Best Time to Drive from Tulare to Bakersfield
Right now (7:35 pm PDT): about 65 minutes via SR-99 South, usually 64 at this time.
Only 57% 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 | 59 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 66 | 62 |
| Tue | 59 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 65 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 61 |
| Wed | 58 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 65 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 66 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 63 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 61 |
| Thu | 59 | 61 | 61 | 63 | 64 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 68 | 63 | 62 | 64 | 64 | 60 |
| Fri | 58 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 64 | 65 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 60 |
| Sat | 59 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 60 |
| Sun | 59 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 62 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 60 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 66-mile drive from Tulare to Bakersfield (via SR-99 South) usually takes as little as 58 minutes and up to 69 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Mondays. The fastest times to leave are before 9 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 66 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (63 minutes).
About 58 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 8 miles surface streets (4 to 5 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Tulare to central Bakersfield 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 Tulare to Bakersfield?
On weekdays, leave before 9 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 58 minutes then, versus up to 69 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Tulare to Bakersfield?
The 66-mile drive usually takes 58 to 69 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 66 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Tulare to Bakersfield?
Leaving around 3:30 pm on Mondays is usually slowest, about 69 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
SR-99 South in Bakersfield (15 miles)
Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow
More drives
Bakersfield to Tulare (return trip) · Tulare to Fresno · Tulare to Visalia