2017 CA Thanksgiving Travel Guide: Peak, Minimal Traffic Times

If you're traveling for Thanksgiving this year, you'll have plenty of company. AAA predicts about 51 million Americans will hit the road, travel by train or take to the skies for Turkey Day in 2017. That amounts to the highest volume of travelers in a dozen years, the organization said.

It'll be congested all over, and in California, it's not expected to be any different. In fact, California is home to two of the top 10 travel destinations for Thanksgiving: both Anaheim (no. 2) and San Francisco (no. 8) make the list, according to AAA.

So when is the best time to hit the road in California for Thanksgiving travel? What about the worst? Read on.

Hitting The Road: The Worst Of It

AAA says the worst time for drivers this week in the San Francisco metro area is Tuesday evening from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. when delays are expected to be 2.5 times as bad as usual. The worst road? I-80 East at Pinole Valley Road is the no. 3 "top traffic hotspot," AAA says.

As for SoCal residents in the greater Los Angeles area, AAA says drivers will be in for it extra bad — with 2.5 times the normal traffic — from 3:15 p.m. Tuesday until 6 p.m. Tuesday. In that region, the I-5 south at Valley View Avenue will be especially troublesome. It's the no. 1 traffic hotspot in the nation.

In 2016, Google Maps compiled the best (and worst) travel times for Thanksgiving in California. It'll likely look the same this year.

"Using data from Google Maps, we’re providing insight into the places people visit around the holidays and the best times to get on (or stay off) the road," Google said. "On a typical weekday, we can try to avoid traffic in our area by staying off the road during rush hour. But when is the rush during a holiday period? With everyone on their family’s unique schedule, it can be hard to pinpoint the best times to travel."

Based on last year's travel data, Google says:

• In Southern California (Los Angeles metro):
  • BEFORE THANKSGIVING: The best day to leave town is Wednesday before 4 a.m. You'll be regretting your decision to leave the area at 4 p.m. Wednesday, as that's the worst time to hit the road.
  • AFTER THANKSGIVING: The worst time to leave is 2 p.m. Saturday, while the best time to leave is 4 a.m. Friday.

• In Northern California (San Francisco metro):
  • BEFORE THANKSGIVING: Calling all early birds! The best time to split is 3 a.m. Wednesday. Come 4 p.m. Wednesday, traffic will be at its worst.
  • AFTER THANKSGIVING: To leave the SF Bay Area, you'll want to hit the road around 4 a.m. Friday. The worst time will be around 5 p.m. Saturday.
• In the Sacramento metro area:
  • BEFORE THANKSGIVING: The best time to travel in the Sacramento area is 3 a.m. Wednesday, while the worst is 4 p.m. Wednesday.
  • AFTER THANKSGIVING: If you're going to be in the Sacramento area after Thanksgiving, the worst time on the roads will be at 4 p.m. Black Friday. The best will be at 4 a.m. the same day.

Avoiding Traffic

With its Thanksgiving travel data, Google also released a handy tool to track the best and worst times of traffic in various cities across the U.S. Click on the tweet below to access the tool.

When Los Angeles Traffic is Worse Than Normal During the Thanksgiving Holiday pic.twitter.com/RYBZAZ3akg https://t.co/Rhh4oSyd0H via @GoogleTrends
— Renee Schiavone (@NewsNay) November 21, 2017

When Traffic is Worse Than Normal During the Thanksgiving Holiday pic.twitter.com/neMafXWGoj https://t.co/Rhh4oSyd0H via @GoogleTrends
— Renee Schiavone (@NewsNay) November 21, 2017

Image via Shutterstock/ With reporting by Alex Newman, Patch Staff