Best Time to Drive from Vista to Palm Springs

Right now (7:06 pm PDT): about 115 minutes via I-15 North and I-10 East, usually 112 at this time.

Only 10% 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 94-mile drive from Vista to Palm Springs (via I-15 North and I-10 East) usually takes as little as 109 minutes and up to 134 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 2:30 pm or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 118 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1 pm on Saturdays (119 minutes).

About 38 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 56 miles surface streets (69 to 77 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Vista to central Palm Springs 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 Vista to Palm Springs?

On weekdays, leave before 2:30 pm or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 109 minutes then, versus up to 134 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Vista to Palm Springs?

The 94-mile drive usually takes 109 to 134 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 118 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Vista to Palm Springs?

Leaving around 4 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 134 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-10 East in Inland Empire (10 miles) · I-15 North in Inland Empire (8 miles) · I-15 North in San Diego (7 miles) · I-215 North in Inland Empire (7 miles) · SR-76 East in San Diego (6 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Palm Springs to Vista (return trip) · Vista to San Diego · Vista to Long Beach · Vista to Anaheim · Vista to Riverside · Vista to Santa Ana · Vista to Santa Monica · Vista to Chula Vista · Vista to Irvine · Vista to San Bernardino · Vista to Fontana · Vista to Moreno Valley

Open the live traffic map →