Best Time to Drive from Santa Monica to San Bernardino

Right now (1:20 pm PST): about 104 minutes via I-10 East, usually 119 at this time.

Only 27% 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 76-mile drive from Santa Monica to San Bernardino (via I-10 East) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 174 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 93 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2:30 pm on Saturdays (95 minutes).

About 75 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.4 miles surface streets (2 to 5 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Santa Monica to central San Bernardino (West 5th Street) 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 Monica to San Bernardino?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 174 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Monica to San Bernardino?

The 76-mile drive usually takes 68 to 174 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 93 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Monica to San Bernardino?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 174 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-10 East in Los Angeles (47 miles) · I-10 East in Inland Empire (24 miles) · I-215 North in Inland Empire (2 miles) · I-5 North in Los Angeles (1.3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Inland Empire traffic right now · Inland Empire traffic tomorrow

Santa Monica to San Bernardino over Thanksgiving: when to leave →

More drives

San Bernardino to Santa Monica (return trip) · Santa Monica to Los Angeles · Santa Monica to Pasadena · Santa Monica to Long Beach · Santa Monica to West Covina · Santa Monica to Burbank · Santa Monica to Glendale · Santa Monica to Santa Clarita · Santa Monica to Van Nuys · Santa Monica to Torrance · Santa Monica to Culver City · Santa Monica to El Monte

Open the live traffic map →