Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Palo Alto to SFO
Right now (5:48 am PDT): about 20 minutes via US-101 North, usually 20 at this time.
Only 55% 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 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
| Tue | 20 | 21 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| Wed | 20 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 29 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| Thu | 20 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
| Fri | 20 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 20 |
| Sat | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| Sun | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from Palo Alto to SFO (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 20 minutes and up to 33 minutes, when leaving around 9 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 22 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (23 minutes).
About 18 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) (Departures) 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 Palo Alto to SFO?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 20 minutes then, versus up to 33 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Palo Alto to SFO?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 20 to 33 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 22 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Palo Alto to SFO?
Leaving around 9 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 33 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (18 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
SFO to Palo Alto (return trip) · Palo Alto to San Francisco · Palo Alto to Oakland · Palo Alto to San Jose · Palo Alto to Berkeley · Palo Alto to Walnut Creek · Palo Alto to San Mateo · Palo Alto to Hayward · Palo Alto to Mountain View · Palo Alto to Pleasanton · Palo Alto to Santa Clara · Palo Alto to Richmond