Best Time to Cross Otay Mesa: By Day & Hour

BEST DAY TO CROSS

Saturday ~8m

Typical wait in the early morning (12–4 AM). During the day, around 7 AM it's ~1h 26m.

Avoid: Sunday at night — up to ~3h 18m

We use the newest CBP typical profile for each weekday within a 14-day window. Data covers 7 of 7 weekdays; closed hours are excluded. This is a historical reference, not a forecast. How border wait times are calculated

Every day BEST TO WORST

Saturday The best
~8m The calmest. Barely any line before dawn.
Sunday #2
~28m Good before dawn; midday climbs only a little.
Wednesday #3
~30m Fine if you skip the afternoon.
Friday #4
~31m Middling, but swingy in the afternoon.
Thursday #5
~33m Middling. Best very early.
Tuesday #6
~46m Middling, but swingy in the afternoon.
Monday The worst
~1h 6m The worst of the week. Avoid 10 AM–2 PM.

PEDESTRIAN · ANY DAY

Hardly any line ~5m

The line barely changes by day at this crossing. Cross whenever works for you.

Live times Hourly chart

We use the newest CBP typical profile for each weekday within a 14-day window. Data covers 7 of 7 weekdays; closed hours are excluded. This is a historical reference, not a forecast. How border wait times are calculated

Every day BEST TO WORST

Monday The best
~5m The calmest. Barely any line before dawn.
Tuesday #2
~5m Good before dawn; midday climbs only a little.
Wednesday #3
~5m Good before dawn; midday climbs only a little.
Thursday #4
~5m Good before dawn; midday climbs only a little.
Friday #5
~5m Good before dawn; midday climbs only a little.
Saturday #6
~5m Good before dawn; midday climbs only a little.
Sunday The worst
~5m The worst of the week. Avoid 10 AM–2 PM.

Cargo

Gathering stats

Not enough CBP readings yet to compute the best time at this crossing. In the meantime, check live times.

Live times