Best Time to Drive from Santa Ana to Thousand Oaks

Right now (3:35 pm PST): about 99 minutes via I-5 North and US-101 North, usually 154 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 73-mile drive from Santa Ana to Thousand Oaks (via I-5 North and US-101 North) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 166 minutes, when leaving around 2:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 136 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (157 minutes).

About 71 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (4 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Ana (Main Street) to central Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 166 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Ana to Thousand Oaks?

The 73-mile drive usually takes 64 to 166 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 136 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Ana to Thousand Oaks?

Leaving around 2:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 166 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (19 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (18 miles) · SR-134 West in Los Angeles (6 miles)

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

Santa Ana to Thousand Oaks over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

Thousand Oaks 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

Open the live traffic map →