Best Time to Drive from Carlsbad to Palm Springs

Right now (6:51 pm PDT): about 131 minutes via I-15 North and I-10 East, usually 125 at this time.

Only 17% 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 103-mile drive from Carlsbad to Palm Springs (via I-15 North and I-10 East) usually takes as little as 117 minutes and up to 149 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 2 pm or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 126 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Sundays (134 minutes).

About 43 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 60 miles surface streets (73 to 83 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carlsbad to central Palm Springs 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 Palm Springs?

On weekdays, leave before 2 pm or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 117 minutes then, versus up to 149 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Carlsbad to Palm Springs?

The 103-mile drive usually takes 117 to 149 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 126 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Carlsbad to Palm Springs?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 149 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-10 East in Inland Empire (10 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

Palm Springs 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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