, SR 20 merges with US 101 for the next to Willits. The freeway portion ends as the combined US 101 and SR 20 ascend the
Ridgewood Summit Ridgewood Summit is a low mountain pass in Mendocino County, California, traversed by U.S. Route 101 at an altitude of . It crosses the Mendocino Range, connecting Ukiah and the watershed of the Russian River, on the south of the pass, to Willit ...
, the highest elevation along the route's trek through California. As US 101 resumes freeway status just south of Willits, SR 20 splits from US 101 shortly before it suddenly reverts to a 2-lane undivided freeway and eventually a highway north of Willits. US 101 then widens to a four-lane expressway until the intersection with the western portion of SR 162, where it reverts to a two-lane road. North of Laytonville, US 101 ascends Rattlesnake summit () before a descent to follow the South Fork Eel River and Eel River all the way to Fortuna near the mouth of the river. About northwest of Laytonville, US 101 becomes an undivided freeway near the community of Cummings. SR 271 is the old portion of US 101 through this area. At Leggett, US 101 meets SR 1 for the last time, and from this point until Piercy, US 101 runs along a section of highway with frequent landslides. Caltrans bypassed the most difficult section in 2009 with unique construction of two bridges known collectively as the
Confusion Hill Bridges The Confusion Hill Bridges (aka. Confusion Hill Realignment, Confusion Hill Bypass or South Fork Eel River Bridges) are a pair of high bridges carrying two lanes of U.S. Route 101 over the South Fork Eel River in Mendocino County in the U.S. sta ...
. This project, funded by an emergency act from the State Legislature, moved the highway across the Eel River away from the troubled spots to prevent disruption in commerce and travel from infrequent, but costly, winter closures on the main transportation route to the far North Coast. North of Piercy, the freeway portion again ends and the road narrows down to two lanes, before another stretch of divided highway. Arriving in Humboldt County, another narrow two lane portion of US 101 bisects Richardson Grove State Park. Just after the park boundary, the highway switches to a short undivided freeway and then eventually a divided freeway just before reaching Garberville. North of Garberville, US 101 reverts to an undivided freeway, which continuing north by northwest, passes through the
Humboldt Redwoods State Park Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of Sequoia sempervirens, coast redwoods. It is located south of Eureka, Califor ...
, California's third largest State Park and the site of the largest remaining Redwood old growth forest in the world. A preserved portion of the original, bypassed highway route, known as the Avenue of the Giants for the huge, centuries-old
redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affini ...
trees, parallels the highway for over in southern Humboldt County. US 101 again switches to another stretch of divided freeway near the town Pepperwood before reverting to a short, 2-mile (3 km) expressway just north of
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...
. A short freeway then runs through
Rio Dell Rio Dell ( Spanish: ''Río Dell'', meaning "Dell River") is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located on the west bank of the Eel River north of Scotia at an elevation of 161 feet (49 m). The population was 3,363 a ...
before another short, 3-mile (5 km) expressway. Shortly before reaching the western terminus of SR 36, US 101 becomes a freeway again between Fortuna and Eureka. North of Humboldt Hill, the road enters the City of Eureka (a potential new freeway cutting through or bypass of the city was successfully blocked repeatedly). As the route traverses Eureka, the southern portion is known as "Broadway" and then as it bears east along
Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between Sa ...
, the Highway is aligned on a one-way couplet (4th and 5th streets). later the highway leaves Eureka's northern city limit and continues north. The expressway style section between Eureka and
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
, which is also a safety corridor, is named the "Michael J. Burns Freeway," in honor of the State Senator who was a proponent of California's Highways. The highway becomes an unobstructed freeway south of the center of Arcata. Proceeding north it passes the junction for SR 299 (also the western terminus for that route), in the Valley West (northernmost) part of the college town. The highway continues north as it skirts westerly around
McKinleyville McKinleyville (formerly Minorsville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Humboldt County, California McKinleyville is located north of Arcata, at an elevation of . The population was 15,177 at the 2010 census, up from 13,599 at the time of the ...
on a high bluff north of the Mad River. As the highway reaches
Clam Beach McKinleyville (formerly Minorsville) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Humboldt County, California McKinleyville is located north of Arcata, at an elevation of . The population was 15,177 at the 2010 census, up from 13,599 at the time of the ...
(a county park), motorists get their first magnificent full view of the Pacific Ocean north of the Golden Gate. North of Trinidad, the highway narrows to one lane in each direction after crossing Big Lagoon to pass inland of
Stone Lagoon Stone Lagoon (Yurok language: ''Chah-pekw O'Ket-toh'') is the second of three similar lagoons within Humboldt Lagoons State Park, along the coast of Humboldt County, California. It is located between Trinidad to the south and Orick at the mouth ...
and follow the coastal bar between
Freshwater Lagoon Freshwater Lagoon is the northernmost and smallest of three similar lagoons within Humboldt Lagoons State Park, along the coast of Humboldt County, California. Geography It is located between Trinidad to the south and Orick at the mouth of Redwo ...
and the Pacific Ocean south of Orick. It becomes a undivided freeway through Redwood National and State Parks running inland east of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park boundary. The freeway narrows to one lane in each direction at the
Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second larges ...
before losing its freeway designation in
Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States * ...
. The original placement of the highway near giant
Coast Redwoods ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus ''Sequoia (genus), Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast r ...
led to increased awareness of the destruction of the redwoods after decades of extensive logging, which ultimately led to the establishment of
Redwood National Park The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...
in 1968. The original highway segment through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is now a scenic alternate similar to Avenue of the Giants, named
Newton B. Drury Newton Bishop Drury (April 9, 1889 – December 14, 1978) was the fourth director of the American National Park Service and the executive director of the Save the Redwoods League. Early life Newton was born in 1889 in San Francisco, California. ...
Scenic Parkway in honor of the fourth director of the National Park Service and executive director of the
Save-the-Redwoods League Save the Redwoods League is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') and giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees through the preemptive purchase of development rights ...
North of the town of
Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States * ...
just inside Del Norte County, the highway closely follows the Pacific coast again. In Crescent City, US 101 once again separates into a one-way couplet (L and M Streets) for nine blocks. As it leaves Crescent City, US 101 becomes a divided freeway for the last time in California (built slightly to the west of the original two-lane alignment, now called Parkway Drive). As the 3-mile divided freeway portion ends, US 101 intersects the southern terminus of US 199, which heads northeast as the Redwood Highway, passing through the Collier Tunnel and terminating in
Grants Pass, Oregon Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, along the Rogue River. The population was 39,189 at the 2020 census. History Early Hudson's Bay Company hunt ...
. US 101 (no longer called the "Redwood Highway" at this point) is reduced to two lanes and continues north along the California coast until it reaches the Oregon border.


