Best Time to Drive from San Clemente to Los Angeles

Right now (8:05 pm PDT): about 58 minutes via I-5 North, usually 57 at this time.

Only 50% 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 62-mile drive from San Clemente to Los Angeles (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 54 minutes and up to 78 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 66 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Sundays (69 minutes).

About 61 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 0.7 miles surface streets (about 1 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Clemente to Downtown LA (City Hall) 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 San Clemente to Los Angeles?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 54 minutes then, versus up to 78 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Clemente to Los Angeles?

The 62-mile drive usually takes 54 to 78 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 66 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Clemente to Los Angeles?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 78 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Orange County (50 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (11 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Los Angeles to San Clemente (return trip) · San Clemente to San Diego · San Clemente to Santa Monica · San Clemente to Long Beach · San Clemente to Anaheim · San Clemente to Riverside · San Clemente to Santa Ana · San Clemente to Chula Vista · San Clemente to Irvine · San Clemente to San Bernardino · San Clemente to Santa Barbara · San Clemente to Fontana

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