Best Time to Drive from Salinas to Mountain View

Right now (12:53 am PST): about 64 minutes via US-101 North and SR-85 North.

Only 26% 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 72-mile drive from Salinas to Mountain View (via US-101 North and SR-85 North) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 110 minutes, when leaving around 6:30 am on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 5 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 68 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Sundays (76 minutes).

About 68 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Salinas to central Mountain View 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 Salinas to Mountain View?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 5 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 110 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Salinas to Mountain View?

The 72-mile drive usually takes 64 to 110 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 68 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Salinas to Mountain View?

Leaving around 6:30 am on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 110 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Bay Area (27 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (21 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Mountain View to Salinas (return trip) · Salinas to San Jose · Salinas to Fremont · Salinas to Sunnyvale · Salinas to Santa Clara · Salinas to Livermore · Salinas to Redwood City · Salinas to Pleasanton · Salinas to Milpitas · Salinas to Union City · Salinas to Palo Alto · Salinas to Santa Cruz

Open the live traffic map →