Best Time to Drive from San Francisco to Santa Cruz

Right now (5:54 pm PDT): about 114 minutes via US-101 South and SR-17 South, usually 85 at this time.

Only 79% 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 73-mile drive from San Francisco to Santa Cruz (via US-101 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 111 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (76 minutes).

About 69 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (4 to 8 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Francisco to central Santa Cruz 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 Francisco to Santa Cruz?

On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 111 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Francisco to Santa Cruz?

The 73-mile drive usually takes 66 to 111 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Francisco to Santa Cruz?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 111 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Bay Area (36 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (20 miles) · SR-85 South in Bay Area (13 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Cruz to San Francisco (return trip) · San Francisco to San Jose · San Francisco to Palo Alto · San Francisco to Berkeley · San Francisco to Fremont · San Francisco to Walnut Creek · San Francisco to San Mateo · San Francisco to Hayward · San Francisco to Mountain View · San Francisco to Pleasanton · San Francisco to Santa Clara · San Francisco to Richmond

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