Honestly not bad. There was toilet paper, seat covers, hand soap. One stall that I checked didn't…read morelock in women's bathroom and the floor was flooded in one of the stalls, but overall there wasn't a smell and the toilets flushed.

This is a review of the northbound side only…read more I've passed this thing so many times over the years and wondered Who the heck needs a rest stop this close to San Francisco, let alone this close to civilization? It's uselessly close to the beginning of my southbound trips, and I normally plan everything well and wouldn't even be on the 280 northbound 90 percent of the time. And then an annoying thing happened. On my last trip back up to San Francisco, traffic and traffic and leaving on the wrong day and traffic and traffic caused by a trampoline in the middle of the freeway and a little bit more traffic teamed up to stretch my trip out to about nine hours. So I actually needed to pee right around Crystal Springs--or I should say I held it vociferously, knowing Crystal Springs was coming up. From the parking lot, it looks really nice. The grounds are graded interestingly, the buildings are new, and the trash and recycling receptacles are clearly marked. I was prepared, maybe, to give it four stars. But then I had trouble actually finding parking. Yes, at around 10:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, this smallish parking lot was almost filled with cars. I had to break some traffic laws to go back to the spots I had intentionally passed up because they were too close to the entrance. Why were all these people here? And about half of the cars had their lights on. I get it; I take naps at random times on the road too, but were all these people hunkering down at this place off the 280 by 10:30? On a Saturday? That spooked me a little bit, so I went to use the bathroom, and that's where it got worse. Yes, the buildings are nice and new, but there are or might be more than one building with a men's room and more than one with a women's room. The men's room I could find was disgustingly dirty. I don't mean it hadn't been cleaned for a while; I mean it was disgusting. There were pools of who knows what liquid in front of the regular urinals, the toilet stalls were Cyclospora ground zeros, and there were two or three separate intravenous drug kits just lying on the floor, one of them in a yellow puddle. I ended up using the kiddie urinal, which you can see from outside, for some reason, and the door was held open, and I had no interest in touching more than I absolutely needed to. I used to worry about rest stops in the middle of the night in rural, desolate areas. It turns out that the junkies, tweakers, johns, and people who tint their windshields to black (for some reason) are more likely to frequent rest stops in Burlingame. Who knew?

A fantastic service to the cycling community - a variety of bulk snacks for purchase (honor…read moresystem), a place to fill up a water bottle, repair a flat, use the restroom, and rest before heading back over the mountain. The farm here also has a great mission and sponsors a charity ride each year that is a lot of fun. I don't cycle myself, but my husband comes here often and I appreciate that is space is here to help keep cyclist healthy and safe!

Very nice little place to stop before climbing Tunitas Creek Road. Various cycling amenities and…read moresnacks are available, such as water (25 cents), energy gels ($2), tea ($1), and coffee ($2), all paid on the honor system via cash or Venmo. Note: As of November 2022, the espresso machine is not working.

They have moved their office closer towards Downtown. Jennifer was amazing and set me up for…read moreinteresting places to explore in the surrounding area. I definitely recommend stopping by to get the vast amount of brochures available.

If you never visited Monterey, I would advise a day trip anytime.....follow the signs for the…read moreVisitor Center cause by the time you get there, a bathroom break is needed....... Patti and Richard helped us with the Trolley route, a free Trolly that rides throughout the Monterey Pier, on and off anytime til 8pm......didn't know this prior to coming...... We got our map and decided to park on Cannery Row, where all the little shops and restaurants are......parking meters til 8pm.......so get your quarters ready......1.50 per hour.....now that is cheap..... So when you are there at the Visitor Center, you will see a packet of surverys and a pencil, just fill it out, I did, and to my surprise she brought out a weaved basket with tons of items, such as golf ball lip balms, postcards and lint cloth for glasses.......she offered each of us to choose one.......thanks again for all your help..... Our friends from NY had a wonderful time and so did us San Franciscans.....

Located at Simoneau Plaza (aka the downtown Monterey Transit Plaza, where the buses stop). Not bad,…read morebut is it worth $179,000? I guess time will tell. My first visit was rather uneventful. When you first open the door, it seems kind of space agey, but once you're in there, it's pretty much your typical urban, stainless steel toilet experience. Giant roll of of t.p. and hand sanitizer pump included. Someone had opened up the toilet paper dispenser for ease of viewing. Roomy and well ventilated, if a bit drafty. Seemed pretty clean, though I didn't have a UV light handy. For more info. on the loo: http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/news_blog/portland-loo-arrives-to-monterey-s-simoneau-plaza-it-s/article_510577a8-bd3b-11e4-b9b5-ef14a8051fb5.html

Closed!! No rest area available!!…read more Under construction but no time frame of reppening!

