Origin
Ramona, CA
Late night in Ramona on Tuesday
Local time
3:40 AM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ramona, CA to San Diego, 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
49m
Distance
36.7 mi
59 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 47m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ramona, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to head from Ramona to San Diego, you are in for a straightforward 36.8-mile journey that typically takes about 49 minutes. This trip stays entirely within the Pacific Coast region, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day excursion. You won't need to worry about booking an overnight stay, as the distance is easily manageable in under an hour. Budgeting about $5 for fuel should keep you covered for the entire trip. Since the route avoids high-speed interstate travel, it offers a more grounded, local perspective of the transition from the inland hills toward the coast.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Julian Road | 8.9 mi | 12m |
| Scripps Poway Parkway | 8.7 mi | 12m |
| Cabrillo Freeway | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Escondido Freeway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| Cabrillo Parkway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| Semper Fi Highway | 2.2 mi | 2m |
| Main Street | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| Broadway | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Julian Road
— 8.9 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ramona, CA and San Diego, CA.
1
Start on this road
68 ft
·
6 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto 10th Street
204 ft
·
11 sec
·
10th Street
3
Turn left onto CA 67
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Main Street
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on CA 67
8.9 mi
·
12 min
·
Julian Road
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn right onto Scripps Poway Parkway
8.7 mi
·
12 min
·
Scripps Poway Parkway
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
Toward I 15 South
Use the left / uturn lanes.
7
Merge onto I 15
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Escondido Freeway
Use the slight left lane.
8
Continue on I 15
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Semper Fi Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
51 sec
Exit 12
Toward CA 163 South
Use the slight right lane.
10
Continue on CA 163
8.2 mi
·
9 min
·
Cabrillo Freeway
Toward CA 163
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on CA 163
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Cabrillo Parkway
12
Continue on CA 163
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Cabrillo Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Continue on CA 163
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
10th Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
14
Turn right onto Broadway
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway
15
Turn left onto Front Street
26 ft
·
0 sec
·
Front Street
Use the left lane.
16
Arrive at destination
Front Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 36.7 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.4 miles from Ramona, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
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 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 36.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
CA 67 / Main Street
Turn left onto CA 67 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
11 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
Scripps Poway Parkway
Turn right onto Scripps Poway Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
19.7 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Turn left toward I 15 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / uturn lanes.
Toward I 15 South
7
24.6 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward CA 163 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 12
Toward CA 163 South
6
36.7 mi into trip
|
~49m in
|
Front Street
Turn left onto Front Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.44 one way
$16.87 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.69 | $17.38 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.93 | $17.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.10 | $16.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11 | 0 | $3.85 | $1.76 |
| Efficient EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.7 | 0 | $5.14 | $2.35 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
San Diego, CA
Late night in San Diego on Tuesday
Local time
3:40 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Partly Cloudy
SE 5 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 3:02AM MST until April 17 at 1:00PM MST by NWS Phoenix AZ
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 2:56AM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard 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
13 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
49m 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, local driving experience rather than a high-speed interstate haul. Your route relies on navigating 10th Street, Main Street, and Julian Road, as the highway share for this trip is zero percent. Because the entire 36.8-mile distance is comprised of surface streets, you will find a consistent, technical pace behind the wheel. There are no long, monotonous stretches here; instead, the character of the road remains active and engaging throughout the 49-minute duration. It is a practical drive that demands your attention to turns rather than cruising at high speeds.
59% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.9 mi on Julian Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near CA 67 / Main Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 36.7 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (CA 67 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (Scripps Poway Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 19.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Ramona, CA
Full guide →Arriving in San Diego, CA
Full guide →Founded 1769
From balmy beaches with a laid-back attitude to a gleaming modern image, San Diego offers much for the tourist to enjoy. Situated on the Southern California seacoast, San Diego is the second largest city in the state, with 1.4 million residents (2020), and has long attracted travelers for its ideal climate, miles of beaches, and location on the Mexican border right across from Tijuana. But there's much more here than surfer culture and a quick hop across the border. A rich maritime and military heritage lives on in San Diego, which is home to the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy. The city has also become known for its part in the wildlife conservation movement, owing to the presence of the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Natural scenery abounds from rocky tidepools and seaside cliffs to desert hills and canyons inland.
Top landmarks
- • Balboa Park — historic park in San Diego, California
- • Cabrillo National Monument — National Monument of the United States and historic district
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 49m. Total distance: 36.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
49m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (59%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.9 miles on Julian Road. 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 San Diego, 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 0.1 miles (CA 67 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (Scripps Poway Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 19.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Cabrillo National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Diego, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. 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 San Diego, CA
More from Ramona, CA
More trips to San Diego, CA
Explore more options from Ramona, CA or browse trips ending in San Diego, CA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.