Best Time to Drive from San Francisco to Walnut Creek

Right now (10:18 am PDT): about 28 minutes via SR-24 East and I-80 East, usually 28 at this time.

Only 37% 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

Minutes from San Francisco to Walnut Creek by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	26	30	36	34	32	32	31	33	32	32	40	41	38	35	32	30	28
Tue	26	31	35	35	33	33	31	30	30	30	41	48	51	41	33	30	27
Wed	26	27	30	32	30	29	29	28	29	31	40	48	50	41	31	29	27
Thu	26	28	34	35	30	31	30	31	30	34	42	48	50	43	31	29	27
Fri	26	27	27	28	29	28	29	29	29	35	41	49	46	36	31	29	26
Sat	25	26	30	28	30	30	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	32	31	31	27
Sun	25	25	25	29	32	34	34	35	34	35	34	34	33	35	34	33	27

About this drive

On weekdays the 25-mile drive from San Francisco to Walnut Creek (via SR-24 East and I-80 East) usually takes as little as 26 minutes and up to 51 minutes, when leaving around 5 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 30 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Sundays (35 minutes).

About 21 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (7 to 13 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown San Francisco (Market Street) to central Walnut Creek (North Main Street) 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 Walnut Creek?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 26 minutes then, versus up to 51 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Francisco to Walnut Creek?

The 25-mile drive usually takes 26 to 51 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 30 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Francisco to Walnut Creek?

Leaving around 5 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 51 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-24 East in Bay Area (13 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (6 miles) · I-580 West in Bay Area (1.1 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Walnut Creek 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 San Mateo · San Francisco to Hayward · San Francisco to Mountain View · San Francisco to Pleasanton · San Francisco to Santa Clara · San Francisco to Richmond · San Francisco to Sacramento

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	26	30	36	34	32	32	31	33	32	32	40	41	38	35	32	30	28
Tue	26	31	35	35	33	33	31	30	30	30	41	48	51	41	33	30	27
Wed	26	27	30	32	30	29	29	28	29	31	40	48	50	41	31	29	27
Thu	26	28	34	35	30	31	30	31	30	34	42	48	50	43	31	29	27
Fri	26	27	27	28	29	28	29	29	29	35	41	49	46	36	31	29	26
Sat	25	26	30	28	30	30	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	32	31	31	27
Sun	25	25	25	29	32	34	34	35	34	35	34	34	33	35	34	33	27

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	26	30	36	34	32	32	31	33	32	32	40	41	38	35	32	30	28
Tue	26	31	35	35	33	33	31	30	30	30	41	48	51	41	33	30	27
Wed	26	27	30	32	30	29	29	28	29	31	40	48	50	41	31	29	27
Thu	26	28	34	35	30	31	30	31	30	34	42	48	50	43	31	29	27
Fri	26	27	27	28	29	28	29	29	29	35	41	49	46	36	31	29	26
Sat	25	26	30	28	30	30	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	32	31	31	27
Sun	25	25	25	29	32	34	34	35	34	35	34	34	33	35	34	33	27

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	26	30	36	34	32	32	31	33	32	32	40	41	38	35	32	30	28
Tue	26	31	35	35	33	33	31	30	30	30	41	48	51	41	33	30	27
Wed	26	27	30	32	30	29	29	28	29	31	40	48	50	41	31	29	27
Thu	26	28	34	35	30	31	30	31	30	34	42	48	50	43	31	29	27
Fri	26	27	27	28	29	28	29	29	29	35	41	49	46	36	31	29	26
Sat	25	26	30	28	30	30	31	31	31	32	33	33	33	32	31	31	27
Sun	25	25	25	29	32	34	34	35	34	35	34	34	33	35	34	33	27