Google Maps provides a route from the San Francisco Bay Area to Yosemite National Park which runs along 580 to Highway 120. I find this route to be intolerably populated, unattractive, and often ground to a stop due to accidents or sheer traffic volume.<\/p>\n
On a recent drive back, when I found traffic along 580 into Tracy at nearly a standstill, I cut north through the Delta and up to Concord. The contrast between the packed 580 versus the desolate back-roads was amazing.<\/p>\n
Earlier, when Highway 120 led into Oakdale, I found that by cutting a single street North yielded a road which was almost entirely unused, had only the occasional stop sign, and featured beautiful views of fields and smelled of grass and cows instead of exhaust fumes.<\/p>\n
According to Google Maps estimates, the standard 580\/120 route only saves around 40 minutes versus a much more leisurely, scenic, and enjoyable route along Highway 4: <\/p>\n
Google Maps provides a route from the San Francisco Bay Area to Yosemite National Park which runs along 580 to Highway 120. I find this route to be intolerably populated, unattractive, and often ground to a stop due to accidents … Continue reading