Best Time to Drive from Los Angeles to Bakersfield

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 152 minutes via I-5 North and SR-99 North, usually 141 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 112-mile drive from Los Angeles to Bakersfield (via I-5 North and SR-99 North) usually takes as little as 125 minutes and up to 219 minutes, when leaving around 2:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 9 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 154 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (156 minutes).

About 67 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 45 miles surface streets (66 to 107 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Downtown LA (City Hall) (West 1st Street) to central Bakersfield (Truxtun Avenue) 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 Los Angeles to Bakersfield?

On weekdays, leave before 9 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 125 minutes then, versus up to 219 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Los Angeles to Bakersfield?

The 112-mile drive usually takes 125 to 219 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 154 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Los Angeles to Bakersfield?

Leaving around 2:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 219 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Los Angeles (26 miles) · US-101 North in Los Angeles (11 miles) · SR-99 North in Bakersfield (9 miles) · SR-170 North in Los Angeles (6 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow

Los Angeles to Bakersfield over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Bakersfield to Los Angeles (return trip) · Los Angeles to Santa Monica · Los Angeles to Long Beach · Los Angeles to West Covina · Los Angeles to Burbank · Los Angeles to Glendale · Los Angeles to Santa Clarita · Los Angeles to Van Nuys · Los Angeles to Torrance · Los Angeles to Hollywood · Los Angeles to Culver City · Los Angeles to El Monte

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