If you are planning a Thanksgiving road trip, the departure day matters almost as much as the route. AAA’s latest Thanksgiving guidance, based on INRIX traffic forecasts, found that the worst nationwide patterns were generally Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving, Sunday afternoon and evening on the return trip, and Monday afternoon for people finishing the holiday weekend.
There is one important date limitation: as of August 9, 2026, AAA had not released its 2026 Thanksgiving traffic forecast. The schedule below is the latest official Thanksgiving-specific guidance, covering November 25 through December 1, 2025. Use it as a planning pattern, not as a prediction for 2026.
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AAA’s best and worst Thanksgiving driving times
AAA presented INRIX’s forecast windows in local time for each metro area or route. “Best” means the period expected to have less congestion than the rest of that day; it does not mean the roads will be empty.
| Date | Expected worst period | Better departure period |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | 12 p.m.–9 p.m. | Before noon |
| Wednesday, November 26, 2025 | 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Thursday, November 27, 2025 Thanksgiving Day |
Minimal national traffic impact expected | No nationwide peak window listed |
| Friday, November 28, 2025 | 1–7 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Saturday, November 29, 2025 | 1–8 p.m. | Before 10 a.m. |
| Sunday, November 30, 2025 | 11 a.m.–8 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Monday, December 1, 2025 | 12–8 p.m. | After 8 p.m. |
For an outbound trip, the clearest strategy was to leave early. Tuesday departures before noon and Wednesday departures before 11 a.m. avoided the longest forecast congestion windows. For the trip home, Sunday was difficult for most of the day; leaving before 11 a.m. gave drivers the best listed opportunity to avoid the peak. Monday travelers had a different option: wait until after 8 p.m., when the forecast window ended.
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Wednesday afternoon was not the only bad time
Thanksgiving Eve is often treated as the holiday’s defining traffic problem, but AAA’s 2025 forecast showed several other trouble spots:
- Tuesday afternoon and evening: congestion was expected from noon through 9 p.m.
- Wednesday late morning through evening: the forecast window ran from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Sunday: returning travelers were expected to produce heavy traffic from 11 a.m. through 8 p.m.
- Monday afternoon: traffic was forecast to remain elevated from noon through 8 p.m.
That makes a Friday, Saturday or early-Thursday departure potentially easier than a Wednesday afternoon trip, depending on the route. Thanksgiving Day itself had the lowest expected nationwide traffic impact, although local shopping, airport, parade and event traffic could still create delays.
Routes where the forecast delays were especially large
INRIX also identified specific metro-area corridors with substantial projected delays. The figures below are forecast peak conditions, not guaranteed journey times.
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| Area and route | Peak forecast | Estimated trip | Increase over normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C.–Baltimore, Baltimore–Washington Parkway north | Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. | 1 hr 50 min | 166% |
| New York–Hamptons, Long Island Expressway east | Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. | 4 hr 8 min | 163% |
| Los Angeles–Bakersfield, I-5 north | Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. | 4 hr 10 min | 147% |
| Boston–Hyannis, Pilgrims Highway south | Thursday, 11:45 a.m. | 2 hr | 108% |
| San Francisco–Santa Rosa, U.S. 101 north | Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. | 2 hr 34 min | 114% |
| Philadelphia–Baltimore/Washington, I-95 south | Sunday, 2:15 p.m. | 2 hr 38 min | 85% |
| San Diego–Palm Springs, I-15 north | Wednesday, 5 p.m. | 4 hr 49 min | 79% |
| Seattle–Bellingham, I-5 north | Tuesday, 6:45 p.m. | 3 hr 22 min | 77% |
| Atlanta–Savannah, I-16 east | Sunday, 3:30 p.m. | 5 hr 16 min | 53% |
| Chicago–Indianapolis, I-65 north | Sunday, 3:45 p.m. | 4 hr 8 min | 57% |
Among the routes AAA listed, Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles had the largest percentage increases over typical conditions. A route that normally takes one or two hours can therefore become a much bigger problem even when the absolute delay looks modest.
AAA’s published table also included a Denver–Pueblo-to-Denver I-25 north estimate of “2 hour 60 minutes” for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., a formatting or reporting inconsistency. It should not be converted into a different figure without confirmation from AAA or INRIX.
How to choose a departure time for your own trip
- Identify the likely bottleneck. Check whether your trip crosses a major city, bridge, tunnel, mountain pass or urban beltway. The holiday window may be broad nationally, but the worst delay often occurs at one particular corridor.
