Origin
Orange, CA
Late night in Orange on Tuesday
Local time
3:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Orange, CA to Long Beach, 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
34m
Distance
21.2 mi
34 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Orange, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Orange, CA to Long Beach, CA is 21.2 miles and takes about 34 minutes via Garden Grove Freeway and East 7th Street, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a straightforward drive. It's a quick connection between two urban centers, ideal for a same-day excursion or a brief leg of a longer journey. You'll primarily be on freeway before transitioning to city streets for the final approach.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove Freeway | 11.5 mi | 13m |
| East 7th Street | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| CA 22 | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| San Diego Freeway | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| South Glassell Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| East 4th Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Alamitos Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden Grove Freeway
— 11.5 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Orange, CA and Long Beach, CA.
1
Start on Plaza Square
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Plaza Square
2
Continue on South Glassell Street
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
South Glassell Street
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway
Use the right lane.
4
Merge onto CA 22
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on CA 22; I 405
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit onto CA 22
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
CA 22
Exit 23
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto East 7th Street
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
East 7th Street
8
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Rose Avenue
Use the left lane.
9
At end of road, turn right onto East 4th Street
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East 4th Street
10
Turn left onto Alamitos Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Alamitos Avenue
Use the left lane.
11
Turn right onto East Ocean Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
Use the right lane.
12
Arrive at destination
East Ocean Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 19.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway
5
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway
Merge onto CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
14.3 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
CA 22
Take the exit onto CA 22 toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 23
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
6
19.6 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
Rose Avenue
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
19.8 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
East 4th Street
At end of road, turn right onto East 4th Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.87 one way
$9.75 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.02 | $10.04 |
| premium | $6.18 | $5.16 | $10.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.68 | $9.36 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
| Efficient EV | 5.3 | 0 | $1.85 | $0.85 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.97 | $1.36 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Late night in Long Beach on Tuesday
Local time
3:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°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
15 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
34m 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 mostly highway, with 74% of the route on freeways and main roads. You'll encounter an 11.5-mile stretch on the Garden Grove Freeway before transitioning to surface streets. Expect urban merging and dense exits as you approach your destination, characteristic of Southern California's metropolitan areas.
74% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.5 mi on Garden Grove Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden Grove Freeway and East 7th Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 21.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.3 miles (CA 22): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Orange, CA
Full guide →Founded 1869
Orange is a city in Orange County in Southern California.
Top landmarks
- • St. John's Lutheran Church — Historic church in Orange, California
- • Old Towne Orange Historic District — historic district in Orange, California
- • Lewis Ainsworth House — United States historic place in Orange, California, United States
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 34m. Total distance: 21.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (74%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.5 miles on Garden Grove 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 Long Beach, 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 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (CA 22 / Garden Grove Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.3 miles (CA 22): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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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