Best Time to Drive from Glendale to Lake Forest
Right now (6:53 pm PDT): about 72 minutes via I-5 South, usually 65 at this time.
Only 33% 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 | 49 | 60 | 76 | 74 | 63 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 65 | 65 | 80 | 90 | 84 | 76 | 61 | 53 | 50 |
| Tue | 48 | 62 | 83 | 81 | 68 | 66 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 70 | 87 | 98 | 92 | 78 | 66 | 57 | 49 |
| Wed | 48 | 60 | 86 | 82 | 70 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 72 | 82 | 87 | 86 | 78 | 67 | 58 | 50 |
| Thu | 48 | 59 | 82 | 81 | 69 | 68 | 66 | 67 | 70 | 76 | 91 | 96 | 93 | 82 | 65 | 57 | 51 |
| Fri | 48 | 58 | 74 | 74 | 68 | 63 | 63 | 64 | 74 | 87 | 92 | 94 | 90 | 82 | 65 | 61 | 52 |
| Sat | 50 | 51 | 52 | 54 | 60 | 62 | 68 | 68 | 72 | 75 | 78 | 75 | 72 | 68 | 62 | 64 | 52 |
| Sun | 49 | 50 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 56 | 58 | 64 | 65 | 68 | 68 | 67 | 63 | 62 | 61 | 62 | 53 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 53-mile drive from Glendale to Lake Forest (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 48 minutes and up to 101 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 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 66 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (78 minutes).
About 46 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (9 to 14 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Glendale to central Lake Forest 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 Glendale to Lake Forest?
On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 48 minutes then, versus up to 101 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Glendale to Lake Forest?
The 53-mile drive usually takes 48 to 101 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 66 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Glendale to Lake Forest?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 101 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 South in Orange County (24 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (19 miles) · SR-133 North in Orange County (1.5 miles)
Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow
More drives
Lake Forest to Glendale (return trip) · Glendale to Los Angeles · Glendale to Santa Monica · Glendale to Long Beach · Glendale to West Covina · Glendale to Santa Clarita · Glendale to Van Nuys · Glendale to Torrance · Glendale to LAX · Glendale to Culver City · Glendale to El Monte · Glendale to Downey