Origin
Desert Hot Springs, CA
Morning in Desert Hot Springs on Sunday
Local time
7:47 AM
PDT
Current temp
80°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Desert Hot Springs, CA to San Bernardino, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 7m
Distance
55.4 mi
89 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$13
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 2m
★
6 AM
1h 8m
8 AM
1h 18m
10 AM
1h 11m
12 PM
1h 10m
3 PM
1h 12m
5 PM
1h 18m
8 PM
1h 4m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Desert Hot Springs, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Connecting Desert Hot Springs to San Bernardino is a straightforward 56.4-mile trip that typically takes about 1 hour and 2 minutes to complete. Because this is a short journey, it functions perfectly as a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You will primarily navigate via Pierson Boulevard, 29 Palms Highway, and CA 62, keeping your fuel budget to an estimated $8. Since both the origin and destination are located within the Pacific Coast region, you won’t encounter major geographic transitions. It is a practical, no-nonsense route that gets you between these two California hubs efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway | 38.1 mi | 41m |
| Pierson Boulevard | 5 mi | 9m |
| Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway | 4.4 mi | 4m |
| 29 Palms Highway | 3 mi | 3m |
| South Waterman Avenue | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| East 5th Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East Hospitality Lane | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West 5th Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
— 38.1 mi, about 41m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Desert Hot Springs, CA and San Bernardino, CA.
1
Start on this road
203 ft
·
16 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Pierson Boulevard
5.0 mi
·
9 min
·
Pierson Boulevard
3
Turn left onto CA 62
3.0 mi
·
3 min
·
29 Palms Highway
Use the straight / left lanes.
4
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
36 sec
Toward CA 62
5
Merge onto I 10
4.4 mi
·
4 min
·
Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 10
38 mi
·
41 min
·
Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 73
Toward Waterman Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
8
Turn left onto East Hospitality Lane
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
East Hospitality Lane
Use the left / straight lanes.
9
Turn right onto South Waterman Avenue
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
South Waterman Avenue
10
Turn left onto East 5th Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East 5th Street
11
Arrive at destination
West 5th Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
28 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 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 27.7 miles from Desert Hot Springs, 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 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 51.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Pierson Boulevard
Turn right onto Pierson Boulevard
Navigation decision point
5
5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
CA 62 / 29 Palms Highway
Turn left onto CA 62 / 29 Palms Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
5
8.1 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 62
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward CA 62
5
8.6 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
I 10 / Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway
Merge onto I 10 / Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
51.2 mi into trip
|
~1h in
Take the exit toward Waterman Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 73
Toward Waterman Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$12.73 one way
$25.47 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
19 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $13.12 | $26.24 |
| premium | $6.18 | $13.47 | $26.95 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.23 | $24.46 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$13
Estimated CO2 emission: 19.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 16.6 | 0 | $5.82 | $2.66 |
| Efficient EV | 13.9 | 0 | $4.85 | $2.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 22.2 | 0 | $7.76 | $3.55 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 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.
Destination
San Bernardino, CA
Morning in San Bernardino on Sunday
Local time
7:47 AM
PDT
Current temp
77°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
3 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 7m 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 high-speed interstate cruise, as this route features 0% highway driving. You will spend the entirety of your time navigating local surface streets, meaning the pace remains steady rather than fast. With the longest stretch being 0 miles on Pierson Boulevard, you should prepare for a drive that requires frequent attention to turns and transitions. The personality of this trip is defined by its constant navigation through local corridors. It lacks the monotony of a long-haul interstate, keeping you engaged with the road from start to finish.
Only 8% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 38.1 mi on Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Pierson Boulevard.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 55.4 miles you will encounter 8 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: near the start (Pierson Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 5 miles (CA 62 / 29 Palms Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
About the Cities
Starting in Desert Hot Springs, CA
Full guide →Desert Hot Springs is a town in Riverside County in the California Desert. Most visitors are here to chill in the desert, and relax at one of the many hotel/spas. The naturally hot mineral waters flowing into the soaking pools is heated by the earth's magma and is unusual that it contains no sulfur smell and is tasteless. The hot water table is actually above the cold water table and in some places is so near the surface it leaks out of the earth. Soaking in the naturally hot mineral waters proves therapeutically beneficial to those suffering arthritis, bursitis, muscular fatigue or damage and is generally healing to the body. In some places the wells measure temperatures as high as 140 degrees requiring cooling of the waters before they flow into the soaking pools.
Arriving in San Bernardino, CA
Full guide →Founded 1854
San Bernardino is a city in the Inland Empire in California. It is the site of the first McDonald Brothers Hamburger Stand
Top landmarks
- • San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot — railway station in San Bernardino, the United States of America
- • California Theatre of the Performing Arts — theater and performing arts center in San Bernardino, California
- • San Bernardino County Court House — courthouse in San Bernardino, 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 7m. Total distance: 55.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 7m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (8%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 38.1 miles on Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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: near the start (Pierson Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 5 miles (CA 62 / 29 Palms Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Bernardino, 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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