Best Time to Drive from Palm Springs to Santa Monica

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 138 minutes via SR-60 West and I-10 West, usually 136 at this time.

Only 26% 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 121-mile drive from Palm Springs to Santa Monica (via SR-60 West and I-10 West) usually takes as little as 115 minutes and up to 206 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Mondays. The fastest times to leave are after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 136 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11 am on Saturdays (148 minutes).

About 96 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 25 miles surface streets (17 to 19 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palm Springs 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 Springs to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 115 minutes then, versus up to 206 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 121-mile drive usually takes 115 to 206 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 136 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palm Springs to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 7 am on Mondays is usually slowest, about 206 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 (12 miles) · I-215 North in Inland Empire (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Palm Springs to Mission Viejo · Palm Springs to Riverside · Palm Springs to San Bernardino · Palm Springs to Ontario · Palm Springs to Corona · Palm Springs to LAX · Palm Springs to Los Angeles · Palm Springs to Irvine · Palm Springs to ONT · Palm Springs to Claremont · Palm Springs to Rancho Cucamonga · Palm Springs to Fontana

Open the live traffic map →