Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Riverside to Palm Desert
Right now (6:53 pm PDT): about 86 minutes via I-10 East and SR-60 East, usually 84 at this time.
Only 34% 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 | 73 | 76 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 84 | 83 | 77 |
| Tue | 73 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 83 | 83 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 88 | 87 | 89 | 85 | 78 | 76 |
| Wed | 73 | 76 | 79 | 84 | 86 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 82 | 79 | 75 |
| Thu | 73 | 76 | 79 | 85 | 84 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 86 | 84 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 74 |
| Fri | 73 | 76 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 80 | 76 |
| Sat | 73 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 77 | 77 | 79 | 80 | 84 | 85 | 82 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 74 |
| Sun | 74 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 76 | 78 | 76 | 78 | 74 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 70-mile drive from Riverside to Palm Desert (via I-10 East and SR-60 East) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 90 minutes, when leaving around 5:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 83 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (86 minutes).
About 47 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 23 miles surface streets (24 to 38 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Riverside to central Palm Desert 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 Palm Desert?
On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 90 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Riverside to Palm Desert?
The 70-mile drive usually takes 73 to 90 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 83 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Riverside to Palm Desert?
Leaving around 5:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 90 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-60 East in Inland Empire (15 miles) · I-10 East in Inland Empire (13 miles) · I-215 South in Inland Empire (3 miles)
Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow
More drives
Palm Desert 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