Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Mountain View to Palo Alto
Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 14 minutes via US-101 North and SR-85 North, usually 14 at this time.
Only 9% 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 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| Tue | 12 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 13 | 12 |
| Wed | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 24 | 17 | 13 | 12 |
| Thu | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 13 |
| Fri | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Sat | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| Sun | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 9-mile drive from Mountain View to Palo Alto (via US-101 North and SR-85 North) usually takes as little as 12 minutes and up to 27 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 14 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (15 minutes).
About 5 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (8 to 19 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Mountain View (Castro Street) to central Palo Alto (Middlefield 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 Mountain View to Palo Alto?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 12 minutes then, versus up to 27 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Mountain View to Palo Alto?
The 9-mile drive usually takes 12 to 27 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 14 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Mountain View to Palo Alto?
Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 27 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (3 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (1.4 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Palo Alto to Mountain View (return trip) · Mountain View to San Francisco · Mountain View to Oakland · Mountain View to San Jose · Mountain View to Berkeley · Mountain View to Fremont · Mountain View to Walnut Creek · Mountain View to San Mateo · Mountain View to Hayward · Mountain View to Pleasanton · Mountain View to Richmond · Mountain View to SFO