Best Time to Drive from Valencia to Bakersfield

Right now (6:47 am PST): about 71 minutes via I-5 North and SR-99 North, usually 68 at this time.

Only 34% 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 76-mile drive from Valencia to Bakersfield (via I-5 North and SR-99 North) usually takes as little as 68 minutes and up to 83 minutes, when leaving around 1:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 11:30 am or after 9 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 77 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 5:30 pm on Sundays (75 minutes).

About 64 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 11 miles surface streets (4 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Valencia 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 Valencia to Bakersfield?

On weekdays, leave before 11:30 am or after 9 pm. The drive usually takes about 68 minutes then, versus up to 83 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Valencia to Bakersfield?

The 76-mile drive usually takes 68 to 83 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 77 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Valencia to Bakersfield?

Leaving around 1:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 83 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in Los Angeles (34 miles) · SR-99 North in Bakersfield (9 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Bakersfield traffic right now · Bakersfield traffic tomorrow

More drives

Bakersfield to Valencia (return trip) · Valencia to Los Angeles · Valencia to Long Beach · Valencia to Anaheim · Valencia to Santa Ana · Valencia to Irvine · Valencia to Huntington Beach · Valencia to Glendale · Valencia to Santa Clarita · Valencia to Garden Grove · Valencia to Rancho Cucamonga · Valencia to Ontario

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