Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to San Francisco

Right now (10:18 am PDT): about 113 minutes via I-80 West, usually 93 at this time.

Only 48% 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

Minutes from Sacramento to San Francisco by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	88	106	111	111	99	96	94	93	90	93	91	100	92	85	82	81	81
Tue	88	107	125	119	107	97	91	89	89	92	90	101	103	90	82	81	81
Wed	86	106	116	112	102	98	93	90	89	90	90	103	102	90	82	81	81
Thu	87	106	117	115	104	99	94	93	92	95	100	115	106	92	82	81	81
Fri	83	94	100	98	93	93	94	95	96	100	107	115	106	89	84	82	80
Sat	80	81	82	82	85	103	117	112	108	105	102	101	97	90	86	84	80
Sun	80	80	80	81	84	89	101	110	112	108	105	105	100	94	89	84	80

About this drive

On weekdays the 88-mile drive from Sacramento to San Francisco (via I-80 West) usually takes as little as 80 minutes and up to 125 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 92 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (118 minutes).

About 82 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (8 to 22 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) (9th Street) to downtown San Francisco (Market 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 Sacramento to San Francisco?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 80 minutes then, versus up to 125 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to San Francisco?

The 88-mile drive usually takes 80 to 125 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 92 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to San Francisco?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 125 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 West in Bay Area (55 miles) · I-80 West in Sacramento (21 miles) · US-50 West in Sacramento (4 miles)

Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow · Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

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

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	88	106	111	111	99	96	94	93	90	93	91	100	92	85	82	81	81
Tue	88	107	125	119	107	97	91	89	89	92	90	101	103	90	82	81	81
Wed	86	106	116	112	102	98	93	90	89	90	90	103	102	90	82	81	81
Thu	87	106	117	115	104	99	94	93	92	95	100	115	106	92	82	81	81
Fri	83	94	100	98	93	93	94	95	96	100	107	115	106	89	84	82	80
Sat	80	81	82	82	85	103	117	112	108	105	102	101	97	90	86	84	80
Sun	80	80	80	81	84	89	101	110	112	108	105	105	100	94	89	84	80

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	88	106	111	111	99	96	94	93	90	93	91	100	92	85	82	81	81
Tue	88	107	125	119	107	97	91	89	89	92	90	101	103	90	82	81	81
Wed	86	106	116	112	102	98	93	90	89	90	90	103	102	90	82	81	81
Thu	87	106	117	115	104	99	94	93	92	95	100	115	106	92	82	81	81
Fri	83	94	100	98	93	93	94	95	96	100	107	115	106	89	84	82	80
Sat	80	81	82	82	85	103	117	112	108	105	102	101	97	90	86	84	80
Sun	80	80	80	81	84	89	101	110	112	108	105	105	100	94	89	84	80

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	88	106	111	111	99	96	94	93	90	93	91	100	92	85	82	81	81
Tue	88	107	125	119	107	97	91	89	89	92	90	101	103	90	82	81	81
Wed	86	106	116	112	102	98	93	90	89	90	90	103	102	90	82	81	81
Thu	87	106	117	115	104	99	94	93	92	95	100	115	106	92	82	81	81
Fri	83	94	100	98	93	93	94	95	96	100	107	115	106	89	84	82	80
Sat	80	81	82	82	85	103	117	112	108	105	102	101	97	90	86	84	80
Sun	80	80	80	81	84	89	101	110	112	108	105	105	100	94	89	84	80