Origin
Long Beach, CA
Afternoon in Long Beach on Saturday
Local time
2:51 PM
PDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Long Beach, CA to Monte Rio, 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
8h 59m
Distance
470.7 mi
758 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$107
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
8h 51m
★
6 AM
8h 59m
8 AM
9h 16m
10 AM
9h 5m
12 PM
9h 3m
3 PM
9h 6m
5 PM
9h 15m
8 PM
8h 55m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Monte Rio, CA
Jonathan Borba
Trip Overview
Long Beach to Monte Rio is 470.7 miles and takes about 8h 59m via Westside Freeway and I 5 Truck, with a fuel budget near $107 and enough daylight to finish in a day, though it's best as a 2-day trip. This drive takes you from the Pacific Coast region of Southern California up to the Pacific Coast region of Northern California. Given the duration, it's a route best enjoyed with an overnight stop, allowing you to break up the 8h 59m estimated driving time. It's a predominantly highway route, so expect consistent speeds for much of the way.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
235.3 miles from Long Beach, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 23m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Westside Freeway | 225.6 mi | 4h 1m |
| San Diego Freeway | 40.8 mi | 47m |
| I 5 Truck | 39.3 mi | 45m |
| Redwood Highway | 29.7 mi | 34m |
| Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway | 29.6 mi | 34m |
| Golden State Freeway | 22.3 mi | 25m |
| William Elton Brown Freeway | 17 mi | 18m |
| MacArthur Freeway | 16.7 mi | 19m |
Longest stretch:
Westside Freeway
— 225.6 mi, about 4h 1m
Traffic on I-5
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 89 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~1,926 veh/hr typical · worst 2,652
Quietest
2 AM
~360 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
5.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 44 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Long Beach, CA and Monte Rio, 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
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Long Beach Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
Toward I 405 North, I 405 South: Santa Monica, San Diego
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 405 North, I 710: Long Beach Freeway North, Santa Monica
Use the straight lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Use the sharp right lane.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Use the straight lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I 405 North
Use the straight lane.
13
Merge onto I 405
41 mi
·
47 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Merge onto I 5 Truck
1.6 mi
·
1 min
·
I 5 Truck
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
I 5 Truck
Exit 161A
Toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5 Truck
36 mi
·
41 min
·
I 5 Truck
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
22 mi
·
25 min
·
Golden State Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
226 mi
·
4 hr 1 min
·
Westside Freeway
Toward I 5 North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
16 mi
·
17 min
·
William Elton Brown Freeway
Toward I 580 West: Tracy, San Francisco
20
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 Bypass
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
William Elton Brown Freeway
21
Merge onto I 580
18 mi
·
20 min
·
Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
8.3 mi
·
9 min
·
MacArthur Freeway
Toward I 580: Oakland, San Francisco
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
24
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
8.3 mi
·
9 min
·
MacArthur Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25
Continue on I 80; I 580
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Eastshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
26
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
13 mi
·
17 min
·
John T. Knox Freeway
Exit 13B
Toward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San Rafael
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
27
Keep slight left at fork
0.7 mi
·
54 sec
Exit 1A
Toward US 101 North: San Rafeal
28
Merge onto US 101
30 mi
·
34 min
·
Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
29
Take the exit onto CA 116
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
CA 116
Exit 481B
Toward CA 116 West: Sebastopol, Downtown Cotati
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
30
Continue on CA 116
7.7 mi
·
11 min
·
Gravenstein Highway
Use the left lane.
31
Continue on CA 116
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Petaluma Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
32
Turn left onto CA 116
435 ft
·
11 sec
·
McKinley Avenue
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
33
Turn right onto CA 116
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
·
North Main Street
34
Turn slight left onto CA 116
0.5 mi
·
48 sec
·
Healdsburg Avenue
35
Continue on CA 116
5.7 mi
·
8 min
·
Gravenstein Highway North
36
Continue on CA 116
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Front Street
37
Continue on CA 116
7.1 mi
·
10 min
·
Pocket Canyon Highway
38
Turn left onto CA 116
4.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Main Street
Use the left lane.