Tolls


Express lanes

High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along US 101 between SR 237 in Mountain View and Whipple Avenue in Redwood City opened on February 11, 2022. These express lanes are planned to be extended further north to I-380 in
San Bruno San Bruno (Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to Sa ...
, and south to
I-880 Interstate 880 may refer to: *Interstate 880 (California), an auxiliary Interstate Highway that travels from San Jose to Oakland, California ** Interstate 880 (California 1964–1981), a former auxiliary Interstate Highway in Sacramento, Calif ...
in San Jose. , the HOT lanes' hours of operation is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm. Solo drivers are tolled using a congestion pricing system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Two-person carpools and clean air vehicles with a solo driver are charged 50 percent of the posted toll. Carpools with three or more people and motorcycles are not charged. All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using the HOT lanes is required to carry either a FasTrak ''Flex'' or ''CAV'' (Clean Air Vehicle) transponder, with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3 or more). Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch. Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free. The segment of the express lanes in Santa Clara County is co-administered by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) while the segment in San Mateo County is co-administered by the separate San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority, and so drivers will see separate toll charges when using each segment.


Golden Gate Bridge

Tolls are collected only for southbound traffic on the
Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
headed to San Francisco. An open road tolling system is also used on the bridge, and they can be paid by either a FasTrak transponder or license plate tolling. The high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane leading to the bridge requires a car with three or more people.


History


Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

The US 101 Highway is part of the auto tour route of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, a National Park Service unit in the United States National Historic Trail and
National Millennium Trail National Millennium Trails are 17 short- and long-distance trails selected from 58 nominees as visionary trails that reflect defining aspects of America's history and culture. The trails were chosen on June 26, 1999, by the White House Millennium ...
programs. In 2005,
Caltrans The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...
began posting signs on roads that overlap with the historic 1776 Juan Bautista de Anza trail route, so that California drivers can now follow the trail.


Historic route: San Diego to Los Angeles

Instead of terminating in Los Angeles, US 101 once continued all the way south through San Diego to the United States–Mexico border in
San Ysidro San Ysidro (Spanish for " St. Isidore", ) is a district of the City of San Diego, immediately north of the Mexico–United States border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley t ...
. However, this part was decommissioned on July 1, 1964, in favor of
I-5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...
. Though much of U.S. Route 101 has been superseded by I-5, several street segments of former Route 101 exist.


Historic route in San Diego County

Much of the route in northern San Diego County is County Route S21; this includes Coast Highway in Oceanside, Carlsbad Boulevard in
Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: *Carlsbad, California, United States *Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States *Carlsbad, Texas, United States *Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa ...
, Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, Camino del Mar in Del Mar, and Torrey Pines Road in Torrey Pines. In San Diego, one alignment entered
La Jolla Village La Jolla Village is a mixed residential/business neighborhood in the coastal San Diego community of La Jolla. La Jolla Village Square and The Shops at La Jolla Village are in the center of the neighborhood and contain a variety of stores, resta ...
on La Jolla Blvd, while a newer alignment went through Rose Canyon under what is now I-5. Roads followed by US-101 in San Diego included Mission Bay Drive, Pacific Hwy, Harbor Drive and Main Street. It ran along National City Blvd in National City, Broadway in Chula Vista and Beyer Blvd in
San Ysidro San Ysidro (Spanish for " St. Isidore", ) is a district of the City of San Diego, immediately north of the Mexico–United States border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley t ...
.


Oceanside–Carlsbad freeway bypass

By the early 1950s, traffic had become very heavy on US 101 through Oceanside and Carlsbad. The US 101 freeway bypass (Oceanside-Carlsbad freeway bypass) was built in 1953 and completed in 1955 by the California Department of Public Works (now Caltrans) and brought up by the San Diego Highway Development Association on a US 80/US 101 discussion on how to resolve the huge traffic loads on US 101 in Oceanside. Today it is part of I-5 and Palomar Airport Road. It follows I-5 from Coast Highway (former Hill Street exit) in Oceanside to Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. From there the US 101 bypass went onto Palomar Airport Road to merge with US 101 Bus. on Carlsbad Boulevard. As it approached the Coast Highway/SR 76 exit on southbound I-5 in Oceanside, US 101 Bus. split off. US 101 Bus. followed the original US 101 through downtown Oceanside and Carlsbad as former Hill Street/Carlsbad Boulevard (CR S-21) while the US 101 freeway followed modern I-5 and Palomar Airport Road. The south end of the freeway bypass is Carlsbad Boulevard and Palomar Airport Road and the north end is I-5 and the Coast Highway/SR 76 exit. The south end was modified after US 101 was decommissioned between the East Los Angeles Interchange in Los Angeles and the Mexican border in San Ysidro. This freeway construction by the California Department of Public Works put US 101 on an all new highway route alignment to relieve Oceanside and Carlsbad of their very heavy bumper-to-bumper burdensome traffic problem. Also before the bypass in the 1950s, US 101 followed North Coast Highway (formerly Hill Street) from San Luis Rey Mission Expressway (SR 76 and north end of the Oceanside–Carlsbad freeway bypass) to Harbor Drive. From there it followed Harbor Drive to Vandergrift Boulevard, San Rafael Drive, and the freeway onramp for I-5 north near the Camp Pendleton north entrance guardhouse gate. It merges with the I-5 northbound onramp to shoot onto the southbound lanes of I-5 to follow the freeway lanes all the way to Las Pulgas Road in Camp Pendleton.


Historic route in Orange and Los Angeles Counties

An old orphaned alignment of US 101, that ran through the cities of Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, and San Clemente, was located in south Orange County. The old roadway, from a dead end just west of I-5 and east of the railroad tracks in Mission Viejo to Cristianitos Road in San Clemente, followed Camino Capistrano, Doheny Park Road, Coast Highway and El Camino Real. It had interchanges with I-5 and California State Route 1. It was replaced by the San Diego freeway (which US 101 became part of it in 1958) and finally replaced by I-5 in 1968. In northern Orange County, US 101 followed
Harbor Boulevard Harbor Boulevard (formerly Spadra Road) is a north–south road corridor in the counties of Los Angeles and Orange. One of the busiest routes in Orange County, the thoroughfare passes through some of the most densely populated areas in the region ...
. U.S. Route 101 left Orange County, traversed southeast Los Angeles County, and entered the City of Los Angeles along
Whittier Boulevard Whittier Boulevard known as Stephenson Avenue (before 1920) is an arterial street that runs from the Los Angeles River (where it continues into Downtown Los Angeles as 6th Street) to Brea, California. The street is one of the main thoroughfares in ...
.


