Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Carlsbad to San Clemente
Right now (7:49 pm PDT): about 24 minutes via I-5 North, usually 23 at this time.
Only 53% 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.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Tue | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Wed | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| Thu | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| Fri | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| Sat | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 23 |
| Sun | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 25-mile drive from Carlsbad to San Clemente (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 22 minutes and up to 28 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 5 pm or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 24 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Sundays (34 minutes).
About 25 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 0.8 miles surface streets (1 to 2 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carlsbad to central San Clemente 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 San Clemente?
On weekdays, leave before 5 pm or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 22 minutes then, versus up to 28 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Carlsbad to San Clemente?
The 25-mile drive usually takes 22 to 28 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 24 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Carlsbad to San Clemente?
Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 28 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in San Diego (21 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (3 miles)
San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Clemente 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