All three major airports in the San Francisco Bay Area provide access to Sandia/California. Oakland International Airport is the closest airport to Sandia, followed by San Jose International Airport and then San Francisco International Airport. Traffic on Interstate 580 — used when traveling to Sandia from either Oakland or San Francisco — can be quite heavy, so be sure to allow for extra time when driving during rush hour.

Public transportation to Sandia is available from the San Francisco and Oakland airports via the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Wheels bus system. In addition, you can rent a car from any AVIS rental location — including the airports — and return the car at Sandia. AVIS cars are also available for pickup at Sandia with a prior reservation at least 24 hours in advance of the pickup date and time.

To arrange a drop-off or pickup of your AVIS rental car at Sandia, you must make your reservation by calling AVIS's on-site office at (925) 371-0326. You can then manage your reservation on the AVIS website. The AVIS rental car pickup and drop-off area is in the west parking lot, near the Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union.

See maps and directions to Sandia/California.

Access to Sandia's California site is limited to those with authorized badges. If you do not have an authorized badge, be sure to make arrangements with your Sandia point of contact ahead of time so that you can pick up a visitor badge at Sandia's Badge Office (Mobile 53) before entering the site.

Visitors to Sandia/California should also note the following:

• Sandia/California does not offer public tours and generally limits site visits to individuals with an explicit business purpose.
• U.S. citizens must make arrangements at least 3 days prior to visiting. Foreign nationals must make arrangements 4-6 weeks prior to visiting.
• To apply for a visitor badge, U.S. citizens must provide the following: social security number, birth date, citizenship, home address and phone number, and business address and phone number. Because of additional access requirements, foreign nationals should make arrangements as soon as possible.
• To receive a visitor badge, visitors must present a valid picture ID (driver's license or passport) at Sandia's Badge Office (Mobile 53).
• You must wear your badge at all times while on-site at Sandia. Badges should be worn above the waist (prominently displayed) on your outer clothing at all times while you are on Sandia premises. Your badge should not be worn off Sandia premises or used for personal identification.
• Visitor badges must be returned to Sandia at the end of your visit. You can give your badge to your host or bring it to a Sandia badge office. Do not put your badge in the badge return boxes near the guard posts upon exiting.

Because Sandia/California is a Department of Energy national laboratory, the following special security measures apply to everyone on-site:

• All drivers who enter Sandia/California are subject to random car searches. If you are selected, a protective force officer will ask you to pull over to the curb; open the hood, trunk, and glove compartment; and step out of your car. Follow these directions, and in most cases, you will soon be on your way again.
• Personally owned laptop computers and stand-alone cameras are not allowed in most areas of Sandia. Please leave these items locked in your car.
• Personal cell phones (all types — including iPhones, BlackBerry devices, and other smartphones), MP3 players, PDAs, pagers, GPS devices, handheld video games, and electronic book reading devices are allowed only in Sandia's unclassified areas, known as property protection areas. These devices may not be connected to any Sandia equipment and cannot be used to take pictures, record audio, or shoot videos.
• Sandia is a smoke- and tobacco-free facility. Please do not bring cigarettes or tobacco of any kind on-site.
• Other prohibited items include alcohol; explosives; dangerous weapons; controlled substances (e.g., illegal drugs and associated paraphernalia); hazardous radiological, chemical, or biological materials; and technical surveillance equipment.

If you have any questions about prohibited or controlled items at Sandia/California, please contact your Sandia host.

• Maps & Directions

Additional maps:

• Driving Map to Sandia/California Badge Office (107KB PDF)
• Driving Map to Sandia's CRF from the Badge Office via the General Access Area (306KB PDF)
• Driving Map to Sandia's CRF from I-580 via the General Access Area (286KB PDF)
• Altamont Commuter Express Route Map
• Altamont Commuter Express Vasco Road Station Map
• BART System Map
• Tri-Valley Transportation Guide Map
• Wheels System Map