Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Clemente to Santa Monica
Right now (6:02 pm PDT): about 82 minutes via I-405 North and SR-73 North, usually 67 at this time.
Only 31% 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
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 64 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 76 | 85 | 83 | 68 | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| Tue | 64 | 64 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 73 | 90 | 113 | 91 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| Wed | 65 | 65 | 65 | 68 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 73 | 76 | 107 | 120 | 97 | 72 | 66 | 67 | 66 |
| Thu | 64 | 65 | 65 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 92 | 94 | 87 | 69 | 66 | 66 | 65 |
| Fri | 65 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 74 | 93 | 91 | 76 | 68 | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| Sat | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 72 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 70 | 69 | 67 | 66 | 66 | 65 |
| Sun | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 69 | 68 | 66 | 66 | 65 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 75-mile drive from San Clemente to Santa Monica (via I-405 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 120 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 71 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Saturdays (72 minutes).
About 74 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 0.8 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 Santa Monica 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 Monica?
On weekdays, leave before 12:30 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 120 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Clemente to Santa Monica?
The 75-mile drive usually takes 64 to 120 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 71 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Clemente to Santa Monica?
Leaving around 4 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 120 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-405 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (11 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (3 miles)
Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow