Origin
Chino Hills, CA
Late night in Chino Hills on Tuesday
Local time
5:18 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Chino Hills, CA to Santa Ana, 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
32m
Distance
23.2 mi
37 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Chino Hills, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Chino Hills, CA to Santa Ana, CA is 23.2 miles and takes about 32 minutes via Orange Freeway, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward trip primarily through Southern California's Pacific Coast region, connecting two points within the same state. Given its brief duration and minimal cost, it's ideal for a quick excursion or a segment of a larger journey. You'll be navigating mostly urban and suburban landscapes, so expect typical traffic patterns for this area. This route is best suited for those looking for efficiency and minimal travel time.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Orange Freeway | 13.3 mi | 15m |
| South Diamond Bar Boulevard | 3.3 mi | 6m |
| Grand Avenue | 3.2 mi | 5m |
| North Broadway | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| North Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West 5th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Brea Canyon Cut Off Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Orange Freeway
— 13.3 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Chino Hills, CA and Santa Ana, CA.
1
Start on this road
397 ft
·
29 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto Grand Avenue
3.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Grand Avenue
3
Turn left onto South Diamond Bar Boulevard
3.3 mi
·
6 min
·
South Diamond Bar Boulevard
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on Brea Canyon Cut Off Road
353 ft
·
15 sec
·
Brea Canyon Cut Off Road
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Use the straight lane.
6
Merge onto CA 57
13 mi
·
15 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork
1.1 mi
·
1 min
Exit 1A
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Use the straight lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
Toward Main Street North, Broadway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto North Broadway
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
Use the left lane.
10
Turn left onto West 5th Street
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
West 5th Street
Use the left lane.
11
Turn right onto North Main Street
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Main Street
Use the right lane.
12
Turn right onto West 1st Street
52 ft
·
1 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the right lane.
13
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 6.6 and 22.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
6.6 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the ramp toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
8
20.2 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Exit 1A
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
8
21.2 mi into trip
|
~29m 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
22.8 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
West 5th Street
Turn left onto West 5th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
22.9 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
North Main Street
Turn right onto North Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.33 one way
$10.66 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.49 | $10.99 |
| premium | $6.18 | $5.64 | $11.28 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.12 | $10.24 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7 | 0 | $2.44 | $1.11 |
| Efficient EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.03 | $0.93 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.3 | 0 | $3.25 | $1.48 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Santa Ana, CA
Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday
Local time
5:18 AM
PDT
Current temp
53°F
Mostly Clear
SE 5 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 5:29AM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 5:29AM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
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
13 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
32m 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 drive presents a mixed bag, with 57% of it being highway driving. You'll spend a good portion of your time on the Orange Freeway, including a continuous stretch of 13.3 miles. The route begins on South Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue, offering a more local feel before merging onto the faster-paced freeway. Expect the road conditions to transition from surface streets to higher-speed highway travel, requiring adjustments to your driving style. The overall feel is one of urban connectivity, moving through developed areas.
57% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.3 mi on Orange Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 6.6 miles in.
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 23.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 6.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 20.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 21.2 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Chino Hills, CA and Santa Ana, CA, road signs point toward Main Street North and Broadway.
Main Street North
21.2 mi in
|
~29m
Broadway
21.2 mi in
|
~29m
About the Cities
Starting in Chino Hills, CA
Full guide →Founded 1991
Chino Hills is a suburb of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County in Southern California.
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 32m. Total distance: 23.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (57%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.3 miles on Orange 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 6.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 20.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 21.2 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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