Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Novato to San Francisco
Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 31 minutes via US-101 South, usually 31 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 | 28 | 29 | 37 | 43 | 39 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 |
| Tue | 28 | 29 | 40 | 51 | 44 | 35 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
| Wed | 28 | 28 | 38 | 44 | 41 | 35 | 33 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
| Thu | 28 | 29 | 40 | 55 | 42 | 34 | 35 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
| Fri | 28 | 28 | 33 | 37 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 29 |
| Sat | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Sun | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 36 | 36 | 37 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 29-mile drive from Novato to San Francisco (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 28 minutes and up to 55 minutes, when leaving around 7:30 am on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 31 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Sundays (37 minutes).
About 25 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (7 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Novato to downtown San Francisco 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 San Francisco?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 28 minutes then, versus up to 55 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Novato to San Francisco?
The 29-mile drive usually takes 28 to 55 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 31 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Novato to San Francisco?
Leaving around 7:30 am on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 55 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (25 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Francisco to Novato (return trip) · Novato to San Jose · Novato to Sacramento