Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from San Marcos to Huntington Beach
Right now (6:18 pm PDT): about 74 minutes via I-5 North and SR-73 North, usually 74 at this time.
Only 16% 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 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 74 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 78 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 71 |
| Tue | 71 | 72 | 72 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 75 | 73 | 74 | 73 | 71 |
| Wed | 71 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 73 | 71 |
| Thu | 71 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 83 | 78 | 76 | 74 | 72 |
| Fri | 71 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 75 | 77 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 102 | 106 | 95 | 99 | 82 | 75 | 73 | 71 |
| Sat | 71 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 77 | 104 | 102 | 106 | 106 | 94 | 92 | 83 | 76 | 73 | 74 | 71 |
| Sun | 71 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 81 | 114 | 115 | 117 | 113 | 99 | 91 | 88 | 77 | 75 | 75 | 71 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 70-mile drive from San Marcos to Huntington Beach (via I-5 North and SR-73 North) usually takes as little as 71 minutes and up to 106 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 1:30 pm or after 6 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 78 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Sundays (117 minutes).
About 56 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 14 miles surface streets (19 to 22 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 Huntington Beach 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 Huntington Beach?
On weekdays, leave before 1:30 pm or after 6 pm. The drive usually takes about 71 minutes then, versus up to 106 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from San Marcos to Huntington Beach?
The 70-mile drive usually takes 71 to 106 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 78 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from San Marcos to Huntington Beach?
Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 106 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-5 North in San Diego (20 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (13 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
Huntington Beach 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