Origin
Aliso Viejo, CA
Late night in Aliso Viejo on Tuesday
Local time
3:21 AM
PDT
Current temp
65°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Aliso Viejo, CA to Anaheim, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
26.8 mi
43 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Aliso Viejo, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Aliso Viejo to Anaheim is 26.8 miles and takes about 36 minutes via Santa Ana Freeway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Pacific Coast region of California, offering a straightforward drive between two Southern California cities. It's a practical option for a quick local excursion or a connecting leg of a larger journey. You'll primarily be on well-traveled freeways and surface streets, making it an easy drive for most.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana Freeway | 12.5 mi | 14m |
| Laguna Canyon Road | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| El Camino Real | 2.2 mi | 4m |
| Laguna Freeway | 1.5 mi | 1m |
| Aliso Creek Road | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| West Lincoln Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| Jamboree Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Santa Ana Freeway
— 12.5 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Aliso Viejo, CA and Anaheim, CA.
1
Start on Aliso Viejo Parkway
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Aliso Viejo Parkway
2
Turn left onto Aliso Creek Road
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Aliso Creek Road
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
27 sec
Toward CA 73 Toll North
Use the right lane.
4
Merge onto CA 73 Toll
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor
5
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
54 sec
Exit 6
Toward CA 133: El Toro Road, Laguna Canyon Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
Toward CA 133: Laguna Beach, Laguna Canyon Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 6
Toward CA 133: Laguna Canyon Road
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
Turn right onto CA 133
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
Laguna Canyon Road
Use the right lane.
9
Continue on CA 133
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Laguna Freeway
Use the straight lane.
10
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
46 sec
Exit 10
Toward I 5 North: Santa Ana
11
Merge onto I 5
3.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
Exit 100
Toward Jamboree Road
Use the slight right lane.
13
Continue on this road
527 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
14
Turn right onto Jamboree Road
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Jamboree Road
Use the left / right lanes.
15
Turn left onto El Camino Real
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
El Camino Real
Use the left lane.
16
Turn left onto Newport Avenue
357 ft
·
13 sec
·
Newport Avenue
Use the left lane.
17
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
18
Merge onto I 5
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
20
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
5.8 mi
·
6 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
21
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
Exit 111
Toward Lincoln Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22
Turn right onto West Lincoln Avenue
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West Lincoln Avenue
Use the right lane.
23
Turn right onto South Anaheim Boulevard
370 ft
·
14 sec
·
South Anaheim Boulevard
24
Turn right
200 ft
·
14 sec
25
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 215 decision points cluster between mile 2.8 and 14 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
2.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit toward CA 133: El Toro Road, Laguna Canyon Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 6
Toward CA 133: El Toro Road, Laguna Canyon Road
8
3.5 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 133: Laguna Beach, Laguna Canyon Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward CA 133: Laguna Beach, Laguna Canyon Road
8
3.8 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CA 133: Laguna Canyon Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 6
Toward CA 133: Laguna Canyon Road
7
13.7 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward Jamboree Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 100
Toward Jamboree Road
7
14 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
Jamboree Road
Turn right onto Jamboree Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.16 one way
$12.32 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.35 | $12.70 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.52 | $13.03 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.92 | $11.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8 | 0 | $2.81 | $1.29 |
| Efficient EV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.34 | $1.07 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.7 | 0 | $3.75 | $1.72 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Anaheim, CA
Late night in Anaheim on Tuesday
Local time
3:21 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
10 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
36m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This drive features a mixed profile, with 53% of the journey on highways. You'll experience stretches on the Santa Ana Freeway, including a continuous segment of 12.5 miles, which provides a faster pace. The route also incorporates local roads like Laguna Canyon Road and El Camino Real, offering a contrast to the freeway segments. Expect a blend of efficient highway travel and more local road driving as you navigate between these Orange County locations.
53% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
25 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.5 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 21 decision points packed into just 26.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Aliso Viejo, CA
Full guide →Aliso Viejo is a city in Orange County, California.
Arriving in Anaheim, CA
Full guide →Founded 1857
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. It is best known for being the home of Disneyland. Its second claim to fame is hosting the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks and Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels.
Top landmarks
- • Disneyland — American theme park in California owned by The Walt Disney Company
- • Disney California Adventure — theme park in California, part of Disneyland Resort
- • Soarin' — flight motion simulator attraction at Disney parks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 26.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.5 miles on Santa Ana Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Anaheim, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 2.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Anaheim, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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