Clean Neat Large dog…read moreare. Please pick up after your dog. Strong pet odor. Funny three pay phones. Have not seen one in a while. 50 cents to place a call.

The southbound side vista point has a great view from the top of the hill. The northbound side is…read moremuch less than spectacular. While I've passed this point several times, I didn't think this would be interesting, after stopping on the other side. There is much to see, as you can tell from the photos. The best photos, depending on your camera, might be taken on the driveway itself. They didn't exactly think to move it from the edge or the guard rail.

No bathrooms. Vista point is open for a quick stop to stretch your legs, just a small lot on a…read morehilltop

December 7, 2025 - Turlock, CA…read more "I can't comment on the restroom facilities since I didn't use them, but the pet area was nice. It's a well-maintained space with a combination of grass and bark, plus a few trees. The area felt clean, safe, and convenient, and it was a great spot to let our dog stretch her legs. Always appreciate when a stop puts real effort into their pet facilities."

Clean restrooms. Easy off and on the freeway. Doggie area. Lots of parking for both passenger…read morevehicles and big trucks.

Driving a fully electric rental down Hwy 5 and had to make an urgent stop for power…read more The rest stop is clean, has a lot of restrooms, snack machines, potty break area for pups, and picnic areas. It has 2 spots for electric vehicles to "fill up". The charging stations are FREE! The downside is that is takes forever to charge. So, if you're in a rush and don't have an hour to chill while charging, then keep moving. I always appreciate a clean restroom and snacks, bonus on free charging stations!

Located in Firebaugh, about 4 hours from Long Beach, the Erreca Rest Area was named after a former…read moredirector of public works, who oversaw the massive expansion of highways/freeways in California. It was re-named in his honor in 1982. It closed in 2022 for a massive renovation, to bring about a "model for new Caltrans California highway rest stops.", planned for 2024 re-opening. It was delayed, with the northbound opening occurring in August 2025, and the southbound in May 2026. My wife, her mom, and I stopped for a pitstop to take a restroom break and change out drivers as we headed north. It is indeed a massive rest stop with multiple buildings (vending machines), large grassy areas for pet relief, multiple picnic tables for outdoor meals.

Enoch Christoffersen Rest Stop: 2026 July (5 of 5)…read more Safety First! Traveling alone can be exciting but weary. I find that I need to make frequent stops to rest my eyes. Enoch Christoffersen Rest Area is one of the safest stops that offers amenities: restrooms, water fountain, and picnic tables. This stop is also dog friendly. The patch of grass is perfect for your four-legged family members to stretch their paws. There's a stand with doggy-poop bags that makes it easy to clean up after them. There are plenty of parking spots but bear in mind that this is not an overnight stop. Located about 2.3 miles South of Turlock, CA, Enoch Christoffersen Rest Area is accessible from California State Highway Route 99. It is a state-managed facility and is well maintained. During the summer months, you will witness beautiful coloured flowers that pop up here and there. Stop to use the facilities, stretch your legs, and enjoy the flowers planted at Enoch Christoffersen Rest Area.

A more than welcome rest area and it's nice that it was open after so many along I-5 were closed…read more Large and open, I was here for a stretch and to eat the lunch I'd purchased not far away. Clean restrooms (a surprise), level parking and even a few spots with some shade. It is named for the former mayor of Turlock who served for 22 years and lobbied hard to ensure that Highway 99 was a help to the city. [Review 21021 overall - 537 in California - 2006 of 2023.]

Wonderful area to visit. It's a small building, but you don't need much room for a welcome center…read more Very clean. Lots of parking available and easy Uber/Lyft drop-off/pick-up. If you want to be on a hidden beach, follow the trail to the right, go through the tunnel, and walk down until you reach the cove. There's a grassy area and picnic tables there as well.

It's like a gas station stop on a road trip, but here, you get to pick out your favorite San…read moreFrancisco souvenir and take photos with the fog overtaking the bridge. It's a nice and also very cold area, as it's right next to the breezy waters, even though it's higher up. You can definitely see the Golden Gate Bridge from here. Lots of visitors walking around outside and in the souvenir shop. The shop has everything Golden Gate Bridge themed. From keychains to greeting cards and even fun books. There's a big restroom here, but it feels very cold inside, again because you're near the ocean. But it's a pretty clean public restroom. Lots of cars as well as the Muni bus comes up here. Just watchout for traffic when crossing.