Best Time to Drive from Santa Rosa to Sacramento

Right now (4:11 am PST): about 98 minutes via I-80 East and US-101 South, usually 97 at this time.

Only 61% 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 95-mile drive from Santa Rosa to Sacramento (via I-80 East and US-101 South) usually takes as little as 97 minutes and up to 166 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 115 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (109 minutes).

About 69 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 27 miles surface streets (36 to 84 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santa Rosa to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) 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 Rosa to Sacramento?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 97 minutes then, versus up to 166 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santa Rosa to Sacramento?

The 95-mile drive usually takes 97 to 166 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 115 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santa Rosa to Sacramento?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 166 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (20 miles) · US-101 South in Bay Area (15 miles) · SR-12 East in Bay Area (6 miles) · US-50 East in Sacramento (3 miles) · I-5 North in Sacramento (1 mile)

Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow

More drives

Sacramento to Santa Rosa (return trip) · Santa Rosa to San Francisco · Santa Rosa to Oakland · Santa Rosa to Hayward · Santa Rosa to Concord · Santa Rosa to Vallejo · Santa Rosa to Berkeley · Santa Rosa to Fairfield · Santa Rosa to Antioch · Santa Rosa to Richmond · Santa Rosa to Daly City · Santa Rosa to San Mateo

Open the live traffic map →