Best Time to Drive from LAX to Palm Springs

Right now (5:50 am PST): about 119 minutes via I-10 East, usually 124 at this time.

Only 20% 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 123-mile drive from LAX to Palm Springs (via I-10 East) usually takes as little as 117 minutes and up to 214 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 155 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (147 minutes).

About 110 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 14 miles surface streets (20 to 27 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to central Palm Springs (East Alejo Road) 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 LAX to Palm Springs?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 117 minutes then, versus up to 214 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from LAX to Palm Springs?

The 123-mile drive usually takes 117 to 214 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 155 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from LAX to Palm Springs?

Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 214 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-10 East in Inland Empire (58 miles) · I-10 East in Los Angeles (17 miles) · I-105 East in Los Angeles (16 miles) · I-605 North in Los Angeles (10 miles) · I-605 North in Orange County (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

LAX to Palm Springs over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Palm Springs to LAX (return trip) · LAX to Los Angeles · LAX to Pasadena · LAX to Long Beach · LAX to West Covina · LAX to Burbank · LAX to Glendale · LAX to Santa Clarita · LAX to Van Nuys · LAX to El Monte · LAX to Downey · LAX to Whittier

Open the live traffic map →