Best Time to Drive from Walnut Creek to Santa Cruz

Right now (7:07 pm PST): about 73 minutes via I-680 South and SR-17 South, usually 72 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 76-mile drive from Walnut Creek to Santa Cruz (via I-680 South and SR-17 South) usually takes as little as 69 minutes and up to 106 minutes, when leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 76 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 4:30 pm on Saturdays (77 minutes).

About 70 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 6 miles surface streets (8 to 17 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Walnut Creek to central Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz?

On weekdays, leave before 6:30 am or after 7 pm. The drive usually takes about 69 minutes then, versus up to 106 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Walnut Creek to Santa Cruz?

The 76-mile drive usually takes 69 to 106 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 76 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Walnut Creek to Santa Cruz?

Leaving around 8 am on Tuesdays is usually slowest, about 106 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-680 South in Bay Area (33 miles) · SR-17 South in Bay Area (23 miles) · I-880 South in Bay Area (14 miles)

Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Cruz 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

Open the live traffic map →