Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Walnut Creek to Sacramento
Right now (6:17 pm PDT): about 77 minutes via I-80 East and I-680 North, usually 66 at this time.
Only 69% 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 | 63 | 66 | 67 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 64 |
| Tue | 63 | 65 | 68 | 72 | 73 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 70 | 65 | 64 | 64 |
| Wed | 63 | 66 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 74 | 75 | 78 | 72 | 66 | 64 | 63 |
| Thu | 63 | 65 | 67 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 72 | 67 | 64 | 64 |
| Fri | 63 | 65 | 67 | 68 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 74 | 76 | 78 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 74 | 69 | 65 | 64 |
| Sat | 64 | 64 | 64 | 66 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 65 | 63 |
| Sun | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 63 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 71-mile drive from Walnut Creek to Sacramento (via I-80 East and I-680 North) usually takes as little as 63 minutes and up to 81 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 73 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12:30 pm on Saturdays (72 minutes).
About 68 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (3 to 6 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Walnut Creek to downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) 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 Walnut Creek to Sacramento?
On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 63 minutes then, versus up to 81 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Walnut Creek to Sacramento?
The 71-mile drive usually takes 63 to 81 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 73 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Walnut Creek to Sacramento?
Leaving around 3 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 81 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-680 North in Bay Area (24 miles) · I-80 East in Sacramento (21 miles) · I-80 East in Bay Area (18 miles) · US-50 East in Sacramento (3 miles) · I-5 North in Sacramento (1 mile)
Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow · Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow
More drives
Sacramento to Walnut Creek (return trip) · Walnut Creek to San Francisco · Walnut Creek to Oakland · Walnut Creek to San Jose · Walnut Creek to Palo Alto · Walnut Creek to Berkeley · Walnut Creek to Fremont · Walnut Creek to San Mateo · Walnut Creek to Mountain View · Walnut Creek to Pleasanton · Walnut Creek to Santa Clara · Walnut Creek to Richmond