Best Time to Drive from Santa Ana to Lancaster

Right now (7:32 pm PDT): about 108 minutes via I-5 North and SR-14 North, usually 116 at this time.

Only 17% 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 107-mile drive from Santa Ana to Lancaster (via I-5 North and SR-14 North) usually takes as little as 95 minutes and up to 144 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 119 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Sundays (133 minutes).

About 98 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 9 miles surface streets (7 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Ana to central Lancaster 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 Santa Ana to Lancaster?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 95 minutes then, versus up to 144 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Ana to Lancaster?

The 107-mile drive usually takes 95 to 144 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 119 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Ana to Lancaster?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 144 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Los Angeles (40 miles) · SR-14 North in Los Angeles (39 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (20 miles)

Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Lancaster to Santa Ana (return trip) · Santa Ana to Los Angeles · Santa Ana to Santa Monica · Santa Ana to Pasadena · Santa Ana to Long Beach · Santa Ana to West Covina · Santa Ana to Burbank · Santa Ana to Glendale · Santa Ana to Santa Clarita · Santa Ana to Van Nuys · Santa Ana to Torrance · Santa Ana to LAX

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