El Camino Real: Los Angeles to San Francisco

Significant portions of US 101 from its southern terminus to the San Francisco Bay Area is designated as the Royal Road or El Camino Real. The route roughly follows the historic trail that connected the former
Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
's 21
missions Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion * Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
. Before the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, there was regular vehicle ferry service across the Golden Gate strait, running from the
Hyde Street Pier The Hyde Street Pier, at 2905 Hyde Street, is a historic ferry pier located on the northern waterfront of San Francisco, California. Background Prior to the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, it was the ...
to Sausalito. Under the California Streets and Highways Code § 401, the Golden Gate Bridge is legally ''not'' part of US 101. The portion of US 101 starting from Los Angeles ends at "the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge" and then resumes at "a point in Marin County opposite San Francisco" to the Oregon state line. The bridge itself is maintained by the
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is a special-purpose district that owns and operates three regional transportation assets in the San Francisco Bay Area: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate Ferry system and t ...
instead of
Caltrans The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...
. From the 1940s to 1991, various segments of US 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco were upgraded to either a freeway or expressway. In the Los Angeles area, the first segment of the Hollywood Freeway through the Cahuenga Pass opened in 1940, while the segment from the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles opened in 1954, replacing Cahuenga Boulevard. The Ventura Freeway then opened in 1960, replacing
Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thoroughfares in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley as it was originally a part o ...
. The segment of the original two-lane alignment between
Emma Wood State Beach Emma Wood State Beach is a California State Beach in Ventura, California. It is located on the Santa Barbara Channel on the west side of the Ventura River estuary and south of the railroad tracks of the Coast Line and the US Highway 101 freeway ...
north to the Mobil Pier Undercrossing near Sea Cliff, which followed the historic
Rincon Sea Level Road The Rincon Parkway is a portion of California State Route 1 along the north coast of Ventura County, California. This narrow coastal area north of the city of Ventura and south of the Santa Barbara County line is commonly referred to as The Rin ...
, was the re-signed as part of SR 1. In the San Francisco Bay Area, US 101 was originally divided. US 101W followed the same general right-of-way of today's US 101 through the region, primarily along what was originally signed as Bayshore Boulevard. US 101E then generally followed the right-of-way taken by today's
I-880 Interstate 880 may refer to: *Interstate 880 (California), an auxiliary Interstate Highway that travels from San Jose to Oakland, California ** Interstate 880 (California 1964–1981), a former auxiliary Interstate Highway in Sacramento, Calif ...
from San Jose to Oakland, then across the
Carquinez Bridge The Carquinez Bridge is a pair of parallel (geometry), parallel bridges spanning the Carquinez Strait at the northeastern end of San Francisco Bay. They form the part of Interstate 80 in California, Interstate 80 between Crockett, California, Cro ...
to follow what is now SR 37, joining US 101W. The US 101E designation was removed by the 1940s and became SR 17 (later designated as I-880 and the westernmost section I-580), running from San Jose to Oakland and then across the
Richmond–San Rafael Bridge The Richmond–San Rafael Bridge (also officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge) is the northernmost of the east–west crossings of the San Francisco Bay in California, USA. Officially named after California State Senator John ...
. Meanwhile, Bayshore Boulevard was later redesignated as the US 101A bypass and then eventually upgraded to what is now the
Bayshore Freeway The Bayshore Freeway is a part of U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It runs along the west shore of the San Francisco Bay, connecting San Jose with San Francisco. Within the city of San Fran ...
. The first stretch that was completed between Redwood City and South San Francisco was the Bay Area's first freeway when it opened in 1947. After the entire Bayshore Freeway was completed in the early 1960s, the old alignment along the peninsula was renumbered and renamed as SR 82/El Camino Real. Various other freeway or expressway bypasses along the California Central Coast were also built. In 1991, the last traffic signal along US 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco was taken down in Santa Barbara. The primary
control city A control city is a city, locality, or other location posted on a series of traffic signs along a particular stretch of road indicating destinations on that route. Together with route numbers and cardinal directions, these focal points aid the mo ...
that is listed on freeway signs along northbound US 101 through the Central Coast region remains San Francisco. As the result of
freeway revolt Highway revolts (also freeway revolts, expressway revolts, or road protests) are organized protests against the planning or construction of highways, freeways, expressways, and other civil engineering projects that favor vehicles. Many freeway re ...
s in San Francisco in the 1950s, a direct freeway connection through the city to the Golden Gate Bridge has never been built. The
Central Freeway The Central Freeway is a roughly one-mile (1.5 km) elevated freeway in San Francisco, California, United States, connecting the Bayshore/James Lick Freeway (US 101 and I-80) with the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Most of the freeway is part ...
was completed to extend from the Bayshore Freeway to Turk Street in 1959, before the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco. Government and politics The City and County of San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, being simultaneously a c ...
voted to remove the remainder of the Central Freeway and most other proposed freeways from the city's highway plan. For decades, southbound traffic on US 101 flowed on the one-way Turk Street from Van Ness Avenue to the Central Freeway, while northbound traffic used the parallel Golden Gate Avenue. After the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...
damaged the structure, the segment of the Central Freeway north of Market Street was replaced with the surface-level Octavia Boulevard; traffic on US 101 was then eventually re-routed to exit south of that at Mission Street/South Van Ness Avenue. With no direct freeway along US 101 through the City of San Francisco, the old US 101E/I-880/I-580 route remains as a faster bypass through the Bay Area. In the wake of the dot-com bubble expansion, the segment of US 101 between
Morgan Hill Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech companies, and a dining, entertainmen ...
and San Jose, also known as the Sig Sanchez Freeway, expanded to eight lanes between Cochrane Road and SR 85 exits between 2001 and 2003 and a new interchange at Bailey Avenue, which had been planned since the 1970s, opened in 2004. Originally, the ten-mile segment was only four lanes (it was planned to have six lanes when opened in 1984). The improved segment was to alleviate the consistent congestion that had expanded as far south as Masten Avenue coming from Gilroy, and as far north as Bernal Road coming from San Jose. Traffic now typically only runs slow between the Bailey Avenue and East Dunne Avenue exits. The interchange at the beginning of I-280 and I-680 in San Jose was constructed years before its completion. The three flyovers, with no on ramps or off ramps connecting them stood at over US 101 for years in the 1970s (the SR 87/I-280 interchange also had this at the same time). It became the butt of many local jokes. The highlight prank occurred in January 1976, when a
1960 Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles i ...
was placed on the highest bridge overnight, where it obviously would be impossible to drive. The following day, San Jose City Councilman Joe Colla was photographed standing next to the car, a photo which was circulated across many newspapers. It has been suggested this stunt nudged the wheels of progress to find the funds to complete the freeway. In 2010, the interchange was named the
Joe Colla Interchange The Joe Colla Interchange is a highway interchange in San Jose, California, United States, connecting Interstate 280 (I-280), I-680, and U.S. Route 101 (US 101). It is named after Joe Colla, a former councilman of San Jose, who also ...
.


