Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Santa Cruz to San Francisco
Right now (5:54 pm PDT): about 92 minutes via US-101 North and SR-17 North, usually 79 at this time.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 67 | 72 | 88 | 97 | 82 | 76 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 75 | 77 | 81 | 81 | 74 | 70 | 69 | 69 |
| Tue | 67 | 72 | 94 | 100 | 92 | 82 | 75 | 73 | 71 | 75 | 78 | 84 | 87 | 79 | 73 | 68 | 69 |
| Wed | 66 | 71 | 94 | 106 | 91 | 80 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 74 | 78 | 85 | 86 | 78 | 72 | 69 | 68 |
| Thu | 67 | 72 | 97 | 107 | 88 | 80 | 75 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 79 | 88 | 89 | 79 | 72 | 69 | 69 |
| Fri | 67 | 70 | 81 | 81 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 79 | 82 | 82 | 75 | 71 | 69 | 67 |
| Sat | 67 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 79 | 76 | 74 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 80 | 77 | 75 | 76 | 67 |
| Sun | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 71 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 73 | 73 | 68 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 73-mile drive from Santa Cruz to San Francisco (via US-101 North and SR-17 North) usually takes as little as 66 minutes and up to 107 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 74 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5 pm on Saturdays (80 minutes).
About 68 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (7 to 10 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Cruz to downtown San Francisco 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 Cruz to San Francisco?
On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 66 minutes then, versus up to 107 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Santa Cruz to San Francisco?
The 73-mile drive usually takes 66 to 107 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 74 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Santa Cruz to San Francisco?
Leaving around 8 am on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 107 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 North in Bay Area (36 miles) · SR-17 North in Bay Area (18 miles) · SR-85 North in Bay Area (14 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Francisco to Santa Cruz (return trip) · Santa Cruz to San Jose · Santa Cruz to Oakland · Santa Cruz to Fremont