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Trip from Carson, CA to Fontana, 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

1h 17m

Distance

64 mi

103 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$15

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 11m ★
6 AM
1h 17m
8 AM
1h 29m
10 AM
1h 21m
12 PM
1h 20m
3 PM
1h 22m
5 PM
1h 29m
8 PM
1h 13m

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

city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Carson, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Fontana, CA, CA

Fontana, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Carson, CA to Fontana, CA is 64 miles and takes about 1 hour 17 minutes via I-10 Metro ExpressLanes, with a fuel budget near $15 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Pacific Coast region, primarily traveling through Southern California's urban and suburban areas. Expect a straightforward, mostly highway commute that's easily manageable within a single day. The route is designed for efficiency, connecting two points in the greater Los Angeles area with minimal fuss. It’s a practical choice for moving between these locations without significant detours.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
San Bernardino Freeway 23.9 mi 27m
San Gabriel River Freeway 14.6 mi 16m
I-10 Metro ExpressLanes 9 mi 9m
Artesia Freeway 5 mi 5m
Gardena Freeway 4.9 mi 5m
Sierra Avenue 1.7 mi 2m
Harbor Freeway 1.6 mi 1m
South Figueroa Street 0.9 mi 1m
Longest stretch: San Bernardino Freeway — 23.9 mi, about 27m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Carson, CA and Fontana, CA.

1

Start on West Carson Street

94 ft · 9 sec · West Carson Street
2

Continue on West Carson Street

0.3 mi · 36 sec · West Carson Street
Use the left lane.
3

Turn right onto US 6 Hist

0.9 mi · 1 min · South Figueroa Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn left

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Toward I 110 North: Los Angeles Use the left lane.
5

Merge onto I 110

1.6 mi · 1 min · Harbor Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 55 sec
Toward CA 91 East Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Merge onto CA 91

4.9 mi · 5 min · Gardena Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Continue on CA 91

5.0 mi · 5 min · Artesia Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 605: San Gabriel River Freeway Use the slight right lane.
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.5 mi · 59 sec
Toward I 605 North Use the slight left lane.
11

Merge onto I 605

15 mi · 16 min · San Gabriel River Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward I 10 West, I 10 East: Los Angeles, San Bernardino Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 41 sec
Toward I 10 East: San Bernardino Use the slight right lane.
14

Merge onto I 10

1.0 mi · 1 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

2.2 mi · 2 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

2.0 mi · 2 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

1.1 mi · 1 min · San Bernardino Freeway
18

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

1.5 mi · 1 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
19

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

1.4 mi · 1 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

2.0 mi · 2 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

2.1 mi · 2 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22

Keep slight right at fork onto I 10

4.0 mi · 4 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23

Keep slight left at fork onto I 10 EXPR

9.0 mi · 9 min · I-10 Metro ExpressLanes
Use the slight left lane.
24

Merge onto I 10

6.5 mi · 7 min · San Bernardino Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
25

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 64 Toward Sierra Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
26

Keep slight left at fork

448 ft · 12 sec
Toward Sierra Avenue North Use the left lane.
27

Turn slight left onto Sierra Avenue

1.7 mi · 2 min · Sierra Avenue
Use the left lane.
28

Turn right onto Merrill Avenue

205 ft · 4 sec · Merrill Avenue
29

Arrive at destination

Merrill Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Pomona, CA

32 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

Long Beach, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Pomona, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 32 miles from Carson, 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 26

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.1 and 62.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
1.1 mi into trip | ~2m in

Turn left toward I 110 North: Los Angeles

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward I 110 North: Los Angeles
7
13.5 mi into trip | ~17m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 605 North

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward I 605 North
7
28.6 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit toward I 10 West, I 10 East: Los Angeles, San Bernardino

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 I 10 West, I 10 East: Los Angeles, San B...
7
28.8 mi into trip | ~35m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 10 East: San Bernardino

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 10 East: San Bernardino
8
62.2 mi into trip | ~1h 14m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Sierra Avenue North

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward Sierra Avenue North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$14.71 one way

$29.42 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 22 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $15.16 $30.32
premium $6.18 $15.56 $31.13
diesel $5.61 $14.13 $28.26

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$15

Estimated CO2 emission: 22.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 19.2 0 $6.72 $3.07
Efficient EV 16 0 $5.60 $2.56
EV Truck/SUV 25.6 0 $8.96 $4.10

Gas CO2

22 kg

EV CO2

7 kg (68% 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

Carson, CA

Late night in Carson on Tuesday

Local time

2:27 AM

PDT

Current temp

70°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Fontana, CA

Late night in Fontana on Tuesday

Local time

2:27 AM

PDT

Current temp

69°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

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

1h 17m 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 is 92% highway, meaning you'll spend most of your time on the freeway. The longest continuous stretch on a highway is 23.9 miles on the San Bernardino Freeway. You'll notice a high density of exits and merging traffic as you navigate through urban environments. The highway portion concludes, transitioning to surface streets for the final segment of your trip.

92% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
29 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.9 mi on San Bernardino Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Bernardino Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.1 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 64 miles you will encounter 26 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 1.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 13.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 28.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.

On the drive from Carson, CA to Fontana, CA, road signs begin pointing toward San Bernardino along the way.

San Bernardino

28.6 mi in | ~35m

About the Cities

Arriving in Fontana, CA

Full guide →

Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County in Southern California.

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 17m. Total distance: 64 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 17m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (92%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 23.9 miles on San Bernardino Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Fontana, 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 1.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 13.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 28.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Fontana, 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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