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Trip from Anaheim, CA to Aliso Viejo, CA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

36m

Distance

28.2 mi

45 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 34m ★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

city in Orange County, California, United States

Aliso Viejo, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Anaheim, CA to Aliso Viejo, CA covers 28.2 miles and takes about 36m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Costa Mesa Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6 miles on San Diego Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.48 one way before food or hotel costs.

About the Cities

Starting in Anaheim, CA

Full guide →

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. It is best known for being the home of Disneyland. Its second claim to fame is hosting the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks and Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels.

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 36m. Total distance: 28.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

36m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

The drive from Anaheim, CA to Aliso Viejo, CA covers 28.2 miles and takes about 36m, using a mix of highways and local roads.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 32 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
San Diego Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 5 miles in.

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 27 decision points packed into just 28.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 27 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

7
5 mi into trip | ~8m in

Take the exit toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana

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. Toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana
7
8.8 mi into trip | ~13m in

Take the exit toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 103 Toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach
7
12.9 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the exit toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 6B Toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport
8
19.7 mi into trip | ~25m in

Take the exit toward CA 133 South, CA 133 North: Laguna Beach

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 2 Toward CA 133 South, CA 133 North: Laguna Beach
7
19.8 mi into trip | ~25m in

Keep slight right at fork toward CA 133 South: Laguna Beach

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward CA 133 South: Laguna Beach

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Anaheim, CA and Aliso Viejo, CA, road signs point toward Broadway and Santa Ana.

Broadway

5 mi in | ~8m

Santa Ana

5 mi in | ~8m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
San Diego Freeway 6 mi 6m
Santa Ana Freeway 5.7 mi 6m
Costa Mesa Freeway 3.7 mi 4m
Laguna Canyon Road 3.7 mi 4m
Aliso Creek Road 1.1 mi 1m
Harbor Boulevard 1.1 mi 2m
San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor 0.6 mi <1m
West Santa Ana Street 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: San Diego Freeway — 6 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Anaheim, CA and Aliso Viejo, CA.

1

Start on this road

200 ft · 19 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto South Anaheim Boulevard

0.3 mi · 58 sec · South Anaheim Boulevard
3

Turn right onto West Santa Ana Street

0.3 mi · 51 sec · West Santa Ana Street
4

Turn left onto Harbor Boulevard

0.8 mi · 2 min · Harbor Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5

Continue on Harbor Boulevard

0.2 mi · 29 sec · Harbor Boulevard
Use the right lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana Freeway Use the right lane.
7

Merge onto I 5

2.8 mi · 3 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

0.2 mi · 16 sec · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.8 mi · 57 sec
Toward Broadway, Main Street, Santa Ana Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 10 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 12 sec
Toward I 5 South
12

Merge onto I 5

0.8 mi · 54 sec · Santa Ana Freeway
13

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

0.8 mi · 52 sec · Santa Ana Freeway
14

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

1.1 mi · 1 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 27 sec
Exit 103 Toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Merge onto CA 55

3.7 mi · 4 min · Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 39 sec
Exit 6B Toward I 405 South: John Wayne Airport Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 10 sec
Toward I 405 South
19

Merge onto I 405

4.2 mi · 4 min · San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Keep slight right at fork onto I 405

1.1 mi · 1 min · San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21

Keep slight right at fork onto I 405

0.7 mi · 48 sec · San Diego Freeway
22

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 17 sec
Exit 2 Toward CA 133 South, CA 133 North: Laguna Beach Use the slight right lane.
23

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 47 sec
Toward CA 133 South: Laguna Beach Use the straight / slight right lanes.
24

Merge onto CA 133

0.3 mi · 25 sec · Laguna Freeway
25

Continue on CA 133

3.7 mi · 4 min · Laguna Canyon Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
26

Take the ramp

0.7 mi · 56 sec
Toward CA 73 Toll North: El Toro Road Use the straight / left / right lanes.
27

Continue on this road

1.0 mi · 1 min · this road
28

Merge onto CA 73 Toll

0.6 mi · 40 sec · San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor
29

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 34 sec
Exit 4 Toward Aliso Creek Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
30

Turn right onto Aliso Creek Road

1.1 mi · 1 min · Aliso Creek Road
Use the left / right lanes.
31

Turn right onto Aliso Viejo Parkway

0.1 mi · 12 sec · Aliso Viejo Parkway
32

Arrive at destination

Aliso Viejo Parkway

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.48 one way

$12.96 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $6.68 $13.36
premium $6.18 $6.86 $13.72
diesel $5.61 $6.23 $12.45

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.5 0 $2.96 $1.35
Efficient EV 7.1 0 $2.47 $1.13
EV Truck/SUV 11.3 0 $3.95 $1.80

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Anaheim, CA

Night in Anaheim on Friday

Local time

10:11 PM

PDT

Current temp

72°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Aliso Viejo, CA

Night in Aliso Viejo on Friday

Local time

10:11 PM

PDT

Current temp

67°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

5 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

36m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Anaheim, CA to Aliso Viejo, CA covers 28.2 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Costa Mesa Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 14.1 miles from Anaheim, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.48 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

This is a short but busy drive. With 27 decision points packed into just 28.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.

The main spots that need attention: at 5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Between Anaheim, CA and Aliso Viejo, CA, road signs point toward Broadway and Santa Ana.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Aliso Viejo, CA to Anaheim, CA

Plan the drive back the other way.

26.8 mi 36m

Explore more options from Anaheim, CA or browse trips ending in Aliso Viejo, CA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.