Origin
Garden Grove, CA
Afternoon in Garden Grove on Saturday
Local time
4:49 PM
PDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Garden Grove, CA to Santa Ana, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 25, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
11m
Distance
7 mi
11 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 10m
★
6 AM
0h 11m
8 AM
0h 13m
10 AM
0h 12m
12 PM
0h 12m
3 PM
0h 12m
5 PM
0h 13m
8 PM
0h 11m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Garden Grove, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Garden Grove, CA to Santa Ana, CA is 7 miles and takes about 11 minutes via Garden Grove Freeway and North Broadway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Pacific Coast region of California, offering a brief but direct connection between two nearby cities. Given its minimal distance and quick estimated drive time, this route is ideal for local errands or as a connector to longer journeys. You'll find the drive straightforward, with a mix of freeway and surface streets that are common in Southern California. Plan for a very easy commute, with no overnight stays needed.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove Freeway | 3.3 mi | 3m |
| North Broadway | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Century Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Euclid Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West 5th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Taft Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden Grove Freeway
— 3.3 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Garden Grove, CA and Santa Ana, CA.
1
Start on this road
33 ft
·
4 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right
246 ft
·
20 sec
3
Turn right
230 ft
·
22 sec
4
At end of road, turn left onto Taft Street
411 ft
·
13 sec
·
Taft Street
5
Turn left onto Century Boulevard
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
Century Boulevard
6
Turn right onto Euclid Street
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
Euclid Street
Use the right lane.
7
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Toward CA 22 East
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto CA 22
3.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit onto CA 22
0.3 mi
·
20 sec
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Exit 14C
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
17 sec
Exit 14C; 105B
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi
·
32 sec
Toward Broadway, Main Street
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
Toward Main Street North, Broadway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn straight onto North Broadway
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
Use the left lane.
14
Turn left onto West 5th Street
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
West 5th Street
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto North Main Street
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Main Street
Use the right lane.
16
Turn right onto West 1st Street
52 ft
·
1 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the right lane.
17
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 5.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Turn left toward CA 22 East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward CA 22 East
7
4.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway
Take the exit onto CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 14C
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
10
4.4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 14C; 105B
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Broadway, Main Str...
8
4.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Broadway, Main Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Broadway, Main Street
8
5.1 mi into trip
|
~7m 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
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.59 one way
$3.17 round trip
$5.76/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $1.64 | $3.28 |
| premium | $6.09 | $1.68 | $3.36 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $1.49 | $2.98 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.74 | $0.34 |
| Efficient EV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.61 | $0.28 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.8 | 0 | $0.98 | $0.45 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Afternoon in Santa Ana on Saturday
Local time
4:49 PM
PDT
Current temp
75°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
11m 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 trip features a mixed highway and surface road profile, with 47% of the drive on freeways. The longest continuous stretch on a main road is 3.3 miles, occurring on the Garden Grove Freeway. After the freeway portion, you'll transition to surface streets like North Broadway. Expect a blend of faster-paced freeway driving and navigating urban intersections once you exit the highway.
47% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.3 mi on Garden Grove Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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 0.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 15 decision points packed into just 7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 11m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 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 Garden Grove, CA and Santa Ana, CA, road signs point toward Broadway and Main Street North.
Broadway
4.4 mi in
|
~6m
Main Street North
5.1 mi in
|
~7m
About the Cities
Starting in Garden Grove, CA
Full guide →Founded 1874
Garden Grove is a city in Orange 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 11m. Total distance: 7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
11m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (47%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.3 miles on Garden Grove 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 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 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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