Interstate 5 (known to many as I-5 or “The 5″) is the only interstate highway that runs from Mexico in the south all the way to Canada in the north. I-5, running 1,381 miles, passes through the states of California, Oregon and Washington along the way and serves millions of people and their commuting or traveling needs. Anyone who lives in or has done any traveling to these three states has probably spent at least some time on I-5.
I-5 starts at the border with Mexico in the San Diego community of San Ysidro and heads north on its 796 mile trip through the State of California. The major cities it will pass through in California are San Diego, Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Francisco (via I-580), Stockton, Sacramento, Redding, Mount Shasta City, Weed, and Yreka. After leaving San Diego, I-5 passes through more than 25 miles of Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base. I-5 then technically becomes the Santa Ana Freeway as it heads north through Orange and Los Angeles Counties. When the freeway reaches approximately one mile east of downtown Los Angeles it turns into the Golden State Freeway. There is actually a four mile stretch of I-5 between the Santa Clarita Valley and Pyramid Lake that the northbound and southbound lanes separate and then invert so that the northbound lanes are on the left side of the freeway and the southbound lanes are on the right. I-5, still as the Golden State Freeway, then rises to cross the Tejachapi Mountains at Tejon Pass. After Tejon Pass, the freeway goes into a drastic descent from over 4,100 feet to 1,600 feet in the course of just 12 miles. At this point I-5 starts to move inland and away from large population centers, relying on adjacent highways to connect it to communities like Fresno, Bakersfield, and San Francisco. I-5 then continues north through Stockton and Sacramento before climbing to the base of Mount Shasta and eventually the Oregon border.
From the time I-5 enters Oregon in the south until it leaves Oregon in the north, it is entirely an inland highway with no exposure to the pacific coast. It is just a few miles after entering the State of Oregon that I-5 climbs to it’s highest point, 4300 foot Siskiyou Summit. The freeway then plunges down the Rogue River Valley and passes communities like Ashland, Medford, and Grant’s Pass. I-5 continues north entering the Willamette River Valley and passing through Eugene. After leaving Eugene, the roadway passes nearby to Albany and Corvalis before going through the state capital of Oregon, Salem. I-5 continues north to the greater Portland metropolitan area and passes through the towns of Tualatin and Tigard before crossing the Willamette River on the Marquand Bridge in Portland itself. Portland is Oregon’s largest city and main metropolitan area. The freeway continues its drive through Portland and crosses the Columbia River into Washington State on the aptly named Interstate Bridge.
I-5 enters the State of Washington at Vancouver and continues its trek north. Next up for I-5 are the lumber towns of Kelso and Longview before continuing its quest to reach the Canadian border. Passing right by the turn off to White Pass and Mt. St. Helens, I-5 is on the western slope of the Cascade Mountains and comes to the town of Centralia before passing through the State Capital of Washington State, Olympia (the Capitol Dome is visible from the freeway). From this point on, all the way to the Canadian Border, the Interstate will hug Puget Sound and never stray too far from the water. Working its way north through Tacoma and nearby to the SeaTac Airport area, I-5 finally reaches its last major city Seattle. Interestingly, the first section of I-5 to open for use was in Tacoma on December 21st, 1960. With beautiful views of Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline, I-5 continues north to the town of Everett. Everett is also historically important in the life of Interstate 5 as it was here in May of 1969 that the last temporary stop light on the freeway was removed and it was officially non-stop from Mexico to Canada. Leaving Everett, I-5 passes through Mount Vernon and the Skagit Valley before reaching Bellingham and then the Canadian border shortly thereafter. I-5 meets Canada at the Peace Arch in Blaine, Washington.
Whether north-to-south, or south-to-north, making a road trip on any extended part of I-5 would give the traveler the opportunity to see a wide variety of terrains, cities and climates. From the old forest areas of Washington State to the desert-like conditions of Southern California, and everywhere in between, Interstate 5 provides a great look at the west coast of the United States of America.
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