Best Time to Drive from LAX to Santa Barbara

Right now (8:03 pm PDT): about 131 minutes via US-101 North and I-405 North, usually 106 at this time.

Only 18% 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 96-mile drive from LAX to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North and I-405 North) usually takes as little as 104 minutes and up to 182 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 132 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11 am on Saturdays (141 minutes).

About 67 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 29 miles surface streets (44 to 69 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 Santa Barbara (Anacapa Street) 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 Santa Barbara?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 104 minutes then, versus up to 182 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from LAX to Santa Barbara?

The 96-mile drive usually takes 104 to 182 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 132 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from LAX to Santa Barbara?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 182 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (42 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (13 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Barbara 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

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