Best Time to Drive from Santee to Lake Forest

Right now (6:51 pm PDT): about 80 minutes via I-5 North and SR-52 West, usually 77 at this time.

Only 44% 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 83-mile drive from Santee to Lake Forest (via I-5 North and SR-52 West) usually takes as little as 73 minutes and up to 104 minutes, when leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 80 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Sundays (90 minutes).

About 78 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 5 miles surface streets (5 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Santee to central Lake Forest 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 Santee to Lake Forest?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 73 minutes then, versus up to 104 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Santee to Lake Forest?

The 83-mile drive usually takes 73 to 104 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 80 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Santee to Lake Forest?

Leaving around 4:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 104 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (40 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-52 West in San Diego (17 miles) · I-805 North in San Diego (1.9 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Lake Forest to Santee (return trip) · Santee to San Diego · Santee to Chula Vista · Santee to Oceanside · Santee to Escondido · Santee to Carlsbad · Santee to Temecula · Santee to Murrieta · Santee to Vista · Santee to Mission Viejo · Santee to San Marcos · Santee to Menifee

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