Best Time to Drive from San Clemente to Santa Barbara

Right now (6:03 pm PDT): about 189 minutes via US-101 North and I-5 North, usually 166 at this time.

Only 34% 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 159-mile drive from San Clemente to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North and I-5 North) usually takes as little as 140 minutes and up to 208 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 172 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 10:30 am on Saturdays (183 minutes).

About 151 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (1 to 3 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Clemente to central Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 140 minutes then, versus up to 208 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Clemente to Santa Barbara?

The 159-mile drive usually takes 140 to 208 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 172 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Clemente to Santa Barbara?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 208 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (64 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (50 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (19 miles) · SR-134 West in Los Angeles (6 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

San Clemente to Los Angeles · 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 Fontana · San Clemente to Moreno Valley

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