Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Fountain Valley to San Marcos
Right now (6:20 pm PDT): about 63 minutes via I-5 South and SR-73 South, usually 65 at this time.
Only 56% 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 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 66 | 66 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 64 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 61 |
| Tue | 61 | 62 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 63 | 66 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 62 | 62 | 61 |
| Wed | 61 | 62 | 68 | 66 | 68 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 64 | 67 | 70 | 68 | 66 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 |
| Thu | 61 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 65 | 69 | 71 | 70 | 64 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 60 |
| Fri | 61 | 63 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 75 | 81 | 87 | 94 | 95 | 91 | 96 | 86 | 78 | 71 | 63 | 61 |
| Sat | 61 | 61 | 61 | 65 | 78 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 99 | 78 | 78 | 82 | 70 | 65 | 62 | 62 | 61 |
| Sun | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 65 | 80 | 70 | 69 | 73 | 69 | 77 | 69 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 61 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 69-mile drive from Fountain Valley to San Marcos (via I-5 South and SR-73 South) usually takes as little as 60 minutes and up to 96 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 69 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Saturdays (99 minutes).
About 66 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (2 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Fountain Valley to central San Marcos 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 Fountain Valley to San Marcos?
On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 60 minutes then, versus up to 96 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Fountain Valley to San Marcos?
The 69-mile drive usually takes 60 to 96 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 69 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Fountain Valley to San Marcos?
Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 96 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 South in Orange County (18 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (18 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (17 miles) · SR-78 East in San Diego (10 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (4 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Marcos to Fountain Valley (return trip) · Fountain Valley to Los Angeles · Fountain Valley to Long Beach · Fountain Valley to Anaheim · Fountain Valley to Riverside · Fountain Valley to Irvine · Fountain Valley to San Bernardino · Fountain Valley to Fontana · Fountain Valley to Moreno Valley · Fountain Valley to Glendale · Fountain Valley to Santa Clarita · Fountain Valley to Oceanside