Best Time to Drive from Palmdale to Long Beach

Right now (10:56 pm PDT): about 87 minutes via I-405 South and SR-14 South.

Only 13% 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

Minutes from Palmdale to Long Beach by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	90	110	112	103	95	94	100	111	122	145	147	148	130	99	92	88	85
Tue	90	113	135	124	102	97	104	149	192	217	236	200	158	120	100	90	86
Wed	96	100	115	113	96	94	105	150	214	233	228	207	167	128	106	92	85
Thu	95	116	120	110	96	100	114	143	203	202	185	172	153	137	113	92	86
Fri	88	93	98	95	93	99	137	168	178	156	137	145	139	122	109	93	85
Sat	86	88	89	89	91	94	101	109	116	116	111	107	98	94	93	90	85
Sun	85	86	87	87	88	90	92	97	98	97	96	94	95	97	96	91	85

About this drive

On weekdays the 86-mile drive from Palmdale to Long Beach (via I-405 South and SR-14 South) usually takes as little as 85 minutes and up to 238 minutes, when leaving around 1:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 159 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (122 minutes).

About 73 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 13 miles surface streets (16 to 20 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palmdale to downtown Long Beach 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 Palmdale to Long Beach?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 85 minutes then, versus up to 238 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Palmdale to Long Beach?

The 86-mile drive usually takes 85 to 238 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 159 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Palmdale to Long Beach?

Leaving around 1:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 238 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (42 miles) · SR-14 South in Los Angeles (25 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (3 miles) · I-710 South in Los Angeles (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Long Beach to Palmdale (return trip) · Palmdale to Los Angeles · Palmdale to Anaheim · Palmdale to Riverside · Palmdale to Santa Ana · Palmdale to Irvine · Palmdale to Oxnard · Palmdale to Moreno Valley · Palmdale to Huntington Beach · Palmdale to Glendale · Palmdale to Santa Clarita · Palmdale to Garden Grove

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	90	110	112	103	95	94	100	111	122	145	147	148	130	99	92	88	85
Tue	90	113	135	124	102	97	104	149	192	217	236	200	158	120	100	90	86
Wed	96	100	115	113	96	94	105	150	214	233	228	207	167	128	106	92	85
Thu	95	116	120	110	96	100	114	143	203	202	185	172	153	137	113	92	86
Fri	88	93	98	95	93	99	137	168	178	156	137	145	139	122	109	93	85
Sat	86	88	89	89	91	94	101	109	116	116	111	107	98	94	93	90	85
Sun	85	86	87	87	88	90	92	97	98	97	96	94	95	97	96	91	85

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	90	110	112	103	95	94	100	111	122	145	147	148	130	99	92	88	85
Tue	90	113	135	124	102	97	104	149	192	217	236	200	158	120	100	90	86
Wed	96	100	115	113	96	94	105	150	214	233	228	207	167	128	106	92	85
Thu	95	116	120	110	96	100	114	143	203	202	185	172	153	137	113	92	86
Fri	88	93	98	95	93	99	137	168	178	156	137	145	139	122	109	93	85
Sat	86	88	89	89	91	94	101	109	116	116	111	107	98	94	93	90	85
Sun	85	86	87	87	88	90	92	97	98	97	96	94	95	97	96	91	85

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	90	110	112	103	95	94	100	111	122	145	147	148	130	99	92	88	85
Tue	90	113	135	124	102	97	104	149	192	217	236	200	158	120	100	90	86
Wed	96	100	115	113	96	94	105	150	214	233	228	207	167	128	106	92	85
Thu	95	116	120	110	96	100	114	143	203	202	185	172	153	137	113	92	86
Fri	88	93	98	95	93	99	137	168	178	156	137	145	139	122	109	93	85
Sat	86	88	89	89	91	94	101	109	116	116	111	107	98	94	93	90	85
Sun	85	86	87	87	88	90	92	97	98	97	96	94	95	97	96	91	85