Coachella Is Over. Stagecoach Is Next. Here's What Drivers Need to Know.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival wrapped up its second and final weekend Sunday, and Interstate 10 will be slow heading toward Los Angeles for most of today. Last week saw bumper-to-bumper traffic in the middle of the day as thousands of campers, hotel guests, and day-trippers all tried to leave at once. Expect the same today. CV Sync Traffic Program Manager Kris Gunterson advises avoiding the freeway almost entirely after around 9 this morning. If you need to get out, go now, or plan to wait until tomorrow.

The valley doesn't get a break for long. Stagecoach Country Music Festival kicks off Thursday at the same Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, and this one could be heavier than Coachella's Thursday arrivals. Stagecoach draws a large RV crowd rather than tent campers, meaning bigger vehicles will be moving through local streets in greater numbers.

Gunterson says campers will begin arriving Thursday via Jefferson, Monroe, and Washington Streets, with the heaviest congestion expected from as early as 5 a.m. through noon. Jefferson is typically the worst of the three. Washington Street near the Indian Wells Tennis Garden will get busy Friday as festivalgoers pick up wristbands, and all three corridors will see afternoon buildups from around 3 to 6 p.m. each day through Sunday.

The full exit process begins Monday, April 28, when Stagecoach wraps, and thousands of RVs push back onto Interstate 10.

For live traffic updates, visit cv-sync.com.