Redwood Highway: Marin County to Del Norte County

An abandoned segment of the Redwood Highway, US 101, located in the Redwood National and State Parks near
Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States * ...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Freeway segments along the Redwood Highway portion of US 101 are not as prevalent as along the Los Angeles-San Francisco route. A notable segment of the old US 101 alignment is SR 254, also known as the Avenue of the Giants, in
Humboldt Redwoods State Park Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of Sequoia sempervirens, coast redwoods. It is located south of Eureka, Califor ...
. The freeway bypassing this scenic route, surrounded by towering Coast Redwoods, was completed in 1960. Several bridges along the segment of highway running along the Eel River were destroyed during the Christmas flood of 1964. Construction on a freeway segment bypassing Willits began in 2013. The bypass around Willits remained controversial because the intended route goes through protected wetlands. Construction was halted by US Army Corps of Engineers in June 2014 and work restarted the following month after Caltrans committed to extensive mitigation of the project. The bypass around Willits opened to traffic in November 2016. The bypass included a viaduct going over a flood plain. The freeway segment cost $459 million to complete, 50% more than what Caltrans first reported when it opened. The city of Eureka has long resisted a freeway through it.


Future

The proposed
Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road under construction at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills, California. The bridge will be one of the largest urban wildlife crossings in the ...
is a vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills. If built, it will be one of the largest urban wildlife crossings in the United States, connecting the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains over a busy freeway with ten traffic lanes (including exit lanes). The Richardson Grove section of US 101 has been proposed for a bypass for many years, but Caltrans conducted a study in 2000 which stated that a bypass was not cost effective and recommended realignment of US 101 within the redwood grove instead to accommodate modern-sized trucks in compliance with the
Surface Transportation Assistance Act The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 was a comprehensive transportation funding and policy act of the United States Federal Government, . The legislation was championed by the Reagan administration to address concerns about the surface ...
(STAA).


Major intersections


See also

* *


References


External links


Bay Area FasTrak
– includes toll information on the US 101 Express Lanes, the Golden Gate Bridge and the other Bay Area toll facilities
Drive the 101: historical information websiteCaltrans: Route 101 highway conditions
{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 101 In California 01-1
101 101 may refer to: * 101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a ...
Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in California
101 101 may refer to: * 101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a ...
U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101 U.S. Route A101
101 101 may refer to: * 101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a ...
101 101 may refer to: * 101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a ...
California National Register of Historic Places in Del Norte County, California National Register of Historic Places in Redwood National and State Parks