Origin
Huntington Beach, CA
Morning in Huntington Beach on Sunday
Local time
7:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Huntington Beach, CA to Los Angeles, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
50m
Distance
36.7 mi
59 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 51m
8 AM
0h 59m
10 AM
0h 54m
12 PM
0h 53m
3 PM
0h 54m
5 PM
0h 59m
8 PM
0h 48m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Huntington Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Los Angeles, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
Transitioning from the surf-centric shores of Huntington Beach to the urban core of Los Angeles is a quick, 36.7-mile journey that typically takes about 50 minutes. Because the distance is so short, this trip is perfectly suited as a simple one-day excursion, meaning you won't need to worry about overnight lodging. You can expect to spend roughly $5 on fuel for the entire leg, making this an incredibly budget-friendly commute between these two Pacific Coast locales. While the drive is straightforward, your experience will largely depend on the flow of traffic across the metropolitan area. It is a practical, no-nonsense route that connects the coastal lifestyle directly to the heart of the city.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana Freeway | 11.8 mi | 14m |
| San Gabriel River Freeway | 10.2 mi | 11m |
| Pacific Coast Highway | 7.9 mi | 11m |
| Seal Beach Boulevard | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| San Diego Freeway | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| North Los Angeles Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 6th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Arcadia Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Santa Ana Freeway
— 11.8 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Huntington Beach, CA and Los Angeles, CA.
1
Start on this road
60 ft
·
5 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left
145 ft
·
12 sec
3
Turn right onto Orange Avenue
469 ft
·
20 sec
·
Orange Avenue
4
Turn left onto 6th Street
0.2 mi
·
50 sec
·
6th Street
5
Turn right onto CA 1
7.9 mi
·
11 min
·
Pacific Coast Highway
6
Turn right onto Seal Beach Boulevard
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Seal Beach Boulevard
Use the right lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 405 North, CA 22 West: Long Beach, San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Merge onto I 405; CA 22
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
9
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 24
Toward I 605 North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Merge onto I 605
10 mi
·
11 min
·
San Gabriel River Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward I 5 North, I 5 South: Los Angeles, Santa Ana
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward I 5 North, I 5 South: Los Angeles, Santa Ana
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward I 5 North: Santa Ana Freeway, Los Angeles
14
Merge onto I 5
8.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
Exit 2B
Toward Alameda Street, Union Station
Use the slight right lane.
17
Continue on I 10 EXPR
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
East Arcadia Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
18
Turn left onto North Los Angeles Street
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
North Los Angeles Street
19
Turn right onto East 1st Street
461 ft
·
17 sec
·
East 1st Street
20
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 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 36.7 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.3 miles from Huntington Beach, 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 185 decision points cluster between mile 11.1 and 35.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
11.1 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the ramp toward I 405 North, CA 22 West: Long Beach, San Diego Freeway
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward I 405 North, CA 22 West: Long Beach, San...
7
12.4 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward I 605 North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 24
Toward I 605 North
7
23.1 mi into trip
|
~32m in
Take the exit toward I 5 North, I 5 South: Los Angeles, Santa Ana
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 5 North, I 5 South: Los Angeles, Santa...
8
23.4 mi into trip
|
~32m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 North, I 5 South: Los Angeles, Santa Ana
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 5 North, I 5 South: Los Angeles, Santa...
8
35.9 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Take the exit toward Alameda Street, Union Station
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 2B
Toward Alameda Street, Union Station
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.44 one way
$16.87 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.69 | $17.38 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.93 | $17.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.10 | $16.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11 | 0 | $3.85 | $1.76 |
| Efficient EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.7 | 0 | $5.14 | $2.35 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Los Angeles, CA
Morning in Los Angeles on Sunday
Local time
7:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
84°F
Sunny
S 5 to 10 mph
0% chance
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
13 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
50m 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 is heavily focused on highway travel, with 63% of your time spent navigating major thoroughfares. You will rely on a combination of the Pacific Coast Highway, the San Gabriel River Freeway, and the Santa Ana Freeway to complete the trip. Behind the wheel, expect a transition from local coastal roads to high-speed interstate driving. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is an 11.8-mile segment along the Santa Ana Freeway, which serves as the primary artery for your journey. Overall, the experience is efficient and functional, prioritizing speed and connectivity over winding, scenic detours.
63% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.8 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 11.1 miles in.
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 18 decision points packed into just 36.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 50m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 11.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.
On the drive from Huntington Beach, CA to Los Angeles, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Santa Ana along the way.
Santa Ana
23.1 mi in
|
~32m
About the Cities
Starting in Huntington Beach, CA
Full guide →Huntington Beach is in Orange County in Southern California. Huntington Beach is world-famous as "Surf City", from the 1960s Jan and Dean surf rock song of the same name, and much of surfing culture started and continues to evolve there, from surfing styles to surfing apparel companies that started there.
Top landmarks
- • Huntington Beach Municipal Pier
- • International Surfing Museum — museum in California
Arriving in Los Angeles, CA
Full guide →“Tinseltown” · Founded 1781
Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have quipped, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles," a quote that has since been repeated both by those who love and hate L.A. The "City of Angels" is home to people who hail from all parts of the globe and an important center of culture, business, media, and international trade. However, it's most famous for being a major center of the world's television, motion picture, and music industry, which forms the base of the city's status and lures visitors for its show business history and celebrity culture. Visitors are also drawn to Los Angeles for its Mediterranean climate and numerous beaches, which gave birth to California's famed surf culture.
Top landmarks
- • Hollywood Walk of Fame — more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks...
- • Hollywood Sign — sign reading "HOLLYWOOD" located in Los Angeles, California, United States
- • Getty Center — campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust in Los Angeles
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 50m. Total distance: 36.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
50m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (63%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.8 miles on Santa Ana 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 Los Angeles, 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 11.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 Los Angeles, 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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