Santa Barbara to Scottsdale, Az (live in, best time, build)

[JudyDenver]

We will be begin driving from Santa Barbara to Scottsdale on a Thursday about 8 am (during the summer) We are thinking of this route: 101 to 134 to 210 to I 10. The drive time should be about 7 hours (with zero traffic) But we are concerned about morning traffic. Are there better road choices?

Will be encounter traffic issues around the LA area? If so, should we build in an extra 1-2 hour delay into our schedule?

thanks

[Snort]

I used to be a Santa Barbarian and remember the drive to PHX being a good 8 hours. Scottsdale is on the other side of Phoenix, so you'll have to contend with their traffic as well as L.A. traffic.
Count on having both and try to avoid rush hours.
Best time to drive in L.A.? 3 am on a Sunday "morning".

[InLoveW/3Boys]

Hi there!
I currently live in SB and am from Scottsdale so I have a lot of experience with this issue. The route you mentioned is the exact one my husband and I always use (have driven from here to Scottsdale hundreds of times). It's a good one because you skirt the northern part of LA, but at 8am on a Thursday morning you will definitely hit traffic. Your right, the drive time is around 7 to 8 hours. I can typically do it in 8 hrs door to door (with minimal stops). I think you should give yourself an extra 3 hours or so considering you're leaving at 8 am and will probably arrive around 4 or 5p, which is rush hour on both ends. My husband and I used to go after work and drive through the night. Which is good because you fly with absolutely ZERO traffic and you beat the intense desert heat which can be hard on your car. But is hard because you're obviously tired, it just depends on your situation in Az and whether you can sleep a bit when you arrive.

Have fun!!!