Best Time to Drive from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara

Right now (9:48 pm PDT): about 98 minutes via US-101 North, usually 97 at this time.

Only 19% 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 92-mile drive from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara (via US-101 North) usually takes as little as 97 minutes and up to 186 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 132 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11 am on Saturdays (140 minutes).

About 67 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 25 miles surface streets (39 to 79 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 Santa Barbara (Anacapa 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 Santa Barbara?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 97 minutes then, versus up to 186 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara?

The 92-mile drive usually takes 97 to 186 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 132 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 186 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 North in Los Angeles (42 miles) · I-405 North in Los Angeles (10 miles) · I-10 East in Los Angeles (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Barbara 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

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