Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from SFO to Palo Alto
Right now (1:18 pm PDT): about 22 minutes via US-101 South, usually 23 at this time.
Only 47% 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.
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 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 31 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 21 |
| Tue | 20 | 21 | 23 | 34 | 38 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| Wed | 20 | 21 | 23 | 33 | 34 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 24 | 21 | 21 |
| Thu | 20 | 21 | 23 | 33 | 32 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 26 | 22 | 21 |
| Fri | 20 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
| Sat | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| Sun | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 21-mile drive from SFO to Palo Alto (via US-101 South) usually takes as little as 20 minutes and up to 38 minutes, when leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7 am or after 8 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 23 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 6 pm on Saturdays (27 minutes).
About 19 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 2 miles surface streets (3 to 7 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) (Departures) to central Palo Alto (Middlefield Road) 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 SFO to Palo Alto?
On weekdays, leave before 7 am or after 8 pm. The drive usually takes about 20 minutes then, versus up to 38 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from SFO to Palo Alto?
The 21-mile drive usually takes 20 to 38 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 23 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from SFO to Palo Alto?
Leaving around 8:30 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 38 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
US-101 South in Bay Area (19 miles)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow
More drives
Palo Alto to SFO (return trip) · SFO to OAK · SFO to SJC · SFO to San Francisco · SFO to Oakland · SFO to San Jose · SFO to Berkeley · SFO to Fremont · SFO to Walnut Creek · SFO to Mountain View · SFO to Pleasanton · SFO to Santa Clara