Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Carmichael to Sacramento
Right now (6:03 pm PDT): about 25 minutes via US-50 West, usually 21 at this time.
None 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 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 29 | 28 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Tue | 21 | 21 | 23 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 32 | 35 | 26 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Wed | 21 | 21 | 24 | 34 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 32 | 34 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Thu | 22 | 21 | 23 | 30 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 31 | 29 | 36 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 24 |
| Fri | 21 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Sat | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Sun | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 14-mile drive from Carmichael to Sacramento (via US-50 West) usually takes as little as 21 minutes and up to 36 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 24 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (23 minutes).
About 6 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (16 to 28 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Carmichael to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) 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 Carmichael to Sacramento?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 21 minutes then, versus up to 36 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Carmichael to Sacramento?
The 14-mile drive usually takes 21 to 36 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 24 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Carmichael to Sacramento?
Leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 36 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-50 West in Sacramento (5 miles)
Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow