Best Time to Drive from Carlsbad to Cathedral City

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 132 minutes via I-10 East and I-15 North, usually 136 at this time.

Only 16% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

About this drive

On weekdays the 112-mile drive from Carlsbad to Cathedral City (via I-10 East and I-15 North) usually takes as little as 123 minutes and up to 161 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 2 pm or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 133 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Sundays (145 minutes).

About 53 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 59 miles surface streets (69 to 82 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carlsbad to central Cathedral City along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Carlsbad to Cathedral City?

On weekdays, leave before 2 pm or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 123 minutes then, versus up to 161 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Carlsbad to Cathedral City?

The 112-mile drive usually takes 123 to 161 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 133 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Carlsbad to Cathedral City?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 161 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-10 East in Inland Empire (12 miles) · I-15 North in Inland Empire (8 miles) · I-15 North in San Diego (7 miles) · I-215 North in Inland Empire (7 miles) · SR-76 East in San Diego (6 miles) · I-5 North in San Diego (5 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Cathedral City to Carlsbad (return trip) · Carlsbad to San Diego · Carlsbad to Escondido · Carlsbad to Chula Vista · Carlsbad to La Jolla · Carlsbad to El Cajon · Carlsbad to SAN · Carlsbad to Long Beach · Carlsbad to Anaheim · Carlsbad to Riverside · Carlsbad to Santa Ana · Carlsbad to Irvine

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