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Trip from Buena Park, CA to Santa Ana, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

16m

Distance

12 mi

19 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 15m ★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 19m
8 PM
0h 15m ★

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in northwestern Orange County, California, United States

Buena Park, CA

Wikimedia Commons

county seat and city of Orange County, California, United States

Santa Ana, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Buena Park to Santa Ana is 12 miles and takes about 16 minutes via Santa Ana Freeway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Pacific Coast region of California. Expect a straightforward drive that's mostly on the freeway, making it a quick connection between two nearby cities. It's a very manageable distance, ideal for when you need to get from point A to point B without a significant time commitment. You won't need to worry about overnight stays, as this is easily accomplished within a few hours.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Santa Ana Freeway 8.9 mi 10m
North Broadway 1.3 mi 2m
North Main Street 0.2 mi <1m
Beach Boulevard 0.1 mi <1m
West 5th Street 0.1 mi <1m
West 1st Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Santa Ana Freeway — 8.9 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Buena Park, CA and Santa Ana, CA.

1

Start on CA 39

14 ft · 1 sec · Beach Boulevard
2

Continue on CA 39

0.1 mi · 24 sec · Beach Boulevard
Use the left lane.
3

Turn left

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 5 South
4

Merge onto I 5

8.6 mi · 9 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

0.2 mi · 16 sec · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.8 mi · 57 sec
Toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 21 sec
Toward Main Street North, Broadway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Turn straight onto North Broadway

1.3 mi · 2 min · North Broadway
Use the left lane.
9

Turn left onto West 5th Street

0.1 mi · 16 sec · West 5th Street
Use the left lane.
10

Turn right onto North Main Street

0.2 mi · 30 sec · North Main Street
Use the right lane.
11

Turn right onto West 1st Street

52 ft · 1 sec · West 1st Street
Use the right lane.
12

Arrive at destination

West 1st Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 9 and 11.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
9 mi into trip | ~10m in | I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
9.3 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana

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. Toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana
8
10.1 mi into trip | ~12m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Main Street North, Broadway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Main Street North, Broadway
6
11.7 mi into trip | ~15m in | West 5th Street

Turn left onto West 5th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
11.8 mi into trip | ~15m in | North Main Street

Turn right onto North Main Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.76 one way

$5.52 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $2.84 $5.68
premium $6.18 $2.92 $5.84
diesel $5.61 $2.65 $5.30

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.6 0 $1.26 $0.58
Efficient EV 3 0 $1.05 $0.48
EV Truck/SUV 4.8 0 $1.68 $0.77

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 20, 2026

Origin

Buena Park, CA

Morning in Buena Park on Tuesday

Local time

6:51 AM

PDT

Current temp

55°F

Partly Cloudy

W 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Winter Storm Watch

Winter Storm Watch issued April 19 at 5:35PM PDT until April 22 at 5:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 19 at 2:32PM PDT until April 20 at 6:00PM PDT by NWS Medford OR

Destination

Santa Ana, CA

Morning in Santa Ana on Tuesday

Local time

6:51 AM

PDT

Current temp

54°F

Partly Cloudy

SW 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Winter Storm Watch

Winter Storm Watch issued April 19 at 5:35PM PDT until April 22 at 5:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 19 at 2:32PM PDT until April 20 at 6:00PM PDT by NWS Medford OR

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

1 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

16m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

This route is predominantly a highway-focused drive, with 74% of the journey on major freeways. You'll spend the bulk of your time on the Santa Ana Freeway, including the longest stretch of 8.9 miles without needing to exit. The drive begins with local streets before merging onto the freeway, offering a consistent, high-speed experience for most of the 12 miles. While it's a direct path, the urban setting means you'll be navigating traffic, especially during peak hours. Expect a functional, no-frills transit experience.

74% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.9 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and North Broadway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 9 miles in near I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 12 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 16m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 9 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Buena Park, CA and Santa Ana, CA, road signs point toward Broadway and Main Street North.

Broadway

9.3 mi in | ~11m

Main Street North

10.1 mi in | ~12m

About the Cities

Arriving in Santa Ana, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1869

Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, Southern California and is the county seat of that county.

Top landmarks

  • • Yost Theater — historic movie theater and hotel building in Santa Ana, California, later used b...
  • • Santa Ana Fire Station Headquarters No. 1 — fire station in Santa Ana, United States of America
  • • Rankin's — historic building in Santa Ana, California, United States

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 16m. Total distance: 12 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

16m 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 8.9 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 Santa Ana, 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 9 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Santa Ana, 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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