Best stops on I-280 in California

All 50 exits ranked by what a road-tripper actually needs: real food choice, easy gas, 24-hour service, and the stops worth a detour. Winners below.

1. Exit 57 — 6th Street

Milepost 57 · 28 places to eat · 17 gas stations · 24 hotels · open 24 hours · ♥ Skystar Wheel - Fisherman’s Wharf, Aquarium of the Bay

2. Exit 2B — Vine Street;Almaden Boulevard

Milepost 2 · 29 places to eat · 20 gas stations · 23 hotels · ♥ Luis María Peralta Adobe, Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

3. Exit 10 — Wolfe Road

Milepost 10 · 29 places to eat · 16 gas stations · 15 hotels · ♥ California's Great America, The Grizzly

4. Exit 52 — Monterey Boulevard

Milepost 52 · 29 places to eat · 12 gas stations · 10 hotels · ♥ GLBT History Museum, Conservatory of Flowers

5. Exit 56 — 18th Street;Mariposa Street

Milepost 56 · 29 places to eat · 14 gas stations · 10 hotels · ♥ Lightship Relief, USS Potomac

6. Exit 45 — Westborough Boulevard

Milepost 45 · 27 places to eat · 13 gas stations · 10 hotels · ♥ Milagra Ridge, Sky Ridge

7. Exit 7 — Saratoga Avenue

Milepost 7 · 29 places to eat · 18 gas stations · 12 hotels · open 24 hours · ♥ Forbes Mill Museum, El Sereno Open Space Preserve (Closed areas)

8. Exit 22 — Alpine Road;Portola Valley

Milepost 22 · 29 places to eat · 3 gas stations · 4 hotels · ♥ Cantor Arts Center, Museum of American Heritage

9. Exit 13 — Foothill Expressway;Grant Road

Milepost 13 · 20 places to eat · 12 gas stations · 5 hotels · ♥ Rancho San Antonio County Park, Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

10. Exit 49 — John Daly Boulevard;Junipero Serra Boulevard

Milepost 49 · 29 places to eat · 12 gas stations · 7 hotels · ♥ Fort Funston, San Francisco Zoo

← Every I-280 exit in California