Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Carmichael

Right now (6:03 pm PDT): about 27 minutes via US-50 East, usually 22 at this time.

None 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 14-mile drive from Sacramento to Carmichael (via US-50 East) usually takes as little as 20 minutes and up to 38 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 23 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (22 minutes).

About 7 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 7 miles surface streets (15 to 27 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) to central Carmichael 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 Sacramento to Carmichael?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 20 minutes then, versus up to 38 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to Carmichael?

The 14-mile drive usually takes 20 to 38 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 23 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Carmichael?

Leaving around 5 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 38 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-50 East in Sacramento (6 miles)

Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow

More drives

Carmichael to Sacramento (return trip) · Sacramento to Roseville · Sacramento to Elk Grove · Sacramento to Davis · Sacramento to Folsom · Sacramento to San Francisco · Sacramento to Oakland · Sacramento to SMF · Sacramento to Stockton · Sacramento to Concord · Sacramento to Vallejo · Sacramento to Berkeley

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