Best Time to Drive from Salinas to Palo Alto

Right now (3:20 pm PST): about 72 minutes via US-101 North, usually 75 at this time.

Only 23% 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 76-mile drive from Salinas to Palo Alto (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 110 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Sundays (81 minutes).

About 72 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (4 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Salinas to central Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 110 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Salinas to Palo Alto?

The 76-mile drive usually takes 68 to 110 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Salinas to Palo Alto?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 110 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Bay Area (52 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

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