Best Time to Drive from Pasadena to Santa Barbara

Right now (9:48 pm PDT): about 103 minutes via US-101 North, usually 101 at this time.

Only 20% 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 98-mile drive from Pasadena to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 102 minutes and up to 174 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 131 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (148 minutes).

About 72 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 26 miles surface streets (39 to 86 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from Old Pasadena (East Holly Street) to central Santa Barbara (Anacapa Street) 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 Pasadena to Santa Barbara?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 102 minutes then, versus up to 174 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Pasadena to Santa Barbara?

The 98-mile drive usually takes 102 to 174 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 131 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Pasadena to Santa Barbara?

Leaving around 4 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 174 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (46 miles) · SR-134 West in Los Angeles (13 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Barbara to Pasadena (return trip) · Pasadena to Santa Monica · Pasadena to Long Beach · Pasadena to West Covina · Pasadena to Burbank · Pasadena to Santa Clarita · Pasadena to Van Nuys · Pasadena to Torrance · Pasadena to Hollywood · Pasadena to Culver City · Pasadena to Whittier · Pasadena to Thousand Oaks

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