Origin
San Diego, CA
Morning in San Diego on Tuesday
Local time
8:30 AM
PDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Diego, CA to Spring Valley, 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
15m
Distance
12 mi
19 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 14m
★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 16m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Spring Valley, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition from downtown San Diego to Spring Valley, this 12-mile trek is a straightforward local connection. You can easily complete the entire drive in about 15 minutes, making it a perfect day trip that requires no overnight stops. Budgeting just $2 for fuel makes this one of the most economical trips you can take in the Pacific Coast region. You will navigate via West Broadway, 16th Street, and G Street, keeping you entirely on local roads rather than interstates. Because this route involves zero highway travel, you can expect a steady, manageable pace as you move through the urban landscape. It is an ideal option for travelers seeking a no-fuss, efficient way to reach their destination without the complexity of long-distance planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Junior Freeway | 10 mi | 11m |
| West Broadway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Kenwood Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| 16th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| G Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Helix Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Front Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
— 10 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Diego, CA and Spring Valley, CA.
1
Start on Front Street
26 ft
·
6 sec
·
Front Street
2
Turn left onto West Broadway
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Broadway
3
Turn right onto 16th Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
16th Street
4
Turn left onto G Street
278 ft
·
9 sec
·
G Street
Use the left lane.
5
Continue on CA 94
8.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 94
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 10B
Toward Kenwood Drive, Casa De Oro
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn right onto Kenwood Drive
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
Kenwood Drive
Use the right lane.
9
Turn right onto Helix Street
72 ft
·
3 sec
·
Helix Street
10
Arrive at destination
Helix Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 11.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Broadway
Turn left onto West Broadway
Navigation decision point
6
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
G Street
Turn left onto G Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
9.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
CA 94 / Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 94 / Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
11.2 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward Kenwood Drive, Casa De Oro
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 10B
Toward Kenwood Drive, Casa De Oro
6
11.5 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
Kenwood Drive
Turn right onto Kenwood Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.76 one way
$5.52 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.84 | $5.68 |
| premium | $6.18 | $2.92 | $5.84 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.65 | $5.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.05 | $0.48 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Spring Valley, CA
Morning in Spring Valley on Tuesday
Local time
8:30 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
2 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
15m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention as you navigate city streets. Since the route has a 0% highway share, you won't be dealing with high-speed merging or long, monotonous stretches of asphalt. The character of this 12-mile path is defined by urban maneuvering rather than open-road cruising. You will find that the journey stays consistent from start to finish, requiring you to stay alert at intersections and manage local traffic patterns. It is a practical, functional drive that prioritizes direct access over scenic highway stretches.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10 mi on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway and West Broadway. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West Broadway.
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 12 miles you will encounter 7 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: near the start (West Broadway): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (G Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles (CA 94 / Martin Luther King Junior Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from San Diego, CA to Spring Valley, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Casa De Oro along the way.
Casa De Oro
11.2 mi in
|
~13m
About the Cities
Starting 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 15m. Total distance: 12 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10 miles on Martin Luther King Junior 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: near the start (West Broadway): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (G Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles (CA 94 / Martin Luther King Junior Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 Spring Valley, 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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