Origin
Los Alamitos, CA
Evening in Los Alamitos on Saturday
Local time
6:26 PM
PDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Los Alamitos, CA to Long Beach, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
18m
Distance
8.5 mi
14 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 17m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 22m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 20m
5 PM
0h 22m
8 PM
0h 18m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Los Alamitos, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transit between Los Alamitos and Long Beach, this 8.5-mile trip is an incredibly efficient local drive. You can expect to spend about 18 minutes on the road, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day journey that requires no overnight stops. Because the route stays entirely within the Pacific Coast region of California, you won't experience any major shifts in geography. With a fuel budget of just $2, it is a very economical way to get across town. This is a straightforward, utilitarian commute rather than a leisurely getaway, so keep your expectations focused on speed and convenience.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Willow Street | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| Pacific Coast Highway | 2 mi | 4m |
| Alamitos Avenue | 1.5 mi | 4m |
| East Los Coyotes Diagonal | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| West Katella Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Orange Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Willow Street
— 2.3 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Los Alamitos, CA and Long Beach, CA.
1
Start on West Katella Avenue
177 ft
·
5 sec
·
West Katella Avenue
2
Continue on West Katella Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Katella Avenue
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on East Willow Street
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
East Willow Street
4
Turn left onto East Los Coyotes Diagonal
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Los Coyotes Diagonal
Use the left lane.
5
Enter roundabout onto CA 1
327 ft
·
7 sec
·
Pacific Coast Highway
6
Continue on CA 1
1.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Pacific Coast Highway
7
Turn left onto Orange Avenue
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Orange Avenue
8
Continue on Alamitos Avenue
1.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Alamitos Avenue
9
Turn right onto East Ocean Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
Use the right lane.
10
Arrive at destination
East Ocean Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 3 and 8.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
East Los Coyotes Diagonal
Turn left onto East Los Coyotes Diagonal
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
CA 1 / Pacific Coast Highway
Enter roundabout onto CA 1 / Pacific Coast Highway
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
4
6.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
Orange Avenue
Turn left onto Orange Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
8.1 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
East Ocean Boulevard
Turn right onto East Ocean Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.93 one way
$3.85 round trip
$5.76/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $1.99 | $3.99 |
| premium | $6.09 | $2.04 | $4.08 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $1.81 | $3.62 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.89 | $0.41 |
| Efficient EV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.74 | $0.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.19 | $0.54 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% 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
Evening in Long Beach on Saturday
Local time
6:26 PM
PDT
Current temp
65°F
Chance Rain Showers
WSW 15 mph
49% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 25 at 1:57PM PDT until April 26 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Las Vegas NV
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 25 at 12:10PM PDT until April 26 at 11:00AM 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
8 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
18m 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 turn-heavy experience as you navigate this local route, as it contains zero highway driving. You will spend your time navigating via East Willow Street, the Pacific Coast Highway, and Alamitos Avenue. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is a brief 2.3-mile segment on East Willow Street. Because the entire 8.5-mile journey is conducted on local roads, you will need to remain alert for frequent turns and intersections. It lacks the monotony of interstate travel, offering instead a constant flow of urban transit that requires your full attention behind the wheel.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.3 mi on East Willow Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 3 miles in near East Los Coyotes Diagonal.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 18m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3 miles (East Los Coyotes Diagonal): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (CA 1 / Pacific Coast Highway): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 6.4 miles (Orange Avenue): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Starting in Los Alamitos, CA
Full guide →Los Alamitos is a city of 11,000 people (2019) in Orange County in Southern California.
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 18m. Total distance: 8.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
18m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 2.3 miles on East Willow Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 3 miles (East Los Coyotes Diagonal): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (CA 1 / Pacific Coast Highway): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 6.4 miles (Orange Avenue): Navigation decision point.
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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