Origin
Upland, CA
Late night in Upland on Tuesday
Local time
3:19 AM
PDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Upland, CA to Santa Ana, 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
43m
Distance
34.3 mi
55 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 40m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 51m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Upland, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Upland, CA to Santa Ana, CA is 34.3 miles and takes about 43m via Orange Freeway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a straightforward, highway-focused journey. Expect a relatively quick trip that’s well-suited for a same-day excursion, with most of your travel on freeways. Consider this route if you need an efficient connection between these two Southern California cities without a lot of detours.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Orange Freeway | 19.4 mi | 22m |
| San Bernardino Freeway | 7 mi | 8m |
| I-10 Metro ExpressLanes | 1.4 mi | 1m |
| North Broadway | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Pomona Freeway | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| North Euclid Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| North Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 9th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Orange Freeway
— 19.4 mi, about 22m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Upland, CA and Santa Ana, CA.
1
Start on North 2nd Avenue
481 ft
·
15 sec
·
North 2nd Avenue
2
Enter roundabout onto 9th Street
19 ft
·
0 sec
·
9th Street
3
Continue on 9th Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
9th Street
4
Turn left onto North Euclid Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Euclid Avenue
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward I 10 West: Los Angeles
6
Merge onto I 10
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
San Bernardino Freeway
7
Take the exit
281 ft
·
6 sec
8
Merge onto I 10 EXPR
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
I-10 Metro ExpressLanes
9
Merge onto I 10
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
San Bernardino Freeway
11
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
San Bernardino Freeway
12
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
San Bernardino Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
0.8 mi
·
55 sec
·
San Bernardino Freeway
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward CA 57: Santa Ana
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.9 mi
·
2 min
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
16
Merge onto CA 57
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Merge onto CA 60; CA 57
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Pomona Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57
405 ft
·
5 sec
·
Orange Freeway
Toward CA 57 South, CA 60 Alt West: Santa Ana, Brea Canyon Road
Use the slight right lane.
19
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 57
0.8 mi
·
56 sec
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57
14 mi
·
16 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22
Keep slight left at fork
1.1 mi
·
1 min
Exit 1A
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Use the straight lane.
23
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
Toward Main Street North, Broadway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
24
Turn straight onto North Broadway
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
Use the left lane.
25
Turn left onto West 5th Street
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
West 5th Street
Use the left lane.
26
Turn right onto North Main Street
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Main Street
Use the right lane.
27
Turn right onto West 1st Street
52 ft
·
1 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the right lane.
28
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 255 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 32.3 — 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
|
9th Street
Enter roundabout onto 9th Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
7
9.7 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
8
14.8 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
CA 57 / Orange Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 57 / Orange Freeway toward CA 57 South, CA 60 Alt West: Santa Ana, Brea Canyon Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward CA 57 South, CA 60 Alt West: Santa Ana,...
8
31.3 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Exit 1A
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
8
32.3 mi into trip
|
~39m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Main Street North, Broadway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Main Street North, Broadway
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.88 one way
$15.77 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.12 | $16.25 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.34 | $16.68 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.57 | $15.15 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 12 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.3 | 0 | $3.60 | $1.65 |
| Efficient EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.00 | $1.37 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.7 | 0 | $4.80 | $2.20 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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 Ana, CA
Late night in Santa Ana on Tuesday
Local time
3:19 AM
PDT
Current temp
55°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
14 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
43m 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 is a highway-focused drive, with 85% of the route utilizing major freeways. You'll experience a predominantly fast-paced journey, with the longest uninterrupted stretch covering 19.4 miles on the Orange Freeway. The drive progresses by transitioning between the San Bernardino Freeway and the Orange Freeway, maintaining a consistent highway character throughout. Prepare for a drive that prioritizes efficient travel over scenic exploration, keeping you moving steadily towards your destination.
85% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.4 mi on Orange Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Orange Freeway and San Bernardino Freeway. 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 9th Street.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 25 decision points packed into just 34.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (9th Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 9.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.8 miles (CA 57 / Orange Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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.
Between Upland, CA and Santa Ana, CA, road signs point toward Main Street North and Broadway.
Main Street North
32.3 mi in
|
~39m
Broadway
32.3 mi in
|
~39m
About the Cities
Starting in Upland, CA
Full guide →Upland is a city in San Bernardino County on the edge of the Inland Empire in Southern California. Formally incorporated in 1906, Upland has a long, rich history in agriculture and included a segment of Route 66. Upland and the region used to be home to thousands of acres of citrus groves; today, however, the city is home to many quiet residential neighborhoods and is a gateway to recreational opportunities in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Top landmarks
- • Madonna of the Trail — series of 12 monuments dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women in the United St...
- • Old Carnegie Library — library building in Upland, California, United States
Arriving in Santa Ana, CA
Full guide →Founded 1869
Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, Southern California and is the county seat of that county.
Top landmarks
- • Yost Theater — historic movie theater and hotel building in Santa Ana, California, later used b...
- • Santa Ana Fire Station Headquarters No. 1 — fire station in Santa Ana, United States of America
- • Rankin's — historic building in Santa Ana, California, United States
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 43m. Total distance: 34.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 19.4 miles on Orange 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 Ana, 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 (9th Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 9.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.8 miles (CA 57 / Orange Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Santa Ana, 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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