California

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amylin hitching in Northern California

California is a state in the United States of America. Hitchhiking here is easier than in a lot of other states of the US. You usually won't be harassed by cops. The Central Valley is a concentrated version of the dixie-area "Bible-Belt", so getting around from Bakersfield to, say, Sacramento (and anywhere in between) is a real pain. The major urban centers are notoriously difficult to hitch out of too. It's usually better to take public transportation as reasonably far as possible, and then hitch from there. The Sierra Nevada (especially highway 395) and the Coast are a breeze for hitchhiking.

Cities and major landmarks of California

North Coast Arcata | Eureka | Mendocino Central California Valley | Redding | Chico | Sacramento | Stockton | Modesto | Merced | Fresno | Visalia | Bakersfield | Coast | Bay Area | San Francisco | Oakland | San Jose | Santa Cruz | Monterrey Southern California Los Angeles | San Diego | Barstow Sierra Nevada Mammoth | Yosemite | Bishop | Tahoe

Major Highways

I-5 and CA-99 both run up and down the middle of California in the Central Valley, from Los Angeles up through Sacramento, Redding, and into Oregon. I-5 is a long-distance freeway; stick to truck stops. CA-99 is a more urban route, connecting towns and cities.

Route 1 goes up and down the Coast, with beautiful scenery, but not the easiest to hitch on for the most part. US-101 from San Francisco up through Marin (San Rafael), Sonoma (Santa Rosa), Mendocino (Mendocino) and Humboldt (Arcata, Eureka) Counties is arguably the easiest hitching in the US. Sonoma-north is all Redwoods, and it's beautiful...that is to say, if you have any time to spare at all, do take the 1!

Ollie Monaghan I would like to reiterate hitching on the 101, particulary for the stunning scenery, redwood groves laced in white mist rolling down from the mountains on side with the crash of the pacific tide on the other ... also the route has a history of being used for hitch-hiking, was a very common route taken in the 50s, 60s & 70s up and down the west coast, most of these people now have cars and will pick you up !

Recommended places

Justin hitchhiking to Arcata

The following places are recommended: Big Sur, Jade Beach, Crescent City (CA-1 & US-101), have beautiful shores/beaches. Yosemite (Highway 120), Sequoia National Park, and the redwoods are a must. The Haight-Ashbury (or just "the Haight") district in San Francisco the famous epicenter of much of the 1960s' drug and music culture is long gone and beat like a drum, but you might meet a few interesting people there. Arcata is mad cool as well.

Laws

While hitchhiking is traditionally considered legal in California and the cops will rarely harass you, anecdotal evidence has been reported of people being threatened under California Vehicle Code Section 22520.5 which states:

(a) No person shall solicit, display, sell, offer for sale, or otherwise vend or attempt to vend any merchandise or service while being wholly or partly within any of the following:

(1) The right-of-way of any freeway, including any on ramp, off ramp, or roadway shoulder which lies within the right-of-way of the freeway.

(2) Any roadway or adjacent shoulder within 500 feet of a freeway off ramp or on ramp.

(3) Any sidewalk within 500 feet of a freeway off ramp or on ramp, when vending or attempting to vend to vehicular traffic.

(b) Subdivision (a) does not apply to a roadside rest area or vista point located within a freeway right-of-way which is subject to Section 22520.6, to a tow truck or service vehicle rendering assistance to a disabled vehicle, or to a person issued a permit to vend upon the freeway pursuant to Section 670 of the Streets and Highways Code.

(c) A violation of this section is an infraction. A second or subsequent conviction of a violation of this section is a misdemeanor.

This law is generally only used against prostitution, however soliciting a ride is considered soliciting a service, so if the cops attempt to tell you it is illegal to hitchhike in California it is best to not argue with them.

Various

Vallejo seems pretty ghetto, though the rest stop in Vallejo is really good. It's full of Urban Sprawl.

Humboldt county is real good. They have a Hoopa Indian Reservation up there that is pretty good. They'll stop if you're walking on the side because they think you're one of them, and then once they stop they feel bad and give you a ride anyway. Lord Ellis peak took me about half an hour to get a ride to Redding.

Route 101, North from San Francisco and Route 1 South from the bay, towards Santa Cruz, are great roads to hitch, arguably the easiest hitchhiking in the United States. Incredibly beautiful scenery too.

Also, if you are heading down (or up) the coast, try and get to Mendocino. It's the county in Cali that produces the most marijuana, and there is this awesome communal farm there. Half the rides you get will even offer you a toke or two! Golden Gate Transit will get you up to Santa Rosa from the Bay Area, which is halfway there.

Highway 20, in between Yuba City (off Hwy 99) and Williams (off I-5) in Northern California is very, very bad for hitch hiking. Took 6 hours to catch a ride!

Ollie Monaghan Northern California is the greatest hitch-hiking I have done in my life, I took the Route 299 to Redding and then the 44 & 36 to Susanville via the breathtaking Lassen Volcanic Park, I never waiting longer than an hour and met some truly interesting and inspiring people. But a warning, out of about 20 lifts I got west to east across the state, at least half of them were stoned, so stoned on that gorgeous Humboldt county weed refrenced prior. I enjoyed this thoroughly, but it is worth taking into consideration that when hitchiking thro this part of the world, regardless of time of day (I had a guy pick me up at nine in the morning, and within five minutes was driving the steering wheel with his knee so he could roll a spliff) you will get picked up by many intoxicated drivers.

External links


trash:California