Best Time to Drive from Santa Ana to Palmdale

Right now (7:32 pm PDT): about 96 minutes via I-5 North and SR-14 North, usually 105 at this time.

Only 20% 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 94-mile drive from Santa Ana to Palmdale (via I-5 North and SR-14 North) usually takes as little as 84 minutes and up to 133 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 107 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Sundays (123 minutes).

About 86 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (9 to 14 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 Palmdale 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 Palmdale?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 84 minutes then, versus up to 133 minutes at the worst times.

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

The 94-mile drive usually takes 84 to 133 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 107 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Ana to Palmdale?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 133 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Los Angeles (40 miles) · SR-14 North in Los Angeles (27 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

Palmdale 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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