39
Turn left onto Church Street
334 ft
·
9 sec
·
Church Street
40
Continue on Bohemian Highway
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
Bohemian Highway
41
Turn left onto River Boulevard
126 ft
·
5 sec
·
River Boulevard
42
Arrive at destination
River Boulevard
Trip Plan
With an 8h 59m estimated drive time and 470.7 miles, planning for two days is highly recommended to avoid fatigue. Aim to leave Long Beach early in the morning to maximize daylight hours and get ahead of any potential traffic. Your fuel cost is estimated at $107, so ensure you fuel up before embarking and consider topping off whenever you stop for a break, especially before longer stretches. The longest continuous driving segment is 225.6 miles, so plan your overnight stop accordingly, perhaps around the halfway point, to break up the drive comfortably.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This drive is better paced as a 2-day trip.
Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 235.3 miles from Long Beach, CA, or about 4h 23m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 225.6 miles.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 104 miles or 2h 2m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 235.3 miles or 4h 23m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 235.3 miles or 4h 23m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 7h 38m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Monte Rio, CA than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Long Beach, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
+
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Long Beach, CA
Aim for roughly 235 miles and 4.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Monte Rio, CA
Aim for roughly 235 miles and 4.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 104 miles from Long Beach, CA.
This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on Westside Freeway for about 225.6 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
235 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in San Leandro, CAOvernight Options
Night 1
235 mi · about 4.5h in
A practical overnight split lands near San Leandro, CA after about 235 miles or 4.5 hours of driving.
Find hotelsPacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 104 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 235.3 miles from Long Beach, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Westside Freeway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 225.6 miles.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 235 miles or 4.5 hours on the road.
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 325 decision points cluster between mile 4.8 and 400.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
9
4.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 405 North, I 710: Long Beach Freeway North, Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 405 North, I 710: Long Beach Freeway N...
8
4.9 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the sharp right lane.
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
8
5.2 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
9
48.2 mi into trip
|
~59m in
|
I 5 Truck
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 161A
Toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
9
400.3 mi into trip
|
~7h 25m in
|
I 580 / John T. Knox Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 / John T. Knox Freeway toward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San Rafael
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 13B
Toward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San Rafael
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$106.69 one way
$213.37 round trip
$5.76/gal
25.4 MPG avg
165 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $110.37 | $220.75 |
| premium | $6.09 | $112.89 | $225.79 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $100.13 | $200.25 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$107
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$237–$347
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 164.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $49 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 141.2 | 1 | $49.42 | $22.59 |
| Efficient EV | 117.7 | 1 | $41.19 | $18.83 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 188.3 | 2 | $65.90 | $30.12 |
Gas CO2
165 kg
EV CO2
55 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Monte Rio, CA
Afternoon in Monte Rio on Saturday
Local time
2:51 PM
PDT
Current temp
--
Unavailable
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Road read
8h 59m on the road
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
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 mostly highway, with 87% of the total distance on freeways. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 225.6 miles on the Westside Freeway. Expect urban merging and dense exits as you start and navigate through major population centers before transitioning to more open highway cruising. The final portion will likely involve a shift from highway to surface roads as you approach your destination.
87% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
42 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 225.6 mi on Westside Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and San Diego Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 32 significant decision points across 470.7 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Long Beach, CA and Monte Rio, CA, road signs point toward San Francisco, San Rafael and Cotati.
San Francisco
333.7 mi in
|
~6h 9m
|
via I 580
San Rafael
400.3 mi in
|
~7h 25m
|
via I 580
Cotati
443.5 mi in
|
~8h 17m
|
via CA 116
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 Monte Rio, CA
Full guide →Monte Rio is in small town in the Russian River region of Sonoma County in California. This page includes listings for two nearby communities, Duncan Mills and Cazadero.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 225.6 miles on Westside Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — a 2-day pace is more comfortable than one long haul. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 235 miles on day one.
We did not find dedicated rest areas on this route. For a drive this long, plan bathroom and stretch breaks around gas stations, fast-food stops, or small-town downtowns — check the Nearby Places section for options.
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 Monte Rio, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 2 meaningful breaks. Dedicated rest areas are limited, so plan gas or food stops as your bathroom breaks.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Not recommended in a single day. At 9.0 hours each way, a round trip means 18.0 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Monte Rio, CA before the return drive.
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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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