To Avoid Thanksgiving Traffic Get on Hudson Valley Roads by When?

You're going to want to set your alarm if  you plan on avoiding holiday traffic this Thursday.

We've all heard the warnings that this year will be one of the busiest Thanksgiving traffic days of all time. Every year the roads get more and more congested, leaving travelers stranded behind parked cars instead of relaxing on the couch and enjoying those turkey leftovers.

For those who really want to avoid the traffic this year, we've crunched the data supplied by Google Maps that can predict when the least amount of cars will be on the road. Thanksgiving travel patterns from the past few years compared with normal traffic patterns indicate when we can expect the roads to be the least congested in our area.

If you're traveling in New York on Thanksgiving Day, you can expect heavy traffic to start just before 6am and continue to rise significantly until 2pm. Traffic falls back down to manageable levels at around 6pm, but then spikes before starting to fall again at 10pm.

Google suggests that if you want to avoid the worst traffic, you should start your trip at 4am on Wednesday. If you're heading back home, Friday at 4am or Saturday at 6am are the best times to be on the road.

As for the worst possible times to head out in traffic for Thanksgiving, that would be Wednesday at 4pm. Expect significant delays throughout the afternoon on Wednesday as everyone does their best to leave town after work. On the return trip, try to avoid the roads on Sunday at 3pm. That's when the majority of travelers are expected to be heading back home.