Best Time to Drive from Lake Elsinore to San Diego

Right now (5:35 am PDT): about 68 minutes via I-15 South, usually 70 at this time.

Only 61% 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 76-mile drive from Lake Elsinore to San Diego (via I-15 South) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 103 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 5 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 70 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (81 minutes).

About 74 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.9 miles surface streets (2 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Lake Elsinore to downtown San Diego 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 Lake Elsinore to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 5 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 103 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Lake Elsinore to San Diego?

The 76-mile drive usually takes 66 to 103 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 70 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Lake Elsinore to San Diego?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 103 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-15 South in San Diego (39 miles) · I-15 South in Inland Empire (24 miles) · SR-163 South in San Diego (11 miles)

Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

San Diego to Lake Elsinore (return trip) · Lake Elsinore to Los Angeles · Lake Elsinore to Lakewood · Lake Elsinore to Long Beach · Lake Elsinore to Anaheim · Lake Elsinore to Riverside · Lake Elsinore to Santa Ana · Lake Elsinore to Irvine · Lake Elsinore to Rancho Cucamonga · Lake Elsinore to San Bernardino · Lake Elsinore to Fontana · Lake Elsinore to Moreno Valley

Open the live traffic map →