Best Time to Drive from East Los Angeles to Rancho Santa Margarita

Right now (7:05 pm PDT): about 49 minutes via I-5 South, usually 47 at this time.

Only 48% 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

Minutes from East Los Angeles to Rancho Santa Margarita by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	49	60	62	51	46	49	48	52	48	60	69	69	62	55	45	43
Tue	41	49	67	70	55	47	47	48	48	52	62	69	73	64	58	49	43
Wed	41	48	66	69	56	48	47	48	48	51	53	57	62	52	51	47	43
Thu	41	48	64	69	56	51	52	52	55	51	64	68	72	66	58	46	44
Fri	41	47	58	59	54	49	48	49	53	60	67	67	68	68	56	50	44
Sat	42	43	44	44	47	48	50	51	51	53	56	55	51	49	47	47	45
Sun	42	42	42	43	44	46	46	49	50	50	52	50	49	50	49	48	45

About this drive

On weekdays the 47-mile drive from East Los Angeles to Rancho Santa Margarita (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 41 minutes and up to 73 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 50 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3:30 pm on Saturdays (57 minutes).

About 45 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.9 miles surface streets (2 to 5 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central East Los Angeles to central Rancho Santa Margarita 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 East Los Angeles to Rancho Santa Margarita?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 41 minutes then, versus up to 73 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from East Los Angeles to Rancho Santa Margarita?

The 47-mile drive usually takes 41 to 73 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 50 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from East Los Angeles to Rancho Santa Margarita?

Leaving around 5 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 73 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Orange County (24 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (10 miles) · SR-241 South in Orange County (8 miles) · SR-133 North in Orange County (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Rancho Santa Margarita to East Los Angeles (return trip) · East Los Angeles to Long Beach · East Los Angeles to Anaheim · East Los Angeles to Riverside · East Los Angeles to Santa Ana · East Los Angeles to Irvine · East Los Angeles to San Bernardino · East Los Angeles to Fontana · East Los Angeles to Oxnard · East Los Angeles to Moreno Valley · East Los Angeles to Huntington Beach · East Los Angeles to Glendale

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	49	60	62	51	46	49	48	52	48	60	69	69	62	55	45	43
Tue	41	49	67	70	55	47	47	48	48	52	62	69	73	64	58	49	43
Wed	41	48	66	69	56	48	47	48	48	51	53	57	62	52	51	47	43
Thu	41	48	64	69	56	51	52	52	55	51	64	68	72	66	58	46	44
Fri	41	47	58	59	54	49	48	49	53	60	67	67	68	68	56	50	44
Sat	42	43	44	44	47	48	50	51	51	53	56	55	51	49	47	47	45
Sun	42	42	42	43	44	46	46	49	50	50	52	50	49	50	49	48	45

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	49	60	62	51	46	49	48	52	48	60	69	69	62	55	45	43
Tue	41	49	67	70	55	47	47	48	48	52	62	69	73	64	58	49	43
Wed	41	48	66	69	56	48	47	48	48	51	53	57	62	52	51	47	43
Thu	41	48	64	69	56	51	52	52	55	51	64	68	72	66	58	46	44
Fri	41	47	58	59	54	49	48	49	53	60	67	67	68	68	56	50	44
Sat	42	43	44	44	47	48	50	51	51	53	56	55	51	49	47	47	45
Sun	42	42	42	43	44	46	46	49	50	50	52	50	49	50	49	48	45

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	42	49	60	62	51	46	49	48	52	48	60	69	69	62	55	45	43
Tue	41	49	67	70	55	47	47	48	48	52	62	69	73	64	58	49	43
Wed	41	48	66	69	56	48	47	48	48	51	53	57	62	52	51	47	43
Thu	41	48	64	69	56	51	52	52	55	51	64	68	72	66	58	46	44
Fri	41	47	58	59	54	49	48	49	53	60	67	67	68	68	56	50	44
Sat	42	43	44	44	47	48	50	51	51	53	56	55	51	49	47	47	45
Sun	42	42	42	43	44	46	46	49	50	50	52	50	49	50	49	48	45