Best Time to Drive from San Marcos to Buena Park

Right now (7:49 pm PDT): about 78 minutes via I-5 North, usually 71 at this time.

Only 51% 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 78-mile drive from San Marcos to Buena Park (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 104 minutes, when leaving around 2 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 81 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Sundays (115 minutes).

About 73 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (1 to 2 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central San Marcos to central Buena Park 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 Marcos to Buena Park?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 104 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from San Marcos to Buena Park?

The 78-mile drive usually takes 68 to 104 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 81 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from San Marcos to Buena Park?

Leaving around 2 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 104 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Orange County (44 miles) · I-5 North in San Diego (20 miles) · SR-78 West in San Diego (9 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Buena Park to San Marcos (return trip) · San Marcos to San Diego · San Marcos to Anaheim · San Marcos to Riverside · San Marcos to Santa Ana · San Marcos to Chula Vista · San Marcos to Irvine · San Marcos to San Bernardino · San Marcos to Fontana · San Marcos to Moreno Valley · San Marcos to Huntington Beach · San Marcos to Oceanside

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