Origin
Long Beach, CA
Late night in Long Beach on Tuesday
Local time
3:59 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Long Beach, CA to Glendale, 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
41m
Distance
32 mi
51 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Glendale, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Long Beach, CA to Glendale, CA is 32 miles and takes about 41m via the Long Beach Freeway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward, highway-focused drive connecting two points within the Pacific Coast region of California. You'll be spending most of your time on major freeways, making it an efficient option for getting between these Los Angeles County cities. Given its short distance and familiar road types, this trip is best suited for a single-day journey. Consider this route when you need a quick, no-fuss transit between these Southern California locales.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Freeway | 16.1 mi | 19m |
| Golden State Freeway | 9.7 mi | 11m |
| Santa Ana Freeway | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| West Colorado Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Colorado Street Freeway Extension | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Shoreline Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Seaside Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Beach Freeway
— 16.1 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Long Beach, CA and Glendale, CA.
1
Start on East Ocean Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
2
Turn right onto North Golden Avenue
414 ft
·
6 sec
·
North Golden Avenue
3
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 710 North
4
Merge onto Shoreline Drive
0.5 mi
·
47 sec
·
Shoreline Drive
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 710 North
6
Merge onto I 710
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
Seaside Freeway
7
Continue on I 710
16 mi
·
19 min
·
Long Beach Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
Use the slight left lane.
9
Merge onto I 5
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
9.7 mi
·
11 min
·
Golden State Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 142
Toward Colorado Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on Colorado Street Freeway Extension
0.6 mi
·
37 sec
·
Colorado Street Freeway Extension
Toward Colorado Street, South Pacific Avenue, San Fernando Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn slight right onto West Colorado Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Colorado Street
Use the right lane.
14
Turn right onto South Brand Boulevard
31 ft
·
1 sec
·
South Brand Boulevard
15
Arrive at destination
South Brand Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 30.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 710 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 710 North
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 710 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 710 North
6
18.5 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
6
20.8 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
I 5 / Golden State Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 / Golden State Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
30.5 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Take the exit toward Colorado Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 142
Toward Colorado Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.35 one way
$14.71 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $7.58 | $15.16 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.78 | $15.56 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.07 | $14.13 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.2 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 | 9.6 | 0 | $3.36 | $1.54 |
| Efficient EV | 8 | 0 | $2.80 | $1.28 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.8 | 0 | $4.48 | $2.05 |
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
Glendale, CA
Late night in Glendale on Tuesday
Local time
3:59 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°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
2 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
41m 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 overwhelmingly a highway-focused experience, with 90% of the route utilizing major freeways. You'll navigate primarily on the Long Beach Freeway, Golden State Freeway, and Santa Ana Freeway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 16.1 miles on the Long Beach Freeway, offering a consistent pace. Expect a steady flow of traffic typical of Southern California commutes, with minimal detours onto local roads. The character of the drive remains largely consistent, dominated by the multi-lane infrastructure of the freeway system.
90% 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: 16.1 mi on Long Beach Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Beach Freeway and Golden State Freeway. 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
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 12 decision points packed into just 32 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 18.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting 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
Arriving in Glendale, CA
Full guide →Founded 1884
Glendale is a suburban city of 205,000 people (2019) in the southeastern corner of the San Fernando Valley of Southern California between Burbank and Downtown Los Angeles. Glendale has one of the largest communities of Armenian descent in the United States. In addition to central Glendale, this article covers the Crescenta Valley communities of La Crescenta, Montrose, Verdugo City, and the part of Glendale in the Crescenta Valley.
Top landmarks
- • Forest Lawn Memorial Park — cemetery in Glendale, California
- • Glendale Transportation Center — railway station
- • Grand Central Airport — airport in Glendale, 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 41m. Total distance: 32 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (90%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.1 miles on Long Beach 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 Glendale, 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: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 18.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. 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 Glendale, 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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