Origin
Apple Valley, CA
Late night in Apple Valley on Tuesday
Local time
3:40 AM
PDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Apple Valley, CA to Riverside, 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
1h 10m
Distance
58 mi
93 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$13
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 5m
★
6 AM
1h 10m
8 AM
1h 21m
10 AM
1h 14m
12 PM
1h 13m
3 PM
1h 15m
5 PM
1h 21m
8 PM
1h 7m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Apple Valley, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Riverside, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning 60.3 miles, this trek from Apple Valley to Riverside is a straightforward journey typically taking about 1 hour and 8 minutes. Because the distance is relatively short, you can easily complete this trip in a single day without needing an overnight stay. You should budget approximately $14 for fuel to cover the distance between these two Pacific Coast locations. Navigating through local roads like Hwy 18 North, Happy Trails Highway, and Navajo Road, you will find this path serves as a functional connection between the high desert and the inland region. It is a practical, no-nonsense drive that gets you from point A to point B efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Barstow and Mojave Freeway | 18.5 mi | 19m |
| Barstow Freeway | 9.5 mi | 10m |
| Riverside Freeway | 8.9 mi | 10m |
| CHP Officer Larry L. Wetterling and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Lieutenant Alfred E. Stewart Memorial Highway | 5.6 mi | 6m |
| San Bernardino Freeway | 5.6 mi | 6m |
| Yucca Loma Road | 4 mi | 6m |
| Green Tree Boulevard | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| Yates Road | 1.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Barstow and Mojave Freeway
— 18.5 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Apple Valley, CA and Riverside, CA.
1
Start on Outer Hwy 18 North
29 ft
·
5 sec
·
Outer Hwy 18 North
2
Turn left onto CA 18
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Happy Trails Highway
3
Turn left onto Navajo Road
96 ft
·
4 sec
·
Navajo Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto Yucca Loma Road
4.0 mi
·
6 min
·
Yucca Loma Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on Yates Road
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Yates Road
6
Continue on Green Tree Boulevard
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Green Tree Boulevard
7
Turn left onto I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist
470 ft
·
12 sec
·
7th Street
Use the left lane.
8
Continue on I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
Palmdale Road
9
Take the exit onto I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist
Toward San Bernardino
10
Merge onto I 15; US 66 Hist
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Barstow and Mojave Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on I 15; US 66 Hist; US 91 Hist; US 395 Hist
5.6 mi
·
6 min
·
CHP Officer Larry L. Wetterling and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Lieutenant Alfred E. Stewart Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on I 15; US 66 Hist
6.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Barstow and Mojave Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Continue on I 215
0.2 mi
·
13 sec
·
Barstow Freeway
Exit 123
14
Keep slight left at fork onto I 215
9.3 mi
·
10 min
·
Barstow Freeway
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
15
Continue on I 215
5.6 mi
·
6 min
·
San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Continue on I 215
5.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Riverside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Continue on CA 91
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
Riverside Freeway
Exit 34B
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 62
Toward Central Avenue, Riverside Plaza Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Turn right onto Central Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Central Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
20
Turn slight left
171 ft
·
12 sec
Use the left lane.
21
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 29 miles from Apple Valley, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 57 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Navajo Road
Turn left onto Navajo Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Yucca Loma Road
Turn right onto Yucca Loma Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
8.5 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist / 7th Street
Turn left onto I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist / 7th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
33.3 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
I 215 / Barstow Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 215 / Barstow Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
57 mi into trip
|
~1h 8m in
Take the exit toward Central Avenue, Riverside Plaza Avenue
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 62
Toward Central Avenue, Riverside Plaza Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$13.33 one way
$26.66 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
20 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $13.74 | $27.47 |
| premium | $6.18 | $14.10 | $28.21 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.81 | $25.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$13
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.4 | 0 | $6.09 | $2.78 |
| Efficient EV | 14.5 | 0 | $5.07 | $2.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23.2 | 0 | $8.12 | $3.71 |
Gas CO2
20 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (65% 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
Riverside, CA
Late night in Riverside on Tuesday
Local time
3:40 AM
PDT
Current temp
70°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
27 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 10m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate cruise, as this route features zero highway miles. You will spend the entire 60.3-mile duration navigating surface streets and local roads, requiring your full attention behind the wheel. Because the route relies on Navajo Road, Happy Trails Highway, and Hwy 18 North, the pace remains steady rather than fast. The character of the drive is defined by frequent turns, making it a more engaging experience than a high-speed freeway trek. Prepare for a technical drive where the road conditions change frequently as you transition between local segments.
74% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 18.5 mi on Barstow and Mojave Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Barstow and Mojave Freeway and Barstow Freeway. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Navajo Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 58 miles you will encounter 11 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Navajo Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (Yucca Loma Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.5 miles (I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist / 7th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Hilly terrain with moderate elevation changes
4,080 ft
829 ft
Total Climb
1,308 ft
Total Descent
3,425 ft
Highest Point
4,080 ft
~20.7 mi in
Elevation Range
3,252 ft
Notable High Points
4,080 ft at ~20.7 miles
+450 ft prominence
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Apple Valley, CA to Riverside, CA, road signs begin pointing toward San Bernardino along the way.
San Bernardino
8.7 mi in
|
~14m
|
via I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist
About the Cities
Starting in Apple Valley, CA
Full guide →Founded 1988
Apple Valley is a city in California's San Bernardino County. The apple orchards of the early 20th century have been replaced by housing developments: streets of ranch and traditional housed along with the mid-20th century modern and usonian architectural designs between Hwy 18 and Bear Valley Road. Urban development began in the mid-2000s bringing big-box retail, chain restaurants and movie theaters.
Arriving in Riverside, CA
Full guide →Founded 1870
Riverside is a city in Riverside County in California. With a population of over 300,000, the city plays host to a diverse cross-section of people and has a rich history. Riverside is approximately 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. It is a center for higher education, with one community college, a large state university, and two private universities. A hub of regional commerce and transportation, it is a city with an intriguing past and a promising future, and is worth a visit.
Top landmarks
- • Mission Inn — hotel in Riverside, California
- • Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside — church building in Riverside, California, USA
- • First Congregational Church of Riverside — church building in Riverside, California, United States of America
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 1h 10m. Total distance: 58 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 10m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (74%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 18.5 miles on Barstow and Mojave 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 Riverside, 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 0.3 miles (Navajo Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (Yucca Loma Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.5 miles (I 15 BUS; US 66 Hist / 7th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Riverside, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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