Best Time to Drive from South Gate to Rancho Santa Margarita

Right now (7:06 pm PDT): about 57 minutes via SR-91 East and SR-241 South, usually 58 at this time.

Only 7% 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

Minutes from South Gate to Rancho Santa Margarita by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	51	53	60	66	61	58	58	59	60	62	66	68	68	64	59	55	51
Tue	51	54	70	78	69	62	60	60	63	65	70	69	69	65	60	57	52
Wed	51	56	69	77	71	64	59	61	61	65	70	72	69	65	60	57	52
Thu	51	55	67	76	69	62	61	62	63	64	68	70	68	67	60	56	52
Fri	51	54	63	68	63	60	62	65	66	70	72	73	68	64	61	57	53
Sat	52	53	54	54	55	55	56	57	59	61	64	65	64	61	58	57	52
Sun	51	52	52	53	53	53	54	54	54	54	55	55	54	54	54	57	52

About this drive

On weekdays the 57-mile drive from South Gate to Rancho Santa Margarita (via SR-91 East and SR-241 South) usually takes as little as 51 minutes and up to 78 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 62 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4 pm on Saturdays (65 minutes).

About 53 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (5 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central South Gate to central Rancho Santa Margarita 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 South Gate to Rancho Santa Margarita?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 51 minutes then, versus up to 78 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from South Gate to Rancho Santa Margarita?

The 57-mile drive usually takes 51 to 78 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 62 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from South Gate to Rancho Santa Margarita?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 78 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

SR-91 East in Orange County (24 miles) · SR-241 South in Orange County (20 miles) · SR-91 East in Los Angeles (5 miles) · I-710 South in Los Angeles (4 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Rancho Santa Margarita to South Gate (return trip) · South Gate to Los Angeles · South Gate to Long Beach · South Gate to Anaheim · South Gate to Riverside · South Gate to Santa Ana · South Gate to Irvine · South Gate to San Bernardino · South Gate to Fontana · South Gate to Oxnard · South Gate to Moreno Valley · South Gate to Huntington Beach

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	51	53	60	66	61	58	58	59	60	62	66	68	68	64	59	55	51
Tue	51	54	70	78	69	62	60	60	63	65	70	69	69	65	60	57	52
Wed	51	56	69	77	71	64	59	61	61	65	70	72	69	65	60	57	52
Thu	51	55	67	76	69	62	61	62	63	64	68	70	68	67	60	56	52
Fri	51	54	63	68	63	60	62	65	66	70	72	73	68	64	61	57	53
Sat	52	53	54	54	55	55	56	57	59	61	64	65	64	61	58	57	52
Sun	51	52	52	53	53	53	54	54	54	54	55	55	54	54	54	57	52

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	51	53	60	66	61	58	58	59	60	62	66	68	68	64	59	55	51
Tue	51	54	70	78	69	62	60	60	63	65	70	69	69	65	60	57	52
Wed	51	56	69	77	71	64	59	61	61	65	70	72	69	65	60	57	52
Thu	51	55	67	76	69	62	61	62	63	64	68	70	68	67	60	56	52
Fri	51	54	63	68	63	60	62	65	66	70	72	73	68	64	61	57	53
Sat	52	53	54	54	55	55	56	57	59	61	64	65	64	61	58	57	52
Sun	51	52	52	53	53	53	54	54	54	54	55	55	54	54	54	57	52

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	51	53	60	66	61	58	58	59	60	62	66	68	68	64	59	55	51
Tue	51	54	70	78	69	62	60	60	63	65	70	69	69	65	60	57	52
Wed	51	56	69	77	71	64	59	61	61	65	70	72	69	65	60	57	52
Thu	51	55	67	76	69	62	61	62	63	64	68	70	68	67	60	56	52
Fri	51	54	63	68	63	60	62	65	66	70	72	73	68	64	61	57	53
Sat	52	53	54	54	55	55	56	57	59	61	64	65	64	61	58	57	52
Sun	51	52	52	53	53	53	54	54	54	54	55	55	54	54	54	57	52