Origin
Santa Ana, CA
Late night in Santa Ana on Sunday
Local time
1:12 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Santa Ana, CA to Santa Fe Springs, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
20.4 mi
33 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning to travel between Santa Ana and Santa Fe Springs, you are looking at a quick 20.4-mile journey that typically takes about 27 minutes. This short trip remains entirely within the Pacific Coast region of California, making it an ideal candidate for a single-day excursion. You will primarily navigate via the Santa Ana Freeway, Pioneer Boulevard, and North Broadway to reach your destination. Budgeting approximately $5 for fuel should cover the entire drive comfortably. Because of the limited distance and travel time, you do not need to worry about overnight accommodations or complicated logistics. It is a straightforward commute that fits easily into a busy schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana Freeway | 15.3 mi | 17m |
| Pioneer Boulevard | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| North Broadway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Adoree Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Telegraph Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Imperial Highway | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Santa Clara Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Santa Ana Freeway
— 15.3 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Santa Ana, CA and Santa Fe Springs, CA.
1
Start on West 1st Street
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
West 1st Street
2
Turn right onto North Broadway
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Turn right onto West Santa Clara Avenue
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
West Santa Clara Avenue
4
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
·
this road
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
5
Merge onto I 5
8.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
6.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 121
Toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on Adoree Street
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
Adoree Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
9
Turn left onto Imperial Highway
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Imperial Highway
Use the straight / left lanes.
10
Turn right onto Pioneer Boulevard
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Pioneer Boulevard
Use the right lane.
11
Turn left onto Telegraph Road
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
Telegraph Road
Use the left lane.
12
Arrive at destination
Telegraph Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 18.2 — 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
|
North Broadway
Turn right onto North Broadway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway
Merge onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
11 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
17.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway
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 121
Toward Norwalk Boulevard, Imperial Highway
6
18.2 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
Pioneer Boulevard
Turn right onto Pioneer Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.69 one way
$9.38 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.83 | $9.66 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.96 | $9.92 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.50 | $9.01 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 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 | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.82 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.86 | $1.31 |
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
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Late night in Santa Fe Springs on Sunday
Local time
1:12 AM
PDT
Current temp
73°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
1 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
27m 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 trip is heavily highway-focused, with 75% of your travel time spent on major thoroughfares. You will experience your longest uninterrupted stretch of driving on the Santa Ana Freeway, which covers 15.3 miles of the route. Expect a functional, interstate-style experience that prioritizes efficiency over scenic winding roads. As you transition from the freeway onto local streets like Pioneer Boulevard and North Broadway, the pace shifts from high-speed transit to standard urban driving. It is a practical, no-nonsense drive designed to move you between these two Southern California points as quickly as possible.
75% 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: 15.3 mi on Santa Ana Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and Pioneer Boulevard. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near North Broadway.
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 9 decision points packed into just 20.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana, CA to Santa Fe Springs, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Imperial Highway along the way.
Imperial Highway
17.3 mi in
|
~21m
About the Cities
Starting in Santa Ana, CA
Full guide →Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, Southern California and is the county seat of that county.
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 27m. Total distance: 20.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 15.3 miles on Santa Ana 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 Santa Fe Springs, 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 (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11 miles (I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Santa Fe Springs, 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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