Getting to Palo Alto from Santa Cruz and Monterey

The beach towns south of the Bay Area are close to Palo Alto on the map and a world away in feel. Santa Cruz lies just over the Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey sits at the far end of the Salinas Valley. Plenty of people make the trip in both directions, for surfing, for the aquarium, for UC Santa Cruz or for work at Stanford.

This page covers the trip to Palo Alto from Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Monterey, Carmel and Salinas. If you are planning the reverse trip for a day out, see our guides to Santa Cruz and Monterey and Carmel.

The options at a glance

Drive times assume normal traffic. Weekends in summer and holiday Sundays are often much slower in the northbound direction.

Driving Highway 17

Highway 17 is the direct road from Santa Cruz to the Santa Clara Valley. It climbs from Scotts Valley to the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains and drops down to Los Gatos. From Los Gatos, take State Route 85 north to Interstate 280 or US 101, or follow Interstate 280 from its junction in San Jose. The whole trip to Palo Alto is about 45 miles.

Why it has a reputation

Highway 17 is a four lane mountain highway carrying commuter traffic. It has sharp curves, short merges, steep grades and few shoulders. Fog and rain make the pavement slick. The first storms of autumn are often the worst, after months of dry weather. Many drivers who use it daily go faster than visitors expect. A single crash can block lanes for hours, since there is no easy detour over the mountains.

How to drive it well

• Hold a steady speed and stay with the flow of traffic rather than racing it.
• Leave plenty of space. Traffic often brakes hard at the curves near the summit.
• Stay in your lane through the bends and avoid last-minute lane changes.
• Use headlights in fog, rain or shade under the redwoods.
• Check conditions first on Caltrans QuickMap or 511 before you set off.
• Avoid peak hours. Northbound mornings and southbound evenings carry commuters. Summer weekends bring beach traffic southbound in the morning and northbound in the afternoon.

Roadwork in 2026

Caltrans began a pavement project on Highway 17 between Hebard Way in Los Gatos and the Santa Cruz County line in August 2026 and estimated completion in fall 2026. Its project page lists nighttime lane closures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Caltrans crews on the Santa Cruz side have also scheduled daytime lane closures for drainage and tree work. Late evening drivers should allow extra time.

The road passes the turnoffs for Los Gatos, a good stop if you want a break before the last stretch. Our driving guide covers the Palo Alto exits from 280 and 101.

The Highway 17 Express bus

Santa Cruz METRO runs the Highway 17 Express between Santa Cruz and downtown San Jose. It is the simplest way over the mountains without a car.

• Stops: Santa Cruz (the RiverFront area downtown and Highway 17 at Pasatiempo Drive), Cavallaro Transit Center in Scotts Valley, San Jose Diridon station and East San Fernando and 7th streets near San Jose State.
• Schedule: the timetable effective September 10, 2026 showed weekday trips from about 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., roughly every 30 to 60 minutes. Weekend trips ran about hourly. The timetable suggests a ride of under an hour to Diridon.
• Fares: METRO's June 2026 brochure listed $7 for a one ride fare, $14 for a day pass and $3.50 for the discount fare. Have exact change if you pay cash, since operators do not make change.
• Amtrak: the route is part of the Amtrak Thruway network and METRO honors Amtrak through tickets to or from Santa Cruz.

Day passes and 31 day passes also cover local VTA service in Santa Clara County. Check the METRO site for current times, since trips vary by weekday.

Changing to Caltrain

Get off at Diridon and catch a northbound Caltrain. Express trains reached Palo Alto in about 21 minutes on the late October 2026 weekday timetable. The fare was $6.25 for an adult in October 2026 and is $6.50 from January 1, 2027. Diridon has construction through December 2026, so follow the track signs. Our Caltrain guide covers tickets and bikes on board.

Driving from Monterey and Carmel

From Monterey, take State Route 1 north to Castroville, then State Route 156 east to US 101 north. Another option is State Route 68 to Salinas and US 101 from there. Either way you reach US 101 and follow it north through Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Jose to Palo Alto, about 85 to 90 miles in all. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours.

The coastal route through Santa Cruz and over Highway 17 is prettier and about the same distance, but slower. It makes sense if you want lunch in Santa Cruz on the way. Sunday afternoons northbound on US 101 and on State Route 156 can crawl, especially after holiday weekends.

Monterey by bus and train

There is no direct bus from Monterey to Palo Alto. You change in Salinas or Gilroy, with Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) providing the first leg. Check mst.org for routes from Monterey and Carmel to the Salinas train station.

Through Salinas

Salinas station is served by the Coast Starlight, Amtrak Thruway buses and MST. A June 2026 summary from the Transportation Agency for Monterey County listed these northbound options:

1. Coast Starlight northbound at 6:13 p.m. daily, reaching San Jose in about an hour and a half.
2. Amtrak Thruway bus to San Jose at 1 p.m. on weekdays and 1:10 p.m. on weekends.
3. FlixBus, with irregular service through the area.

Both Amtrak options end at Diridon, where Caltrain continues to Palo Alto. Our guide to Amtrak connections explains the transfer.

Through Gilroy

On weekdays, MST Route 59 links the Salinas train station with the Gilroy train station. The same 2026 summary listed four trips each way, with the first leaving Salinas at 5:30 a.m. and reaching Gilroy at 6:18 a.m. Gilroy has only a handful of Caltrain trains, all on weekdays, northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening. That makes this a commuter route rather than a visitor one. Gilroy to Palo Alto is a four zone Caltrain trip, $10.75 for an adult in October 2026.

Arriving in Palo Alto

Caltrain riders get off at Palo Alto station, close to downtown hotels and the Stanford shuttles. Drivers from Highway 17 usually reach town on Interstate 280 at Page Mill Road or Sand Hill Road. If you are staying overnight, compare hotels in Palo Alto near your exit or the station.

Frequently asked questions