Origin
Long Beach, CA
Late night in Long Beach on Tuesday
Local time
2:15 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Long Beach, CA to Pasadena, 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
43m
Distance
29 mi
47 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 40m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Pasadena, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to get from Long Beach to Pasadena, this 29-mile trip serves as a straightforward connection between two distinct Pacific Coast hubs. Expect a drive time of roughly 43 minutes, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. With a modest fuel budget of just $7, it is a highly economical route for a quick change of scenery. You will spend the vast majority of your time on major arterial roads, moving efficiently from the coast toward the inland basin. Whether you are heading out for business or a change of pace, the simplicity of this journey allows for maximum flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Freeway | 20.6 mi | 25m |
| South Fremont Avenue | 3.3 mi | 7m |
| Fair Oaks Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| West Valley Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Shoreline Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Seaside Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| East Colorado Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Beach Freeway
— 20.6 mi, about 25m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Long Beach, CA and Pasadena, 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
21 mi
·
25 min
·
Long Beach Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn right onto West Valley Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Valley Boulevard
9
Turn left onto South Fremont Avenue
3.3 mi
·
7 min
·
South Fremont Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
At end of road, turn right onto Columbia Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
Columbia Street
Use the right lane.
11
Turn left onto Fair Oaks Avenue
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Fair Oaks Avenue
12
Turn right onto US 66 HISTORIC
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
·
East Colorado Boulevard
Use the right lane.
13
Turn left onto North Garfield Avenue
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
North Garfield Avenue
Use the left lane.
14
Turn left onto East Holly Street
73 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Holly Street
15
Arrive at destination
East Holly Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 28.8 — 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
26.8 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
Columbia Street
At end of road, turn right onto Columbia Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
28.5 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
US 66 HISTORIC / East Colorado Boulevard
Turn right onto US 66 HISTORIC / East Colorado Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
28.8 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
North Garfield Avenue
Turn left onto North Garfield Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.67 one way
$13.33 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.87 | $13.74 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.05 | $14.10 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.40 | $12.81 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.7 | 0 | $3.04 | $1.39 |
| Efficient EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.54 | $1.16 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.06 | $1.86 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Pasadena, CA
Late night in Pasadena on Tuesday
Local time
2:15 AM
PDT
Current temp
53°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
3 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
43m 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 29-mile journey is heavily highway-focused, with 73% of your time spent on high-speed thoroughfares. You will spend your longest uninterrupted stretch covering 20.6 miles on the Long Beach Freeway, which serves as the backbone of the trip. The transition from the coastal environment into the Pasadena area involves shifting from these fast highway lanes onto local roads like South Fremont Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue. While the initial portion of the drive provides a consistent, steady pace, the final miles require you to navigate the transition into urban street navigation. It is a functional, no-nonsense drive designed for speed rather than leisure.
73% 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: 20.6 mi on Long Beach Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Beach Freeway and South Fremont Avenue. 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
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 29 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.
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 26.8 miles (Columbia Street): 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 Pasadena, CA
Full guide →Founded 1886
Pasadena is one of the oldest cities adjoining Los Angeles and is the main population center of the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California. Known as the City of Roses, Pasadena is most famous for its New Year's Day Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game.
Top landmarks
- • Rose Bowl — football stadium in Pasadena, California, United States
- • Norton Simon Museum — art museum in Pasadena, California
- • Pasadena City Hall — serves as the central location for city government in the City of Pasadena, Cali...
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 43m. Total distance: 29 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (73%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 20.6 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 Pasadena, 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 26.8 miles (Columbia Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Pasadena, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Pasadena, CA
More trips to Pasadena, CA
Explore more options from Long Beach, CA or browse trips ending in Pasadena, CA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.