Skip to content

MacArthur Freeway: Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the USA

MacArthur Freeway: Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the USA from directly overhead

MacArthur Freeway: Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the USA is a historic site in California, at a modelled elevation of 3 m. Rock 2 stands 617 m to the east, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is Grand Performance Mural, a artwork less than a tenth of a mile away.

What the record says

Material
metal
Inscription
MacArthur Freeway: Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the USA. Nationwide Parade Magazine Scenic Award. 1966 Special Award to California Division of Highways. Dedicated by Oakland Chamber of Commerce and Professional Engineers in California Government.

How to reach it

Coordinates37.81030, -122.24837

Named places within 25 miles

Artworks
  • Grand Performance Mural: 0.0 mi
  • Lakeview Mural: 0.1 mi
  • To Ignore Evil Mural: 0.1 mi
  • Say My Name: 0.2 mi
  • Lakeshore Mural: 0.2 mi
Parks
Museums
Gardens
  • Palmetum: 0.6 mi
  • Vireya Garden: 0.6 mi
  • Golden State Bonsai Garden: 0.6 mi
  • Japanese Gardens: 0.6 mi
  • Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Garden: 0.6 mi
Attractions
  • Hey, Diddle Diddle: 0.6 mi
  • Rapunzel's Castle: 0.6 mi
  • Mary Had a Little Lamb: 0.6 mi
  • Little Miss Muffet: 0.6 mi
  • Peter Rabbit's Village: 0.6 mi
Picnic sites
  • Circus Party Area: 0.6 mi
  • Japanese Party Area: 0.7 mi
  • Cinderella's Party Area: 0.7 mi
  • Fire Circle: 3.1 mi
  • Croll's Garden: 3.2 mi
Historic sites
Peaks
  • Pill Hill: 1.1 mi
  • High Street Center: 3.4 mi
  • Shellmound: 3.7 mi
  • Redwood Peak: 4.0 mi
  • Round Top: 4.1 mi
Nature reserves
Beaches: 44
Springs: 26
Waterfalls: 13
Ghost towns: 10
Cliffs: 9
Rest areas: 2
Natural arches: 1
  • Bird Island Arch: 15.8 mi
Hot springs: 1
  • Steep Ravine Hot Spring: 21.5 mi

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 11.4 miles of MacArthur Freeway: Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the USA. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Rock 2E 88°617 m10.2 mi
Vollmer PeakNNE 16°581 m5.3 mi
Las Trampas PeakE 81°557 m10.2 mi
Vail PeakE 84°545 m10.8 mi
Chaparral PeakNNE 16°540 m4.9 mi
Round TopNE 48°531 m4.1 mi
Grizzly PeakN 9°531 m5.0 mi
Eagle PeakE 84°524 m10.9 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:1318:4719:21
June solstice05:4819:5620:35
September equinox06:5818:3319:08
December solstice07:2216:1316:54

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: year-round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F535557596163646566645852
Precip in4.44.33.21.40.70.20.00.10.11.12.44.7

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Oakland Museum, 1 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap element node/9581374355

More historic sites in California

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to MacArthur Freeway: Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the USA.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens