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Trip from Dana Point, 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

38m

Distance

27.8 mi

45 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Fair

4 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 35m ★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m

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 Orange County, California, United States

Dana Point, CA

Wikimedia Commons

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

Santa Ana, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This straightforward 28-mile drive from Dana Point to Santa Ana, California, will take you about 32 minutes to complete. It's a local route that stays entirely within the Pacific Coast region, making it a perfect candidate for a day trip. You'll primarily navigate using Del Prado Avenue, Pacific Coast Highway, and Del Obispo Street. With a fuel cost estimated at $6, this is an economical and quick journey. Given its short duration and local road nature, no overnight stay is necessary.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
San Diego Freeway 11.9 mi 13m
I 5 Truck 7.6 mi 8m
El Camino Real 2.2 mi 4m
East 1st Street 1.4 mi 2m
Santa Ana Freeway 1 mi 1m
Del Obispo Street 0.8 mi 1m
Stonehill Drive 0.6 mi 1m
Pacific Coast Highway 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: San Diego Freeway — 11.9 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Dana Point, CA and Santa Ana, CA.

1

Start on Golden Lantern Street

0.1 mi · 17 sec · Golden Lantern Street
2

Turn left onto Del Prado Avenue

0.2 mi · 33 sec · Del Prado Avenue
3

Turn right onto PCH

0.4 mi · 54 sec · Pacific Coast Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
4

Turn left onto Del Obispo Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · Del Obispo Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
5

Turn right onto Stonehill Drive

0.6 mi · 1 min · Stonehill Drive
6

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 53 sec
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
7

Merge onto I 5

4.5 mi · 5 min · San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight left at fork onto I 5

7.4 mi · 8 min · San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck

1.6 mi · 1 min · I 5 Truck
Toward Bake Parkway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck

6.0 mi · 6 min · I 5 Truck
Use the slight right lane.
11

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 16 sec
Exit 100 Toward Jamboree Road Use the slight right lane.
12

Continue on this road

527 ft · 11 sec · this road
13

Turn right onto Jamboree Road

0.1 mi · 18 sec · Jamboree Road
Use the left / right lanes.
14

Turn left onto El Camino Real

2.2 mi · 4 min · El Camino Real
Use the left lane.
15

Turn left onto Newport Avenue

357 ft · 13 sec · Newport Avenue
Use the left lane.
16

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 16 sec
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
17

Merge onto I 5

1.0 mi · 1 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 10 sec
Exit 103C Toward First Street, Fourth Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 14 sec
Toward First Street Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
20

Turn straight onto Mabury Street

288 ft · 9 sec · Mabury Street
Use the straight lane.
21

Turn right onto East 1st Street

1.4 mi · 2 min · East 1st Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
22

Arrive at destination

West 1st Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 14.4 and 26.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
14.4 mi into trip | ~19m in | I 5 Truck

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward Bake Parkway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward Bake Parkway
7
22 mi into trip | ~27m 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
22.4 mi into trip | ~28m in | Jamboree Road

Turn right onto Jamboree Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / right lanes.
8
26 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward First Street, Fourth Street

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 103C Toward First Street, Fourth Street
8
26.2 mi into trip | ~35m in

Keep slight left at fork toward First Street

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward First Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.39 one way

$12.78 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $6.58 $13.17
premium $6.18 $6.76 $13.52
diesel $5.61 $6.14 $12.28

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.3 0 $2.92 $1.33
Efficient EV 7 0 $2.43 $1.11
EV Truck/SUV 11.1 0 $3.89 $1.78

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 21, 2026

Origin

Dana Point, CA

Late night in Dana Point on Tuesday

Local time

3:20 AM

PDT

Current temp

53°F

Mostly Cloudy

N 5 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 20 at 9:53PM PDT until April 22 at 8:00AM PDT by NWS Phoenix AZ

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 20 at 9:39PM PDT until April 22 at 7:00AM PDT by NWS San Diego CA

Destination

Santa Ana, CA

Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday

Local time

3:20 AM

PDT

Current temp

54°F

Mostly Cloudy

SW 0 to 5 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 20 at 9:53PM PDT until April 22 at 8:00AM PDT by NWS Phoenix AZ

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 20 at 9:39PM PDT until April 22 at 7:00AM PDT by NWS San Diego 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

1 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

38m 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?

Expect a 'turn-heavy local drive' for this 28-mile trip, with a 0% highway share. The route is characterized by frequent turns, so keep your attention focused on navigation and traffic. There isn't a 'longest stretch' noted, implying a continuous series of local roads and intersections rather than any long, uninterrupted segments. This drive will feel like a familiar cruise through Southern California towns, with plenty of opportunities to interact with local streets.

74% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.9 mi on San Diego Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Diego Freeway and I 5 Truck. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 14.4 miles in near I 5 Truck.

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 19 decision points packed into just 27.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 14.4 miles (I 5 Truck): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 22 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.4 miles (Jamboree Road): Lane positioning matters here.

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 38m. Total distance: 27.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

38m 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 11.9 miles on San Diego 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 14.4 miles (I 5 Truck): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 22 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.4 miles (Jamboree Road): Lane positioning matters here.

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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