Origin
Fullerton, CA
Late night in Fullerton on Tuesday
Local time
2:15 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fullerton, CA to Riverside, 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
44m
Distance
35.3 mi
57 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fullerton, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Riverside, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Fullerton, CA to Riverside, CA is 35.3 miles and takes about 44m via Riverside Freeway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short trip entirely within California's Pacific Coast region. You'll primarily be on highway, making it a straightforward commute. Given the minimal distance and duration, this route is ideal for a quick trip with plenty of flexibility for when you depart.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside Freeway | 31.6 mi | 36m |
| South Harbor Boulevard | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Magnolia Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Madison Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| West Commonwealth Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Riverside Freeway
— 31.6 mi, about 36m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fullerton, CA and Riverside, CA.
1
Start on West Commonwealth Avenue
312 ft
·
12 sec
·
West Commonwealth Avenue
2
Turn right onto South Harbor Boulevard
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
South Harbor Boulevard
Use the right lane.
3
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward CA 91 East: Riverside Freeway, Anaheim Boulevard, Lemon Street
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
·
this road
Toward CA 91 East
Use the straight / left lanes.
5
Merge onto CA 91
5.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Riverside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 91
26 mi
·
30 min
·
Riverside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
Exit 60
Toward Madison Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn left onto Madison Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Madison Street
Use the left lane.
9
Turn right onto Magnolia Avenue
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Magnolia Avenue
10
Turn right
102 ft
·
8 sec
11
At end of road, turn left
181 ft
·
13 sec
12
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 33.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Harbor Boulevard
Turn right onto South Harbor Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Turn left toward CA 91 East: Riverside Freeway, Anaheim Boulevard, Lemon Street
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward CA 91 East: Riverside Freeway, Anaheim B...
6
7 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
CA 91 / Riverside Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 91 / Riverside Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
33.4 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Take the exit toward Madison Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 60
Toward Madison Street
6
33.6 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
Madison Street
Turn left onto Madison Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.11 one way
$16.23 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.36 | $16.72 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.58 | $17.17 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.79 | $15.59 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.6 | 0 | $3.71 | $1.69 |
| Efficient EV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.09 | $1.41 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.1 | 0 | $4.94 | $2.26 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (67% 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
Riverside, CA
Late night in Riverside on Tuesday
Local time
2:15 AM
PDT
Current temp
70°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
15 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
44m 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 89% highway, with a longest stretch of 31.6 miles on the Riverside Freeway. You'll experience mostly highway driving until the last few miles, where you'll transition to surface streets like Magnolia Avenue. Expect frequent exits and merges characteristic of a busy freeway corridor for most of the trip.
89% 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: 31.6 mi on Riverside Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Riverside Freeway and South Harbor Boulevard. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near South Harbor Boulevard.
Driving Effort
7/10
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 35.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (South Harbor Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7 miles (CA 91 / Riverside Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Fullerton, CA
Full guide →Founded 1887
Fullerton is an inland city in north Orange County in Southern California. Situated just north of Anaheim and its far better-known tourist attractions, Fullerton has a few surprises up her sleeve.
Top landmarks
- • Fox Fullerton Theatre — theater and movie theater in Fullerton, California, United States
- • Fullerton Post Office
- • Hillcrest Park — historic park in Fullerton, California
Arriving in Riverside, CA
Full guide →Founded 1870
Riverside is a city in Riverside County in California. With a population of over 300,000, the city plays host to a diverse cross-section of people and has a rich history. Riverside is approximately 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. It is a center for higher education, with one community college, a large state university, and two private universities. A hub of regional commerce and transportation, it is a city with an intriguing past and a promising future, and is worth a visit.
Top landmarks
- • Mission Inn — hotel in Riverside, California
- • Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside — church building in Riverside, California, USA
- • First Congregational Church of Riverside — church building in Riverside, California, 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 44m. Total distance: 35.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (89%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 31.6 miles on Riverside 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 Riverside, 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 0.1 miles (South Harbor Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7 miles (CA 91 / Riverside Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Riverside, 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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