Best Time to Drive from Santa Clarita to Costa Mesa

Right now (5:17 pm PDT): about 106 minutes via I-5 South, usually 100 at this time.

Only 38% 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 74-mile drive from Santa Clarita to Costa Mesa (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 64 minutes and up to 120 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 87 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 3 pm on Saturdays (96 minutes).

About 70 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (4 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Clarita to central Costa Mesa 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 Clarita to Costa Mesa?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 64 minutes then, versus up to 120 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Clarita to Costa Mesa?

The 74-mile drive usually takes 64 to 120 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 87 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Clarita to Costa Mesa?

Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 120 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Los Angeles (41 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (18 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (8 miles) · SR-14 South in Los Angeles (2 miles)

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

More drives

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

Open the live traffic map →