Best Time to Drive from Santa Clarita to San Marcos

Right now (5:50 pm PDT): about 157 minutes via I-5 South, usually 138 at this time.

Only 42% 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 130-mile drive from Santa Clarita to San Marcos (via I-5 South) usually takes as little as 115 minutes and up to 194 minutes, when leaving around 2 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 145 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (178 minutes).

About 125 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (5 to 12 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 San Marcos 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 San Marcos?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 115 minutes then, versus up to 194 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Clarita to San Marcos?

The 130-mile drive usually takes 115 to 194 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 145 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Clarita to San Marcos?

Leaving around 2 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 194 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 South in Orange County (53 miles) · I-5 South in Los Angeles (41 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (18 miles) · SR-78 East in San Diego (10 miles) · SR-14 South in Los Angeles (2 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

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