Best Time to Drive from Riverside to Carlsbad

Right now (6:03 pm PDT): about 89 minutes via I-215 South and I-15 South, usually 82 at this time.

Only 57% 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 74-mile drive from Riverside to Carlsbad (via I-215 South and I-15 South) usually takes as little as 74 minutes and up to 117 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 90 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (118 minutes).

About 53 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 21 miles surface streets (27 to 59 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Riverside to central Carlsbad 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 Riverside to Carlsbad?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 74 minutes then, versus up to 117 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Riverside to Carlsbad?

The 74-mile drive usually takes 74 to 117 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 90 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Riverside to Carlsbad?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 117 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-215 South in Inland Empire (29 miles) · I-15 South in Inland Empire (10 miles) · SR-76 West in San Diego (7 miles) · I-15 South in San Diego (4 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (3 miles)

Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Carlsbad to Riverside (return trip) · Riverside to Los Angeles · Riverside to Santa Monica · Riverside to Pasadena · Riverside to Long Beach · Riverside to West Covina · Riverside to Burbank · Riverside to Glendale · Riverside to Van Nuys · Riverside to Torrance · Riverside to LAX · Riverside to Hollywood

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