Origin
Laguna Hills, CA
Morning in Laguna Hills on Sunday
Local time
8:51 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Laguna Hills, CA to Long Beach, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
46m
Distance
32.8 mi
53 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Fair
4 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 54m
10 AM
0h 49m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 54m
8 PM
0h 44m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Laguna Hills, CA
Elijah Cobb
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 32.8-mile drive from Laguna Hills, CA to Long Beach, CA is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 46 minutes. You'll primarily navigate the San Diego Freeway (I-405) and East 7th Street, with about 85% of the journey on highways. Given the short distance and estimated fuel cost of $8, this route is an economical and time-efficient option for getting between these two Pacific Coast locations. It's a practical connection, perfect for a quick transfer or a short excursion without needing an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Freeway | 22.6 mi | 26m |
| East 7th Street | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| I 405 | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| CA 22 | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| East 4th Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| El Toro Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Alamitos Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
San Diego Freeway
— 22.6 mi, about 26m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Laguna Hills, CA and Long Beach, CA.
1
Start on Paseo de Valencia
39 ft
·
3 sec
·
Paseo de Valencia
2
Turn right onto S18
0.4 mi
·
58 sec
·
El Toro Road
Use the right lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
4
Merge onto I 5
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405
11 mi
·
12 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Exit 94A
Toward I 405 North
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405
9.7 mi
·
11 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 405
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
I 405
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit onto CA 22
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
CA 22
Exit 23
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork onto East 7th Street
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
East 7th Street
11
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Rose Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
At end of road, turn right onto East 4th Street
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East 4th Street
13
Turn left onto Alamitos Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Alamitos Avenue
Use the left lane.
14
Turn right onto East Ocean Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
Use the right lane.
15
Arrive at destination
East Ocean Boulevard
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
16 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 32.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.4 miles from Laguna Hills, 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 135 decision points cluster between mile 1.6 and 25.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 5 / San Diego Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5 / San Diego Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
2.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 405 / San Diego Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405 / San Diego Freeway toward I 405 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 94A
Toward I 405 North
6
13.4 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
I 405 / San Diego Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405 / San Diego Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
23.2 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
I 405
Keep slight left at fork onto I 405
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
25.8 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
CA 22
Take the exit onto CA 22 toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 23
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.54 one way
$15.08 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $7.77 | $15.54 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.98 | $15.95 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.24 | $14.48 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.44 | $1.57 |
| Efficient EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.87 | $1.31 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.1 | 0 | $4.59 | $2.10 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Long Beach, CA
Morning in Long Beach on Sunday
Local time
8:51 AM
PDT
Current temp
57°F
Mostly Clear
SSE 5 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
3 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
46m 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 predominantly highway-focused drive, with 85% of the 32.8 miles spent on freeways like the San Diego Freeway (I-405). The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 22.6 miles on the San Diego Freeway, offering a consistent pace. While largely a freeway experience, the route will eventually transition to surface streets like East 7th Street as you approach Long Beach. This shift means the drive's character changes from open highway speeds to a more urban, traffic-influenced feel in the final leg.
85% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.6 mi on San Diego Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Diego Freeway and East 7th Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.6 miles in near I 5 / San Diego Freeway.
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 13 decision points packed into just 32.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 46m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles (I 5 / San Diego Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (I 405 / San Diego Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.4 miles (I 405 / San Diego Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Laguna Hills, CA
Full guide →Laguna Hills is a city in Orange County in Southern California. Very much a bedroom community of upper middle to high class residential homes, the community is safe and well maintained.
Arriving in Long Beach, CA
Full guide →Founded 1888
Long Beach is a large port city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. Long Beach has some nice people-gathering amenities and genuine tourist attractions, such as a world-class aquarium and the Queen Mary floating museum/hotel. Special events are also held in the city like the annual Long Beach Grand Prix (a premier racing event held on city streets) and the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event. When compared to other areas like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and West L.A., Long Beach may not always be at the top of someone's tourist visit to the Los Angeles area, but the city draws its fair share of visitors and has proven it can definitely hold its own.
Top landmarks
- • RMS Queen Mary — retired British ocean liner
- • Terminal Island — island in Los Angeles County, California, United States
- • Aquarium of the Pacific — public aquarium in Long Beach, California
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 46m. Total distance: 32.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
46m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 22.6 miles on San Diego 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 Long Beach, 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 1.6 miles (I 5 / San Diego Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles (I 405 / San Diego Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.4 miles (I 405 / San Diego 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 Long Beach, 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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