Best Time to Drive from Palm Desert to Santa Monica

Right now (12:51 am PST): about 123 minutes via SR-60 West and I-10 West.

Only 3% 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 137-mile drive from Palm Desert to Santa Monica (via SR-60 West and I-10 West) usually takes as little as 125 minutes and up to 214 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 146 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (157 minutes).

About 120 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 17 miles surface streets (11 to 13 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palm Desert to downtown Santa Monica 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 Palm Desert to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 125 minutes then, versus up to 214 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Palm Desert to Santa Monica?

The 137-mile drive usually takes 125 to 214 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 146 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palm Desert to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 214 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-60 West in Inland Empire (33 miles) · SR-60 West in Los Angeles (32 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (15 miles) · I-10 West in Inland Empire (7 miles) · I-215 North in Inland Empire (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Palm Desert to Riverside · Palm Desert to Van Nuys · Palm Desert to San Bernardino · Palm Desert to Fontana · Palm Desert to Moreno Valley · Palm Desert to Corona · Palm Desert to Rialto · Palm Desert to Menifee · Palm Desert to Perris

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