Best Time to Drive from Santa Rosa to San Mateo
Right now (6:18 pm PDT): about 108 minutes via US-101 South, usually 76 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 | 74 | 95 | 120 | 110 | 96 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 75 | 74 | 74 |
| Tue | 73 | 106 | 147 | 124 | 105 | 92 | 86 | 81 | 82 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 94 | 80 | 75 | 74 | 74 |
| Wed | 73 | 105 | 131 | 118 | 101 | 93 | 86 | 82 | 82 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 95 | 81 | 75 | 75 | 73 |
| Thu | 74 | 103 | 141 | 122 | 104 | 93 | 89 | 84 | 85 | 92 | 95 | 107 | 103 | 84 | 75 | 75 | 73 |
| Fri | 73 | 87 | 99 | 93 | 85 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 86 | 90 | 90 | 93 | 94 | 84 | 77 | 75 | 74 |
| Sat | 73 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 82 | 97 | 102 | 96 | 95 | 93 | 92 | 93 | 86 | 79 | 78 | 73 |
| Sun | 72 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 79 | 87 | 93 | 100 | 96 | 95 | 92 | 90 | 85 | 80 | 76 | 72 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 81-mile drive from Santa Rosa to San Mateo (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 147 minutes, when leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 85 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (102 minutes).
About 79 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 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 central Santa Rosa to central San Mateo 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 San Mateo?
On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 147 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Santa Rosa to San Mateo?
The 81-mile drive usually takes 73 to 147 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 85 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Santa Rosa to San Mateo?
Leaving around 7 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 147 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (50 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (15 miles) · I-580 West in Bay Area (13 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
San Mateo to Santa Rosa (return trip) · Santa Rosa to San Francisco · Santa Rosa to Sacramento · 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