Origin
Sedco Hills, CA
Morning in Sedco Hills on Sunday
Local time
10:29 AM
PDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sedco Hills, CA to San Diego, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 23m
Distance
72.3 mi
116 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$17
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 17m
★
6 AM
1h 24m
8 AM
1h 37m
10 AM
1h 28m
12 PM
1h 27m
3 PM
1h 29m
5 PM
1h 36m
8 PM
1h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sedco Hills, CA
Anthony Brown
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Sedco Hills to San Diego is 72.3 miles and takes about 1 hour 23 minutes via Avocado Highway, Escondido Freeway, and Temecula Valley Freeway, with a fuel budget near $17 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a straightforward journey. If you're looking for an efficient way to get from point A to point B without much fuss, this highway-focused route is a solid choice. It's designed for getting you to your destination quickly, making it ideal for a quick day trip or a connecting leg of a larger journey.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Avocado Highway | 21.9 mi | 23m |
| Escondido Freeway | 21.1 mi | 23m |
| Temecula Valley Freeway | 8.2 mi | 8m |
| Cabrillo Freeway | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway | 4.5 mi | 5m |
| Cabrillo Parkway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| Semper Fi Highway | 2.2 mi | 2m |
| Mission Trail | 1 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Avocado Highway
— 21.9 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sedco Hills, CA and San Diego, CA.
1
Start on Olive Street
117 ft
·
11 sec
·
Olive Street
2
At end of road, turn left onto Mission Trail
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Mission Trail
3
Turn left onto Bundy Canyon Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Bundy Canyon Road
Use the left lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 15 South: San Diego
5
Merge onto I 15
8.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Temecula Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 15
5.8 mi
·
6 min
·
Escondido Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on I 15
22 mi
·
23 min
·
Avocado Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on I 15
3.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Escondido Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 15
8.7 mi
·
10 min
·
Escondido Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
10
Continue on I 15
4.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on I 15
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Escondido Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on I 15
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Semper Fi Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
51 sec
Exit 12
Toward CA 163 South
Use the slight right lane.
14
Continue on CA 163
8.2 mi
·
9 min
·
Cabrillo Freeway
Toward CA 163
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Continue on CA 163
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Cabrillo Parkway
16
Continue on CA 163
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Cabrillo Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Continue on CA 163
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
10th Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
18
Turn right onto Broadway
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway
19
Turn left onto Front Street
26 ft
·
0 sec
·
Front Street
Use the left lane.
20
Arrive at destination
Front Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
36 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 16 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 36.2 miles from Sedco Hills, 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 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 72.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Mission Trail
At end of road, turn left onto Mission Trail
Navigation decision point
5
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Bundy Canyon Road
Turn left onto Bundy Canyon Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
41.7 mi into trip
|
~47m in
|
I 15 / Escondido Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 15 / Escondido Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
7
60.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 8m 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
72.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 23m in
|
Front Street
Turn left onto Front Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$16.62 one way
$33.24 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
25 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $17.12 | $34.25 |
| premium | $6.18 | $17.58 | $35.17 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $15.96 | $31.93 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$17
Estimated CO2 emission: 25.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $8 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 21.7 | 0 | $7.59 | $3.47 |
| Efficient EV | 18.1 | 0 | $6.33 | $2.89 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 28.9 | 0 | $10.12 | $4.63 |
Gas CO2
25 kg
EV CO2
8 kg (68% 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
Morning in San Diego on Sunday
Local time
10:29 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
6 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
1h 23m 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 highway-focused drive for most of this 72.3-mile trip, with 61% of the route utilizing major freeways. You'll encounter stretches like the 21.9-mile segment on Avocado Highway, offering a consistent pace. The Escondido Freeway and Temecula Valley Freeway will carry you further, maintaining a high-speed character for much of the journey. This route is primarily about efficient travel, minimizing time spent on slower, more winding roads.
61% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 21.9 mi on Avocado Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Avocado Highway and Escondido Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Mission Trail.
Driving Effort
7/10
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 72.3 miles you will encounter 10 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 (Mission Trail): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Bundy Canyon Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 41.7 miles (I 15 / Escondido Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Sedco Hills, 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 1h 23m. Total distance: 72.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (61%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 21.9 miles on Avocado Highway. 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: near the start (Mission Trail): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Bundy Canyon Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 41.7 miles (I 15 / Escondido 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 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.
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