Origin
Russ, CA
Late night in Russ on Tuesday
Local time
2:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Russ, CA to Santa Clarita, 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
25m
Distance
17 mi
27 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Russ, CA
Спиридон Варфаламеев
Santa Clarita, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 17-mile drive from Russ, CA to Santa Clarita, CA takes about 25 minutes and is perfect for a single day trip. You'll primarily be on the Antelope Valley Freeway, Soledad Canyon Road, and Newhall Avenue. With a fuel cost estimated at $4, this is a very budget-friendly excursion. The mixed drive profile means you'll experience a bit of everything, making it an engaging, albeit brief, journey. Since it’s so short, you won't need to worry about overnight stops, allowing for maximum flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Antelope Valley Freeway | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Soledad Canyon Road | 5 mi | 7m |
| Newhall Avenue | 2.1 mi | 4m |
| Orchard Village Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Lyons Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| 16th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Antelope Valley Freeway
— 8.2 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Russ, CA and Santa Clarita, CA.
1
Start on Soledad Canyon Road
5.0 mi
·
7 min
·
Soledad Canyon Road
2
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward CA 14 South: Los Angeles
3
Merge onto CA 14
8.2 mi
·
9 min
·
Antelope Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 2
Toward Newhall Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Turn right onto Newhall Avenue
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Newhall Avenue
Use the right lane.
6
Enter roundabout onto Newhall Avenue
164 ft
·
4 sec
·
Newhall Avenue
7
Continue on Newhall Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Newhall Avenue
8
Turn left onto Lyons Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Lyons Avenue
Use the left lane.
9
Turn right onto Orchard Village Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Orchard Village Road
Use the right lane.
10
Turn right onto 16th Street
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
16th Street
11
Turn left onto Newhall Avenue
451 ft
·
19 sec
·
Newhall Avenue
12
Arrive at destination
Newhall Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 5 and 15.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Turn left toward CA 14 South: Los Angeles
Navigation decision point
Toward CA 14 South: Los Angeles
5
5.2 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
CA 14 / Antelope Valley Freeway
Merge onto CA 14 / Antelope Valley Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.3 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward Newhall Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 2
Toward Newhall Avenue
5
13.6 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
Newhall Avenue
Turn right onto Newhall Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
15.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
Newhall Avenue
Enter roundabout onto Newhall Avenue
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.91 one way
$7.81 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.03 | $8.05 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.13 | $8.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.75 | $7.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.49 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.38 | $1.09 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Santa Clarita, CA
Late night in Santa Clarita on Tuesday
Local time
2:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
78°F
Sunny
SW 10 to 15 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Lake Wind Advisory
Lake Wind Advisory issued April 20 at 10:55AM PDT until April 20 at 10:00PM PDT by NWS Reno NV
Winter Storm Watch
The Winter Storm Watch has been replaced. Please see the latest information from NWS Reno NV on this developing situatio...
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
14 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
25m 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 mixed drive on this route, with 48% of it being highway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you’ll encounter is 8.2 miles along the Antelope Valley Freeway. This section offers a taste of freeway travel before transitioning to local roads like Soledad Canyon Road and Newhall Avenue. The road's personality shifts from open freeway to more community-focused streets as you approach Santa Clarita. It’s a drive that keeps you engaged without demanding constant attention, offering a varied driving experience.
48% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.2 mi on Antelope Valley Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
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 5 miles in.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 17 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 5 miles: Navigation decision point; at 5.2 miles (CA 14 / Antelope Valley Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Santa Clarita, CA
Full guide →Founded 1987
Santa Clarita is the third largest city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, with a population of 229,000 in 2020. It is generally considered to be a suburb of Greater Los Angeles. It consists of the neighborhoods of Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia. It is part of the Santa Clarita Valley, which also includes the unincorporated "satellite communities" of Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Val Verde, and Agua Dulce.
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 25m. Total distance: 17 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (48%). 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 8.2 miles on Antelope Valley Freeway. 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 5 miles: Navigation decision point; at 5.2 miles (CA 14 / Antelope Valley Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. 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 Santa Clarita, 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.
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