Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Novato to Sacramento
Right now (7:03 pm PDT): about 79 minutes via I-80 East, usually 76 at this time.
Only 56% 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 | 74 | 77 | 79 | 79 | 82 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 76 | 75 | 75 |
| Tue | 74 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 82 | 83 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 75 |
| Wed | 74 | 77 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 75 | 74 |
| Thu | 74 | 76 | 80 | 78 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 75 |
| Fri | 74 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 86 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 75 | 75 |
| Sat | 74 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 76 | 75 | 74 |
| Sun | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 79 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 73 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 77-mile drive from Novato to Sacramento (via I-80 East) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 87 minutes, when leaving around 2 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 9:30 am or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 84 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (81 minutes).
About 63 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 14 miles surface streets (18 to 25 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Novato to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) 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 Novato to Sacramento?
On weekdays, leave before 9:30 am or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 87 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Novato to Sacramento?
The 77-mile drive usually takes 74 to 87 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 84 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Novato to Sacramento?
Leaving around 2 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 87 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-80 East in Bay Area (26 miles) · I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · SR-37 East in Bay Area (11 miles) · US-50 East in Sacramento (3 miles) · I-5 North in Sacramento (1 mile)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow · Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow
More drives
Sacramento to Novato (return trip) · Novato to San Jose · Novato to San Francisco