Long Beach to West Puente Valley is 29.8 miles and takes about 42 minutes via the San Gabriel River Freeway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within California's Pacific Coast region, connecting two urban areas. Expect a straightforward drive primarily on major freeways, making it a quick transit between points. It's an easy option if you're looking to cover a small distance without a significant time commitment. Plan this for a weekday if possible to avoid heavier traffic.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
San Gabriel River Freeway
10.9 mi
12m
Long Beach Freeway
8.1 mi
10m
Century Freeway
3.5 mi
4m
Temple Avenue
1.5 mi
3m
East Ocean Boulevard
0.7 mi
2m
Amar Road
0.5 mi
<1m
Shoreline Drive
0.5 mi
<1m
Seaside Freeway
0.5 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
San Gabriel River Freeway
— 10.9 mi, about 12m
Traffic on I-710
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 78 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~4,260 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~619 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
6.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 53 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 West Puente Valley, 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
8.1 mi·10 min·Long Beach Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi·47 sec
Exit 11B; 11AToward I 105 West, I 105 East: El Segundo, NorwalkUse the slight right lane.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi·26 sec
Exit 11AToward I 105 East: NorwalkUse the slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi·50 sec
Toward I 105 EastUse the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto I 105
3.5 mi·4 min·Century Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.7 mi·1 min
Toward I 605 NorthUse the slight left lane.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi·40 sec
Toward I 605 North
14
Merge onto I 605
11 mi·12 min·San Gabriel River Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.3 mi·40 sec
Exit 21Toward Valley Boulevard, El MonteUse the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Continue on Temple Avenue
1.5 mi·3 min·Temple Avenue
17
Turn left onto Puente Avenue
0.3 mi·47 sec·Puente Avenue
Use the left lane.
18
Turn right onto Amar Road
0.5 mi·59 sec·Amar Road
19
Turn left onto Sunkist Avenue
504 ft·26 sec·Sunkist Avenue
Use the left lane.
20
Turn right onto East Blackwood Street
259 ft·16 sec·East Blackwood Street
21
Turn left onto Sandsprings Drive
180 ft·8 sec·Sandsprings Drive
22
Arrive at destination
Sandsprings Drive
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 18
5 decision points cluster between mile 10.5 and 26.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
10.5 mi into trip|~15m in
Take the exit toward I 105 West, I 105 East: El Segundo, Norwalk
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 11B; 11A
Toward I 105 West, I 105 East: El Segundo, Norw...
8
10.9 mi into trip|~16m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 105 East: Norwalk
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 11A
Toward I 105 East: Norwalk
7
11.1 mi into trip|~16m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 105 East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 105 East
7
15 mi into trip|~21m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 605 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 605 North
8
26.9 mi into trip|~36m in
Take the exit toward Valley Boulevard, El Monte
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 21
Toward Valley Boulevard, El Monte
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.61 one way
$13.21 round trip
$5.63/gal25.4 MPG avg10 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$5.81
$6.82
$13.64
premium
$5.98
$7.02
$14.04
diesel
$5.60
$6.57
$13.14
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging
· 0 stops
· 70% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
8.9
0
$3.13
$1.43
Efficient EV
7.5
0
$2.61
$1.19
EV Truck/SUV
11.9
0
$4.17
$1.91
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.
Forecast as of Aug 27, 2026
Origin
Long Beach, CA
Late night
in Long Beach on Saturday
Local time
1:33 AM
PDT
Current temp
93°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
WSW 10 mph16% chanceLive forecast
Extreme Heat Warning
Extreme Heat Warning issued August 27 at 1:46PM PDT until August 28 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego CA
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued August 27 at 1:46PM PDT until August 28 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego CA
Destination
West Puente Valley, CA
Late night
in West Puente Valley on Saturday
Local time
1:33 AM
PDT
Current temp
100°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 5 to 10 mph16% chanceLive forecast
Extreme Heat Warning
Extreme Heat Warning issued August 27 at 1:46PM PDT until August 28 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego CA
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued August 27 at 1:46PM PDT until August 28 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego 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
7 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
42m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route is mostly highway, with 78% of the 29.8 miles on freeways like the San Gabriel River Freeway and Long Beach Freeway. You'll encounter the longest continuous stretch of highway at 10.9 miles on the San Gabriel River Freeway. Around the 21.9-mile mark, you'll transition from freeway driving to surface streets as you approach West Puente Valley. Be prepared for numerous exits and potential merging traffic as you navigate through this urban corridor.
78% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.9 mi on San Gabriel River Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Gabriel River Freeway and Long Beach Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 10.5 miles in.
Driving Effort10/10
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 18 decision points packed into just 29.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 10.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
321 ft11 ft
Total Climb
334 ft
Total Descent
46 ft
Highest Point
321 ft
~29.8 mi in
Elevation Range
309 ft
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 West Puente Valley, CA, road signs point toward Norwalk and El Monte.
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
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 29.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (78%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.9 miles on San Gabriel River 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 West Puente Valley, 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 10.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.1 miles: 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 West Puente Valley, CA before heading back.