- Move the start time outside the forecast window. Do not plan to leave at noon on Tuesday if the route is likely to enter a major metro during the Tuesday noon-to-9 p.m. period. A departure before noon may be worthwhile even if it means arriving early.
- Check the arrival-side traffic too. Leaving home early does not guarantee a clear trip if the final approach reaches a city during its afternoon peak. Look at the expected traffic near both ends of the drive.
- Build in a fuel and rest stop. A long holiday drive should not depend on reaching the destination with the fuel warning light on. Stop before the busiest urban section when possible.
- Recheck conditions immediately before leaving. A crash, road closure, construction shift or snowstorm can overwhelm a forecast based on normal holiday patterns. Compare the planned route with a live navigation app and state transportation alerts.
Prepare the car before the holiday rush
AAA reported nearly 600,000 roadside-assistance calls during the previous Thanksgiving holiday period. Dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks were among the problems drivers needed help with.
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- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, parking, weather and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
- Check tire pressure when the tires are cold, and inspect the tread for damage or excessive wear.
- Test the battery, particularly if it is several years old or the engine has been slow to start.
- Fill the tank before reaching the most congested part of the route.
- Confirm that lights, windshield wipers and defrosters work before a night or rain-soaked departure.
- Pack a charger, warm clothing, water and any medication needed if a crash or closure stops traffic.
While driving, follow the Slow Down, Move Over rule for stopped emergency, service and roadside-assistance vehicles. Holiday traffic makes it harder for people working on the shoulder to see approaching cars and harder for drivers to stop safely.
What the 2025 forecast does—and does not—tell you
AAA projected 81.8 million people would travel at least 50 miles from home during the 2025 Thanksgiving period, with more than 73 million traveling by car. That scale explains why even a route that is normally predictable can become unreliable.
However, the figures are not a universal national timetable. The listed times apply in the local time zone of the relevant metro or route—for example, Atlanta uses Eastern Time and Los Angeles uses Pacific Time. They are also forecasts, not guarantees. Weather, collisions, construction and an unusually early or late wave of departures can move the worst traffic outside the listed window.
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- Hands-free calling when paired with your compatible smartphone with BLUETOOTH technology and convenient Garmin voice assist lets you ask for directions to places you want to go
- Road trip–ready features include the HISTORY database of notable sites, a U.S. national parks directory, Tripadvisor traveler ratings and millions of Foursquare POIs
- Driver alerts for things such as school zones, sharp curves and speed changes help encourage safer driving and increase situational awareness
- Access live traffic, fuel prices, weather, parking and smart notifications when you pair this navigator with your compatible smartphone running the Garmin Drive app
As of August 9, 2026, AAA had not published its 2026 Thanksgiving forecast. When that forecast becomes available, drivers should use its dates and local windows rather than treating the 2025 schedule as a 2026 prediction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.FAQ
What was the worst time to drive before Thanksgiving according to AAA?
For AAA’s 2025 forecast, Tuesday traffic was expected to be worst from noon to 9 p.m., while Wednesday’s worst window was 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The best listed periods were before noon Tuesday and before 11 a.m. Wednesday.
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Is Thanksgiving Day the best day to drive?
AAA expected minimal national traffic impact on Thanksgiving Day in 2025. That did not mean every road would be empty: local events, shopping areas, airports and weather could still cause congestion.
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What was the worst day to drive home after Thanksgiving?
Sunday was forecast to have heavy traffic from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday also had a significant congestion window, from noon to 8 p.m.; AAA listed after 8 p.m. as the better Monday departure period.
Does AAA have the best driving times for Thanksgiving 2026?
Not yet, based on the available information as of August 9, 2026. AAA’s latest Thanksgiving-specific guidance covered November 25 through December 1, 2025, and its 2026 Thanksgiving forecast had not been published.
The Bottom Line
For the latest AAA Thanksgiving guidance, leave before late-morning or afternoon congestion whenever possible. The most difficult 2025 periods were Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday late morning through evening, Sunday late morning through evening and Monday afternoon. Thanksgiving Day had the smallest expected national traffic impact, but live conditions and the specific metro route still matter. Because AAA had not released its 2026 forecast as of August 9, 2026, treat these times as the latest reference pattern—not an official 2026 schedule.
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