Best Time to Drive from Costa Mesa to Escondido

Right now (5:39 pm PDT): about 74 minutes via I-5 South and SR-73 South, usually 69 at this time.

Only 54% 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 72-mile drive from Costa Mesa to Escondido (via I-5 South and SR-73 South) usually takes as little as 65 minutes and up to 113 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 76 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 10:30 am on Saturdays (116 minutes).

About 65 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (5 to 15 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Costa Mesa to central Escondido 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 Costa Mesa to Escondido?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 65 minutes then, versus up to 113 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Costa Mesa to Escondido?

The 72-mile drive usually takes 65 to 113 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 76 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Costa Mesa to Escondido?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 113 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Orange County (19 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (17 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (15 miles) · SR-78 East in San Diego (10 miles) · SR-55 North in Orange County (3 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Escondido to Costa Mesa (return trip) · Costa Mesa to Los Angeles · Costa Mesa to Anaheim · Costa Mesa to Riverside · Costa Mesa to Santa Ana · Costa Mesa to Irvine · Costa Mesa to San Bernardino · Costa Mesa to Fontana · Costa Mesa to Moreno Valley · Costa Mesa to Glendale · Costa Mesa to Santa Clarita · Costa Mesa to Oceanside

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