Origin
La Mesa, CA
Late night in La Mesa on Sunday
Local time
1:00 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from La Mesa, CA to San Diego, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
14m
Distance
10.2 mi
16 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 13m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 17m
10 AM
0h 15m
12 PM
0h 15m
3 PM
0h 15m
5 PM
0h 17m
8 PM
0h 14m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
La Mesa, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are traveling from La Mesa to San Diego, you are looking at a quick 12.8-mile journey that typically takes about 17 minutes. Since this is a short local trip within the Pacific Coast region, you can easily complete it in a single day without needing an overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via University Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, and CA 94 West. With a fuel budget of just $2, this is an incredibly economical route to manage. It serves as a straightforward connection between these two California locations, making it a practical choice for commuters or short-term travelers.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Junior Freeway | 6.8 mi | 7m |
| University Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Broadway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Massachusetts Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| 16th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Front Street | <0.1 mi | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
— 6.8 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between La Mesa, CA and San Diego, CA.
1
Start on this road
37 ft
·
4 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto University Avenue
77 ft
·
7 sec
·
University Avenue
3
Turn left onto University Avenue
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
University Avenue
4
Turn left onto Massachusetts Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Massachusetts Avenue
Use the left / uturn lanes.
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward CA 94 West: Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Use the right lane.
6
Merge onto CA 94
6.8 mi
·
7 min
·
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn right onto 16th Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
16th Street
Use the right lane.
8
Turn left onto Broadway
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway
Use the left lane.
9
Turn left onto Front Street
26 ft
·
0 sec
·
Front Street
Use the left lane.
10
Arrive at destination
Front Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 10.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
University Avenue
Turn right onto University Avenue
Navigation decision point
6
2.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward CA 94 West: Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward CA 94 West: Martin Luther King Junior Fr...
6
9.2 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
16th Street
Turn right onto 16th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
9.3 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
Broadway
Turn left onto Broadway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
10.2 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
Front Street
Turn left onto Front Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.34 one way
$4.69 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.42 | $4.83 |
| premium | $6.18 | $2.48 | $4.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.25 | $4.50 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.07 | $0.49 |
| Efficient EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.89 | $0.41 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.43 | $0.65 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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 Diego, CA
Late night in San Diego on Sunday
Local time
1:00 AM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Partly Sunny
SW 10 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Lake Wind Advisory
Lake Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 2:48PM PDT until April 16 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 2:48PM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford 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
4 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
14m 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 as you make your way toward the coast. This route consists entirely of local roads, meaning you will have zero highway miles to cover during the 12.8-mile trip. Because the journey is relatively brief, there is no significant longest stretch of road to manage, and the driving experience remains consistent throughout. You should prepare for frequent navigation through local intersections rather than the monotony of an interstate. The character of the drive is defined by its constant turns, so stay alert as you transition between the local avenues and the CA 94 West corridor.
66% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.8 mi on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway and University Avenue. 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 University Avenue.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 10.2 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 (University Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 9.2 miles (16th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in La Mesa, CA
Full guide →La Mesa is a city in San Diego County in Southern California.
Arriving in San Diego, CA
Full guide →Founded 1769
From balmy beaches with a laid-back attitude to a gleaming modern image, San Diego offers much for the tourist to enjoy. Situated on the Southern California seacoast, San Diego is the second largest city in the state, with 1.4 million residents (2020), and has long attracted travelers for its ideal climate, miles of beaches, and location on the Mexican border right across from Tijuana. But there's much more here than surfer culture and a quick hop across the border. A rich maritime and military heritage lives on in San Diego, which is home to the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy. The city has also become known for its part in the wildlife conservation movement, owing to the presence of the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Natural scenery abounds from rocky tidepools and seaside cliffs to desert hills and canyons inland.
Top landmarks
- • Balboa Park — historic park in San Diego, California
- • Cabrillo National Monument — National Monument of the United States and historic district
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 14m. Total distance: 10.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (66%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.8 miles on Martin Luther King Junior 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 San Diego, 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: near the start (University Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 9.2 miles (16th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Cabrillo National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Diego, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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